Perception - Part II

Why is that humans have a tendency to react all out of proportion when they think they have been criticized?  I'm not talking about real criticism, just the perception of it.  What causes such a vicious reaction to a simple statement that the impression you give off is critical when trying to change perception.

Could it be that the person who is reacting, deep down actually realizes that what they are doing is exactly what was said?  That the methods they use, the public display of those methods and the way they dress and act will affect what others think?  That the world doesn't revolve around them?  Do they actually feel some guilt and they just can't admit it because being wrong would mean death? Or are they more interested in insisting on their own rightnesses than they are in finding truth?

Being right or being wrong is also perception.  There is no "right" or "wrong", there is only agreement on what is right or wrong and even that agreement has rules to it - such as: that you can do a wrong if the justification is good enough or will save a life.

Most people, in my experience, have a need to be "right" irregardless of reality (and again, reality is only agreements on what really is real).  I even had a relative tell me one time that the encyclopedia was wrong and that he was right. Why do they HAVE to be RIGHT?  Because being wrong means they are one step closer to being invisible in their own minds.  Being wrong is a threat to their ego, their beingness and in some cases - their life.

People will actually change reality, in their own minds, to fit their need to be right. These types of people are more interested in asserting their own rightness than in being right.  These people will actually repeat the wrong action just to prove they are right.  Close to the definition of insanity - repeating something that doesn't work hoping that one day it will actually work.

Why, if a person IS right, would they object so vehemently to what they DO being displayed in an article?

Link to the first post

Perception

It really does matter what other people think. What other people think changes laws, creates common cultural responses, affects how you dress, how you eat, how you drive your car.

Pit Bulls are banned, attacked and vilified now, but that hasn't always been the case. Rottweilers, German Shepards and Dobermans in past decades have shared this spotlight. It seems to be part of human nature to need villains and monsters.

The current common perception of pit bulls is enhanced by many of the same people who say they are trying to change that perception.

Commonly associated with pit bulls are gangs, drugs and of course dog fighting. If you walk the streets of most inner cities, you'll see pit bulls sporting collars with two inch spikes and heavy chains instead of collars. The perception is that either 1) in the case of the spikes on the collar that the dog is dangerous and made even more so by the spikes or 2) in the case of the heavy chain and thick ropes, that the dog needs extreme measures to control it.

Yesterday I attended an event that was designed to create a good impression of pit bulls.  In many ways it did just that.  But in others, not only was the message lost, but the current perception was upheld.

For instance, there were five demo's yesterday.  Two demos did not involve pit bulls. One from the Border Patrol with German Shepards, one from the Doberman rescue.  Both demo's showed these two breeds in a good light.  The Shepards showed off their search and rescue and their scenting abilities in finding drugs and even people.  The Doberman demo showed how to control the prey drive of the dog with fun games, played by rules and how to positively interact with the breed.

The third demo was of pit bulls attacking ropes hanging from chains and holding on so tight and so long they appeared to have the mythical lock jaw that is actually physically impossible.  I'm all for exercising a dog, especially a powerful dog, but every time I saw one of the dogs attack those ropes all I could picture is what would happen if that dog went for a throat. 

This same group did show pit bulls in a good light doing the weight pull competition.  This is an activity where pits shine and should be promoted - not (IMO) attacking something, not in public where you are trying to create a good impression, not even something as inanimate as a ball on a string when it could so easily be misconstrued.

The fourth demo was my own.  The drill team.  We didn't perform all that well, it was hot, the dogs didn't want to work, especially my own dog and we weren't as coordinated as we should have been.  But what the dogs were doing and how we worked with the dogs, showed a totally positive light on what the breed can be like and how positive training works even on a powerful breed of dog.  During the course of our demo, the dogs showed off 10 behaviors / tricks that they had learned in the last 3 months.  The kind of behaviors and tricks that most people teach their dogs, no matter what breed.  Sit, down, stay, come, beg, crawl, circle, go around, back up and our specialty of hug the flag - all on a loose leash with no corrections, no punishment, no shocks.

The fifth demo could have been just as positive, but (again In My Opinion) failed.  It was an obedience demo and whereas the dog did marvelous, his owner trainer had been walking around the event with a client dog for a couple of hours before his demonstration.
This client dog was sporting an e-collar.  The remote was in the trainers hand and he was actively shocking the dog at intervals.  I never did figure out what the dog had attempted to do that the trainer didn't like that elicited a shock, but one time, right in front of the main event tables where the DJ was, the dog was shocked at least 7 times (and corrected also with the choke collar getting jerked) in the space of 2 minutes and made to crawl and grovel on the ground from the shock. 

How is this going to change the perceptions that people have a bout those "dangerous" pit bulls?  This post is not about shock collars, corrective type training or even that particular trainer.  This post is about the perception that is created in the minds of the public when they see the "experts" treat these magnificent dogs with disrespect, abuse and such tight control that a dog is forced to grovel on the ground in pain.  Or asked to publicly attack and hold on for minutes to a rope that is at the same height off the ground as some one's throat?
 
I have to admit that I am a crossover trainer.  I have to admit that not so very long ago, the shock collar would not have bothered me as it does today.  But even back there, in this instance, the use of it would have bothered me as it does now, because I could not figure out why the dog was getting so viciously shocked.  But even when I was using corrective measures, positive punishment and training my clients to use the same - I never did it in public. I never did it where others could misunderstand what was occurring or get a bad impression of the dog, the breed of dog (needing such harsh treatment to gain control) or myself as a trainer.  And only twice have I ever used a shock collar in my life.
 
When I started my Reactive Dog group classes almost three years ago, I realized I had to find a better way then what I'd been doing up to that point.  I immediately stopped teaching corrections.  Not only was it counter productive in a group situation, but I felt that the skill necessary, the timing necessary for proper, effective corrections, could not be achieved in that environment. 
 

What replaced positive punishment was focus, engagement, play and creating in the mind of the human that not only were they responsible for their dogs behavior but that they could change it easily. Every class since then has been fun, educational and effective.  Yes, there have been those who drop out - mostly because they wanted the magic wand technique and didn't want to expend the effort needed to help their dog achieve success.  The times when I slipped back and jerked a collar, alpha rolled a dog or tried to teach someone to do the same, ended up in chaos and I lost some of the respect I'd built in that group.
 
So yes, what others think really does matter.  What you project will create what others think.  Be aware of what perception you are creating.  Do your actions and the response they create with your dog create respect, admiration, hope and affinity in those watching?  Or are you promoting that which you say you are trying to eradicate?

Come Join Us with the Pit N Proud Drill Team

Harvey & Beau

Here is Beau.  Beau is a pit mix up for adoption through Tucson Cold Wet Noses.  Beau is also looking for a new foster hoem, he is currently in a kennel and is not doing well there.  Many people have stepped up to help Beau have a bit of a life, but he really needs a home to learn how to live in the human world again. 

Here he is playing with one of the dogs of one of the wonderful people who have been helping him .

Out of Control class 09/15/2011

This is Charlie.  He came to us in January for Reactive Dog Class and only made it to 3 sessions.  He was completely out of control most of the time when other dogs came around.  I vividly remember his first class when he redirected on his owner and got in a good bite.

Charlie has gotten worse over the months and eventually he came back to us to finish what we started.  His first class he was withdrawn, fearful, terrified of me, the walls, my dogs and walked in a crouch the whole time.
Now, three weeks later, here is Charlie, along with Kino and Chester, just doing car crashes, some confidence course and a wee bit of TTouch. 


(Please ignore the date on the video, I wasn't paying attnetion !!!)

Charlie has some weakness in his front shoulders and left front leg.  He gets TTOUCH every 15 minutes, withe the occassional massage.  His first session he pertty much collapsed after 20 minutes of work.  Now he can do the entire hour and still have some energy.  Charlie's reactivity to other dogs is almost completely a byproduct of the pain he is in.

Video Highlights of this mornings puppy class

Puppy class this morning, minus one puppy who's owner had to go to the doctor. The border collie is Harvey, the rotti is Nora and the husky is Loki (and he truly lives up to his name :))

Chaos

No one functions well in and environment full of chaos. Chaos affects us mentally, behaviorally and physically. Dogs living in the midst of chaos, just like us, are more likely to have a compromised immune system, get ill, stay ill longer, and have a shorter life span. In a chaotic environment where there is no or inconsistent and confusing rules, structure, barriers and restraints, dogs are far m...ore likely to be forced to exhibit the extremes of canine behavior.

 

Nature, despite the seemingly random system of evolution, is not chaotic. The conservation of energy is one of the most important and pervasive concepts where man has had little to no influence. The entire system of dog culture and dog language is set up to facilitate conflict resolution and the conservation of energy. The entire focus of canine social language is to facilitate a steady state whereby survival of the individual, the family and the species are ensured. Dogs are hard wired to crave stability

Philosophy of Behavior Training - Attention

Attention

It's all the rage with school children these days to ensure their attention (ADD ADHD come to mind). There are drugs and therapies and discussions and tricks to get and keep a child's attention long enough to teach him something. There is a key ingrediate that most educators and those of the psychiatric persuasion are missing however. It's not the child's attention that needs to be ensured - it's the child's interest. That interest should be an integral piece of what we consider "attention".

My bent is toward science and math - in school I did not like english and history. Except once, in 9th grade for history and 12th for English. Both times it involved a teacher who put a lot of energy, play, creativity and engagement into the class, into the materials and sought out alternate methods of teaching.

My interest was engaged and my attention ensured by the graphic and creative way both classes were introduced. There wasn't a day that went by that I wasn't learning something new and excited about doing so. I even started writing short stories and studying the history that wasn't taught in school. I eventually became a conspiracy theorist and have never stopped writing.

I still prefer math and science, but now I know how to research, how to write about it and how to gain and keep the interest and attention of those I'm trying to educate, and I have a breadth of knowledge of the past that assists in helping me create the future.

Many times in the beahvior classes that I teach, this lack of attention and interest is very apparent. The dog in question is much more interested in the other dogs, in the smells, in the toys or in treats everyone else has. The human follows along behind the dog, letting the dog create the game, letting the dog set the rules and it's all for the dog. The dog however is on a leash, the human gets tired of being pulled around and pulls back, this frustrates the dog and the human. That frustration can spirl out of control and end in the dog lunging, barking, snapping and creating a commotion. All from a lack of attention and interest in, and from, the human end of that leash.

Getting and keeping your dog's attention is necessary when teaching your dog to do anything. It is also necessary when trying to resolve behavior issues. If your dog is focused on something else, if his attention is distracted from the task at hand, there can be no learning and no change. Having an interest in your dog and paying attention to her communication is just as, if not more, important.

What is attention?

Attention is much more then just looking at you. I could look at you with my eyes but be thinking of the new DVD I just got on TTouch, so unless YOU are truly paying attention, you may think I was being stubborn when I didn't "sit" when you asked. This is the basis of frustration and eventually anger and then abandonement. It started with you demanding the dog's eyes be on you, but without a purpose and without getting the dog's interest and engagement in the activity.

Attention is engagement, focus, interest, affinity and communication. In order to accomplish true attention, your dog must be willing to be in your space and have you in her space (affinity). YOU must be willing to have your dog in your space and be in her space. You must be willing to learn the language of dogs and communicate at the dog's level and with the dog's understanding. Learning human is much harder for the dog, then learning dog is for the human. It can be done, but it takes a human who is first willing to learn dog. You must be willing to engage with your dog and have her engage with you, both physically and emotionally. There needs to be a responsibility and willingness to have this creature as an integral part of your life.

If you aren't engaged, how can you expect your dog to be interested in what you want?

Attention occurs because there is a purpose to the activity that is in alignment with your goals. A dog has goals as well. They are much simpler then ours, and shorter lived, but they are there. True attention aligns your goals with your dog's and true learning and change can occur because both of you are willing participants in the activity.

When we put our own enthusiasm, our own energy and our creativity into communicating with our dogs, both of us learn something, both of us win and a strong bond is built. This is the major building block to gaining your dog's attention. First you have to get his interest by being interested in the process yourself. You have to give of yourself first, before you can expect your dog to care about what you are trying to communicate.

Tomorrow I will discuss some of the ways that you can gain the interest and attention of your dog.

Philosophy of Behavior Training Part I

Over the last three years, I have been making a transition from a methodology of dog training to a philosophy of dog training and rehabilitation.  This morning in going through the blogs that I follow, I stumbled upon what someone called a problem solving tool.  I realized while reading it, that it, and all the other "tools" for rehabilitation that I had read anywhere, in any book, video, blog, or website, was all about the mechanics with a tiny bit of "why" those mechanics work. I also realized that the tools are there, but no where was there a step by step approach to rehabilitation.

The mechanics are mostly simple to do and simple to teach, which is probably why the discussion of them is so prevalent and the discussion of why we do these mechanics is mostly missing.  But having only one side of the equation does not allow one to truly handle the issues that dogs have because of our bumbling attempts to train them to live by our rules.  I think that is really why there is very little discussion of why - most humans are more interested in exerting control then they are in actually living life.  Life is hard, life is unpredictable and life changes constantly.  Control and predictability become two of the most important aspects of living.

Therefor, our dogs must conform to this.  They must be under control so that we can always predict what they will do.  But it's a prediction based on human values and human control and the aversion to change that most humans seem to have - not on what nature has created within a dog. A dog's view of life is very different then a human's.  Humans think about things, relate the things of now to the things of the past and the possibilities of the future.  Dogs live now, this moment and predict only based on what works and what doesn't.  Humans contemplate the future, dogs live in the present.  Living in the moment is not a based on whether dogs remember the past, it is based on dogs not thinking about or planning for the future.

So this morning, I started quantifying how I take a dog from reactive to social and why I have the humans and dogs do the things they do in the order they do them.  On Facebook, I put up the first synthesis of this quantification.  The six steps to rehabilitation: Attention, Alignment, Awareness, Activity, Application, Assignment.

These six steps totally ignore most of what I've learned over the years about dogs, wolves, dominance, operant, classical, Pavlovian and Premack conditioning, Skinnerian psychology, psychology in general and the mechanics of teaching a dog sit, stay, come, heel, and down.  These six steps fly in the face of conventional dog training and behavior modification no matter which quandrant you normally work with.   Almost all that I learned about dog training and behavior modification is about conditioning - you condition the dog to respond to commands, you condition the dog to have a different emotion about a stimulus, you condition a human to give the proper commands and you condition a human to manage a dog's reactivity. 

There is only one philosophy that actually addresses what a dog truly is, what a dog really does, how a dog is designed to respond and think by nature, and that is Kevin Behan's Natural Dog Training.  And there is only one philosophy that is truly a philosophy and very little "conditioning" happening and that is Cesar Milan and his psychology of dogs.  But neither philosophy gives a step by step process whereby the average person can actually rehabilitate a reactive dog. 

Cesar talks about being the packleader, creating calm submission, exercise / discipline / affection, and calm assertiveness, but no where have I found step by step explanations of how to achieve these things - and I have all his DVD's and books.  In my practice I've found that 80% of the people I deal with cannot be a calm assertive leader, it's just not in them.  I realized a long time ago that just like in the dog world where only a small percentage of dogs are actually true alpha dogs, it's the same in the human world.  Most people are content to just live life and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Very few people have the personality and skills to be a true leader.

Kevin's Natural Dog Training is much more comprehensive and explains so much of why a dog does what he does and why we respond the way we do.  The problem is that Kevin uses $150 words and concepts that the average human would go unconscious trying to fathom.  Neil Sattin and the other Natural Dog Trainers help but they haven't translated more than the basics of what Kevin teaches. 

So, in the following weeks, I will present my philosophy, the pattern of what I do to rehabilitate a dog who is off the rails into a social companion.  Hopefully I can explain things so that others can duplicate what I do and be just as successful.  I will be mentioning Natural Dog Training a lot as what I do aligns most closely with this philosophy.  I will also mention other training methodologies and philosophies as what I do is a blend of many ideas, practices, theories and methods because each dog and human team is different and will respond differently and may need just a slight adjustment to a proven method.