Training Your Show Dog to Relax for Grooming

One of the things we have to get our show dogs used to is being groomed.  Of course, depending on the breed of dog grooming can be extremely labor intensive or very little work at all. Dogs that are heavily coated need to learn to accept being blow dried, brushed, combed, banded, clipped, nails trimmed, topknots done and so on. My goal is not only get a dog used to it, but I want the dog to really learn to relax and hopefully even enjoy it. 

I recently acquired my first Lowchen and she surely will not be my last. Thankfully, she came from a really proactive breeder, Alexia Rodriguez, who worked on getting the puppies used to all sorts of things including gentle handling, clipper noises and vibrations and various environments. Even though Cannoli had been exposed to it, she wasn't reliably trained to accept it and just lie there and I had to work on that. In this blog post I will go through some of the things I did to teach my now 7 month old puppy to relax and usually fall asleep for her grooming. All this was done using positive reinforcement and gentle methods.

What you will need

In addition to your grooming tools, you will need the following;

• a towel, blanket, mat or bed to sit on the grooming table
• a pillow for the dog's head
• a bag of high value treats
• a grooming table and arm

First, start out by making the grooming area comfortable and inviting. If your dog is unsure about being on the table or being up high, get her used to that before grooming her up there. Just put her on the table, give her treats and take her down. Stay close and support her. If she is worried you can place the grooming table into a corner so that two sides of the table are up against a wall which can help the dog feel more secure and safe. Place a towel, blanket or dog bed and a pillow up there. Some dogs don't want to lie down on a hard grooming table, but are more than happy to lie on their mat or pad. It doesn't mean you will need it forever, but it is a good idea to use it in the initial stages of training. Cannoli's pillow is fleece fabric rolled up and tied.

Make the table comfortable with a towel or bed and a pillow. 

Next, put the dog on the table and just work on getting her to relax up there. Rather than trying to just push or roll the dog over, teach her to lie down by using food to lure her down. 

Lure the dog down with their chin on the pillow.

Once down, give the treat and then periodically offer treats for staying down on the table. Also, pet and massage the dog on the table to help her relax. Delivering the treats in between the dogs front legs, or in front of the rear foot if they are rolled onto their hip will help to encourage them to stay down and to relax.

Here I delivered a treat in between her front legs to reinforce staying down.

If the dog is relatively comfortable with being on the table AND with being groomed, you can offer treats as you start to groom. Take your time and reinforce OFTEN for staying down.  Practice this until the dog can really relax, even fall asleep on the table. The idea is to teach the dog to love being up there to immediately begin to melt and relax as soon as they get up on the table for grooming.

Cannoli is an extremely active young puppy, but she can relax and sleep while I groom her.

If can be helpful to teach your dog to rest her chin in your hand. I use this for many things including the position for medical procedures like vaccines and exams. This is an extremely valuable tool as it allows you to position the dog's head without any resistance. 

Cannoli rests her chin on my hand while I comb her face and head.

The chin rest on hand transitions nicely to her pillow.

It can be helpful to have someone else available to help with offering treats in the beginning. I was able to just set a bag of treats beside me and offer them every so often. If you need the dog to be standing, consider using a soft food item, such as peanut butter or squeeze cheese on a grooming arm.

Cannoli can lick peanut butter off of the grooming arm while I work on her.

If your dog doesn't like the grooming itself, consider starting to work on the grooming in a very comfortable place like on your lap or on the couch, as she learns how to accept it. Keeps the sessions very short and give frequent breaks and again offer a lot of treats as she begins to accept it.

If you are working with a very sensitive dog or there is already fear or anxiety associated with grooming, you may need to adjust the tools you use and use non invasive, soft tools. Some dogs do not like a slicker brush but may be fine with a wooden pin brush. Experiment with tools and start with ones that are comfortable for the dog.

As the dog begins to understand the process, you can groom for longer periods of time and can offer less treats. In addition to treats, be sure to pet your dog calmly while grooming to build even more positive associations with the process.

Things to Keep in Mind

• Practice daily with your dog so that she gets a lot of practice. 
• Be generous with your treats and reinforce good behavior often. 
• Try to groom gently and thoughtfully without rough handling and yanking on coat. It can be hard sometimes to avoid pulling on their skin, but it is important to work on this so that they can relax and not feel anxious that it will hurt. 
• If you are working on a sensitive area try to be gentle and offer treats in between very short sessions. This is how I got Cannoli so agreeable when having to comb little knots out of her face.

Grooming can be a really positive and even bonding experience for your dog when you teach it and do it properly. I love brushing out my dogs and all of them will lie on their backs in my lap while I brush and comb them. If they tolerate it easily from the beginning, I reinforce it with food anyway in order to build an even stronger positive association. If they have any fears or reservations about it, I desensitize and counter condition them by doing short sessions that they can tolerate while pairing it with high value treats. 

I did the exact same things for training her for her clipping, nail trims, bathing and blow drying. I offered food and started out with the water turned on low and some peanut butter smeared on the inside wall of the bath tub. I didn't wash her head at first, just got it wet. Now, she actually falls asleep while being washed! 

Same with the blower, I don't force her to stand up all rigid, I let her roll around on the towel at first and then just lie down and relax while I brush and blow dry her. I pet her and talked to her and offered treats while drying her. 

I feel that a lot of times we don't think of something like grooming or gentle handling as things we need to train, but we do. If we want the dog to know what to expect and feel secure in being able to predict what is going to happen, we can make all these things easier and more enjoyable for them.

Picture perfect

The importance of the collar you choose to use

I work with many show dogs of different breeds, ages and temperament types and have found that the type of collar you choose to use on your dog can greatly impact how much your dog likes or dislikes the ring.  The type of collar can also influence your dog's behavior in the ring which in turn affects his performance.  I always choose the collar that seems most comfortable for the dog.  I am not looking solely for control, but also for comfort.  My goal is to rely on my training, relationship and reinforcement history for my dog's performance, not to rely on equipment.  There are many different types of collars on the market for show dogs so you don't have to use what is "traditional" or what people tell you is the only type of collar to use on a particular breed.  All dogs are individuals and should be handled and treated as such.

The easiest way to change an animal's behavior is to change the antecedent.  The antecedent is simply what causes the behavior to happen.  In other words, if a dog barks at the front window and antecedent change would be closing the blinds or curtains or using a gate to keep the dog out of the room.  Changing the dog's collar is an antecedent change too.  With some dogs you can change their behavior simply by changing equipment.

I regularly work with a very sweet Pharaoh Hound.  She was doing very well in her training and then suddenly, didn't want to be hand stacked or have me examine her.  We went through anything that could be different and the only change was that her owner had changed her collar from a braided leather resco style loop collar to a braided leather martingale with a chain component.  I noticed that her change in behavior started about the same time she got her new collar.  I asked her owner to change collars and she immediately went back to being comfortable being stacked.  It was an easy fix and as simple as that.  She was simply not comfortable with that collar.  We don't know why for sure and likely never will.  It could be the sound, it could be that it pinched her skin or pulled a hair.  We don't know why because she can't tell us and we can't read her mind, but we can measure the change in behavior to determine that the collar caused her to not want to be examined or stacked.  This is not uncommon and this example is just one of many that I have dealt with.

Making sure that the collar you are using with the dog is comfortable for the dog is very important. Because anything happening, pleasant or unpleasant, while the dog is showing will become associated with the show and the show environment.  It should be more about simply using what is traditional or the norm and viewing and working with each animal as an individual and considering what works best for him or her.  There are many choices from martingales to loops or limited slips and a variety of sources that sell ready made and custom made show dog collars.  

So, before settling on what "everyone uses in x breed" or what you see other people doing consider what works for your individual dog.

A Cattle Dog Named Stan

So, there's this cattle dog, an Australian Cattle Dog, you know, a blue heeler, the type of dog that many believe you have to be rough with, hard on, the boss of and heavy handed with?  Yeah, one of those.  Stan was adopted by a loving couple who just wanted a nice dog to do things with, to be active with, to take places.  Unfortunately, Stan turned out to be reactive with other dogs.  He would bark and lunge when he saw other dogs and the behavior was getting worse so they contacted a trainer.

Trainer A
The first trainer is a positive reinforcement trainer recommended by the rescue group where Stan was adopted.  The trainer apparently tried to use straight classical conditioning (feed in the presence of the trigger) to modify the issue and change Stan's feelings and reactions to other dogs.  Unfortunately, they did so without the use of systematic desensitization.

Classical conditioning is really just pairing something (other dogs) with something (food, for instance).  Best case scenario is that the dog's emotional response to the "thing", in this case other dog, changes from upset to happy because the other dog has been paired with food.  In my opinion, it is best to do this while also using desensitization.  Desensitization means that you keep the dog "under threshold" or exposed at a low enough intensity level that the dog is not reacting, can learn, eat and think.  This didn't happen with Stan, he is was far too close and while he would frantically eat, he was far from comfortable.  It is my opinion that there would have been far greater success if desensitization was also implemented and if the owner was taught a bit more about the fundamentals of the process and how it should work and how it changes behavior.  While we don't need to be too "science-y" with our clients, we do need to be sure not to dumb it down so that they don't even understand how or why something should work and why.

His owner did not see a significant if any change from this trainer, so contacted another trainer.

Trainer B
Stan was sent to a board and train trainer who uses aversives including shock collars and pinch collars to train dogs.  Stan was basically physically corrected for reacting to other dogs.  This didn't make him feel more relaxed, comfortable or safe.  For weeks he was jerked and shocked for reacting to other dogs before the trainer returned him to her with the information that "there is really something wrong with your dog" and that "I can't fix him".  Stan was as reactive as ever, probably even more so now.

Why would he get worse and why didn't this work?  When using punishment to change behavior a few things have to happen.  First, of course the timing has to be impeccable, however, even if it is, if you are using a tool that can create pain or fear for the dog, you start to lose control of what exactly the dog is associating it with.  You could be and many times are attempting to correct the dog for his reaction to the other dog, but instead are simply making his feelings about the other dog worse. So, how can he possibly stop reacting defensively when he has more and more reason to feel defensive? We need to feel safe to learn.

Best case scenario, for the owner, not the dog, in this case would have been that he linked the corrections with his behavior of barking or lunging and simply stopped doing it and learned how to cope with his fear or discomfort around other dogs.  This happens sometimes and it's why some people feel that this method is acceptable.  See?  It works!  Well, it works if you are only interested in making the behavior stop, it doesn't work if you are interested in making the dog comfortable with other dogs.  I have seen this stop some dogs from reacting to other dogs, but I have never seen it make dogs okay with other dogs being around and it certainly doesn't help with the dogs actual relationship with other dogs if he has any, which would be my goal.  I don't want him to just stop, I want him to feel okay AND stop.  The dog feeling okay is a critical piece for me.

Honestly, I have seen people correct dogs for YEARS for reacting to other dogs. YEARS.  And the behavior never changes and in many cases it gets worse.  Suppressing behavior in the moment is very different from changing the future of the behavior.  Punishment reduces the future frequency of the behavior, so if it is punishment it has to change the future of the behavior.  What is it if it doesn't change the behavior but the dog gets shocked or jerked whenever they see another dog? Physically correcting a dog for reacting to other dogs gives him so much more to worry about.  He is forced to be exposed to other dogs at an intensity level he is far too overwhelmed at,  if he reacts he is in trouble, he can't turn to his owner or handler for help because they are the one doling out the punishment.  Many times you can see the dog squirm and look stressed and uncomfortable but tries to hold it together because he is trying so desperately to avoid being corrected by his owner. Not a great life.

The owner was pretty horrified by this training and would not allow Stan to remain for more training and turned to another trainer who was recommended by a trainer that the owner highly trusted.

Trainer C
Trainer C accused the dog of enjoying reacting at other dogs.  This trainer said that Trainer B did it all wrong, but then proceeded to do the exact same thing as Trainer B with no improvement.  Not surprising since again, it is a very flawed method and will not work with all or even most dogs.

Many trainers who use these methods and simply continue to introduce bigger sticks...stringing him up on a choke chain doesn't work put a pinch collar on him, if a pinch doesn't work, put a shock collar on him, if that doesn't work, put both on him, if that doesn't work, put the shock collar on his abdomen.  None of which makes the dog okay with other dogs!

Finally, the owner just stopped and backed off.  She could no longer stomach watching what was being done to her dog in the name of training.  All she ever wanted to do was help him.  This journey with this amazing companion of hers has taught her a lot.  She eventually went on to learn more about behavior and training.  Stan is older now, she has worked with him using desensitization and counter conditioning and gotten him to the point where they do well together and he is much more comfortable with other dogs in the world.  Had she been exposed to this training plan earlier on things would probably be very different for Stan, but I don't think it could have made their relationship stronger.  Everything she has done with him was done FOR him. She didn't get the help that she paid for or deserved.  But, now she knows and when we know better we do better.

For what it's worth, when you say cattle dog a lot of people will claim to know the breed and what they need.  They talk about being firm, in control, the boss, a good leader and many recommend harsh training methods and treatment.  I have trained, lived with and fostered many cattle dogs and in my experience, for a dog that is bred to work cattle in a way and in a terrain that few dogs could do, they are incredibly sensitive.  As an owner, a cattle dog is not a dog that I want untrusting or suspicious of his human partner.  Be clear, train well, be fair, trust him when he knows better than you and you won't find a better partner.

Finally, it's important to know that just because someone is a great dog trainer or very skilled in training pet dogs or dogs for a certain sport does not in any way guarantee that they understand the ins and outs of behavior problems or how to solve them.

Thank you to Stan and his owner for letting me write about his story.

A quick word about pacing

Just a few thoughts about "pacing".  For those of you who don't know, pacing is when the dog's front and rear leg on the same side moves in the same direction rather than back and forth like a scissors. When a dog paces, it is usually because they are comfortable moving at that speed.  Sometimes it is due to their structure.  Some dogs are not built correctly and so the "normal" trotting gait for their breed is not comfortable for them, so instead they pace.  Sometimes, it's a habit, again, usually due to comfort.  Some dogs will pace as a way to preserve energy.  Occasionally, there is a structrual problem that is causing pain and so the dog is compensating for it.  Sometimes, and I see this often, dogs are trained to walk alongside their owners in "heel" position, or very close to the owners side. Many dogs are trained to do this and get in the habit of pacing to the point that if you then try to get them to trot they simply pace faster.  Some breeds are more likely to pace and some breeds are actually permitted to pace when gaiting in the show ring.

I work with a lot of dogs who have gotten into the habit of pacing and have successfully helped them all learn to trot correctly.  I have several exercises I use from cavaletti work to quick start strategies that help them to pop out quickly in a trot rather than lumber into a pace.  Never, ever do I use leash corrections to modify this movement.  It is not necessary, nor is it fair to punish a dog for moving comfortably.  We are asking them to perform, to look showy and flashy, to allow strangers to handle and touch them, to be physically manipulated and to calmly cope with being surrounded by large groups of unfamiliar dogs weekend after weekend.  It seems to me that we owe it to them to be understanding when they are simply trying to move their own bodies how they are comfortable doing so.  Pacing is not "misbehavior" and should not be treated as such.

I'm entered...just kidding!

Tomorrow, my 1 year old standard wirehair Dachshund, Betty Spaghetti, is entered in her first rally trial. Guess what?  We're not going!  Yup, $33 down the drain and I feel great about it!  Honestly, I'm good.

The thing is, I haven't been working Betty that long in rally.  We started about a month and a half ago and while I am thrilled with where she is in terms of reliability and understanding, I realized that she is not quite ready to be expected to perform in an actual trial.  I took her to a park to practice the other day and she did her best, but the young fledgling birds learning to fly and freshly mowed grass were really difficult for her to work around.  When I took her to the pet store to get some stuff, she did really well, but was a little barky at a few dogs who barked at her.  She really is doing well, but I know that asking her to perform in a trial, on grass, with other dogs and people around is probably a bit much for her now, so I have decided not to go.  I think that this is the absolute right choice for my dog and I.

I talk to a lot of people who are so anxious to get their dogs into the ring, either for conformation or another dog sport and I think that is fine as long as our dogs are adequately and properly prepared.  Betty is only a year old and has only been working on rally for a month and a half, but frankly even if she was 6 years old and had been practicing rally for 5 years, if I don't think she is ready I won't put her in the ring.  I get calls all the time from people who want to start training their dogs but have already entered them in a dog show not realizing that it will take a little more time to properly prepare the dog!  A lot of people feel that minimal training is necessary for the conformation ring and then get frustrated when their dogs don't perform well. The truth is that much of the time the dog has just not been trained reliably if at all.  Two weeks before an event you entered is not when you should start training and preparing your dog for the ring.

I know that some people get agitated about pulling a dog from the conformation ring after you have entered due to a possible drop in points, but the truth is that we are our dog's advocates and we should be most concerned with our dog's well being and preparedness.

So, back to Betty!  When I started working rally with her, I had set June 1 and this trial specifically, as my goal.  We are very close, but I think we need a little more work and I am very good with that.  I will not be taking her to the rally trial tomorrow.  Instead, I will continue to practice with her.  I will attend a rally trial/dog show with her next weekend just to watch and support Roy, a bearded collie who is her training partner and just see how she does around all the dogs there.  We will continue to do our weekly rally practices adding in more locations and distractions as her skill level goes up.

If I chose to, I could show Betty tomorrow anyway, knowing that she may not be ready.  I don't think that this is necessarily a bad thing as long as I am prepared to 1) not qualify, 2) not get upset about it and 3) not be upset, disappointed or frustrated with Betty.  That said, I would prefer to go in this as a team that feels as ready, prepared and fully connected as possible.

It is great to set goals and it is okay to change your mind and decide that the two weeks between close of entries and the actual event wasn't quite enough to be where you want to be.

Photo by Dianne Morey

Fearful Dogs and Trigger Stacking

Zen Django is my 3 year old Chinese Crested.  I adopted him when he was just under two years old, knowing that he was fearful and shy.  He has come a long way and is my canine freestyle partner.  He is great with other dogs and people and despite his debilitating sound sensitivity has learned to cope very well in the world around him.  He used to dart around and panic on walks, but can now walk happily and confidently.  Our walks have gotten much better and just last week I noticed that he ignored both a guy using a loud saw and a lawnmower running.  Those are both huge improvements for him because in the past, both would have sent him reeling.

I just got back from a neighborhood walk with Django.  The first half of the walk was awesome and I was thinking to myself how great he is doing and how amazing it is to see him to relaxed and comfortable.  Just over 1/2 way through our walk, Django's worst nightmare appeared...a Fed Ex truck.  The noise of large trucks with their hydraulic screeches and random booms, as well as construction equipment are extremely scary for him.  I noticed it before he did and so I stopped heading in that direction and knelt down next to him.  I held the leash so that he was close to me and didn't have room to dart around just petted him and told him he would be okay.  After the truck was gone we continued with our walk.  After the truck passed he was no longer panicked, but was no longer relaxed and comfortable.  From the time we saw the truck, he became more reactive to cars which hadn't been bothering him before, as well as other sounds, even the sound of the leash attachment clinking with his harness.  He was still able to eat food, respond to me and walk, but he was walking faster and his movement was more jerky.  He was just clearly now "on edge". Unfortunately, we saw another large loud truck and again I had to comfort him until it passed.

There are two things about this that I wanted to discuss.  The first thing is "trigger stacking".  Trigger stacking is when there are more than one trigger in the environment and each one creates a layer of anxiety that lowers the dogs threshold for coping.  For Django, while he is much more comfortable going out of the house, there is a still a level of elevation in his normal emotional state when we go out.  Not enough for him to be bothered by vehicles or saws, but if he is exposed to something scary, like a Fed Ex truck, things he normally could cope with become more challenging and scary.  I realize that every time I take him out there is a possibility of us seeing a truck, however, I feel that because we usually don't see one, it is worth it for him to continue to be out in the world going on leash walks which he really enjoys.

Trigger stacking is something I see often in show dogs that are fearful or reactive.  They may be worried about one piece of the dog show experience, such as the judge or other dogs or the table, or they may be worried about many of those things.  If they are worried about several of these things, there is definitely trigger stacking happening because each trigger is breaking down the dog's ability to cope.  This is why it is so important why we deal with EVERY issue that a dog has with being shown before throwing him into a situation where he will be forced to deal with things that scare him.

Dogs, just like all other animals, including humans cannot help it when they are afraid of something. I have a fear of flying.  I have never been hurt in a plane and I can reason with myself that I will be okay, still, I have a panic attack every time I fly.  It isn't fun.  I would stop feeling that way if I could, but I can't.  It is the same for dogs.  There is no animal that will act fearful if they can help it.  If a dog is acting afraid, it is because he is afraid.  Dogs are incredibly honest that way.  I have actually had breeders tell me that "in their breed" dogs will "act afraid" so that they won't have to do things or to manipulate us, which of course is ridiculous and not at all true.  It is truly scary that people who have such a distorted view of how dog's behave have such a strong influence not only on a breed in general but also in people who buy their puppies who will listen to that and actually believe it.  But, I digress...

The other point I wanted to make of this story is that you may have noticed that I comforted Django when he was afraid.  There are still people who mistakenly believe that if you comfort a fearful dog you will "reinforce their fear".  Fear is an emotion, not a behavior, so it doesn't work that way.  If I was getting robbed at gunpoint and someone came up and started handing my $100 bills, do you think I would be more afraid the next time because I was reinforced for being afraid?  No, because at the time, I was not "learning" in that way, I was just trying to stay alive.  Any learning I would be doing would likely be "classically conditioned", meaning that it was learned from associations, not consequences, like reinforcement.  So, I could learn to be afraid of going to that same location because I had been robbed there, or I could even develop a negative association to a type of car that happened to be sitting nearby or to the shoes I was wearing that day because my brain happened to have made an association between those two things - that scary event and my shoes that I had on that day.  But, I wouldn't be more afraid because I was reinforced during the robbery.

This is all important to think about when dealing with a fearful or reactive dog.  I want Django to be comfortable with walks and I hope that one day I can get him to be okay with loud trucks, although I am not sure he ever will.  What I see now is that he is "better" than he was.  He still becomes very obviously afraid, but he doesn't completely panic to the point of trying to escape me like he used to.  Protecting him and comforting him has helped.  What would never, ever help him is what I see many people do when their dog is having an anxiety attack which is physically correct them.  Many owners view this as an intentional behavior of the dog acting up, but these fearful responses are not something the dog is doing as much as they are something scary that is happening to the dog.  Another important thing to think about because correcting a dog for being afraid is extremely relationship damaging.  It breaches the trust between the dog and owner which is never a good thing.

Training Advice

Today a dog will lose his home and very likely, his life. He was adopted from a rescue organization by a well meaning family. When he began growling and exhibiting defensive body language the rescue group that placed him advised the new owners to "pin him down" and punish him. Not knowing any better the well meaning owners did so and were bitten badly in the face. The injury was significant enough for the owner to require medical attention including sutures. The dog will be returned to the rescue group who gave this dangerous, inappropriate and stupid advice and will likely either be euthanized or subjected to more inappropriate handling.

If this family had been put into the hands of a qualified trainer, they could have began a training program where instead of being punished for feeling uncomfortable, the dog was systematically desensitized and counter conditioned and actually taught to feel comfortable, relaxed and safe. Instead, his new family, people who he barely knew him proved themselves to be unsafe, untrustworthy and dangerous.  And now, everyone loses.

It would be wildly inappropriate for me to give medical or legal advice because I am not trained or credentialed to give such advice. This is no different than non-behavior experts giving out advice. Advice that can do no harm is one thing, but advice that pushes a dog to feel the need to bite and puts people at risk is not only unethical it is just plain wrong.

When my beloved Pekingese Fooey came to live with me, fresh out of the shelter, we had an "incident" in which I was playing with a ball with him.  When I went to take the ball from near him to toss it, he launched across the dog bed snarling at me guarding the toy. I got up and went and got my clicker and some treats. I started to desensitize him by shaping my taking the ball. At first I just lifted my hand and would click and treat him for no reaction. I built it up to extending my hand, then reaching it out, then touching the ball, then taking the ball and so on. Fooey never guarded anything from me every again. I am not saying it always that easy to work with a resource guarding dog, and Fooey's defensiveness could have been partly that he was not well, newly out of the shelter, didn't know me that well, etc. The point is that had I chosen to grab him, shake him and take the ball from him, what would that have taught him? Probably that I am dangerous, untrustworthy and unsafe, oh, and it would have validated his need to feel defensive.

If you have a dog that is exhibiting aggressive behavior, please do not attempt to modify this behavior on your own. Do not use methods that are confrontational, harsh or forceful, even if you have seen them done on T.V. or if your mother's neighbor's son who used to have dog one time told you to. People who are not professional, qualified, skilled or credentialed should not be recommending training techniques that put animals and people at risk. Just loving dogs, working with dogs or having lived with dogs or bred dogs does NOT make someone an expert, anymore than my having been sick makes me qualified to give medical advice.

If he doesn't like it, stop doing it!

Here is an all too familiar scene:

A puppy or young dog is being trained for the show ring and decides that he is not comfortable with a part of the exam. He goes to a handling class and resists having his bite examined. The well meaning, but not trained in behavior instructor advises that the dog must get over this and attempts to check the bite again. This time the dog, having already communicated his discomfort the first time, resists further and growls this time. The instructor insists that they must do this and get through it and that he shouldn't "get away" with that. They attempt again and the dog snaps. Insisting that they must "end on a good note", they push further. At this point, sometimes the dog gives up, giving them the false impression that he is now fine with it. Other times the anxiety increases until it is made clear that the dog needs a break and someone has enough sense to back off and approach things differently. And, sometimes, no one listens or advocates for the dog and the dogs escalates his defense to a bite. He is then labeled all sorts of things from unsound to aggressive to spoiled to manipulative. Who did this end it on a good note for? Do we really believe that forcing, pressuring and intimidating a dog to cope with something he is uncomfortable with makes him truly okay with what was being done? Do you think that this dog will be better the next time someone checks his bite?  No, usually not, in fact frequently, his anxiety about it starts earlier the next time around.

I have worked with dogs that were pushed in this way for the entire exam, for the bite exam, testicle exam and even for just being touched. Force never makes someone comfortable and relaxed about something. I have seen dogs at shows clearly communicating discomfort with something only to then have people do that very thing over and over and over to make him "get over it". This does not help the dog learn to feel more comfortable, it teaches the dog to not feel safe and trusting of his owner.

I have seen situations like this impact dogs in a very big way, even to the point of ruining a dog's show career or causing owners to spend months trying to teach the dog to be comfortable with the exam again. I have seen people put the work in to turn it around and others decide that it isn't worth it. It is important to remember that every single event in an animal's life matters and is filed into their mind and becomes a part of their life and learning history. All experiences count and ones that are particularly good or particularly bad can count even more.

If it isn't bad enough that we have now created a potentially big problem with the dog's perception of the exam and the show ring, but many times the relationship between the dog and owner has suffered because the owner allowed this to happen. In other words, in the dog's eyes, the owner did not keep him safe.

I have seen so many variations of this scenario that it would make your head spin. What makes me really sad is that many times the owners felt uncomfortable with what was happening but didn't have the courage to step in and protect their dog from further force and pressure.

You may be wondering what the right thing to do is. What if the dog doesn't want you to do something? Shouldn't you "make him"? How do you deal with this. The answer is that if you want the dog to TRULY feel comfortable and relaxed with anything you must desensitize and counter condition him to whatever it is that he is not comfortable with. Sometimes the dog is fearful, other times he is more defensive or frustrated and many times they simply are not prepared and don't know what to do. We can train them to be comfortable with this so that they don't mind and hopefully even enjoy having it done.

We start off by introducing the trigger at a very low intensity level and pairing or just following that exposure with something of very high value to the dog, usually food. The intensity level can be upped or lowered by changing the closeness of it, the length of exposure to it, etc. The exposure is always followed by removal of trigger at first so that the dog has a release of pressure very frequently. Handling it this way does several things, 1) it allows the dog to actually become comfortable with the trigger so he is okay and not just coping or holding it together like a pressure cooker waiting to blow, 2) it respects the comfort level of the dog and takes his well being into account, 3) because you are teaching the dog to actually be relaxed and comfortable he will look relaxed and comfortable which is much more "showy" than a dog who is doing something out of fear and the inability to escape, 4) it makes the entire show experience a good experience, 5) it preserves and supports the relationship between the dog and owner. Forcing a dog to do something he is not okay with, especially if he is worried about it is extremely relationship damaging. You are your dog's advocate, you are responsible for making sure he feels safe, comfortable and free from harm.

The process takes as long as it takes. While there is a basic formula for the process, how quickly you can proceed depends on many factors including the individual dog, his learning history, his genetics, the skill level of the owner and many other things. Some dogs progress extremely quickly and confidence grows quickly as they learn that they have some control over their bodies and safety.  Others, particularly those that have had a bad experience that taught them not to trust, can take longer, but they all can learn to feel better about things.

I strongly encourage people to begin to look for answers that not only get you results but that also make things better for the dog. I don't want dogs to just "knock it off", I want them to actually feel okay, comfortable, relaxed and enjoy the showing experience so that they have fun, are more successful and are more competitive.

Show Like a Pro! Workshop Weekend

Last weekend I hosted and co presented our Show Like a Pro! Workshop Weekend with Suzy Olsen. I had "met" Suzy online on various Facebook pages and realized that she is doing basically what I am doing in Texas. Suzy has shown dogs all over the world and is a KPA grad and I knew that she would have lots of great info. I wasn't disappointed and don't think workshop attendees were either!

On the first day, Suzy presented a lot of how to train the basics. She talked about clicker training, had attendees practice mechanical skills, discussed how to train basic behaviors, how to write training plans, how to keep dogs focused and interested in the ring and so much more.

On day two, I presented tips, tools and secrets including the use of cavalettis and other tools like platforms, body awareness and conditioning, stacking tools and more.

It was a fantastic weekend and I am hoping that Suzy and I will be able to present this in other parts of the country as I feel it was a very valuable weekend for all of us!

Here are a few photos of the weekend!

Training Venom

I haven't blogged for a little while.  After bringing home Venom, our new Dachshund puppy, I have been kind of busy!  However, since part of what I have been busy with is his show ring training, I figured I might as well share it.  Since Venom came home 6 weeks ago, I have bee working on quite a bit with him.  I practice scent work (tracking) with him, I have started him on K9 Nose Work box work, we have started working on sit, down, name recognition and come here and I have been working on stack training and gait training.

The stacking is going really well.  I have been experimenting and using my Staxrite table to work on his stacking.  The Staxrite table is a little table that has sliding wood strips so that you can adjust it to the length of the dog.  It raises the dog off the base but only by a few inches.  This is the first time I have used it from puppyhood to train a dog and so far I am really liking it.  Tools like the Staxrite or the Happy Legs can be really helpful, unfortunately, I have seen so many people abuse them and practically use them as torture devices.  I once saw a miniature wirehair Dachshund at a show who was put on a set of Happy Legs on a grooming table with a leash tightly attached to a grooming arm for over an hour.  This is obviously not humane and not how they should be used.  We don't want to cause fatigue and pain, we just want them to learn to hold the stack for a short time.  I will stack Venom on there, ask him to wait and then feed treats as I praise him.  He is probably on there for 20 seconds at the most, then we take a break.  Of course, I also practice stacking without the Staxrite.

His gaiting practice is going really well.  We usually practice on the driveway in front of our house. On a show lead I begin to walk him slowly and click and treat him for not hopping or skipping.  He gets reinforced every time he makes the right choice.  It is important at this age and in the early stages of training that he gets reinforced often so that he can learn exactly what the behavior is that I want.  At this stage, I am very happy with how he is doing on this.  And, he is just so darn cute...

Being smart about those first dog shows

By now, you have figured out that I am all about making sure that dog shows are fun for dogs.  It's only fair that if we are going to ask our dogs to participate in a sport with us, that we make sure that they enjoy it.  Not only is it the only ethical way to approach it, it's also the only realistic way to approach it.  If a dog is not having fun, he is generally not going to be competitive.  So, whether you are starting out a new puppy or an adult that is new to the show scene, it is critical that you go about it the right way or you risk ruining dog shows for your dog forever, or at least for a long time.

Dogs, like other animals, can experience "single event learning" which means that some experiences, particularly very frightening ones can have a lasting effect.  If your dog goes to a dog show and has a very frightening experience or a very stressful or upsetting one, he may associate dog shows with bad things.  If we want our dogs to win at dog shows we have to make sure that they have fun at them and that they enjoy showing.  We want all their dog show experiences, especially their early ones to be fun and rewarding.  It is really critical that your dog doesn't experience any really scary experiences at his or her first few dog shows.  It is doubly important if you are working with a puppy under a year old or a very sensitive dog.

Since the first and most important thing to do is to make sure that your dog has fun at dog shows it is up to you to set it up to ensure that this happens.  Bring high value treats and toys to dog shows.  Realize that the first few times to a dog show can be very overwhelming so it's important that you are prepared to set your dog up to have fun and enjoy himself.  Bringing toys and treats will help him to associate dog shows with fun things.

Consider going to some shows just to hang out with your dog without entering.  A lot of people have a difficult time with this and figure that it's a waste of time to go without entering.  Not true!  It's actually a really good idea to take your dog to a show or two without entering so that he gets used to the sights and sounds that he will be exposed to at a dog shows.  Unless you have practiced in a LOT of different environments with a variety of different distractions you have no idea how your dog will react and how well he will be able to perform at a dog show, unless you attend a couple first to see how he does.  Dog shows are fun for people but they can be extremely overwhelming to some dogs.  Dogs that are easily aroused or shy or timid really need  to be desensitized to the dog show environment before being expected to perform reliably at one.

This next recommendation is a really important one and one that a lot of people take very lightly, unfortunately.  I recommend that a new show dogs first shows are one day gigs.  I would never ever start a puppy at a two day show and I would certainly never take a new show dog or a young show dog to a three or four day cluster.  Even with a very well trained and experienced show dog, three or four days is a lot.  I have seen many very stable dogs that seem to enjoy dog shows get really burned out on the third or fourth day of a long show weekend.  It takes a lot for a dog to work up to being able to cope with that, and in my opinion it's simply not fair to expect that from young or inexperienced dogs.  So, start them out nice and easy with just one day.  If you do enter a four day cluster I recommend you pull the dog if you start to see signs of stress or fatigue. 

Finally, please make sure that your dog is ready to attend a dog show before entering him.  I can't tell you how many people contact me a week or two before a three or four day dog show because they entered their untrained, unprepared dog and now they are panicked because the show is in a couple of weeks and their dog is not ready.  It is unethical in my opinion to enter a dog in a show when they are not prepared for the show ring.  Even a stable dog will experience some stress at a dog show, especially their first shows, but if you also have a dog is not trained and has no idea what to do or what is expected and it's a recipe for disaster.  It's simply not fair to the dog and a great way to teach your dog to dislike dog shows because they view them as overwhelming events where they are confused and don't know what to expect.

So, take your time, plan well and be smart.  There will always be another dog show, so if your dog is not ready don't enter yet.  If you do enter, take your time to ease your dog in so that they can slowly and honestly get used to the dog show scene so that they learn to love dog shows!

If your dog isn't ready, then don't enter him!

I am going to try and write this post in a way that is helpful and educational and not at all frustrated and judgmental.  However, if I am being honest, I am a bit frustrated.  I cannot tell you how many calls and emails I receive from people who are desperate to get a private with me right away because they have entered a dog show knowing full well that their dog is not properly trained, not even close to prepared or ready for the show ring!  I do not understand why people insist on torturing themselves, not to mention their poor dogs by entering them in shows before they are ready.

I have said this many times before.  The behaviors that a show dog needs to learn are not very difficult to train.  The dog needs to be taught to stack, gait and accept gentle handling, BUT he needs to be trained to a level of reliability that makes it possible for him to perform those behaviors in a novel, highly distracting and stressful environment which a nervous, stressed out, emotional owner at the end of the lead.  It is not reasonable or fair to enter your dog in a show and give him (or yourself) a week or two or three to prepare for it.  People mistakenly believe that handling a show dog and presenting a dog well is easy and takes no work at all, but if that were true professional handlers would be out of a job.  It isn't easy, unless of course you know what you are doing and feel comfortable doing it and have trained your dog to a high level of reliability in highly distracting and stressful environments.

So please, don't enter your dog if he isn't ready to be shown.  If he isn't ready because he doesn't know what to do, if he is fearful or reactive, if he is worried about being touched by a stranger or if he simply needs more training, then don't enter him.  Best case scenario is that neither of you look ready and leave the ring disappointed and frustrated.  Worst case scenario is that you poison the whole dog show scene for your dog by asking for too much of a dog that is simply not ready.  Trust me, there will always be another dog show.  

We've tried that and it didn't work

This is an article that I wrote for one of my bird forums.  Not about show dogs particularly, but about changing behavior in animals in general.

I am writing this post because I come across this statement both on internet forums and in real life as a behavior consultant.

Many times when people complain about problem behaviors in their animals (regardless of species) and are given advice they respond that "they have tried that and it didn't work". It is important to keep in mind that in order for our animals behavior to change we have to change our own behavior. As a species, we tend to blame the issues on someone else. The bird is being (insert any label here) hormonal, dominant, mean, jealous, stubborn, etc. when the fact is that the behavior has simply been reinforced (consequences) and the stage has been set for the bird to do it (antecedents). As owners we can control and change antecedents and consequences. In other words, the behavior is sandwiched between two things that change behavior, both of which we can control.

When people tell me that they tried something already and it "didn't work", I don't usually have to look far to see why it didn't work. While not every solution will work for every animal, learning theory doesn't change from individual to individual or even from species to species. Learning theory remains the same across the board. Functional analysis (antecedent-behavior-consequence) remains the same across the board. So, it isn't that it simply doesn't work for that animal, it usually means that there is a problem with how it's being executed.

How a behavior modification or training plan is executed is important. The skill of the trainer comes into play here. For some things, the timing is critical and if it's not right the bird will be confused and may be reinforced or punished for the wrong thing. For instance, let's say that a person asks their bird to step up and the bird bites the owner's hand, which causes the owner to pull their hand away. The bird was probably reinforced for biting. The owner is upset so then asks the bird to step up onto a stick which the bird does and then puts the bird in a time out to negatively punish the behavior. What message could the bird be getting? Probably that biting makes hands go away when he doesn't want to step up and that he got timed out in his cage for stepping up on the stick. It is important and critical even to look at what happens just before (antecedent) and just after (consequence) a behavior to determine if and how it can be modified.

Another problem with owner's execution is with extinction. We know that any behavior that is not reinforced will go away or go extinct. There are some exceptions like if the behavior is a response to stress. If a bird is screaming because he is not getting enough attention, exercise or enrichment then that screaming will not likely go away from ignoring the bird. In this case, the screaming is a symptom of being ignored and is a sign of stress. But, in cases where the bird's needs are met and the bird is screaming for attention ignoring the bird will cause the screaming to go extinct or go away. This is one where people constantly say "we tried ignoring him and it didn't work". The fact is, while they may have tried ignoring the bird, they simply didn't do it long enough. If the bird has learned that screaming brings the outcome of attention, any attention, the bird will keep screaming. Once the owner starts to ignore the screaming to extinguish the behavior, the bird will have an extinction burst which is when the behavior gets worse before it gets better. Many times it is during the extinction burst that the owner caves because the screaming gets worse and they can't cope with it which only cements the behavior even further. The bird has now been taught that if they just keep pushing and persisting, the desired outcome will eventually happen.

When a behavior has a strong reinforcement history meaning that the animal has practiced doing something and then getting the desired outcome for a long time, the behavior will be more resistant to extinction.

In the case of screaming, another thing that happens is that the owner "thinks" they are ignoring the behavior, but they aren't. Birds (and dogs) are very good at reading our body language and some of our body language can unintentionally reinforce behavior. I once had clients who had an American Bulldog who would bark at their back door and they said they couldn't get her to stop. She was a big, goofy funny dog and just looking at her made you smile. I asked them if they ever laughed while she did it, they said "yes, all the time". Bingo! When a bird is screaming for attention and the owner is attempting to ignore it, there are a million things the owner could do to reinforce it including, but certainly not limited to flinching, covering their ears, looking in the direction of the cage, turning up the TV, etc, etc. So, keep in mind that the animal, not us, get to decide what is reinforcing and you may have to look at other things going on.

The fact is, extinction can take some time. A bird who has been screaming for attention for 2 years is not going to miraculously stop after 10 minutes of being ignored because there is too much reinforcement history that has supported the behavior. The bottom line is, it takes time. I am not saying it's not frustrating, I wouldn't want to try and ignore a screaming bird for 2 hours, but I didn't make the rules, science did. It isn't always fun, but it IS the way it is.

So, keep in mind that if a behavior modification plan feels like it isn't working, you may need to adjust how you are doing things. You may need to wait longer. You may need to adjust how you are putting the plan into action. You may need modify the consequences or adjust the antecedent, but you will get there.

But my breeder says....

But my breeder says…  If I had a dollar for every time I have heard these words followed by an inaccurate statement about canine behavior I would be a millionaire.  Before breeders everywhere start raising their hackles, let me just start out by saying that I am a breeder myself and I know that there are many caring, informed and compassionate breeders out there.  Those are not the breeders I am referring to here.  My concern is with breeders who are using outdated or simply inaccurate information when discussing behavioral problems in dogs with the people they sell their puppies too. 

The majority of breeders out there are not trained in canine behavior or learning theory.  Many are experienced and knowledgeable about the characteristics and structure of their breed, but most know little about how to treat behavioral issues in dogs, particularly serious issues such as fear or aggression.  Many still believe that the only way to train a show dog is to put a choke collar on him and jerk him until he does it right.  This is training from the dark ages and unnecessary when training simple show ring behaviors.  Using these methods with fearful dogs is not only unnecessary it is inhumane and unethical. 

Many of my clients are show dog owners who are living with dogs with fairly serious behavioral issues associated with showing such as fear.  The owner is seeking professional help from a qualified trainer and specialist in order to help the dog overcome the fears and learn to be happy and comfortable in the show ring.  Meanwhile, they are dealing with a breeder who says the dog needs to “deal with it”, “get over it” and are recommending that the owner force the dog to show despite their fears and before they are ready for it.  Many will try and encourage the owners to “pop” or physically correct the dogs for “misbehavior” when the dog is truly fearful and simply unable to perform in the show ring.  This is, in my opinion, extremely unfair to the owner of the dog and even more unkind to the dog at the end of the leash being forced to deal with his fears in a very inhumane way.  Many times the breeder wants the dog finished despite what the dog might be put through to obtain that title.  Other times the breeder may truly not understand that the dog is experiencing fear and that it needs a lot more work than just “making him do it”.  Fear is a complex and delicate issue.  Owners of fearful dogs must follow a sound humane training plan if the dog is ever to improve.

So, what do these owner handlers do when they are trying to keep their breeders happy but still want to protect their dogs?  The best thing I can recommend is that they stick to their guns.  If the end goal is for the dog to truly be comfortable then you must take your time and move slowly when you are dealing with fearful dogs.  It can be helpful when the owner finds ways of helping the breeder to understand why you are doing what you are doing and that it is to protect the dog and your relationship with the dog.  These are more than valid reasons for insisting on a science based, humane, dog friendly training protocol.