Dog Obedience Training -Leading from a Dog’s Perspective

Dog Obedience Training -Establishing Leadership

Anyone else tired of politics yet? With all the current discussion of new leadership for the country, it seems like a good time to look at leadership from our dog’s perspective. What does it mean to be a dog’s leader? We usually think of dogs and leadership in the terms of the pack and the “alpha” position being in charge, but over the last few years, science has shown that the “pack”, as we have historically thought of it, is actually much more complex. Also, the majority of the studies have been focused on wolves which differ from dogs in many ways; most importantly wolves stay within the same family group for their entire developmental periods only leaving the group at 2 to 4 years of age if they leave at all. Communication in a pack of wolves is subtle and more constant, as opposed to the violent snarling and physical altercations we see in the wildlife specials. Those interactions are far less frequent and are not what establishes leadership.

What is Dog Leadership?

Being a leader is not about being a bully or a drill sergeant. It’s creating a safe and secure group. Not to mention, each animal within the pack plays a role, from the top position of alpha all the way down to the lowest, or omega position. The entire pack knows the rules because they are consistent and easily understood. We as humans struggle with consistency and being understood with each other on a daily basis, can we do the same to provide leadership to another species?

How do we humans incorporate this?

So, what about our dogs? What does leadership mean to them? First we have to realize that we are asking our dogs to function in a world created by us and generally not for them. The fact we had to create “dog parks” is a perfect example. Spaces had to be made for dogs so that they could socialize more readily. (Whether dog parks allow dogs to socialize properly or not is an ongoing discussion among many dog professionals and a topic for another article.) We can understand buildings, cars, fences, shiny floors, thunderstorms and fireworks. A dog has to learn that these things are normal or non-threatening.

How to include their leadership style to make dogs more obedient?

In order for them to learn this we have to become their teachers and by doing so we also become their leaders. When you help a dog investigate a new object, accomplish a new task, or overcome fear you are not only teaching, you are leading as well. When a dog sees you as a confident guide you fill the role of leader. One of the wonderful things about dogs is that their needs are simple. Good food, clean water, shelter from the weather, and a loving stable environment. Part of what makes that environment stable is having someone to give them direction.

The absence of this leadership can create problems as well. Hierarchy is instinctive in dogs, everyone has a role. If they don’t feel someone is leading, their instincts tell them to try to fill that role. The truth is they don’t really want all that responsibility, that’s what will stress a dog almost more than anything else. Many of the anxious dogs we see in training are asking, even imploring that someone tell them how they should respond.

Quality dog obedience training classes… show that proper “leadership” training is more than just good behavior — you are giving your dog a teacher, a guide, a leader they can trust! We at AZ Dog Sports approve this message. And our special dog trainer team in Phoenix believe strongly in empowering our community to provide good leadership skills with your dogs!

Written by Will Bruner

National Walk Your Dog Week Oct 1st-7th

IT’S NATIONAL WALK YOUR DOG WEEK

“Oh, we have a big yard.???

This is the answer I most often receive from clients when I ask about a dogs’ daily exercise. This always causes me to give a small sigh and realize that our conversation has just begun. At what point did walking our dogs become so much effort, or take so much time, that we convinced ourselves that our yards were enough? And what is the definition of big? A half acre? An acre? 10 acres?

I have met very few, and I mean a VERY FEW, dogs who would exercise themselves thoroughly in a yard space. A healthy, active dog should get 30 minutes of aerobic activity (i.e. walking, jogging) at least once a day to meet its minimum requirements. A younger dog or more active breed should get twice that. There isn’t a “yard??? big enough to allow that. And it’s not just about exercise; it is also about stimulation and social bonding.

While out, a dog’s senses are taking in the world via its eyes, ears and that all important nose. Dogs’ senses are so well tuned that most dogs know every inch of their yard 2 or 3 days after arriving at your home. Seasonal changes and rainfall may alter scent, but overall your yard changes very little in a dogs mind. So getting out for a walk is what recharges their brain and believe it or not, helps you and your dog bond. Traveling together is one of the most important social activities in a dogs’ life. Wild dogs do almost everything as a group and nothing cements those relationships like doing a favorite activity together. I often recommend that owners with newly rescued adult dogs (older than 6 mos.) make a walk part of their daily routine to help their dogs bond with them and other family members. For a dog this is quality “family time???. Even in your yard your dog would much rather you be out there with them. They already know every inch, so where’s the fun sitting out there by yourself. In that case, they might create their own activities, such as digging, pulling up some plants, or when all else fails, bark until someone responds.

So what if your dog is shy and overwhelmed by the outside world, or reactive to other dogs or people? Then start slow, preferably with the help of a professional trainer, to help your dog overcome these fear based behaviors. You are doing your dog no favors by secluding it from the outside world and a trainer can show how to make this experience fun for you and your dog. Trainers can also help with the dog that drags you down the street, or the one that bounds along like a deer. Walking your dog should be a pleasant experience, not make you feel like the losing contestant at a rodeo. Besides, a responsive, controlled dog will get far more out of walk than an out of control, overly excited dog.

This week is National Walk Your Dog week so let’s get out there!

It’s All About The Money!

It’s All About the Money!

-by Will Bruner

Good motivation is the key to having a great time when training your dog. So how do you create good motivation? Reward! Reward! Reward!

Webster’s dictionary defines a reward as:

“: to give money or another kind of payment to (someone or something) for something good that has been done.???

Do you give your dog money? You might say no, but in truth we do “pay??? our dogs for their work so, yes in a way we do give them “money???. People can also use a check, a credit card, Pay Pal as well as good old fashioned cash. Your dogs’ “money??? can also come in lots of different forms. Anything your dog likes can be used as a reward. That can include, but is not limited to; food, toys, petting and praise. Food, such as treats, are the most commonly used reward, because dogs respond well to them. But, in some scientific studies human touch registered higher in the pleasure centers of a dog’s brain than anything else. Does your dog like to ride in the car? What about going for a walk? These are also pleasurable experiences all of which can be used as a reward. So basically, we have many ways to make our dogs happy we just have to find what the dog values at that moment.

The value of a reward can differ between dogs, but just like a report card you reward A+ behavior with the highest value reward. Varying the rewards so your dog never knows what’s coming can also increase motivation and focus. Think of it like this; you wake up one morning and find a $20 bill in your pocket. The next morning you find another $20 bill. The third morning you find one again. On the fourth morning you find a $5 bill. Not as exciting, but it’s still money, right? The next morning there’s $20 again, but on the following day you find a $100 bill! Now we’re talking! The next day $20, the day after that $5, then $20. There’s no set pattern, but pretty soon you’re jumping out of bed because you never know what you’ll find. Will today be the $100 bill? This is called a variable reward pattern and it is proven to motivate.

So what if your dog likes toys, but is kind of blasé about them during training? One technique is called conditioning a reward. Take a toy and present it to your dog. Praise and treat anytime your dog interacts with the toy. Pretty soon your dog will get excited when the toy appears. For some dogs this may start with simply sniffing the toy, then progress to “poking” it and then hopefully, mouthing or fetching it. The dog now sees the toy as valuable and you can start using as a reward.

So are you now wondering how I can use going in the car as a reward? Simple, as you approached the car ask your dog to sit or lie down and wait. Once they do then praise and open the car door. Voilà! Your dog is now learning that waiting gets rewarded.

Hopefully this given you a new approach to rewarding your dog. Now go check those pockets, maybe you’ll get the $100 today!

A Room With A View?

A Room with a View?

Have you ever walked by a house and watched the dog go ballistic at the window?

This most often happens when another dog goes by. Often though, depending on the dog, this situation can be created by a person going by as well. Sometimes it’s multiple dogs reacting and the whole window fills with barking excited faces. What is going through a dogs mind when this happens? “Stay away! This is my house!??? or “You’re lucky this window is here, buddy!??? Judging by the body language; these dogs are generally not excited and happy, but rather excited and anxious. There is also probably a level of frustration involved because the window blocks the dog’s ability to use its’ nose (its’ most powerful information gathering tool) to find out about this perceived threat. Even more startling are the dogs that get so tense and anxious they redirect that energy at the other dog in the home or even inanimate objects like the curtains or the wood around the windowsill. Most likely, those dogs have issues with other dogs while outside the home as well.

So, is allowing a dog an open window for a view setting your dog up for peaceful scenery watching or is it more like turning on the TV to an episode of Law & Order?

Dogs are territorial animals, they claim an area as their own and they will defend it. Wild dogs, such as wolves, will chase down and even kill other wolves found intruding on their territories. These areas are their sources of food, water and a place to safely raise their offspring, so they are definitely worth fighting for. (Interestingly, stray or feral dogs often have less defined territories because they scrounge for food and there is no regular source.) Research has also shown that wild dogs do a lot to avoid physical confrontations. In fact they would rather avoid seeing each other as this makes a threat more real. They mark boundary areas with their scent by use of urine and feces and they perform group vocalizations such as howling or barking to make their presence known. They would rather not fight as they risk injuring themselves in the process. So the goal is to keep things as peaceful as possible while still getting the message across of who lives where.

Let’s go back to that dog behind the window. How does he perceive that strange person or dog? He doesn’t get a warning via a scent that they are approaching, he may hear a bark, but more often it is the sound of jingling tags or footsteps that alert him. He rushes to the window and then the threat is right there, in sight and fairly close by. “Danger! Danger! Everyone on full alert!??? He barks and barks until the threat leaves his sight, but then is left worrying about where the intruder has gone. He can’t use his sense of smell so he has limited information with which to discern the situation. What does remain is a residual state of restlessness that continues for a while, or maybe even all day if the traffic is heavy. He has no point at which he can fully relax.

This whole scenario can’t be enjoyable for a dog, especially if the dog is insecure to begin with. Since the dog is home alone, her social group (which is her source of confidence) isn’t there to back her up. So what’s the answer? Simple … next time you leave the house, draw the blinds. Or if you want them to have a window make sure it faces the back yard and not an area where lots of other people and dogs walk by. The removal of the visual stimuli will greatly reduce your dogs’ reaction to perceived threats and allow them to calm down much faster. They may still react to the sound, but they will calm down in a shorter amount of time.

-Will Bruner, Animal Behavior Specialist