Talk To The Paw: May 2015

I had another blog ready to go, but poor timing on my part – I decided to write a new one for National Dog Bite Prevention Week.

Being that my Facebook photo album about the same topic had over 80 shares, it prompted me to talk about this in more detail. Dog trainers or really anybody that knows about dog body language usually cringe at the “cute” dog/kid pictures and/or videos on social media. Yet we get flack for it when we speak up. Why?

A friend of mine a few days ago made a post about this exact same topic (and actually inspired my album). Her friends posted photo comments about their dogs. “Yes, but look here, my dog is giving kisses.” Or “My dog loves her kids.” (showing a girl hugging a dog that is clearly uncomfortable.) – effectively proving her point, however they didn’t see anything wrong with it, because THEIR dogs are different. My pointing out the obvious was not well received. Why?

Maybe people feel personally attacked when we tell them that it is not a good idea to let their kid hug a dog and snap a picture. Maybe they think we are telling them they are bad parents, when we tell them to put the video camera down and tell their child not to ride the dog like a horse, instead of filming it. We hear “My dog would never do this.”; “My dog is good with kids.”; “He loves his kids.”; “I’m supervising them.” – And then when the unthinkable happens we hear “It was out of the blue.”; “We never saw it coming.”, or “But he has never even growled at anybody.”

The problem is – we never think it could happen to us. Our dog is different, he grew up with the kids. I get it, I’m guilty of it myself. Did you know there is a difference between “active supervision” and “passive supervision”? Are you watching your kids around your dog and are in the same room with them, or are you just in the same house? A dog can bite 3-5 times in the span of a second! Let that sink in for a moment. Do you really think you can be faster than that? Active supervision means to watch your kids and intervene when you see inappropriate behavior toward the dog. Teaching the kids respect for dogs (really all animals) and being preemptive is the key – you are not going to be able to jump in between when the dog is at the point that he needs to bite. Yes, I said ‘need’. Our dogs – our family dogs – don’t ‘want’ to bite us. They usually do give us every sign that they are uncomfortable and would like us to back off. Sometimes subtle and sometimes they are figuratively screaming at us. But we can’t hear it? Why? Because we are too busy trying to defend ourselves instead of listening to well-meaning advice.

Seriously – we are not judging you (well … we might if you start arguing and come back at us with the above arguments). In this business we see the tragic outcomes and because we cannot train every single dog in the world, we are desperately trying to get the word out and educate people on the subtle nuances of dog body language. A couple of years ago I went to a Dog Bite Prevention Conference hosted by Victoria Stilwell. Some of the speakers were the parents of Liam J Perk, whose son died from a bite of their family dog of 8 years. When they finished their story there was not a dry eye in the house. They, too, made the typical statements “never saw it coming; wish we had known”. Imagine the crushing loss of a child, and in addition the guilt they felt of this possibly being preventable. And on top of it, they also had to deal with the loss of a dog, a friend and companion they had longer than they had their child!

So, please, we are not saying you are bad parents. We KNOW you are not bad parents. Did you know that out of all dog bites on children 77% of them happen in their own homes and with either their own dog or a dog they know? And where on the body do most bites on children happen? Look at the pictures in the linked Facebook album and draw your own conclusions! For your childrens’ and for your dogs’ sakes – and in the end it is always the dog that pays – please keep reading and listen to our advice. We are giving it away for free and it just could save a life.

Let’s start with the subtle signs: Looking and/or leaning away, excessive panting when not hot, yawning, lip licking – while a dog could be tired or hungry – consider the context of the situation. Those can be signs of stress or appeasement signals (meaning, they are saying “I’m not a threat, please leave me alone, back off, you’re too close). For example, as a general rule, dogs do not enjoy being hugged. Yes, I know … “but my dog loves to snuggle, we hug and kiss all the time.” I’m guilty of it myself. But just because they tolerate it, doesn’t mean they like it. Next time you hug your dog pay attention. Do they get stiff? Turn their head away? Maybe even start lip licking? Trust me – they let you do it, because they love you, but they are trying to tell you something. Whale eye and a furrowed brow, licking your kid in the face when they put their face into the dog’s face. Those are a little less subtle. Your dog is clearly worried. And the cute kisses he is giving – an escalation of the lip licking “please get out of my face, I mean you no harm” (again, consider the context, your kid could have a peanut butter mustache).

Now let’s say, one day it is just getting too much and your dog growls at you when you hug him and don’t let go. You freak out and yell at him and go right back to hugging, because, well, “he is not the boss of you.” If you continue to punish a growl, you have now taken away a very effective communication tool. A growl is a clear warning from a dog to please back off! Again – he doesn’t want to bite and a growl is practically a scream to go away. Count your blessings that your dog has such a clear warning and heed it. Punishing your dog does not show leadership. He will not respect you more. But you now have effectively taken away his tool to let you know when enough is enough. Next time he may go to a snap directly or even to a bite. And let’s talk about that ‘snap’ for a minute. Knowing now how fast dogs really are. Do you honestly think that your dog ‘missed’? A snap is not a missed bite. Again – count your blessings, because your dog does not want to bite you! But he had to resort to yet another escalated sign that he is uncomfortable. The next time he may not have any other option left.

Whenever you pick up the camera next to snap that cute shot or make a vine or youtube video, step back and assess the situation. What is the dog really saying? Is a “cute” picture worth the risk. If I have made you put your camera down and intervene I have done my job! If I just make one person step back and think, it is all worth it! You don’t even have to acknowledge me.

If you don’t want to take MY word for it, please check out the references listed below. The key is to educate ourselves on dog body language and to teach our kids respect for animals and also get them started young on the body language. I am a “Be A Tree” presenter and come to schools and boy/girl scout troops for free. We also have an afterschool program as well as a Summercamp. Ultimately my passion is dogs and I will do anything to save as many as I can and that includes educating the next generation so that we leave behind a better world than we have now!

References/Resources

www.doggonesafe.com

www.be-a-tree.com

www.liamjperkfoundation.org

https://positively.com/animal-advocacy/dog-bite-prevention/

https://www.avma.org/Events/pethealth/Pages/Dog-Bite-Prevention-Week.aspx

What kind of relationship do you want with your dog? Do you want to be the benevolent leader that your dog looks up to and respects, or do you want to be a leader that your dog obeys because he is afraid of you? Think back to your school days. Did you respect and look up to the teacher that was strict yet fair or to the teacher that threatened you with detention and gave you extra homework for passing a note in class?

You have probably heard the phrases “you need to be the leader of your pack” or “nothing in life is free”. Those two concepts in recent years have become almost taboo in the dog training world. At the very least they are becoming very outdated. Why? They are tainted by a faulty pack and dominance theory, but that is a whole other article.

In a nutshell: Today we know that “A wolf pack is a cohesive family unit consisting of the adult parents and their offspring …” (wolf.org) the terms alpha male and alpha female have been replaced with ‘breeding pair’ or simply ‘parents’. Furthermore dogs are not directly descendent from wolves just as humans do not directly descent from chimpanzees. Therefore comparisons between wolf behavior and dog behavior will always be flawed. Studies of ‘wild’ or feral dogs in Romania have shown that they do not form packs, but only brief relationships (Jean Donaldson 2009). Dr. Ian Dunbar describes them as “loose, transitory associations”. “Since even wolves organize themselves into family units, we can aspire to be not dominant pack members but good parents instead. Loving caretakers and dedicated teachers of our dependent dogs”. (Sdao)

Does this mean that there are no rules and no consequences when using positive reinforcement? No – quite the opposite. Contrary to popular belief, dogs want rules and want somebody to tell them what to do. If they don’t have that – especially if it is an insecure dog already – they start making their own decisions and usually those are bad, because they don’t know any better. It is all about establishing boundaries for your dog. Ken Ramirez defines dog training as “teaching a dog to live as a dog in a human world and learning the rules”. Really it is just communicating effectively with your dog. After all, they come from a world where it is ok to say hello by sniffing somebody’s butt or to scavenge for food. How are they supposed to know that humans frown upon such behavior and do not like it when the trashcan is dumped and its contents are littered all over the house. Imagine yourself being dropped into a culture that is entirely foreign to you, where you don’t speak the language, and you don’t know the customs. How do you find out what is appropriate behavior when you can’t communicate?

What does that mean for our relationship with dogs? “Good leaders spend their energy thoughtfully arranging the learner’s environment to promote good behavior, proactively planning to avoid problems and steering clear of interventions that create fear and avoidance.” (Sdao) That means we reinforce behaviors we like and would like to see again and ignore and/or prevent reinforcement of behaviors we don’t like and would like to be extinguished.

One way of achieving this is the use of the Premack Principles. In the 1960s Dr. David Premack came up with the principle that a “high probablility behavior reinforces a low probability behavior”. For example: For a dog that loves walks, going for a walk (highly probable) would reinforce the behavior of sitting to clip the leash on (less probable). “Dr. Premack’s pioneering insight is that an animal’s behavior is reinforced whenever the consequence of that behavior [sitting] is that that the animal gets to engage in an activity he would freely choose to do at that moment. [walk]” (Sdao). The beauty of positive reinforcement training is that reinforcement does not have to be a thing (treat) but can also be access to a preferred activity. And the Premack Principle is so amazing, because it “is like gravity, it’s in effect all the time.” (Sdao)

I know what you’re thinking – that sounds like we are back to “nothing in life is free”. The dog should do something every time he wants something. I myself like chocolate way too much to only have it as a dessert. Sometimes I want to eat a piece ‘just because’. So I am opting for a ‘limited NILF’ – I call it “pick your battles”. Remember you are teaching your dog the rules appropriate for living with a human. You come up with your rules and enforce them. While jumping up at your friends’ faces to greet them may not be appropriate, you may be ok with Buffy jumping up to ‘dance’ with you. You might enjoy snuggling on the couch, but Buffy can’t just jump up, you have to invite her (yet another family may not allow their dogs on the couch at all). Buffy paws and claws you for attention while you are watching a movie; while you don’t mind petting her ‘just because’, the scratching is not ok, so she’ll have to have all feet on the floor, or stop pawing you for at least 3 seconds, before you touch her. “NILF is to control. In the long run communication trumps control.” (Sdao)

The easiest way to communicate with your dog is to allow them to make choices without coercion. “Our role is to notice more of those choices, inform the dog when he’s chosen correctly and reward the dog so he’ll be more likely to choose that way in the future.” (Sdao). Our Reward Toolbox contains the Premack Principles, toys, food (after his basic physical needs are met) and, of course, treats. In addition you can designate some foods (or other reinforces) that are never free and ‘earned only’. “They are the heavy hitters on the reinforcement line-up.” (Sdao)

Give your dog the credit he deserves. They are very capable of figuring things out. Set your rules and give your dog the opportunity to figure them out by offering you behaviors. Be a loving leader who teaches your dog right from wrong (by human standards) by offering guidance not force. Be that teacher you admired and respected in school and become the person your dog already thinks you are.