Mis-match

Twice in the last few months I've had to recommend that the dogs a family just adopted be returned because they are a total mis-match for that family.

The first was a high energy, rambunctious 9 month old Airedale puppy.  When I did the evaluation, this poor puppy was so stressed her paws never stopped sweating - and it wasn't hot, it was January.  She couldn't hold a focus, her attention span, even on her favorite toys was about 1/4 of a second.  The family reported that she was also reactive, bordering on aggressive with the youngest grandchildren and anyone coming into the home.  She had also never been leash trained. So, I recommneded she come to class to handle her stress and her reported reactivity which I didn't see in the evaluation.

For two weeks this family faithfully brought her to class.  They started learning how to communicate with Nikki and how to get her calm and keep her that way.  Nikki's leash manner improved immensely.  Then she had another "episode" with a workman who surprised her in the backyard and she nipped him good.  Back to the rescue she went.  In two days, the sweaty feet, the anxiety, the reactivity and the lack of impulse control was gone.  She was still high energy - nearly all Airedales are - but the abnormal behavior was gone, like magic.

She has since been adopted again to a wonderful couple who continued her education with us and Nikki is living the good life.

Now, just this week, I had to help another dog get out of an untenable situation.  Vanessa is a shepard bassett mix.  She was with her foster for a couple of months along with 6 other dogs.  The only reported issues were an aversion for the crate and a tendency to ignore the humans.  She got adopted and by the third day, the new family was calling me for help.  Vanessa was reported to have severe separation anxiety, leash aggression and was getting worse and worse about lunging and snapping at any strangers who would enter the house.

For three weeks Vanessa came to reactive dog class and got no better.  She was fine with me, she was fine with Deena, but when her owner had her on a leash, she was a Tasmanian Devil.  The separation anxiety and the snapping were also getting worse.  So I put the owners on a strict program at home with her to handle these issues.  For four days they faithfully reported what they were doing and that the separation anxiety was resolving. 

Then last night she tried to maul a child visiting the home.  Back to the foster and again, no problems.  She immediately integrated into the pack of now 11 dogs - 6 of them new to her since she had been gone a month.  She slept peacefully in her crate which she would not do at her adopters home and no sign of leash reactivity or aggression towards humans.

Two instances of a total mis-match of human family to dog. We'll see how Vanessa does in the future and it is to be hoped that she will find the right family.  A family where she won't be stressed and feel like she has to defend herself and chase everything away because it's all so scary.

Some thoughts of mine on training and competitive dog sports...

From a client who has brought four of her five dogs to our classes.  Three for behavior work and one for Rally Obedience (and is continuing with this as you'll see when you read this).

I know that training to compete in dog sports doesn’t appeal to everyone. Many people just want a well mannered companion animal, and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. I have yet to enter into a competition, but I’ve got my eye on obedience, Rally-O, and weight pull. Training with the intention of competing is quickly becoming more than just a hobby for me – it’s becoming more like a way of life in my home. I’m not very competitive by nature, so I’ve spent some time thinking about just what it is that appeals to me about dog sports. I can only come up with one answer. Dogs thrive on work. For every moment that I invest in teaching my dogs new behaviors, or polishing old ones, I see incredible positive change in them, both individually, and as a pack. They are more balanced and seem to carry themselves with a sense of purpose. It’s not just my working breeds either, I even see a little extra pep in the step of my Chihuahua when we’re out working. Training fulfills dogs. And I’ve found training for competition a useful way to direct both my energy and theirs towards a goal.

I don’t have special, handpicked dogs. I didn’t select them for their sound temperament or their working aptitude. I have second-hand rescue dogs, all but one of which were acquired as adults with behavioral issues. I’m also not some incredible dog handler. I’m dog savvy, but I can be a klutz. I’m not always the best at following direction, or being aware of the non verbal cues that I’m giving my dog. Despite these facts, I know that my dogs and I can succeed. It doesn’t take a stellar dog from proven working dog lineage. It doesn’t take a master trainer. Succeeding takes patience and commitment, and an awesome relationship with your dog. And the cool thing is, the more time you put into your dog, the better that relationship gets. I now know that my dogs are capable of incredible things, and that they are only limited by the time in which I have to teach them. As a result of this new perspective, I cringe when I see dogs left out in yards, not being stimulated and challenged. Dogs are intelligent creatures and depriving them of learning is cruel.

I bring all of this up to make one point. If you watch weight pull competition videos on YouTube, you will see countless ignorant comments from self-professed animal lovers calling the sport and training cruel. Working a dog is not cruel. My experience in training thus far has shown me that my dogs love and are fulfilled by the process of learning. They beam with pride when they are well worked and know they’ve pleased me. And even when they are well exercised, I can grab the leash and they are rearing to go again. Certainly there are cruel people in the sport of weight pull, but most of them aren’t very successful. The people and dogs that are winning competitions have spent countless hours together working, conditioning, and bonding. Perhaps a dog will pull for fear of punishment, or with the frustrated energy of trying to get to a toy or other bait, but champions have proven that a dog will pull MORE for the sheer joy of pleasing you and satisfying their intrinsic desire to work.

I guess I’m just venting a little, but I’m also justifying the hours I put into my dogs. I hear so many excuses from people about why they can’t get their dog out for a walk, or put even 10 minutes a day into helping a dog through a behavioral issue. Somehow I manage, and it’s on top of working a full time job and working to establish a non-profit pit bull advocacy group. It’s about priorities. And the unconditional love and devotion I get from my dogs can trump the temporary amusement from watching T.V. any day. It’s easy for those sitting on the sidelines to judge, but I know that my relationship with my dogs has improved as a result of working with them, and alongside them. Dogs truly are man’s best friend – and training can take that relationship to the next level. I hope that my boy will one day pull some ridiculous amount of weight for me. If he doesn’t, I won’t love him any less. If he does, I know he’ll have done it for me, and because he WANTS to.

RM

What Is Training

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).

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 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.

You need to be aware of whether your dog needs behavior modification or obedience training. Certainly, the two may be related: a dog that digs because it is bored may become less bored with obedience training and stop digging. It is important, however, to understand that the dog stopped digging because it was no longer bored than because it now knows how to sit.

If your dog is the strong, take charge type, a method that does not deal with this trait will result in his walking away with the training sessions, getting very little done. Conversely, if your dog is very sensitive, there may be a variety of methods you can use so long as you are very careful about how you correct him. Or, a very timid dog may need a particular method that emphasizes learning something new very thoroughly so that they may be as confident as possible when doing it. You have to know your dog and what his strengths and weakenesses are.

Your own abilities as a trainer come into play, as well. Some people have a natural sense of timing and an almost instinctive understanding of what their dog is thinking and how to react to it. Most people do not have this ability but can learn it to some degree over time. Others just do not. Recognizing your particular strengths and weaknesses will let you use each more effectively. Another ability some people seem to just have, others can develop, etc. is the ability to "read" a dog; that is correctly guess what the dog is thinking or feeling during training. This ability is valuable as it allows you to make appropriate adjustments on the fly to increase the effectiveness of your training.

Obviously, therefore, a good trainer is one who helps YOU figure out how to train your dog. A good trainer helps you learn to observe your dog for important clues to his behaviors and actions. A good trainer watches you and your dog work together and helps you learn where you are letting your dog down. A trainer's job, in short, is to teach you to become a trainer of your own dog. It is not a trainer's job to teach your dog.

Typically, you only see your trainer for one hour a week. Training requires short, daily sessions. YOU are the one training your dog. A good trainer has several methods under her belt and helps you figure out which ones work best with your dog.

Don't worry, there are some constants in dog training: Persistence, Consistency, Kindness and Fairness.

Rally Obedience - Starts again on May 8th at 6pm

Rally-O is a sport in which the dog and handler complete a course that includes 10 to 20 stations where the dog and the human perform a behavior or activity. Each of these stations has a sign providing instructions regarding the behavior that is to be performed. Signs are numbered to indicate the course the handler and dog take during the performance.
Originally devised by Charles L. "Bud" Kramer, Rally Obedience is a form of dog obedience with a twist - a total focus on fun and excitement for the dog, handler and spectator.
There is a lot of variety with each rally course. And Rally is different than Obedience in that handlers may talk to their dogs, praise them, and give them needed verbal commands.
Handlers can even use hand signals, point and in Novice and Advanced, clap and snap their fingers at anytime and as often as the handler needs. And it's not only allowed, but encouraged - making it a really fun sport!

The world is an obstacle course - Urban Agility

Parkour = "Combining the core elements of running, jumping, and climbing with the discipline of the martial artist, the grace of the gymnast, and the virtuosity of the skateboarder, parkour—or freerunning—is more than simply an elegant noncompetitive sport. It's an art form, a philosophy promoting fitness, imagination, community spirit, and ethical, healthy living. " Canine Parkour is the same.

Starting Tuesday, May 3 · 6:00pm - 7:00pm

Here is a video of our early start at Canine Parkour

Urban Agility

Urban Agility (also know as Canine Parkour) is an outdoor sport using natures obstacles and park additions as a human and dog gym.

This class is agility with a twist. The agility is done over, under and through some of the most challenging and environmentally distracting objects we can muster up. This is a safe confidence builder for any dog.  This fun and exciting class is a practical alternative to conventional agility and a great way to prep your competitive agility dog.  You won’t believe what your dog is capable of until you try!  All breeds and all ages welcome!
Everyone and every dog deserves to be fit and healthy without risk of injury. You can achieve your agility and obedience training goals and increase the bond with your dog at the same time. Go beyond the hamster wheels of typical agility or obedience training. Train your dog to climb stairs, ladders, and ropes; go up and down slides, walls and tables; be fearless and confident in the face of any obstacle.

Urban Agility is a fun way to exercise your dog using everyday objects, structural components and park furniture for agility and sport. Mental stimulation is so important for every dog, so you will learn how to use items you come across every day to make walks more fun for both you and your dog. You don’t need access to expensive agility equipment for you and your dog to have fun!

Think of urban agility as a gym membership for you and your dog. Tons of fun and a great bunch of people. it is a non-competitive physical activity in which you and your dog are expected to overcome obstacles by adapting movements to the environment in the most efficient way possible.

Traffic, people, other dogs, loud noises, dog parks, these are every day occurrences in the life of urban canines and should be a source of confidence and positive stimulation. This class engages dogs and their owners in a positive manner and gives them the tools to tackle these challenges head on. Obedience training and urban agility exercises are combined to create a class that is as exciting as it is productive.

This is a lifestyle change for both you and your dog. Urban Agility will equip you with the tools you need to achieve your training goals with your dog.Whether you are working with your dog for your and his health, or training for a big challenge, Urban Agility will help motivate and inspire you to continue.
Are you up for the challenge?

How it works:

• 20 Urban Agility sessions for $150
• 10 Urban Agility sessions for $90
• 1 drop-in Urban Agility session for $10

Sign up here

Places we will be visiting over the months:
Ft Lowell Park Ramadas 2 and 7
Jesse Owens Park
St Phillips Plaza
Armory Park
El Presidio Park
Lincoln Park
Purple Heart Skate Park
Lake area at Reid Park
El Paseo de los Arboles Commemorative Park
Strip mall at River and Craycroft NE corner

Responsibility

The weekend that Seize the Leash just had really started me thinking about training, relationships and responsibility in regards to ourselves, others in our lives and our pets. The turning point was an evaluation we did for a stray dog that a woman started feeding and gaining the trust of and eventually let live in her backyard. No one else in the household wanted this dog invading their lives and one member of the household is terrified of dogs in general. Now no one except the woman can go out in the backyard because the dog trusts no one and is willing to bite to make sure that he remains in possession of both the yard and the woman.

I have seen this type of scenario all too often. I have seen too much responsibility taken and not enough. I have seen and felt, blame, shame, and regret for having accepted a committment to another living creature. Sometimes I've wondered if the scenarios that I'm faced with were created for the sole purpose of having something to do to stave off boredom or for needing some kind of purpose in life. Occassionally, I have even seen a relationship that was created for the purpose of "being right" and others "being wrong".

Dogs have taught me many things over the years - committment and responsibility being the biggest for me because I have a tendency to procrastinate and take the easy road and the short cuts with my life rather.

What I have learned from dogs and their owners and am still learning:

Be a dog. Live as much in the present as it's possible to do. Do not regret what you've done in the past or worry about what the future will be. You create your future by your actions of today.

Choose to be in the moment with your dog. Let go of what happened in the past and create a better future by living now. You are always at a point of choice in your life. When making your choices in your day to day life you are affecting more than just you and most importantly you are affecting your dog.

Maintain your intergrity. Don't compromise yourself because of what others think or say. You must be a person of your word. Personal integrity will carry over to each and every part of your life. You can't have it in one area and not have it in another. Part of this is that you have to know what you want and who you are. Don't let others definte you or how you live your life or interact with your dog.

Take full responsibility for your relationships. Responsibility is not blame, it's the willingness to be the one in control of any situation or relationship and understand that control does not mean actually making others move.

Building a solid relationship with your dog is a must. If you have a good solid relationship with your dog, she will want to be where you are, doing what you do, constantly checking in with you to see what's new and exciting. She will not seek out other people, or other dogs to interact with. Your dog will be all about you, and what you get to do together.

Commit. Keep your commitments, re-examine the commitments that you didn’t really want to make and recommit to what is acceptable. Make sure that what you are doing is what you really want to do. Be happy with your decisions.

Be aware of your emotions. Be aware of your thoughts when interacting with your dog. Frustration is one of the worst emotions to bring to training. If you are feeling frustrated, it's a short hop to hanging your dog by the neck via it's leash and collar or heading to the pet store and buying a shock collar. Your thoughts can uplift you, yet they can also create sadness, fear, anger, etc. Learning to be aware of your thoughts and how they create your reality is a necessary tool when training your dog.

Express how you feel. User a variety of communicative methods to show others and your dog your real thoughts and feelings. Give yourself full permission to feel what you are feeling and be willing to share that. Love your dog through the way you teach him

Move. Dance, leap, fly, swim, do something. Don't stagnate, be fluid and creative. Movement is change and without change there is nothing. You have to have change and movement to be creative and to formulate ideas. A stiff body is much harder to create solutions from. Dogs rarely stop moving unless they are resting.

Learn how to communicate. Any method of training should be taken from a dogs point of view, and use the natural forms of communication that most dogs learn as puppies. It really doesn't matter what you want your dog to learn. If YOU learn to communicate to her in a language that she understands and if you learn how to set things up so she can figure things out for herself, teaching becomes very simple.

Be a true leader. Leadership is about trust and respect; it's not about overpowering or dominating a dog physically. It's about letting him be a dog and doing dog things, but shaping the context in which he does them. People and dogs want to be led and they want a leader who will keep them on track. If you ask me it is a sort of survival instinct. People may grumble because you may force them out of their comfort zone but they will follow you. Your personal integrity will show up in every aspect of your life.

Know your stories. It can be beneficial to know the stories that you have in your subconscious mind. Realize that they are the past and commit to being fully within yourself in the present moment. You are you and you are not your stories.

As I write more and more and I realize that I write what I am inspired to write. I realize that some people may not understand what this has to do with owning a business or with training your personal dog. I will keep it this answer simple.

The more authentic and present we are with ourselves, the more responsibility we assume in our relationships with ourselves, with other people, or with our dogs. The more committment we create in these relationships the closer we become and the easier our relationships become. As a dog trainer it is important for my clients to understand that training our dogs is small part of a bigger picture. If we practice the above exercises training is easy. It is no longer stressful or controlling.

Step Away

Back in the late 60's early 70's when I was Scuba diving 2 or 3 times a week, I also taught others how to dive after I got my instructor's license in '70. We would start out in a pool with just a mask, snorkel and fins until they were comfortable and in some cases, had built up enough strength and endurance to handle an hours worth of... swimming. Then we upped the gradient and went out in a calm lake, then the harbor and then the wide open ocean. Every step of this process has an added piece. As a person gains confidence with each step, they must also know what to do when something unexpected happens or their comfort level (stress threshold) is passed. This means practicing getting out of your gear, cutting off your weight belt, buddy breathing and a few other safety measures.

In handling a fearful, fear aggressive or aggressive dog, our goal is usually to get our dogs to be able to move toward or interact with their triggers, but they need to be prepared to respond to situations in which they are too stressed or over their skill level. Teaching the dog and the human to move away from triggers can be like cutting off your weight belt. Moving away is something that most fearful dogs want to do anyway. It’s easy for them and the human to learn and when super stressed, can be performed with little thought.

Conversation with a trainer - case study

This is a discussion between me and another trainer who came with Deena and myself to a client's house yesterday to obseve my methods. Names have been changed where necessary to protect the client and the trainer's identities.

Rocco is a young male Weimeraner and Buddy is an older male Vizla. Buddy has been with Sally for a few years and Rocco is a recent addition to the pack. There are two other Weimeraners in this household - both female (Chole and Katie). The two males got along for about a month after Sally adopted Rocco, but then something changed and Rocco started attacking Buddy when Sally was not home or not in the house (taking out the trash for instance). None of the damage was severe, although I'm sure Buddy thinks so as does Sally, but the bites were on legs and back and very minor.
Yesterday we all went to do a session with the four dogs and at one point a fight broke out between Rocco and Buddy. Or rather, I should say, Rocco again attacked Buddy but this time in full view of all of us. It was about a toy that they both wanted. Buddy was pushing Rocco out of the way of getting the toy at every opportunity but wouldn't actually go after the toy himself. It was almost as if Buddy was taunting Rocco and teasing him about not being quick enough to get past him to the toy.
The fight was a lot of noise and furious air bites, and at one point Rocco grabbed the same leg he'd injured in the last fight which caused the old scabs to come off. Other than that, there wasn't even any slobber after a full minute of fight. I couldn't get to them to break it up because the owner was dancing around screaming and not letting anyone help because she kept jumping in the way. Eventually Rocco just stopped and that was it.
Follows is a written conversation between the trainer and I about that situation and other things that came up because of it.
Question: Thank you for letting me join you and Deena yesterday! :-)
I still think it's an Alpha rank situation occurring with male Weim and male Vizla. What is your opinion?
Answer: Dominance is a term that is overused and is an over generalized descriptive for why a dog is behaving aggressively.. It is important to understand all forms of aggression, but more importantly to understand why and how the aggression has developed in each specific situation in order to determine the possibility for safe and effective improvement and to design an appropriate behavior change plan.
Saying that a dog is trying to dominate another is too broad, it doesn't lend itself toward a real solution. Rocco is a very insecure, scared dog. He has been through the foster system and Sally has only had him a few months. At first he got along with Buddy, but Buddy is Sally's baby boy and it shows in her attitude when Rocco does anything she doesn't like. Buddy is allowed to get away with murder. Is Rocco trying to dominate Buddy? Yes, but dominance is only the intent to control, it's not a personality trait or a behavior that can be fixed. What can be fixed is Rocco's insecurity. He knows that Sally favors Buddy, so does Buddy and Buddy will tease Rocco because he doesn't have to worry about correction from Sally. This is something I learned from the behavior history that I had Sally fill out.
What happened yesterday was that Rocco's insecurity got the better of him. It was a high energy situation with only one reward. Rocco wanted it and was willing to make sure he got it. Buddy kept pushing in front of Rocco and eventually Rocco couldn't handle the rude, space stealing behavior from Buddy. Space is one of the biggest triggers in aggression. Dogs are pretty fanatical about maintaining their own space. The social system that keeps a pack balanced is a system that deals with space and resources. So long as each dog knows and respects the space requirements of the other dogs and each one is willing to defer over resources to the one who wants it most - no fights happen.
Question: I guess I should have explained more when I said Alpha rank situation. It is more than a dominance issue. If what Deena saw from Buddy before the fight happened was related to a alpha behavior that wolves tend to do in their pack then I think Rocco was rejecting Buddy's interaction in this way. He was not willing to be put in this position with Buddy. To me it's an older dog (Buddy) testing a new dog to be accepting of Buddy being Alpha but Rocco is rejecting this and when Sally favors Buddy more this only makes Rocco even more aggressive. This is what I saw yesterday. By having Buddy in her bedroom this also makes it much worse again. So, there is also jealousy at play here too! The more Sally favors Buddy the more Rocco will see that Buddy really is the alpha male in the house. The more Rocco gets jealous about this the more he will fight with Buddy.
Answer: I agree with your analysis of Buddy and Rocco, but it's the favoritism, not the alpha position that is the issue. Buddy is doing a mild form of resource guarding of Sally and pushes Rocco into reacting. But yesterday it was only about who wanted the "rabbit" more and Rocco has learned that he only gets things if he attacks. It's a learned response, not a personality trait, a pack drive, or who is alpha and who isn't.
Question: Yes, it could only be a jealousy issue with Rocco and Buddy. So, how do you handle this situation? I'm afraid I wasn't looking when the fight started. So, I didn't know it was because they were both going for the "rabbit". So, why hasn't he attacked either of the females if it's just jealousy? This is why I think it's also alpha rank related.
Answer: Just like aggression or any other abnormal behavior, jealousy is situation and trigger specific. That's why he doesn't go after the others. And if you actually watch that pack, which I've done, Buddy is not the alpha dog, Chole is. She's the one that steps in to try and break up any tension, she's the one that herds the dogs around the yard and she's the one that will bat at one of the others if they get too pushy. Buddy and Rocco are middle ranking dogs. Buddy is a tease because he has Sally's favor. Rocco is insecure and feels he needs Sally more then Buddy. So the tension is constantly there.
Resolving that issue is really just one of building Rocco's confidence so he doesn't feel like he has to compete with or be jealous of what Buddy has with Sally. Get Sally to stop playing favorites the way she's doing it (it can be done without creating the jealousy). Get Sally to actually assert herself when necessary and learn that even Weims can be calm, and get Buddy to stop being obnoxious with Rocco.
Question: Why do you prefer to be called a behaviorist and not a dog trainer?
Answer: I'm not a dog trainer. I know that there are trainer's out there who claim to be able to change or modify behavior, but they are for the most part, one trick ponies. For instance, one trainer I know has only one method of changing behavior - no matter what that behavior is - is to teach obedience, with a shock collar if necessary. Another trainer is similar and will use a shock collar also, but this trainers main tools are leash jerks, prong collars and tons of exercise.
I'd rather not get lumped in with people who do not study behavior, ethology, communication, etc but rely on only what they learned from a 6 week course with a long laundry list of skills they supposedly mastered in that time frame.
Question: You say so much to not talk to dogs, that I'm confused when to talk to dogs during training? When I am teaching a dog I tend to be very vocal "Good Girl, Good Girl, Good Girl" and if the dog does something incorrect I, "No, No, No!" and show them what I want. I vocalize to them to help them know what is good and bad. Rather than just acting on what they do. Most dogs understand Good and No. So, this I feel is just as good as using treats. I also like to praise lavishly unless the dog gets very excited.
Answer: When I say stop talking so much to your dog, I'm refering to people who EXPECT their dog to understand what they are saying. I talk to my dogs, but I don't expect them to understand. I expect them to only pay attention. The real communication is the type of communication they understand natively - body language, energy and touch.
No, dogs do not understand "no" and "good". They only understand after several repititions of what those sounds mean in each context until they can generalize it. I use "yes" and "all done". I use those mostly because they don't have any prior meaning to 99% of dogs. Owners tend to use "no" and rarely follow through so that the dog knows what it means. And, like the terms dominance and submission, no is too generalized. If your dog is chewing up the kids homework and you say no - the dog understands that no means stop chewing up the paper that is currently in his mouth. Then if he's chewing on a corner of the rug and you say no, he's going to get confused because he doesn't have paper in his mouth. So you have to show him that no means stop whatever it is that you are doing. Most owners don't do that much, if any, follow through. So I stay away from commonly used words.
Praise is good, sometimes it is better then treats, sometimes it isn't. It depends on if the dog cares what humans think. I've helped dogs that were not food motivated, couldn't care less about humans, with negative reinforcement and negative punishment and the Premack principle. The dog wants to meet that other dog? Fine, sit first then you can meet it. They do learn that and the reinforcer, the motivation, is meeting the other dog. Treats are fast because most dogs are vacuums and until I build a raport with a dog where he cares about my praise, treats work best.
For example yesterday with Rocco. Getting him to walk loose leash I did not use treats. When he walked loosely I let him move closer to Sally, when he lunged, we moved away. He learned fast. But keeping him calm around Buddy needed something that was more reinforcing then biting Buddy. That was a powerful motivator for him because Buddy was next to Sally and Rocco wasn't.
Question: Well, I think a good dog trainer is a behaviorist too. But, my experience with behaviorists alone aren't really familiar with hands on dog situations. Or, a vet/behaviorist mainly gives meds or natural products to solve an issue.
Answer: You are correct about most behaviorists as well, but I personally have less problems with them not thinking things through then I do with trainers. I also don't want to give any potential client the idea that I will teach their dog sit, stay, down, heel and come. My clients are generally the ones that already took their dog to a trainer and got nowhere.
I do use natural products to assist with issues. Managment is part of the package. If the dog is going ballistic, then I will use Calm Eze or Rescue Remedy to get the dog into a state where it can learn a different response to stimuli.
Would I get more business if I said I am a trainer? Probably, but I'd be answering too many phone calls from people who only want fluffy to learn how to sit pretty. Been there, done that, never again..
Question: Do you teach how a dog should greet a another dog on leash? Or, do you just not do this at all?

Answer: Leash greetings. Yes, I will teach a dog how to greet another on leash - but it's mostly the humans that have to learn this. In class I don't allow it because there is too big a chance that a dog with known reactivity issues is going to react. Humans are strange and think the weirdest things sometimes and don't pay attention anymore then their dogs do. I have had incidents in class. Every one of them was either the humans not paying attention or a stupid human who didn't stop to think that the dog they want their precious baby to meet has a history of disembowling other dogs.
Question: Ok, you are right that untrained dogs probably don't know "Good" or "No". But, I'm talking about the dogs that have already had some training. Many dogs that I have helped already had "No" and "Good" used. Whether it was used correctly with proper showing the dog what to do, can only be found out once you work with the dog or ask the dog owner(s).
I have spent a lot of time watching programs about wolves and their behavior. I have also spent a lot of time learning about dog behavior through books and the experiences I have seen or heard about from other sources.
Answer: I too watch wolf shows, read a ton of books, watch many many videos, do seminars and teleseminars at least once a week. And I have a college education in animal behavior and ethology, I just never got a degree.
In some degrees this discussion is just an exercise in semantics. The proof of the pudding is - what will cure the problem. Does calling it a fight over who is going to be top dog lend itself to a solution? Does calling it jealousy, insecurity, fear and favoritism lend itself to a solution? That really is the test. Labeling things only helps to a certain degree, then you have to just fix the problem.

Do all bites mean a dog is aggressive?

An email I got today reminded me of when Deena's terrier mix Jake bit me. We were at the dog park and a boxer who I had known from a few months earlier came in. He immediately decided that Jake should be dispatched or lunch or something. The only one that got hurt in this was me. I grabbed Jake to get him out of th...e dog park and he whipped his head around and bit me. I'm sure he thought it was the boxer and reacted still trying to just get away.

The email this morning was a very sick dog with, what appeared to be, multiple injuries to at least two legs. He redirected on his savior during the process of trying to get him into the truck. Please don't consider this aggression or dominance or anything but what it is. A scared, injured dog who has no clue that he is being helped even while he's being hurt because the human put hands in the wrong place.

There are many reasons why a dog aggresses or bites. Very few of them have to do with dominance, most are from fear, and some like this poor guy, from pain.