This Week, Friday Comes on a Monday Night

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: August 17, 2010

I’m dealing with yet another emergency, but I am also trying to keep my publishing schedule, so here is what would normally be a weekend “links post.”

Over at Scienceblogs, I’ve become a faithful reader of The Thoughtful Animal. Well, over the past few weeks Jason has been knocking them out of the park.

  • Jason wrote about a study where researchers recorded growls in different contexts. I was able to hear the difference in the 2 recorded growls and have heard the guarding growl many times. The results on how dogs reacted to the different growls is fascinating.
  • If you’ve been reading here andor reading some of my comments on different blogs, how dogs become dogs is one of my favorite topics. In a pretty long post, Jason covers some research done by Brian Hare et. al that looks compares 2 competing theories on how dogs developed their highly-developed social skills with humans. Was it deliberately selected for, did it develop as a by-product of selection for tameness/less aggression?
  • Social skills aren’t just for dogs though. What about Polar Bears?

Dr. V is on vacation this week, and she has arranged for some guest posters. If today’s post on kids and dogs is any indication, it’s going to be a great week.

Last week Angela at fun4fido posted a great article about what dominance really is. This article covers a lot of what Dr. Suzanne Hetts discussed at the Best Friend Forever Conference I attended 2 weeks ago.

Posted in News | 2 Comments

On-Leash Aggression: No Greetings!

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: August 12, 2010

I have a rule at my classes: on-leash greetings between dogs are not allowed. I learned this rule at St. Hubert’s Dog Training School, and have found it to be pretty common among dog trainers. Owners, however, often find it surprising.

There are three big reasons why you shouldn’t let your dog greet other dogs on-leash:

 
  1. Leashes can lead to dysfunctional greetings.
  2. Dogs that are permitted to greet on-leash learn to expect it, and when they can’t greet they get frustrated.
  3. When your dog is on-leash, you want her focus to be on you.

Watch two dog-friendly dogs greet off-leash. Broadly speaking, they tend to sniff faces and fannies, while circling or at least approaching each other from oblique angles. The mutual sniffs are important: especially or the first time but often for subsequent meetings too. I think of good greetings are relaxed and circular.

Watch two dogs greet on-leash. It couldn’t look more different! The leashes make circling and sniffing difficult, if not impossible. Oftentimes the people involved keep the leashes tight, further restricting movement and leading to more straight-in approaches and raising the anxiety level. I think of on-leash greetings as tense and linear.

When dogs are allowed to greet others while on-leash, they learn to expect it. When they can’t, they tend to become frustrated. On-leash aggression is frustration. How many times have you heard (or thought) “He’s not aggressive! He just wants to say hi!”? To make matters worse, what starts out as a display of frustration is often misinterpreted by the other dog as an aggressive display, leading to a snowball effect. Avoid the greetings and avoid the association.

But the best reason to avoid on-leash greetings is you. Want your dog to walk nicely on leash? You want her attention. Want to avoid on-leash aggression? Get her attention. The fastest and most reliable way to accomplish this is to make being on-leash about you and not about other dogs.

If you want to give your dog an opportunity to socialize with other dogs, arrange off-leash playtime with trustworthy dogs (that have trustworthy owners). In the meantime, make on-leash time fun and bonding time between the two of you.

Photo Credit: Tobyotter

Posted in On Leash Aggression | 12 Comments

Real Man’s Guide: She Blinded Me With Science!

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: August 10, 2010

K9 the Robot Dog“It’s poetry in motion. She turned her tender eyes to me. As deep as any ocean. As sweet as any harmony.” – Thomas Dolby

As I mentioned earlier, a big attraction to dog training for me was the science. A desire to understand how things work led me to my job in the Army (radar repair), my first civilian career (industrial equipment repair) and ultimately my current day job (computer programming.) Discovering how dog training works — or more accurately how animals learn — set the hook for my new career.

As I stood in puppy class with Caffeine and the trainer showed us how to lure a sit, a new world literally opened up to me. No forcing, no pulling, no yelling. Show her what you want, get it, reward it.

You can spend a lot of time analyzing dog-dog relationships and dog-human relationships. You can spend hours more arguing over different tools, different techniques, and different models for describing how and why dogs do what they do and who they do it to. You could even create the field of “dog psychology” from whole cloth and get yourself a TV show. But at the end of the day:

  1. If you want your dog to do something, make it work for them.
  2. If you want your dog to stop doing something, make it not work for them any more.
  3. There is no number three. It’s just that simple.

If this sounds oversimplified that’s because it is — but it’s an oversimplification you can do a lot with.

Operant conditioning describes how voluntary behavior is effected by its consequences. When we are teaching our dogs new behaviors or trying to eliminate others, we are employing operant conditioning. (When we are dealing with emotional responses and behaviors that are not entirely voluntary it’s a different story and a different blog post.)

  1. When a behavior is reinforced the consequence is something that makes it happen more often.
  2. When a behavior is punished the consequence is something that makes it happen less often.

The term "punished" in the second rule is the source of a lot of confusion. In operant terminology "punish" means reducing the frequency of a behavior. Punishment does not have to be painful or frightening. "Punish" was not the best choice of words, but B.F. Skinner wasn’t thinking about dog trainers and their clients when he picked it.

Alas, the poor word choice didn’t stop there. When describing how punishers and reinforcers are used, we refer to "positive" and "negative", further muddying the waters. Positive is adding something and negative is taking something away. This makes perfect sense right after fifth period algebra, but starts to get sticky later on when you have a leash, some treats in your pocket, and an unruly Border Collie mix to contend with.

  • Positive Reinforcement – adding something to make a behavior happen more often.
  • Negative Reinforcement – taking something away to make a behavior happen more often.
  • Positive Punishment – adding something to make a behavior happen less often.
  • Negative Punishment – taking something away to make a behavior happen less often.

Positive reinforcement makes intuitive sense: add something like a piece of chicken or a game of tug to make your dog come to you more often.

Positive punishment seems obvious too: add something like a leash pop or a well-timed reprimand to make a bad behavior happen less often.

Negative reinforcement…how do you take something away to make a behavior happen more frequently? Well, the thing you take away would have to be unpleasant, thereby improving things for the dog. Think about it. Generally not very nice since the unpleasant thing needs to be added first.

Negative punishment makes a lot of sense once you think it through. If the consequence of a behavior makes something good go away, that behavior should stop or at least happen less often. Think about a dog jumping up to take food from your hand and you moving your hand away.

I get confused too. These "four quadrants" are the source of a lot of pointless debate. Some of it is over which quadrants should be used, when, and why. Other debates are over which quadrant(s) are working in what situation. I find these debates maddening enough that I personally leaving the quadrants out of this post.

Before we move on, there’s one important thing I want you to look back at: "more often" and "less often". Reinforcers and punishers affect the frequency of a behavior. They do not necessarily "stop" a behavior or immediately make a behavior guaranteed.

Next week: how we actually use this science.

And since you asked:

Now go find that Gary Numan video. You know you want to.

Photo Credit: Extra Ketchup

Posted in Real Man's Guide | 11 Comments

Product Review: Crazy Pet Train-Me Treats

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: August 5, 2010

Believe it or not, proper treat selection is an important part of dog training.

When I start a new class I usually see at least one person with the wrong rewards. This can have a significant effect on training! The wrong food can lead to a distracted dog that either doesn’t want to eat, and therefore, work. If the treat isn’t compelling enough, attention will flag. If it’s crunchy and generates a lot of crumbs, the dog’s eyes won’t come off the floor.

I tend to lean toward homemade selections like deli meats, good ol’ plain chicken, or cheese. But let’s face it, pre-made dog treats are convenient and sometimes picking up the ingredients and preparing the treats isn’t possible.

Crazy Dog sent me a bag of their “Train-Me! Reward Treats!” to try out with my classes. I’m happy to say that they worked out very well.

The Train-Me treats fit a few key criteria for good treats:

  1. The primary ingredient is meat. Filling your dog up with corn or flour during training is not a good idea. The “Train-Me” rewards do have barley and potato flour, but the primary ingredient is pork liver.
  2. They are soft. Crunchy treats are a no-no! They make a mess that can distract your dog. A soft texture is what you want. They don’t make a mess and it’s easy to break them up and make one treat into two or three.
  3. The dogs loved them. I used the bag over 6 classes and all of the dogs I worked eagerly worked for the treats. The dogs decide what is rewarding and what is not, and in this the verdict was unanimous!

“Train-Me” treats are pretty easy to find in my neck of the woods. I’ve seen them at a few of the “big box” pet stores and a few smaller shops too. They can also be purchased online.

It’s good to have a variety of different training rewards on hand, such a few different foods (and, of course, something to play tug with.) Train-Me! Training Rewards are a good choice.

Posted in Product Reviews | 10 Comments

On-Leash Aggression: There’s Always a Warning

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: July 22, 2010

Earlier I wrote about being “over threshold” — an emotional state that is intense and overwhelming enough that learning is almost impossible. Dogs that display aggressive behavior on leash often enter this state, and a key part of modifying this behavior is not letting them get there. (Or at least not letting them get there too often.)

The key to systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning (CC&DS) is presenting the triggering stimulus (usually an approaching dog in this case) without letting things get out of hand. I usually tell clients to think of it as a sliding scale of one to ten: one is asleep, ten is biting something with intent to harm. When working CC&DS we want to be somewhere around the middle: the dog needs to be aware of the stimulus but not over threshold. (The threshold is not ten. Where it is, and where the right level to be working is, varies from dog to dog and situation to situation.)

A common complaint is that a dog goes over threshold so suddenly that it is impossible to predict. Their dog shows “random” or “sudden” aggression, and working CC&DS is not possible.

Aggressive behavior is rarely, if ever, random or spontaneous. In the case of on-leash aggression, we already know the trigger: other dogs encountered when on leash. The only real question is the specifics. On approach? On recede? From behind? Bigger dogs? Smaller dogs? White dogs? Black dogs? All dogs, all the time?

There is always a specific trigger or, more accurately, a specific set of triggers. There’s also always at least one visible sign before a dog “explodes” into an over threshold aggressive display.

Figuring out these signals requires a good working knowledge of canine body language. For example any of the following could be an indication that a dog is becoming anxious:

  • Ear carriage. Ears may go back against the head, or may start to orient forward.
  • Tail carriage. Between the legs? Up straight in the air?
  • Panting.
  • Lip licking.
  • Stiff body posture.
  • Piloerection. (Raised “hackles”)

The indication is there. A big part of the trainer’s role in helping someone deal with a fearful or aggressive dog is teaching her to read her dog and take control of a situation before things get out of hand.

Photo Credit: geyergus

Posted in On Leash Aggression, Training Tips | 14 Comments

Recall News

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: July 6, 2010

Two pet product recalls were announced last Friday. They both involve rather popular products, so I want to share them here.

Merrick has recalled some of their popular Beef Filet Squares. In this case “announce” means slipping a press release into the queue at the last possible minute on a Friday evening before a three day holiday weekend. This is the second recall for this product this year, but you wouldn’t know that from the latest press release.

I can’t describe how disappointing this is for me, Not the recall — these things happen — but how Merrick has handled this. I will not directly recommend a food to a client: that’s not my area of expertise. But Merrick was always on the list of foods I would tell a client to take a look at. It was always in the rotation for my three dogs too.

Note the past tense on both.

United Pet Group, who you may have never heard of, has recalled a variety of stuff, including some supplements for both dogs and cats. The products are sold under a wide variety of names and a in bunch of different place. They used the same last minute tactics as Merrick. Here is the FDA release with a complete listing of products affected.

Pet Connection has a posting about these recalls here, with well-deserved kudos for the blogger that broke the story.

I’m still on a combination catch-up and vacation. Chances are I will not be making any “real” posts here until next week.

Posted in Training Tips | 4 Comments

Brief Vacation

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: July 2, 2010


I realize I promised a training post on Tuesday, but because of a few pressing issues, I need to take a few days off from the blog. I’ll be back next week.

Have a great Fourth, and remember: fireworks can be very frightening for your dog. Make sure you have him/her/them under supervision.

Photo Credit: Bob B. Brown

Posted in Training Tips | 3 Comments

Dog News Update: June 29, 2010

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: June 28, 2010

Very busy week, so I’m going to do a weekend update on a weekday…..

First, some serious science geekery. From Dancing Dog Blog we have a bionic cat! No. Really!

Next, a post from Thoughtful Animal on the social skills of dogs. This is a great read, with yet more research comparing dogs to primates.

Last, a cute story from Daryn Kagan:

Training stuff on Thursday, I promise!

Posted in News | 1 Comment

Real Man’s Guide to Dog Training: Firm without Being Rigid

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: June 23, 2010

Flexible, not rigid.Working for 25+ years in NYC, I’ve spent a fair amount of time in offices high up in skyscrapers. I don’t really think about it much except under two circumstances: when there’s a long wait for an elevator or when there are high winds.

Skyscrapers sway in the wind because as they get taller they loose rigidity. If they didn’t, the wind could eventually weaken the foundation and topple the building. Some of the older buildings, such as the Empire State, sway less because of the massive amounts of masonry that brace them from the wind, while newer bulldings, built with lighter, stronger, and cheaper materials, sway enough that people have complained of motion sickness.

At some point, depending on the foundation, the building materials, and the shape and size of the building there is the right amount of “give” for the specific circumstances. Too rigid, the building will fail. Too flexible and the building is unusable.

A Real Man recognizes that this “happy medium” needs to be found and maintained in his relationship with his dog.

(There’s that “R” word again. I think the post on that subject may be next week.)

Finding the right mixture of firm leadership and loving kindness (as the Dalai Lama puts it) really isn’t that hard. It’s really just a matter of deciding what you want and then finding the most effective way of communicating it to your dog, while creating an environment that makes it easy to succeed and hard to fail.

The key is deciding what you want, as opposed to what you do not want. As I explained when I discussed brains vs. brawn and stopping jumping up the shortest path to eliminating an unwanted behavior is often training what you want instead.

Let’s look at a practical application. Which list looks easier to implement?

  1. Dogs are not allowed on the furniture.
  2. Dogs will not jump on guests.
  3. Dogs are not allowed to sleep in beds with people.
  4. Dogs will not rush doors.

Or:

  1. Dogs will rest or sleep on their beds during the day.
  2. Dogs will sit politely for greetings or “Say Hi”
  3. Dogs will sleep overnight in crates.
  4. Dogs will wait nicely at doors.

Would you rather strictly enforce a list of “don’ts” or firmly insist on a list of “dos”? This is, of course, the essence of using positive reinforcement to get the results you desire. Rather than punishing away the things you don’t want, you figure out what you do want and reward them so they occur more frequently.

One of the most persistent dog training tropes I see and hear is the stereotype of the overly permissive “treat trainer” that never disciplines his dog and is constantly using food as a “bribe.” Nothing could be further from the truth. A trainer that understands how to use treats for training is using them judiciously to reward what he wants while manipulating the environment to reduce the frequency of what he does not want.

It’s not permissiveness. It’s benevolent dictatorship.

Photo Credit: Bamshad at Flickr.

Posted in Real Man's Guide | 3 Comments

Please Adopt, Don’t Buy, Your Next Pet

By Eric Goebelbecker | Published: June 21, 2010

Rescue dogs are near and dear to my heart. It was a rescue that made me a trainer, and I still share my home with her and two other rescue dogs. I apprenticed for more than 4 years with a dog training school that is part of a shelter and spent many weekends working adoption events for the rescue that two of my dogs came from.

Jeff Howard from adopt-a-pet.com contacted me last week and asked if I would provide a link and some information about their adoption website. I took a look and love the site.

Here’s some information about them:

What is Adopt-a-Pet.com?


Adopt-a-Pet.com is the world’s largest non-profit pet adoption website.  We are like an ad agency for shelters and shelter pets. Sadly there are 4 million healthy adoptable companion animals killed in shelters each year due to overcrowding. We do our best to relieve that problem and put pets from shelters in the homes of pet seekers all over the country.



Our website makes it easy for anyone with an internet connection to find descriptions and pictures of adoptable animals by location, breed, gender, age, size, and color. Over 9,000 shelters posts pets on our website displaying over 130,000 pets available for adoption at any given time. We also help volunteers connect with shelters, and currently host over 14,000 people listed in our volunteer database for shelters.

What Makes Adopt-a-Pet.com Unique?



On our website, people can use something we call “Search Saver.” This feature will notify users by e-mail when a particular pet of their specifications in available for adoption. (I love this feature!- Eric) For example, I can tell “Search Saver” where I live, and what type of breed I am looking for. When that animal is available, I am notified the next time a pet matching my search is added on Adopt-a-Pet.com.



As of this summer we have now made it easy for our visitors to find pets and then recommend them to friends and family via Facebook, Twitter, and other social applications. We are calling the idea “Social Petworking.” Here is how it works; once you have searched and found a pet in need, on the pet details page simply hover over the button labeled “SHARE,” there you can send the pet details page to any of your friends. For more information visit this page.


In addition to dogs and cats, we now feature all kinds of pets for adoption, including rabbits, farm animals, ferrets, hamsters and other small animals, horses, reptiles, amphibians, birds, and even fish. This was a major initiative that took many months to research and program into the site, and it is being well-received within the shelter community.



By teaming up with the renowned street-artist Shepard Fairey, who designed the iconic Obama “Hope” image, we have available a number of stylish ways to promote pet adoption. Shepard was able to translate his work with Obama to an image that can be used to represent pet adoption support. Merchandise can be found at www.muttslikeme.com



We have begun blogging and created a Twitter Page along with a Facebook Page. Our blog is located at blog.adoptapet.com, there you can join our Facebook Group, or follow us on Twitter.

Posted in News | 9 Comments