My Journey Beyond Whispering

My Journey Beyond Whispering

By Ligia Morris in Beyond Cesar Millan

I can't remember precisely which year, but on or around 2003, 2004 - I started watching the "Dog Whisperer" show on Nat Geo. I'm not a professional dog trainer, yet it's always been something I was interested in. I earned a living in the film, TV and entertainment industry as a costume designer and lived in Los Angeles, California, at the time.

What got me interested in the show:

1- It's name - which was taken from "horse whisperer" Buck Brannaman - whom I had known and read about..
2- the title "dog psychologist" - who could ever imagine that the Nat Geo channel would put a show on the air with a "psychologist" that isn't?
3- The 5min. "quick fixes" and results shown.
4- The Nat Geo brand association.
5- His "saving" pit bulls from death row.

I'm going to back track a little, just to throw some perspective of where I was coming from. I had moved to LA from NYC, there I had 2 Daschunds that I brought with me to LA. In NY, I had trouble potty training my older female - so, I got my first dog training book "Dog Friendly Dog Training" by Andrea Arden. In order to understand how to apply what was written in the book, I hired a trainer from the humane society,  recommend in the book. So that was my approach to dog/animal training. I'd see or read something interesting and if I had the opportunity or the money, I'd hire them. Besides, back then there weren't so many youtube vids for us to see trainers applying their techniques.

I moved from a kitchenette type apartment in NYC's East Village to a nice house in LA with a nice back yard and behind the back yard a huge park-like lot called the "The Red Line Trestle Footings". The perfect place to have the dog breed of my dreams: Fila Brasileiro - I did a lot of researching online for a good breeder [that is an whole subject of its own], got a lemon from a highly recommended breeder. That first Fila died at about 1 y/o from an "immune mediated disorder"; it brought me to tears. Although, later, I realized how fortunate I was, because the dog was highly reactive and would bite me if I approached when he was barking at the gate. That is not part of the traits of the Fila. However, I had hired a dog trainer to guide me on how to deal with that dog and used some reward training, but also recommended a prong collar. She had been to several Ian Dunbar seminars.

After "Biggie's" death, I was very sad.. My husband bought me another Fila as a gift. This time we got a "show" quality Fila Brasileiro. A note of caution: "pet quality" for some breeders, is code for "vet quality". At this point, the "dog whisperer" show had debuted on Nat Geo and I saw an opportunity to call his "psychology center" for a consultation.

My gorgeous dog Cherokee was around 5 to 6 months when he met Cesar. My Daschunds were probably 3 and 2, respectively. They got along pretty well. He walked in with me and one could definitely sense he had an effect on the dogs. I concede he does have "something" about him that effects the dogs. However, he immediately pointed out to me that I should be dominant over them, that my dog Cherokee was competing with my other little Daschunds for supremacy. Plus, he showed me how to walk my Fila pup - all this with a lot of tsssts - leash jerking, claw hands on neck and body. I look back at it now and think of how intimidated my little dogs were of all that and how my 6 month old Fila shut down. CM, told me that my FB dog could not wrinkle his nose to the little dog, which he said I wasn't aware of because I didn't understand dog body language. I tried to tell him how things were friendly and easy going at the house and that all I wanted were some pointers if there were something to happen out of the ordinary. He was not hearing any of it and basically said the FB was not a breed for me, I would only be able to handle him if I had an Alpha personality, which I didn't, in his opinion..

After that visit, I started convincing myself that everything I had done till then was totally wrong and I was a major wuss. The stuff he showed me looked like it had immediate result, that day at my house. But, I didn't know I'd be gifted with the long term side effects that would present themselves later [the gift that keeps on giving]. Cherokee and Tex (Daschund) were friendly with other dogs before that day. But, after my consultation and my newly developed leash skills - a radical departure from what I had learned from more positive trainers till then, they became increasingly unfriendlier and reactive to other dogs. To the point where I could no longer take them to the park and I had to walk them only late at night, or very early in the morning. Every meal from then on, was tense, because they all had to eat together and I had to stand over them.. I'd become an uber control-freak about discipline. I became a defender of CM and I recommended him to friends! Even fellow Fila Brasileiro enthusiasts did not approve of his methods. Curiously and specially the folks that dealt with Filas in rescue and ACO friends.

The positive part is that I did take my dogs out for walks every day and they got exercise. Can't say the same about canine social skills.

On one of my trips overseas, I called the "psychology center" to board my dog there for 15 days. Because of his breed, it was nearly impossible to board him anywhere else. He was accepted there. It was more like a boot camp. Several pit bulls and pit mixes, and human monitors ready to tssst at any movement that remotely resembled interaction between dogs. Little dogs were kept together and they all slept in the same cushion in a room. Big dogs were made to stay together, as well as eat together. and many had shock collars on, at the time I really didn't know what they were.. . Cesar explained how things were done there, I took photos of my dog as a souvenir of my celeb experience, said goodbye  and was off to my trip - entirely relaxed and sure things would work out fine.

When I picked up my dog from the psychology center, I noticed he was injured on the eye lid, and I questioned the monitor what that was about. I didn't get a straight answer because the person had not been there earlier and didn't see anything. Also, my dog had an electric collar on. I got home and waited to talk to the person that was his manager at the time. I was told is that my dog was a fighter - that is part of the breed characteristics [total nonsense] and I signed a waiver, there was nothing to be done..

Well, that episode opened my eyes quite a bit. After that stay, Cherokee's behavior became very bizarre when I left the house. He would follow me. Nothing could contain him. He would act very distraught if I left him. On the other hand, I started getting involved in volunteer training for Search and Rescue with him. I had become much interested in the work dog world, including taking my Daschunds for earth-dog trials. I learned so very much of reward training with the officers from the Sherrif's office and the earth-dog people. That's when I began to realize the effect os aversion and coercion in training. My fila had been damaged by those methods and developed an anxiety disorder. He had developed noise/storm phobia associated to separation anxiety, which he had never presented before those 10 days he was "whispered to"..

He became too big of a dog to follow through with the S&R, so then I took some herding instruction with him. He did well in that also. I learned he wasn't a full blooded Fila, that he had some mastiff in him - that's a whole other issue, though.. However, he learned to be a very well socialized dog, thanks to the herding and S&R, he does get along with other dogs pretty well too, well part of that might be from the shock collar training I suspect; but he paid a high price. I've been able to manage his anxiety disorders, only through positive techniques, relaxation protocols, bands and DAP. But, it's not going away as can be seen in th video. The long term effects of CM's influence [including his use of an electric collar] on my dog have been devastating to him.
Cesar Milan has a television show.  I am a professional that is involved in the entertainment Industry - The show's producers have a script to follow, and they must keep those sponsors. They heavily edit the footage to make long processes and mistakes look instant and to cover up some of the even harsher techniques he uses.

Also, other things one can't even imagine, which I know that happened at a herding instructors facility, but are protected by confidentiality agreements and other waivers. Cesar is self-taught  and he doesn’t even appear to understand why what he does works [or their long their term effects, for that matter]. There are professionals out there who really do understand the whys and hows of dog behavior and their consensus is that Cesar’s explanations are mostly nonsense. Bottom line is: Cesar is training for television entertainments, he uses difficult techniques with hocus-pocus explanations and that, in spite of his macho prowess, he frequently gets hurt!.

The reward that has come from my experience with CM is that I have learned to be an ok trainer myself, and have learned about Quandrants, operant conditioning and positive reinforcement, scent articles, stock-dog and livestock handling, evolution of dogs, wolf behavior, etc.. I have met many different trainers and learned incredibly efficient methods that require everything but force and are a lot of fun and partnership for me and the dogs!. Today, my dogs live with me in Brazil, on a farm. I have 3 more pure-bred Filas which I am attempting to teach snake detection, but all of them work with stock, in fact one of them got a 3rd place in a USBCHA event against 10 border collies, 2 rotties and  2 GSD's. I consider myself a cross-over hobby trainer, I use clicker, herding techniques, search and rescue techniques, SATS. I read a lot, and research as much as I can. I hope that from my recount, I can steer people toward a different direction, specially one that might spare their dogs.

Please attribute to Ligia Morris

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Philosophy of Behavior Training - Activity

Many dog behavior problems are associated with excessive emotional responses by the dog to things in the environment. For example, aggressive behavior often has a basis in fear. The dog has learned that aggressive behavior - such as barking, growling, snarling and lunging - is successful in driving away the dog or person that she is afraid of. Other emotions that can cause problems are anxiety, anger and frustration.

Unfortunately, most times the activity of the "emotional" side of the brain inhibits the activity of the "thinking" side of the brain. Dogs who are experiencing an intense emotional reaction such as fear are incapable of acting rationally or learning new skills. Think about the last time you were terrified or enraged about something - Were you able to think clearly? Would you have been able to memorise some new information? Probably not!

On the other hand, dogs who are in "thinking" mode and concentrating on a task are better able to fend off emotional reactions and stress. In the same way that counting to 10 can help you regain control of your ability to think rationally, a dog can stay calm if she is concentrating on doing something that requires her to think.

Dogs, like humans possess unique personality traits, tolerance for stress and vary in their ability to adapt to new situations and circumstances. As trainers, we have the ability to teach our dogs skills so they can feel safe and comfortable when unpredictable situations pop up and we can intervene on their behalf. We aren't changing their personality or temperament, but we are working on changing their responses by teaching them skills. No one will ever convince me that it is fun to go to a big party with unfamiliar people, but I have practiced enough to get through the event. We can actually teach our dogs that get aroused by things in motion that the sight of the kid on a bike means it is time to turn away and look at me.

Some researchers compare dogs’ intelligence to that of a 2-year-old child. I have heard the same thing about the larger parrots (Amazons and African Greys in particular) but I don’t think that makes sense. People who use guide dogs put their lives and safety into the dog’s paws. How many of you would trust a 2-year-old, even a very bright one, to decide when it is safe for you to cross the street? How many 2-year-olds can understand sheep herding or search-and-rescue?

Dogs are born preprogrammed to exist in a dog world. And the world of a domestic dog is weird — it is, of necessity, intertwined with the human world. We’ve played with their genetics so much that the domestic dog cannot function as a wild animal. Yet dogs retain some behaviors that are directly traceable to their wild ancestors. Their communication system — chiefly body language — mimics that of wild canines. Their vocalizations, their play style, their prey drive, and so much more. But in designing breeds and through the long process of domestication, much of this behavior has changed. Dogs have adapted to our world.

I think intelligence is figuring out how not merely to survive but to thrive in one’s environment. For a human 2-year-old, that is a human environment. For a dog, that is also a human environment — so not only must the dog learn dog stuff, the dog also has to learn to understand and make himself understood by members of another species. Much more difficult.

Dogs have mastered our world and learned to manipulate us and they’ve learned to partner us in dozens of ways that go far, far beyond the capabilities of any 2-year-old. It’s a very different sort of intelligence and there is no convincing evidence I'm aware of, from any reputable behaviorist or psychologist, that suggests dogs can replicate human thought processes: use language, think in narrative and sequential terms, understand human minds, or share humans' range of emotions.
In "Activity" we start observing our dogs. We look to see what might make them a little too aroused to learn. What worries or suppresses them? Some dogs love handling, and some get over stimulated. Some dogs tolerate people standing right over them, and some need more space. What things truly motivate your pup? What about toys? Access to other dogs and people? Have you noticed any sensitivities? Noise, space, touch are just a few. When we are training, we try to engage the drives and minimize the sensitivities. That again, will help keep the dogs attentive and calm. So really, there is that zone that the dog will find is most comfortable and able to work best. We can relate to that.

The reality is, we don't know that much about what dogs think, because they can't tell us. Behaviorists tend to believe that dogs "think" in their own way—in sensory images involving their finely honed instincts. They're not capable of deviousness or spite. They love routine: Nothing seems to make them more comfortable than doing the same thing at the same time in the familiar way, day after day: We snack here, we poop there, we play over here. I am astonished at how little it takes to please them, how simple their lives can be if we don't complicate them.

Training Techniques

The best time to learn about dog behavior is before you're in the thick of things and your dog is jumping all over your guests or redecorating the house with the contents of your trash can. There are several ways of "training" your dog. It's important to understand that when deciding what you need to do with your dog.

First, there is "behavior training." This is the kind of training in which a dog is taught to be a "good citizen." Typically this includes housetraining, good behavior around other people and dogs, reasonable leash manners and other small things that make a dog a much more pleasant companion. A well behaved dog attracts no special notice from the public (aside from amazing some with their good manners).  This also includes rehabilitating a dog who has forgotten what being a dog is all about, who can't negotiate the human world without stress reactions and aggression or is so afraid of this alien place they hide.

Then there is "obedience training," which is generally teaching the dog how to perform specific activities on cue. This can include traditional "obedience" exercises such as sit, stay, come, down and heeling. The emphasis here is on prompt and precise performance. While there can be many overall benefits to such training, the training is usually for the training's sake and not necessarily to improve the dog's behavior. Dogs that have been obedience trained will perform specific tasks when their owners ask them to do so. (And as a matter of fact, some obedience trained dogs may behave poorly otherwise.)

"Activity or sport training" refers to training for specific activities -- this includes hunting, herding, Search and Rescue, lure coursing -- any of a myriad number of activities designed to showcase the abilities of the dog and his handler, particularly in activities a the dog has been bred to do. These days, such activity also includes "sports" such as frisbee, flyball, agility and so on. Sports type of training is basically obedience training on steroids as the dog is still being asked to do un-dog like things.

Of course the lines tend to blur between all of these distinctions. A certain amount of obedience training will help with behaviors and a behaviorist will teach certain obedience commands to assist with getting a dog under control. For example a dog that is heeling will not pull on the leash. Still you want to keep this in mind when selecting a training class so that it best matches your needs. For many pet owners, the behavior oriented classes are the best way to learn how to understand and control your dog. For those of you who want to enjoy a sport or compete in an activity with your dog you will need to start with obedience and move along to more complex training.

The basis for each type of training is who is learning who's language. With behavior training, it's mostly the human learning dog, and with obedience training it's mostly the dog learning human words and what to do when he hears them. At either end of the scale, the human has the biggest job. All the dog has to do is listen and do what the human asks for. It's the human's job to figure out how to communicate her wishes to the dog.

There really is no right or wrong way to train your dog and you can mix and match to serve your purposes. Things to take into consideration when choosing the most effective method for you and your dog include: your personality, your dog's personality, your goals, your abilities as a trainer, and your experience as a trainer. For example, if you are not happy with a particular method of training, for whatever reason, then it is unlikely you and your dog will do well with this method. Your dog will pick up on your reluctance and either share your dismay or take advantage of the situation to do as he pleases.
 
Training can't be effectively executed by half measures, otherwise you'll get an almost trained dog. For those of you who say, "That's OK, I don't need a perfect dog,' I respond that training isn't about perfection; it is about building a willingness in your dog to follow your instructions. If you ask your dog to sit but he doesn't, and you just stand there asking him to sit over and over again, he'll be learning from you that when you say "sit", you don't really mean it. This is why many dogs act perfectly well with their professional trainers and are less behaviorally consistent at home. The trainer is persistently following through with their commands while the owner is letting things slide at home.

Training isn't magic and there are no gimmicks, no matter what some books and websites may claim. You can't wave a magic wand and put no effort into following through with your dog's learning process and expect to have a well behaved dog. Dogs are influenced by their owner's lifestyle, their environment and what is commonly called self-education, which means they attain knowledge and use it always to their advantage - not always to your liking. It is of no relevance whether it was you who educated your dog or someone else before you.

In my experience, dog ownership is a little like a job: you need certain qualities in order to be good at it. The ideal characteristics include balance, composure, patience, persistence, ambition and initiative. You also need to be precise and consistent; have common sense and be logical; be organised; and have the ability and the desire to be in control. Finally, you need enough time to work with your dog, and you need to be affectionate and loving.

Patience is a gift. This is what gives you inner calm and composure. In training, the patient person is one who doesn't rush ahead, but takes the time to repeat, or even reconsider, his techniques, reverse or change procedure, intensify or revise a routine. A patient person may take a long time to achieve the desired outcome, but he always seems to get there in the end and be more knowledgeable because of his experience along the way.

A patient and composed person will be willing to look harder for the right approach to use with dogs whose temperaments lie at the extreme ends of the spectrum. Opposing your dog's behavior, battling him every step of the way, won't bring you any closer to victory. A patient person will learn how many repetitions his dog needs in order to learn something new and how intense the stimulation required. He will not set his dog up to fail but will encourage him and work with him to solve a task. A good dog owner plays for the same team as his dog. You're the captain, and he is your willing team mate.

Why Dogs Do What They Do

Dog are born with the ability to "see it, try it and if you like it, remember it and do it again". Similarly, if they try it and don't like it, they will go off and try something else. Dogs are great experimenters. When you are able to interact with this pattern of behavior, you are on your way to teaching your dog what is correct behavior and what is not. You start teaching your dog how to live in your world from the moment you pick him out at the breeder, rescue or pound.  If you use a dog's natural instincts to test everything and look for the necessities and other good things in life, the dog you adopt as an adult or a puppy will turn out to be the dog you want.

Dogs have an extraordinary ability to adapt to the lifestyles and circumstances they are put in. All dogs think whatever they do is ok.  If they didn't, they wouldn't act the way they do because it would get them nothing. A dog's behavior must satisfy a need, no dog will do anything that isn't to their advantage. Dogs do not distinguish right from wrong - they only learn what behaviors will get them what they desire. In order to learn how to live in our world without stress and strife, you - as a primate - must learn to think like a canine. Like children, dogs don't come with a set of instructions.

Dogs are never perfect - they are only doing what evolution and survival have taught them. Blaming a dog for her poor behavior won't change that behavior. Dogs simply need guidance and structure from us in order to live in our world. It is rarely the dog that is at fault here, it' is generally the human on the other end of the leash. The human is responsible for his dog chasing rabbits, chewing the carpet and attacking the mail man.

In my experience, no matter how severe a dog's behavioral problems are, 90% of the time, the problems are man-made. We are the ones who are guilty because we - and those who may have lived with our dog before us - are instrumental in forming his inner world and how he relates to our world. Consciously or not, we are constantly teaching our dogs - and our children - what to do and what not to do.

Many of us either ignore or smile at and even reinforce our dogs' behavior - good or bad. Because of a dogs inherent need to discover the behavior that will fullfill their needs, they have an uncanny ability to outmaneuver us and get what they want despite our efforts to "stop" them. Dogs win and they remember and learn from it. They get used to winning - regardless of whether it matches our expectations. Without our direction, they get used to not having to behave in any particular way.  Without our guidance, a dog will learn on it's own what is rewarding and how to fullfill her needs. The more often a dog wins, the more convinced she becomes that what she is doing is proper.

Not much different then humans really. If something words, we stick with it. If it doesn't work, we abandon it. If it is rewarding, feels good, makes us feel useful or loved or whatever reward we need for our own ego, we use it. But there are always the rules of society that govern most of what we do when we are interacting with each other. In the same way, our rules govern how are dogs should interact in our world.

Troubled Dogs

How many people out there have a dog who seems depressed, stressed out, scared of his shadow or just rarely moves? This dog could have been abused, neglected, not socialized properly, taken away from it's mother and siblings too early or is just very sensitive and never learned how to handle an alien (human) world.

In most cases, dog's become "depressed" because people misunderstand them and try to assign human emotion, human reasoning and human responses to the dog. Certainly, dogs need love and attention to thrive, but some think that feeding them is enough.  Dogs love structure and rules and knowing where they belong in their social group.  Without that structure, most dogs will seek to figure things out on their own and when not the way the human would respond, is "punished".

Whatever your dogs past was, it's time to look towards the future. Most dogs can bounce back quite easily and quickly with a little direction and compassion. However, it is possible that a dog's past may haunt her. That's why you need to evaluate and analyze your dog's behavior. Break each behavior into small parts and determine what is holding each of the parts in place.  What is reinforcing that behavior.

When dogs are puppies, they learn about their world. The majority of a dogs fears begin with a bad experience as a pup. Even simple things like a fear of taking a bath most likely started as a puppy. Dogs need socialization and training when they are young. This is very important to raising a well balanced dog.

But what if you adopted your pet as an adult? How do you handle it then?
The first thing you need to do is to figure out exactly what it is that scares your dog. Is he afraid of taking a bath, or something that occurs during the bath? To figure this out you need to break down the elements of bath time. Take him outside and play with him with some water. Is he afraid of the water? If not move on to something else. Try putting him in the bath tub. Is he afraid of the tub?
Continue to break down the routine of bath time until you figure out what he is afraid of. Then you can isolate the problem and correct it. To do so, you want to reverse his fear into a positive experience. For instance, if he's afraid of the tub, then introduce him to it in a new way. Try sticking him in the tub with no water on and then play with him. Use his favorite toys and treats to show him that the tub is not such a bad place after all. Make sure he is comfortable with this and then add the water. Continue to play with him and give him treats for not freaking out once the water is turned on. It may help to have a partner with you to keep him occupied when you turn on the water.

Once he is comfortable enough for you to start bathing him in the tub, do so. Then make it a routine. Give him a bath every day for a few days, then move to once a week, and eventually every two weeks if you like. You want him to get used to the fact that bath time is going to happen, and you want him to look forward to it as well. When you get to this level, you have completed the training. You should now be able to give your pooch a bath without the fear. Don't worry if in the beginning you have to repeat steps, that's ok.
The idea is to make him feel as comfortable as possible while in the tub. Make it a fun activity for him. Stay positive and don't get frustrated or mad at him, this will only make things worse for you. Make sure you go and get him for bath time until it is postive for him, you wouldn't want to call him to something he sees as negative, or he'll be afraid to come to you. This method can be applied to just about any fear, and if you have any trouble contact a local trainer to help or leave me a comment and I will try to help.

Here is the method in steps:
Observe: Observe you dog and figure out exactly what scares her.
Isolate: Isolate the fear.
Reverse: Reverse the fear into a positive experience.
Routine: Make a routine and practice it religiously.
Complete: Complete the behavior without the fear. Make certain to keep the dog comfortable.

Learned Helplessness

Have you ever read about or seen or heard about teens that have fits when they don't get what they want? that couldn't empty their own ashtray if you paid them? what ME get my own drink?

That is learned helplessness. These teens have been catered to all their lives and couldn't wipe their own behinds without help. This mentality is becoming rampant in our schoo...l system where there are so many "aids" to learning, so many ways to "help" a poor struggling student, that they never do learn how to learn - they don't have to.

You can do the same to a dog, you can train a dog to be totally helpless at doing anything for itself in the context of training and then once you are not training - the dog is out of control doing what it wants and relieving the pressure, stress and boredom of an hour of pointlessly following directions.

Obedience training can be (please note I did not say always, I said it can be) a way to create learned helplessness. It does not need to contain pain, corrections, shocks, vibrations, collar jerks, etc, all it needs is training the dog to ONLY do when the human asks it to. All you need to create learned helplessness is to never allow, to ruthlessly suppress, a dog's ability to make choices, to learn real self control (not being commanded to have self control).

You can create a sort of learned helplessness using shock, pain, corrections, etc since you are suppressing responses with this form of training. But what the dog really is learning is not to reach, not to try, not to do anything that isn't asked for and to make sure that you really are being asked for something.  It's an extreme form of learned helplessness.  A dog is never allowed it's own choices, never allowed to learn, never allowed to create, never allowed to offer itself to the equation.

But learned helplessness doesn't need pain or fear to be created.  Spoiling a dog will do it.  My definition of spoiling a dog or a human is doing everything for that dog or human without expecting or asking for any contribution from the dog or human.  I'm not saying that you should expect things in return, what I'm saying is that you should allow the dog to be part of the action contributing and cooperating.

I see learned helplessness all the time with Out Of Control class.  The first thing I usually do in this class is assess the training the dog has had.  I ask the human to have the dog sit, down and stay and then assess how much help the human has to give the dog in order to get compliance.  Most times it's a lot - the human pushes the bum, lifts up the leash real high, says "sit" in a commanding tone while leaning over the dog - usually with a finger pointing at the dog's bum.  The dog has never really learned to sit, she waits for the human to put her in the position.  Learned helplessness.

The Dog's Point of View

This quote comes directly from the Facebook page of a trainer who uses shock collars, prong collars, corrections and other force methods of training and behavior work as his first choice no matter whether the dog is aggressive, fear aggressive, fearful or even terrified.

"When it comes to punishment, aversives and/ or Rewards in dog training, remember that it's from the dogs point of view, not yours!!"

I've been trying to figure out without asking him what exactly he means by this.  Does he mean that a dog will ask for a shock? That a dog likes punishment?  That a dog would rather his collar be jerked hard when he looks at a duck waddling by instead of a redirection to a great tug game with his owner? Is he reading the dogs mind and knows something the rest of us don't?

Survival in the natural world has to do with avoiding pain (death) and seeking pleasure (food and reproduction).  Why would a creature so very much closer to nature then humankind choose punishment (death) over rewards? Think about what your dog senses as you stand over them.  It matters not what outward appearance you give - taking a deep breath to "calm" yourself or putting on a blank face - the dog knows what you're really thinking, the dog smells it, senses it. 

I have not always been a play trainer.  I have used corrections and punishments and even used a shock collar on 3 different dogs over the years.  Since making the choice to abandon aversive methods of training and behavior work, I have considered the notion of having some aversive trainers come to a class, sit on the ground with a collar and leash on and learn the same way they are training the dogs in their care. I have definitely considered this notion when arguing against electric shock collars. I feel the best way to do this and prove my point about e-collars would be to put an e-collar onto a person (on their neck, just like the dog), don't tell them what you want them to do and shock them everytime they get it wrong. Once they get it right stop shocking them. I figure they wouldn't last even 30 seconds!

If we're considering the dog's point of view, then we need to put ourselves in the dog's world, with his senses, emotions, sensitivites, needs, wants and necessities.  Without actually doing this, or at least attempting it, how could anyone even remotely hint that a dog would prefer that you give him a shock, or jerk his leash instead of giving him a treat for having done what you asked of him?

While humans mostly see the world through their eyes, a dog sees the world mostly through her nose.  The really cheap shock collars smell like ozone and burnt wiring.  The more expensive ones have the same smell, just not in the same concentration.  That smell is part of the picture for a dog when a shock collar is on the dog's neck.  Electricity is constantly moving through the wiring in the device and it produces a smell.  This is one of the main reasons a dog knows when that shock collar is on and when it isn't.  You can't fool the nose.

The same goes for the ears.  A dog's hearing may not be as good as it's nose, nor relied on as heavily, but it's much more accute then a human's.  Shock collars also make noise, and again, the cheaper the louder.  That noise is also part of the picture for a dog who has to endure training with a shock collar.

I've spent a lot of time in dog parks for the last four years.  I've observed all breeds, all ages, all levels of training and all types of humans and their reactions to normal dog behavior.  I've videoed and played in slow motion every signal a dog could possibly give off in a dog park situation trying to figure out what they are saying. 

In these 4 years of observation, it's my conclusion that dogs figure out fast who to stay away from and who is safe to play with.  The bully gets ignored or run away from; the shy dogs stick to their owners, under tables or in a corner; the mostly sane, balanced dogs play and avoid the bullies and aggressive dogs.   No dog that I've ever watched or interacted with chose to be bullied, rolled, bit, punched, body slammed or humped.  Instead, the ones who practiced the listed behaviors were shunned and even occassionally attacked enmass by the other dogs. 

So why would any punishment type trainer imply that any dog would choose to be shocked, jerked, poked, pinched, hung by the collar, or any of the other uncomfortable, painful, non-survival activities of this trainer and many like him?   The only thing I could think of that would cause someone to utter such a statement would be his perception of the final product.  He obviously thinks that his dogs are happy and fullfilled despite the methods he uses.  Believe me, the statements I've seen on dozens of shock collar trainer sites is that the dog is happy and "loves" it's shock collar because it knows good things are going to happen when the collar is put on.

So why would they think this?  Because the dog is wagging it's tail?  Because the dog is jumping all over the place in excitement?  What dog body language tells them that the dog is happy?  I've watched videos and seen images from all those dozens of shock collar and jerk collar trainers and I do not see happy dogs.  I see stressed dogs, dogs who are in a constant state of appeasement toward their handlers, dogs who have no purpose other then to do as directed with no choice in the matter. 

I cannot for the life of me figure out why anyone would think that a dog would prefer punishment and aversives as a method of training or behavior change.  If you're going to look at training from the viewpoint of the dog, do so as a dog, not as a human trying to justify punishment and pain.

From a reader who couldn't post a comment "One thing I'd make clearer is the link between death and pain because some people can't make the connection on their own.

I have to say, Duh! in agreement.

Which is more likely to get some one to work harder and to enjoy their work more?
 
Being punished by being demoted and getting a pay cut? Or, being rewarded by being promoted and getting a raise? Who would ask for a demotion and a pay cut?? Why would a dog ask for punishment rather than reward? It's not conducive to survival."
 
To answer the comment about making it clearer between pain and death.  The reason that there is pain is to warn the organism that death is imminent, every species of animal on this planet avoids pain and seeks pleasure, they avoid death and seek life, the purpose of every species is survival, pain means something just happened that was non-survival.

Philosophy of Behavior Training - Awareness

Awareness is all about communication, living in the moment with your dog and observing the obvious. You, as the owner / trainer / guardian / handler are the expert in the partnership between you and your dog. You have the awareness and understanding to bridge the gap between species, your dog has the instinctive knowingness of nature and the energy flows that connect us all.

Life is a game. Games have rules, they have boundaries, they have freedoms and games have limitations. When you can balance the parts of the game, when you understand all the parts of the game, you win; when you can't balance the barriers and freedoms, the rules and limitations, you end up playing a broken record of stress, pain and fear. The purpose of education, training, behavior change and play is to enhance an individuals ability to play the game of life. It matters not whether that individual is a primate, a canine, a feline or an equine; it matters not what the freedoms, barriers and purposes of each particular game is, so long as one becomes aware of and can manipulate the parts of the game in order to create a smooth playing field.

A dog, or a human, will react adversely over time to a trauma that is unexpected, unpreditable and at odds with previous experience in that arena. For instance, you take your dog to the dog park every other day for several months with little to no incidents. The people are great, the dogs are mostly behaved and only one or two play a bit rough but they are easily redirected to chasing a ball or frisbee. Then one day, one of the regular dogs, or a new dog, attacks your dog. It doesn't matter what the reason is, it was unpredictable, unexpected and so not like the normal state of things in that dog park. It doesn't even have to be a vicious attack, no blood needs to be shed, just the surprise and the unpredictability of the attack could, depending on your dogs' state of mind at the time, set him up for fear. Fear of the dog park, fear of that dog, fear of dogs of that type or fear of whatever it was he had his attention on when the attack occurred.

Brynda, my boxer mix, is afraid of balls being kicked or thrown. She will chase them and chew on them and even fetch occassionally, but she will make sure she is not in any possible path of a thrown or kicked ball. This all started when she was about 8 months old, the first time she went running after Ruth to see what it was that Ruth was chasing. Ruth always led out and then I would throw the ball with the chuck-it. Brynda moved right into the path of the ball and got smacked. Since that time, she's probably gotten smacked a dozen times, but it was the second time she got smacked that she started shying away whenever she would see Ruth head out for the ball to be thrown.

So one of two things can happen, either the trauma is severe enough to cause an instant fear, or it builds over a succession of minor trauma's until the fear is as intense as the instant trauma. What has happened is that the dog has lost confidence in her ability to manipulate the environment, to predict the future and to avoid pain. In essense, she has moved away from reality and sees only the potential for more trauma. Eventually, that potential becomes so real that the dog either starts fighting back to prevent the pain or flees. Flight doesn't have to be physical movement away, it can also be the consciousness and thinkingness of the dog that flees - shutdown, no focus, no engagement, no interest. It becomes the elephant in the room phenomena and occassionally the dog will lash out and then settle into pseudo catatonia again.


As I'm writing this, I have one dog who I have been working with for 3 months in this state of pseudo catatonia with unpredictable violent and electrifying outbursts, but only when he is on a leash. Take him off the leash and he is fine. He has come along way since we started as you can see in the picture to the left. But the outbursts and the need to chase the scary things away is still there. He is progressing faster now and we are just starting this phase - awareness.

In "Attention" you encouraged your dog to focus on you as the source of the good and necessary things in life. In "Alignment" you showed your dog that she could be directed by you without fear and that by following your direction she could reduce her current fears. Now, with "Awareness", your dog will learn that she can communicate with the environment, be aware of the reality of her environment without fear, and start to relax in the face of her fears. This level of rehabilitation is all about communication, for by communicating with other dogs, humans, objects and spaces, a fearful dog can start again to play the game of life, relearn the rules, rediscover the boundaries and freedoms and understand the limitations.

What is Self Control Really?

Wikipedia defines Self control as the ability to control one's emotions, behavior and desires in order to obtain some reward, or avoid some punishment, later. Presumably, some (smaller) reward or punishment is operating in the short term which precludes, or reduces, the later reward or punishment.

This article Self Control and Aggression got me thinking about what it is I'm training a dog to do when I'm calling it Self Control or Impulse Control. As the article points out, a possible conclusion based on a study in the Journal of Consumer Research "Research has shown that exerting self-control makes people more likely to behave aggressively...” I've experienced this all too many times myself when on a diet or trying to put myself on a daily exercise routine.

Is what I'm doing really "self control" or something else? According to the Wikipedia definition it is. I am trying to control my behavior and desires in order to lose weight or gain muscle and stamina. In doing the diet or the exercise I'm also avoiding some punishment - poor health and huge medical bills later in life. But both processes seem to generate self hate, irritability and a lack of emotional and impulse control with other parts of life.

Sarah brought into play a new concept in her article above - self denial. Are self control, impulse control and self denial all the same? Is dieting self denial or self control? Is formal exercise a form of punishment and a reflection of self hate or exerting control over one's health?

Personally, I've found that formal exercise, where you do a similar routine with exercise equipment or running a circuit is more a form of punishment then it is a form of self control. I would much rather play a game of volley ball, take a hike or hit the beach and body surf for an hour. I get the same exercise, but the rewards are more tangible, it's fun and engaging and I have to problem solve while playing. Formal exericse may take a huge amount of controlling ones emotions and desires in order to get through your routine, but there is no fun, no mental stimulatioin and rarely any immediate rewards. Dieting is the same.

So where does this get us with creating self control in a dog? Is it really self control we are creating or something else? The second question I asked myself was "are we really controlling our emotions, or are we just suppressing them and that is why they come out in other situations so violently"?

If you read down further in the Wikipedia definition of self control you find a scientific definition based on reinforcement and consequences., motivation and the emotional state necessary to succeed. This I think is more defining of what we do with a dog then just "self control".

Any particular dog has many instinctive motivations to do what they do - finding food, finding mates, feeling safe during rest, not wasting energy on unproductive activities and interaction with others. The consciously or unconsciously controls his environment in order to provide for himself the necessities of survival. Living with humans is an artificial environment and most of the necessities of survival are provided by the humans - usually in abundance.

So, what are we doing when we teach a dog to sit, to stay, to come or heel or lay down? Are we teaching them self control or control by human? Most of you who know me know that I don't agree that obedience teaches self control. It teaches the dog to do what the human asks because of the consequences that occur when they don't. The rewards in traditional obedience training are few and not necessarily what a dog would consider a reward or even reinforcement and definitely not a necessity.

I am helping a Guide Dog puppy raiser with her current lab puppy right now. She brought me the training plan that the organization she is "raising" for recommends. It is full of silliness as far as I'm concerned and only teaches a dog to be wary of the handler, the consequences and that life isn't really very fun. No food by hand, only a gentle pat or praise as a reward, no tugging, no balls, no free play with other dogs. But it is also full of platitudes about pack leaders, instilling self control, controlling the dogs impulses and "guiding" them to be a service dog.

Where is the self control in that? All I see is a strict, fenced in existence for a dog. Sure the dog is helping a human, but does a dog really have the capacity to understand the important job he's doing and feel fullfilled about it? I seriously doubt it. Yes, dogs love jobs, but those jobs either need to be fun, mentally and physically challenging or provide for the basics of life. Dogs do what gets them what they want or what avoids pain and death. All I see in this "training guide" is the avoidance of pain and death and over the years I've had to bring many many service dogs back to balance.

Back to a dog's motivations - food, mates, social interaction, safety and conservation of energy.

Conservation of energy plays a huge part of what I train in the name of self control. Most dogs, when confronted by a human that has food in their hand and keeps withholding it, will try jumping, lunging, biting, barking and many other strategies for getting that food - mostly assertive methods. Not very energy conscious types of activities. But these methods are what are hard wired into a puppy in order to get an adult to feed them by vomiting up whatever they ate that day. Eventually, the adult dogs teach the puppy to tend to his own necessities and those methods of "begging" are extinguished.

Not so in the human world. Humans tend to let a pup continue those activities and then complain about them when the pup is a 90 lb menace. Humans need to show their pups the same thing they would be learning from the adult dogs in their social group - how to provide for themselves with the least amount of energy expended. In our world that means learning manners about food, doors, cars, walks, guests, cats and other things found in the human existence. The pup needs to learn how to use it's energy to control this environment in order to get it's neeeds met.

Using It's Yer Choice, Crate Games, Space Games, Reorienting, Heeling exercises and all the other games I use in the various classes I teach, show the dog how to manipulate her environment in ways that please the humans in her life and still meet her needs, stay safe, avoid pain and death and still have fun.

Not self control, just conservation of energy, awareness of the environment and the things and other beings in it, awareness of other determinism and self determinism and how they can work together to create a life worth living.