Denise Fenzi's Blog, page 7

Communication

Imagine this: You’re walking your leashed dog on a trail and you see a leashed dog approaching.  The owner tenses, pulls the dog to their side, and starts a string of random phrases aimed at their dog along the lines of “Leave it.  No.  Uh huh!” etc.

You’ve seen it before.  Their dog has a problem.  They know it and you know it (or should know it) because the human body language is clear – a worried handler getting ready for…something.

When a random person starts tightening up their dog’s leash – pay attention. That is a human cue!  It means they don’t trust their dog.  I know this because 90% of the pet dog world wants their dog to meet other dogs and if they don’t?  They bring their dog back?  Start talking to their dog?  They’re worried.

What do you do next? I asked this question in a small group of “dog people” recently and the response was intriguing.   I got stuff like: Bring their own dog back to their side, feed cookies, turn and go the other way, pass with one’s own dog close on the other side – whatever.  Not one person said, “I talk to the other person,”  Yet talking to the other person is the most logical thing to do.

How about, “Are you worried about your dog?  What can I do to help you out?  I can go to this part of the trail here and move my dog to my other side, will that work?” Or “I can pick my dog up and turn my back to you” (small dog people), or “I’ll go up on this log here and you can pass” or…whatever really. Except for a speech.  A speech about how they shouldn’t be out there?  No – that’s not going to improve your situation. Think in terms of changing behavior and being safe – if you’re communicating your rightness, you missed the boat – plus you’re about to end up worse off.

I interact with people every time I’m on a public trail and you know what?  It’s amazing!  Like magic!  It works.  They relax and respond with anything from, “I never know what he’ll do” to “Oh, he’s just super friendly” to “Oh, that’s great!  okay – I’ll go on this side….”  And most of the time, they say thank you (or apologize) when they pass.  It’s not hard and so far I’ve had 100% success when I have talked to the other. Success is defined as no lunge or snark – peace for my dog – plus a nice social encounter.  Sometimes I have not talked to the other person for whatever reason.  My success rate, in those instances, is much lower.

People want to get along but they have this weird aversion to talking to strangers, even when it’s in their best interest.  Personally, I have no interest in watching my dogs get lunged at so I talk to people when I see that it has value.  What do you need?  How can I help? Talking to people also creates strong societal ties – we’re all in this together!  It’s just….nice. Makes my walks better.  Communication works to solve a lot problems but you have to be willing to talk to people; to be open and friendly and helpful to others.  To move away from the belief that no one cares and you’ve been wronged – because…they do care.  But you need to reach out and either ask for help (if you need it) or offer help (if they need it).

Try it.  Talking to people.

Now I’ve been around dog people long enough to know the response I’m going to get to this blog.  In YOUR case it’s different.  Why should you have to reach to out to other people?  They shouldn’t (fill in the blank)….take reactive dogs out in public who are going to lunge, take super social dogs out in public when your dog doesn’t like to be stared at in public, let dogs off leash in on leash areas, let dogs legally off leash if other dogs are on leash in the same area – the list of reasons why we are being wronged is quite long and often absolutely contradictory even within the same circles.

If you own a reactive dog then you “have a right” to take that dog in public since he’s on-leash and not physically connecting with other dogs – fine.  If you own a fearful dog then you “have a right” to take your dog in public without getting lunged at – fine.  If you have a big, social dog then you “have a right” to go to an off-leash park without worrying about on leash dogs in the same area – fine.  If you have a small dog then you “have a right” to go to off-leash areas and not worry about big dogs chasing your dog – fine.   And those conversations usually devolve down to carrying mace or a big stick or just shooting the other dog – because we all “have a right” and we shouldn’t have to inconvenience ourselves.

Finding ways to make it work rarely comes up in these conversations.  So if you’re looking for one, a solution, I’m going to recommend trying communication; solve THEIR problem and you may well solve your own.  Certainly works well for me.

I don’t stay home. I go out and do stuff. Mostly it’s good.  99.9% of time.  Sometimes it’s not – and if a given area is consistently a problem I go somewhere else.  If I cannot take a risk at all with a given dog then I don’t go out at all with that given dog.  I control my behavior.  And when I’m around others?  I communicate as soon as I have a reason to do so. Heck, I communicate when I don’t have a reason to do so – “Hello!” “Good morning!”  This approach allows me to enjoy the wider world, regardless of their belief about dogs. It also changes their behavior as they recognize possible solutions, so that makes the lives of others better as well – it just doesn’t impact me directly.

Before you think my life is enchanted…I have chosen to take my big dog and my little dog to different places.  I made an assessment about the safety of the situation for my two dogs and…I decided to change my behavior for the safety of my small dog. I’m not angry or bitter that I’m not getting my way; that I might encounter off-leash dogs where they should be on-leash or that people have on-leash dogs in the area that is designated (formally or otherwise) for off-leash. That takes energy better spent on other matters.  I want to reduce my risk a stress related stroke and improve my overall happiness to boot, so I changed my behavior and take my small dog somewhere else that we won’t have problems.  Accept some inconvenience to my situation in exchange for a calm mind.

You control your behavior and choices. One of your options is communication. It’s powerful. Try it!

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Creativity in Training

I’m a fan of adding as much creativity as possible to training – for all sports.   The official reason is that creative training automatically strengthens your dog’s skills; dogs who can fetch twenty different objects of different sizes and shapes have a much easier time when you hand them a dumbbell – they become “fluent” on the underlying concept – “retrieve” whatever, on cue.

But that’s not really why I do it.  The real reason I do it is because my attention span is short for training if I’m working on known behaviors.  I get bored with repetition, especially if I expect that the dog is going to do the exercise and do it very well. Again.  Ho Hum.  So…what’s the answer?

Go ahead.  Have some fun with your training. Break out of the mold! Then you too can keep yourself awake at night, itching to go out and see what happens with your latest crazy idea!  I mean…what WILL your dog do if you ask her to fetch a wine bottle instead of the dumbbell? Put the articles on your kid’s trampoline and send her to find the right one?  Hang your gloves from the trees and go ahead with your directed retrieve?

I’m teaching a webinar tomorrow night called “Gaming the System: Develop Your Creative Training Potential!”  The goal of that webinar is to get you excited – massively motivated!  To get out and work with your dog.  The sport you love doesn’t matter; what matters is that I’m going to do a bunch of the work for you!  I’ll lay out a way for you to think about both your training and mixing it up so that your creative training is structured.

How’s that for an oxymoron?  Structured creativity!

Yes, structured.  So if you break into a cold sweat contemplating trying to think outside the box, I’m going to help you with that.  And if I do a fantastic job, you will go beyond what I give you and will come up with your own creative approaches.

But what if I just break even? What if you never go beyond the structure that I give to you?  Frankly, that’s fine too. You’ll still be a good deal better off than if you hadn’t learned about it at all.

I look forward to seeing many of you tomorrow night, Thursday the 9th, at 6pm PT! You can read the description and register here. The cost is $19.95, and while you need to register before the webinar runs, you can watch it at any time afterwards at your leisure – for at least a year.

Here’s a video from the presentation – simply for entertainment purposes!  But yeah – it’s making the dog stronger at the same time.

https://denisefenzi.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/Raika-Car-articles.mp4

 

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Beyond the Basics – Chapter 10

I wrote a book called “Beyond the Basics.”

The purpose of this book is not to give you specific steps to solve a problem as much as to offer a framework for how to think about problems – which is likely to lead to rather obvious solutions.

I’ve been discussing the ‘Un-Problems” on my blog on and off for a few months, under different names, so I’ve decided to share that chapter of the book in it’s entirety here. This book ties in very well to my thoughts about raising puppies and children with a similar approach.

If you’d like to purchase the book and read the rest of it, you can buy it directly off of my website (in the United States) for the next week for $14 – a good deal! Use the following link and the $5 discount will be applied automatically at checkout.

Link to book with discount

Outside the US, Amazon is generally your best bet.

Enjoy!

CH 10: The Un-Problems

A behavior is a problem because a human says it is. That way of thinking leaves us with a distinctly one-sided view of dog behavior, which this book has attempted to address on various levels. When you consider all the ways dogs annoy us, it’s a wonder that anyone even wants to have a dog! It’s also a wonder that dogs manage to live with us at all, since at times it appears that we are bound and determined to take the dog out of the dog.

Let’s take a moment to consider a completely different point of view. Not only the dog’s point of view, but the bigger picture too! Before we define something as a problem, we might be wise to take another look. Let’s turn our attention to the “Un-Problems.”

Un-problems are those things which are not appropriate targets for change, at least not at a given moment in time. After all, we are dealing with sentient beings who have rights of their own. For example, by virtue of living with you in your house, your dog will increase the overall quantity of dirt, smell, drool, and general mess in your house. While those living in your home might find this an irritation, most rational people would also recognize that it’s not the dog’s responsibility to change. It’s simply a reality of his existence. This doesn’t change the fact that it might be a problem for others living in the house, but it is not a problem that is suitable for change.

Most people understand that the dog can’t simply choose not to shed or smell! How can that possibly be called a problem? Yet, those same people might hold a much harder line when the issue at hand is one of behavior, even when that behavior is tightly linked to the reality of being a dog.

Training needs to be realistic. That’s why this chapter looks at the un-problems, those things our dogs do which annoy humans, and yet shouldn’t be a target of change.

Immaturity

You’ve just acquired a new puppy! Left to their own devices, what do puppies like to do?

They like to bark, play, run through the house (sometimes with muddy feet), jump on people, put things in their mouths and chew on them, eat tasty foods, explore, sniff things, dig holes in mud and sand and dirt, and a host of other things. They do these things because they are baby dogs. Fortunately we can train our dogs to show more appropriate behaviors, which has been the point of this book, but it takes time, attention, and the natural changes that result from maturity.

Puppies learn best in short bursts, when they are wide awake and a little bit bored! The same is true with children. We work with our children on becoming adults in tiny bits; we mold them over time, and work on specific skills like reading, writing, and doing chores as they show a readiness to learn.

Most of us recognize the reality of developmental appropriateness with small children, but not necessarily with dogs. We know that trying to potty train a six-month-old infant is not likely to go well, so we manage their behavior by using diapers. And a puppy ? The human needs to take responsibility for the puppy’s potty training habits. A puppy cannot hold it for a long stretch of time, so be ready to get up in the middle of the night to take him out to eliminate and to supervise him closely during the day as well.

When we take our human children to school we’re not too surprised if they don’t want to sit down and learn for long stretches at a time. We try to work at their pace and give them plenty of play breaks. We need to do the same for our puppies. Puppies do not focus well because they are young, not because they are bad! We need to respect each puppy’s learning process, even when it’s slower than another puppy’s. The puppy next to you in class might have amazing focus, but that’s not your puppy. Your puppy needs to grow up a bit before the lessons will stick, not because there is something wrong but because he is a unique individual and learns at a different rate than the one next to you. He’s just a puppy, not a problem!

You can’t simply get rid of normal puppy behavior – even if it annoys you – without risking a very shut down dog. It’s really no different than parents with unrealistic expectations who force their children into behaviors that they are not ready for. Is it possible? Yes. Is it kind? No. And there are also long-term ramifications for your relationship. Specifically, you may end up with a dog (or child) who doesn’t like you very much.

The vast majority of parents simply accept the fact that they’ll have to hold their children’s hands when they walk on busy streets, that their meals won’t be too peaceful for awhile, and that their children will need to use the bathroom at inconvenient times. And while parents often experience frustration and look forward to the coming stages when life is a little easier, they recognize that it’s just the nature of small children.

When you bring home a puppy, get used to the fact that you’ll have to keep him on leash to keep him safe for awhile. He’ll need to use the bathroom at inconvenient times, and he’ll get sick and disrupt your life. But there is no problem. There’s simply a puppy who still has to grow into an adult dog. These behaviors will not resolve in days or weeks; it takes many months before you’ll see glimmers of the adult dog your puppy will mature into.

Your decisions early on will influence how much time your puppy chooses to voluntarily spend with you. How much time he engages with you for interaction. How much he looks to you when he isn’t sure what to do. In short, how much he likes you – if at all. If you choose to observe what your dog enjoys doing, and if you find ways to inject yourself into his interests, you will find that your relationship will flourish, and that, in turn, will make all of your training much easier and simpler.

Lack of Training

Your dog likes to pull on a leash! He likes to jump up on you to get closer to your face! He chews on things that belong to you! Are these problems? Well, it depends. Have you taught your dog what you want him to do? If you simply yell at your dog or yank the leash whenever his pulling irritates you, then there is a problem, but it’s not with your dog. It’s with you. You haven’t taught your dog how to behave on a leash so he will do what dogs do innately – he will pull! That’s because he wants to go where his eyes and nose lead him, likely at a much faster pace than you want to go. If you want to change his behavior, don’t focus on what you want to stop (the pulling), focus on what you want to start (walking nicely on a leash).

Unlike issues of immaturity, lack of training does not improve with age. As a matter of fact, time tends to make matters worse because your dog will get larger, stronger, and more set in unpleasant habits. Your dog is simply expressing his doggy nature because you have not trained the acceptable alternatives.

If you haven’t made an effort to communicate to your dog what you want under a wide variety of circumstances, then you do not have a problem; you simply have an untrained dog. Make a list of behaviors that you’d like to address, and set about helping your dog understand what you would like to see!

Be patient when you’re doing this. Remember that dogs learn at different rates and it’s quite hard to say what is normal because it can vary so dramatically from dog to dog. It is true that some dogs can learn a new behavior in a single session, but that is not the norm. Some dogs take a good deal of time and repetition to learn. This might be frustrating, but it’s also reality. Expressing your frustration towards the animal might make you feel a little better in the moment, but it won’t help your relationship with your dog.

While a good training plan should begin to show some results very quickly, often within a matter of days, true mastery and understanding will take much much longer. Your dog’s constant improvement should give you hope; if you’re not seeing any improvement at all, check your training plan one more time! Make sure you frequently look at your dog’s behavior today compared to several weeks back so that you can admire what you have accomplished!

Issues of Breed or Temperament

People often buy a dog because they like how it looks without any consideration of how that dog acts. If you thought the cutest thing about a specific puppy was watching it careen around the house at top speed, but you prefer to sit on the couch, you’re going to have a problem. You might love your dog to bits, but you picked the wrong dog for your situation. How much and where are you willing to compromise?

Your Beagle howls. You hate howling. Who has the problem? You, or the Beagle who was bred for a hundred generations to howl? You want to do agility competitions, but you purchased a 150 pound Mastiff who shows relatively little interest in getting off the bed, let alone running and jumping at top speed. Who has the problem? The large dog who is wisely conserving his energy or you?

In the same way that a Newfoundland tends to drool, your Beagle may love to howl and your Mastiff may love to sleep. It’s useful to keep in mind that you selected a breed with those tendencies. You can be irritated at your howling Beagle or disgusted at your drool-flinging Newfoundland, or you can accept that some breeds will come with qualities that you don’t like very much.

Yelling at your dog for things he can’t control makes as much sense as yelling at the sidewalk when you stub your toe. Yes, you’re angry that your cup of coffee just hit the floor because your dog’s wagging tail knocked it down, but your dog no more turned around and intentionally swiped it with his tail than the sidewalk leaped up and smacked your toe.

You picked your dog; your dog did not pick you. There are probably some things he doesn’t like much about you either, but he deals with them. It’s just like with people. Try to focus on what you love about your dog, and tolerate what is likely not changeable with amused benevolence. And the next time you get a dog, think your options through a bit more carefully.

The Challenging Dogs

Dogs with aggression and fear issues are more challenging to train than “normal” dogs. Unfortunately, as often as not, no one saw it coming. Just like when a person chooses to have human children, there’s a roll of the dice. You assume your child will be physically and emotionally healthy, but sometimes it doesn’t turn out that way.

If your dog ends up with challenges, be aware that changing a dog’s emotional states takes much longer than teaching a dog to perform a specific behavior. If you’re working with a very excitable, anxious, or angry dog, settle in. It will take time to address, and your overall quality of training needs to be better than average to see results.

It also helps to find others who have similar challenges so you don’t feel so alone! The internet is filled with support groups for owners of challenging dogs. Learn to embrace what goes right, to take joy is small achievements, and to accept that disappointment and frustration are normal emotions when you don’t get what you expected in your dog.

The Rare Errors

Your mature, well-trained dog will make mistakes. Maybe he’ll chew up an object that doesn’t belong to him, or fail to come when called, or pee in your house for the first time in a year. What do you do?

Nothing. If you think it might happen again, keep a closer eye on your dog for a few days, but stuff happens. This is especially true if it was an odd incident, like if a random deer managed to end up in your suburban neighborhood and your dog chased it. The odds of another random deer showing up is not good, so don’t worry about it. Now, if deer start making a point of walking down your sidewalk, you might have to institute a training plan, but you can safely dismiss rare errors.

Summary

Labeling a behavior as a problem mostly tell us that the handler is not getting her way, but it tells us relatively little about the best plan of action moving forwards. To solve the problem, we have to know WHY the handler is not getting her way and if her expectations are realistic! Is the dog mature enough to cooperate? Has the handler given the training enough time? Are there additional challenges as a result of the dog’s breed, temperament, or underlying emotional state? Is the dog physically and mentally capable of what is being asked?

The reality of living with another species means a constant flow of give and take. What is the essence of a dog and what is the essence of a human? How can we work towards having our mutual goals met so that we can live in relative harmony the vast majority of the time?

Really think about it for a moment, what an amazing thing it is to have a dog – another species! – for a friend. A companion who will be there with you, day after day, asking for little more than something to eat and a safe place to live. Another species who will remain by your side, simply because it’s your habit to cooperate with each other.

Watch your dog. Note his ability to live in the moment, to appreciate what is in front of his nose, to be curious and free. I can take a walk alone, but with a dog it’s shared exploration. I have all of the benefits of solitude, time to think and breathe, but none of the disadvantages of being alone. Because I am not alone.

You’ll have to put some time into your friendship with your dog, but if you think about it the right way, it’s not work. As with all relationships, part of the pleasure is finding ways to have everyone’s needs met. Enjoy your dog’s youthful silliness even as you gently mold that into your dog’s maturity. Marvel at the connection you will build with little more than the natural capacity of our species to fall in love with each other.

You can pet your dog’s soft fur, share a snack, or take a walk. You can work at your computer and your dog is likely to be found nearby. And when you go to bed for the night, your dog will be there. Waiting for you. In exchange for a few meals, the occasional walk, and a bit of attention, you’ll have a friend. Your dog will choose you.

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The half-click

What do you do when you predict a successful repetition in a shaping session and then, just as you are pushing down on the clicker, something happens? The anticipated behavior is not successfully completed? Uh oh.  Your brain told you not to do it but your finger didn’t listen!  Or at least, your finger didn’t listen fast enough.  So now you’ve got a half click – holding down the metal thing (what’s that called?) and trying to decide how to get out of it.  Which, of course, you can’t. Your finger has to come up eventually and…your dog is waiting you know.

In general, if I promise a cookie or toy or whatever, then I give it since a click sound is followed by a reinforcer in my training repertoire.  But I don’t give a cookie for a half click.  I know many people who do – a promise is a promise and they fill it.  Not me – I just try really really really hard not to do that again.   Of course, the dog heard that sound and expects a cookie, so you need to do something.  Me? I’m probably laughing – screwed that up big time and now I’m stuck with my thumb in limbo land.

What I do is let up the metal bit, cue another easy behavior, hand over a reinforcer and try to do a bit better next time.

Now at this point in my training journey I usually do a mouth click and half clicks aren’t even possible – I clicked.  It’s done.  But screw ups continue and I still don’t reinforce if I screw it up.  I ask for something else and reinforce that.

When you half click – what do you do?  Feed anyway, laugh it off and create success some other way, or just continue on as if nothing happened?

 

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Assertive? Passive? Dominant? Hierarchies? Ai!

Let’s talk about how dogs live together in families. I mean groups of dogs within a home. I will not call it a pack because that is inaccurate and causes people to say and do some odd things.

According to the dictionary, a pack of animals refers to a “group of wild animals, especially wolves, hunting and living together.” And since domestic dogs in our homes are not wild, don’t hunt to live, and have no choice about the matter of living together, and since even street dogs live individually with highly fluid relationships with no specific or cooperative roles, it’s just non applicable. For example, street dogs aren’t going to find some tasty morsels and bring them back to another dog who has taken care of their puppies in exchange for dinner. Or at least I’ve never heard of such or thing, or seen anything even remotely like that in my house.

But by virtue of sharing their home with other dogs, dogs DO live in social groups and they DO form relationships with these other dogs – interacting differently depending on who the “other” happens to be. In other words, dogs have friends and enemies and relationships! Some like each other and others? Not so much.

I haven’t found much discussion of this topic outside of the “dogs are pack animals and therefore require a strong alpha leader” thinkers, and that is not what I am talking about – that mindset does not make sense to me because dogs don’t have a pack structure, which presumes cooperative and defined roles.

However, people who live with dogs certainly observe power relationships within their households – in the same sense that there are power relationships within human social groups. What do I mean by that?

It means that some canine members of the household are more ASSERTIVE (use the word dominant if you prefer) vis a vis another. They have more “force of personality” and get their way more often when they care about the resource in question. The obvious resources are things like food, toys, preferred resting places, access to preferred humans, breeding opportunities, etc. However, it is perfectly common for a given (assertive) dog not to want a specific resource, and then another (less assertive) dog is welcome to it. Which has nothing to do with assertiveness and everything to do with lack of interest – the question of who gets it only comes up if both want the same thing. Then – who gets it, assuming no outside interference?

One also needs to consider the context of the specific resource in question. For example, maybe one dog has puppies. Even a very non-assertive female with a litter of puppies can become extremely assertive about protecting them. Other dogs, even highly assertive dogs, are wise to listen to the opinion of a female with her own litter.

My experience is that some dogs are extremely assertive and others are extremely passive as a quality of temperament but always within the context of the relative players – who else does the dog live with and what is their level of natural assertiveness?

As a separate quality, there are dogs who care about a whole lot of stuff and others who care about relatively little. That’s not really about assertiveness as much as their level of “want”.

So if you have an assertive temperament who cares about only two things and a passive dog who cares about everything – then the assertive dog will always get the two things and the passive dog can have the rest – but not those two things.

And if you have a passive dog who wants everything, yet they live with an assertive dog who also wants everything, then the passive dog is about to lead a deprived life, getting very little, unless there is some sort of outside interference, like a human.

So you’ve got a few things going on. You have assertiveness as a temperament trait (willingness to contest another, which does not mean violence – assertiveness is complex and willingness to use physical force is only one component), you have strength of desire for various resources, and you have the issue of relativity – who does the dog live with and what are their characteristics? And when both players have access to the same thing, how strong is that want in each player – from “not at all” to “I will get this or give up my life”?

Oh! And let’s throw in clever intelligence, since passive dogs with strong levels of desire can get all sorts of things simply by being more clever than the more naturally assertive member of the household.

Now let’s go back to the dictionary.

Dominance is defined as: “power and influence over others.”

By that definition there is no question that some dogs are dominant over others. It is often predictable in my house what will happen under a variety of circumstances because I know who has greater (or lesser) force of personality (assertiveness), who cares about what resources and how much they care, and I have a good sense of how far each will go if they want a resource and what options they have at their disposal if it is contested. I know who’s a bully and who is benevolent – I find that to be a factor as well when a dog is the more assertive one. A bully will literally take a toy out of another dog’s unwilling mouth. A benevolent dog will allow another to keep what they have, even if that would not have been an option before anyone had it. (Bullies and benevolent leaders; how’s that for anthropomorphizing?)

Now all of this discussion is both relative to the others in the home AND changes over time as the group or specific qualities of the group change.

Example: When Raika was young and fit, she took what she wanted. Her “things” were personal space, access to her preferred human, and toys. Lyra and Brito respected her authority. She was more assertive/dominant than they were.

As she got older, Lyra started testing, pushing actively into Raika’s personal space, taking attention from preferred humans that she would never have dared touch before, and literally taking toys out from under Raika’s nose. Raika allowed these changes – presumably as a function of her loss of physical strength and ability. She was getting old. Once I saw Lyra literally take a toy out of Raika’s mouth – a toy that Raika wanted (If you’re curious, I chose to intercede). It was a subtle process that took place over time – and it was real.

As Raika’s power declined, Lyra showed herself to be something of a bully. She began taking things from the other dogs that she wanted, guarding things that she had (food and toys) and pushing others out of the way when she wanted human attention. None of these things happened when she was fully under Raika’s (benevolent) thumb. Benevolent in the sense that Raika only protected those things mentioned above and did not take things from Lyra directly – she respected the reality of possession as 9/10’s of the law and she truly didn’t care about what she didn’t care about – which meant there was plenty left over for the more passive members of the household.

How about “hierarchy”? Do they have a hierarchical structure?

The definition of hierarchy is: a system or organization in which people or groups are ranked one above the other according to status or authority.

Using that definition, this one is harder to consider because you need to watch the behavior of larger numbers of individuals and account for both their individual levels of assertiveness and their interest in having specific resources via a via all of the other players – and that’s a lot for the casual human brain to keep track of. Having said that, in terms of raw assertiveness there probably is a hierarchy but it’s not all that relevant without considering the individual player’s interest in specific resources. Really, it’s irrelevant how assertive a dog is by temperament if they don’t actually care to have a thing that anyone else wants.

Now – what about me, the human? Frankly, I have no idea what the dogs think about me. I get my way by virtue of controlling ALL of the resources – and being smart in general. I’m useful to them and they cede authority to me – it makes life easier for them so they go along willingly enough and I have proven myself as useful – I take care of them under difficult or uncertain circumstances. By the dictionary definition, that makes me dominant – I have power and influence over them. By my choice, I am benevolent – I’m not prone to violence and I get my status by being useful, not powerful.

Am I alpha? That makes no sense – dogs are not in a pack, and even if they were, what is the role of a human in such a relationship? There is none. But if we mean alpha as in slang for dominant then yes, I’m alpha. The problem is that some people take that literally – as if the dogs see me as some part of their social pack structure – and that’s kind of weird. I mean, which resources am I trying to get for myself that a dog wants? I don’t want their food and I sure as hell don’t want their toys. We’re on different playing fields. And in common language, the only time I hear a human referred to as alpha is when the speaker is either literally or figuratively rolling their eyes – that’s not a common language word and with good reason – it belongs outside of human (and canine) social structure and is primarily used to designate an individual who acts like a not-to-bright jerk.

Remember how I mentioned above that a dog with a relatively passive temperament can get all sorts of things simply by being smarter? By barking at a window to get another dog to run over and see, and then take that opportunity to finish the dog’s dinner that got left behind? Well yeah. The most passive human in the world can always get their way against the most assertive dog ever – we have opposable thumbs and control all of the resources. Not much more is required. Where things get interesting is those dogs that will literally take what they want from another (quite possibly a human) with a human who is so passive that they either cannot or will not change that reality. In other words, a possibly fearful human vis-a-vis a dog comfortable using physical force to remove a desired thing from another. And while this exists, it’s not terribly common. The more common dog bite scenario is a dog trying to stop a human from doing something, not an attempt to get a resource from the person.

Because the word “dominant” has been tainted by its association with pack structure I’m perfectly happy to go to the word “assertive” – that’s fine. But if you refer to the dictionary, either word can be in play and be absolutely relevant and appropriate when speaking about dogs and relationships – just disappear the pack part and you’re good.

We might want to be careful not to remove the idea of “one who is more likely to get one’s way” from communication altogether because words make it easy for us to talk to each other and to be understood. Regardless of the lack of existence of a pack structure for dogs, concepts such as hierarchy, assertive/dominant, and passive/subordinate are still relevant, and deserve open discussion without fear of being perceived as a proponent of pack or dominance theory – a totally different thing altogether. For example, if someone says, “this dog is generally assertive in nature and would probably fit better in a household with more passive dogs” I can accept that as a useful piece of information if the speaker has a good sense of what is more or less assertive relative to average dogs. There is no reason to talk about packs, alpha positions or the need to dominate another at all.

Thoughts?

On another note, TODAY is the last day to register for classes at FDSA – get to it!  Here’s the schedule.

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The 90%er

I am a 90%er.

That means I put out content at about a 90% level of “finished”.  If you choose to look for them you’ll find spelling errors, questionable sentences and possibly thoughts that are not fully fleshed out.  You will also find a whole lot of content, released regularly, which allows me to influence those who choose to follow my ideas. When it comes to sheer quantity of content, you won’t have to look hard at all.

Being a 90%er, I can turn out 10 times more content than someone who polishes each piece to perfection, endlessly worried about the appearance or possible misinterpretations of what they are trying to say, or not covering all their bases or or or….

Could I make my content a little better?  Put in a bit more effort here or there? Polish and refine and triple check that spelling?

Sure I could.  So could you.  But should we?

How’s your personal dog training going?  Your dog training business?  That website or blog you’ve been meaning to pull together – is it up and running yet?  Did you ever get around to that presentation you promised to deliver at your local dog club?

If you strive for 100% then you strive for excellence and that is good! But if you hold out for 100% then you will produce….

Nothing.

Well that’s not totally true.  You will produce anxiety and stress and self doubt.  But in terms of what others might glean from what you have to offer?  If you put nothing out then the answer is – nothing.

Get on with it.  Get your dog trained.  Do you best – put out content!  What can you and your dog do?  Show me what you have!  And sure as hell don’t disparage others if you haven’t finished up your own project.

If you want to get better – at anything – you have to put it out there. “It” can be all sorts of things – whatever is in your head.  Take a few hits, revise as you go, and you’ll discover that over time, your overall quality begins to improve.  Strive for 100% and be prepared to accept less – and put it out anyway.

A few years ago I began teaching a dog training concept I called Engagement.  I looked around and saw a weakness in the dog sports community culture regarding creating engagement with their working partners, and I set about a plan to improve the matter.  Then I started to teach it in person and finally, online.

I’m proud of what I accomplished – it was a strong 90% first pass!  Those stages of engagement helped an enormous number of people who were handling their dogs in a manner that did them no favors at all.  At the same time, I can now reflect and see how my choice of words, phrases, examples and emphasis did not necessarily take all of my students where I wanted them to go.

I avoided, resisted and ignored.  A typical 90%er, but my concerns didn’t go away. Indeed, they grew.  So. Now what?

I started to pay attention, watched trends, tested hypothesis and talked to others in the dog community who I respect.  The more I thought about it, the more I came up with modifications to explore.  And that is what I did – explored.  Talked some more.  Experimented, etc.

Next? I put a few ideas into action!  Tested out my theories and saw that my new ideas were…good! An improvement!

If you’d like to join me to learn about new ideas related to Engagement training, join my Acclimation and Engagement 2.0: From Training to competition webinar that will run on Dec 12th at FDSA.

In this webinar, I’ll take Engagement training from the beginning – in a new and improved way.  I’ll address issues I’m seeing that are making me uncomfortable and that are at least partially the result of the way I presented my ideas the first time around.  I’ll offer options for students who have tried but not succeeded at moving from stage 2 to stage 3- they can’t get movement!  I’ll talk about ways to add more structure from dogs who would benefit from such an approach.  I’ll explore the details of taking Engagement training from the training grounds (where dogs can explore and sniff) to the competition ring – which is nothing of the sort! I’ll start to rectify 90% of that remaining 10%.  I won’t get to 100% because there is always room for improvement but it will take me further – and I’m good with that.

You can also listen to an FDSA podcast that I did with Melissa on this topic – released today!  We talk about addressing change in the dog training world, my ideas about Engagement and…a few other random thoughts thrown in for good measure.

Strive to be a 90%er.  Don’t worry about perfection- you’ll get better simply by doing.  Write that blog! Train that dog!  Create that website! Reach out and try something totally new that has kept you at arms distance – for fear of not measuring up.

Frankly, it’s better to to try and struggle than to make excuses and not try at all.  Dare to make change around you – be a 90%er.

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Three Rules of Thumb to Choosing Correctly: Choice or Structure?

Which is appropriate in a given circumstance; choice or structure?

I am going to make this super simple and it’s not super simple at all. On the other hand, super simple means that when you are in the moment and a little unsure, you are more likely to react in a helpful manner. So let’s call this “better than nothing!”

First, do not offer choice when there is a distinctly wrong possible response that could cause harm.  Harm can be mental or physical, and can be towards the animal, the trainer, or society.

For example, if your dog wants to approach (or even stare) at another dog, and you already know that your dog tends to react badly towards other dogs? Then choice is not an option, because if your dog reacts badly, then harm will result to your dog, yourself, the other dog or society. This is true even if there is no physical contact; emotional harm counts too!

Second, do not offer choice when there is no choice. Asking your dog if they want to go in their crate when you need to put them in their crate? Don’t do it. You’re going in the car and your dog is going in the crate. Cue them to go in their crate, and if they don’t and you plan on going anyway? Pick them up and put them in.   Work on that crate behavior at another time when you really do have choice to offer.

And finally, do not offer choice when your dog is becoming anxious (or is already there). Anxious animals, including humans, want structure! If you are in a shaping session and your dog starts to become anxious? That means they’re no longer thinking clearly. End the session or switch to known behaviors that you can simply cue (cues are structure) or maybe you’ll decide to use luring to start teaching the new thing. Choice is only a reinforcer if the dog wants it, and anxious animals do not want choice. They want to be right. Give that to them! Structure the answer.

At the end of the day, what you choose, choice or structure, is totally dependent on the overall situation, but there are a few rules of thumb. Give those guidelines a try and see if they help you.

On another note, in addition to our 30+ regular 6-week long classes currently registering for the December 1st start in two days, FDSA is offering our 16 most popular workshop recordings of the past year for sale through the weekend. If heading to the mall on the busiest day of the year is not your idea of a good time, then sign up for an educational opportunity instead! Workshops offer a one hour recording with specific steps for you to take to progress towards a goal. They are designed to be watched and put into practice immediately. The second follow-up video will give you examples of how other students applied the material so that you can learn from their experiences. And at only $29.95 each, they are an excellent way to spend a quiet day with your furry companions!  Follow this learn to see what is available and to purchase.  I have three workshops for sale – Precision Heeling, Precision Heeling – Formalizing Your Hand Position (Second step), and Heeling Games.  Read the descriptions and learn more here:  https://www.fenzidogsportsacademy.com/top-workshops

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Trust

A friend of mine went to see an in person trainer – an excellent trainer; I know her well. That trainer then recommended a specific exercise to my friend – an exercise that I never do. Indeed, an exercise that I had advised our mutual client not to do when she asked me about it.

My confused friend came back to me – should I do the exercise or not?

DO IT!!!!!

Hey, I’m just a trainer with a set of ideas. I think I’m a good trainer and there is logic behind what I say and do but right now I’m not sitting there with you and your dog. I don’t know what the other trainer saw, but I know that she’s an excellent trainer and I trust her. We share a basic philosophy of training that assures me that she will do right by your team. Further, I know that if it comes to pass that the exercise is a poor choice then the trainer will see it and change direction. Indeed, one of my personal hallmarks of a good trainer is the ability to be flexible when the evidence suggests it’s time to try something else.

One of my favorite things about being a dog trainer is how many different directions are available to us. We are not cookie cutters of each other. There is no best way or technique. There are different approaches that have worked for different people. There are techniques that make sense for some dogs and not for others. There are considerations that make sense for some sports and maybe not for others. And sometimes – there’s just a feeling. A feeling that something is going to work out just fine. And it usually does.

I love this! It means that if I know and respect a range of trainers, then I have access to many different approaches! Because someday my favorite approach is not going to work in a specific situation. And the fact that other people are doing different things than I am? How awesome is that?! It means odds are good that I will be able to find a workable solution. I just need to ask my colleagues for help.

If we ever become cookie cutters – all with one “best” approach and no flexibility – our ability to train dogs outside the normal range will diminish significantly. That would be truly unfortunate.

If you refer to a trainer that you know, respect and trust to share your philosophy of training, give them the benefit of the doubt every single time. They have a plan. Follow it! Cherish and nurture diversity. That will allow our field to thrive.

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A five-minute read to raising a puppy positively

You just got a new puppy. Cute and wiggly!  Congratulations!

You plan to start puppy classes soon, but what should you do right now? I mean, the puppy is chewing on you!  Jumping on your guests!  Getting in the trash!  Should you wait for puppy class?

No, you should not wait.

Here is a five minute read to handling normal puppy behavior.

Yes, normal.

Getting into mischief is normal – they don’t know better and have not been exposed to acceptable alternatives. Yet!  So how might you get through the upcoming days and weeks with your brand new family member; molding good behavior and seeing as little problematic behavior as possible?

Start by considering the needs of your puppy. Just like with a toddler you will ask yourself questions like, are they hungry? Are they physically comfortable? Are they tired? Are they scared or overwhelmed?  Do they need mental stimulation or physical exercise?  If you address your puppy’s needs you will solve 90% of your behavior problems.There’s nothing to be angry about when you see a complaining, unhappy or troublesome puppy; most of the time there is simply a need to be met.

The reality is that the biological needs and emotions of the other often make it difficult for them to control their behavior, so stop asking them to control their behavior!  At that moment they cannot, so take the issue off the table.  Change the environment or the circumstance to stop it, but don’t expect the toddler/puppy to stop when you haven’t addressed their needs.

Change your setup to allow good behavior to create a better reality for everyone.There’s nothing to be angry about when you see a complaining, unhappy or troublesome puppy; most of the time there is simply a need to be met.  You would be amazed at how often giving your puppy a simple mental enrichment option like a puzzle toy will solve a whole lot of issues.  If you’re not familiar with enrichment ideas, go online and search for dog enrichment activities.

What if bad behavior is happening RIGHT NOW and appears to have nothing to do with a biological need? Indeed, it seems more like entertainment and it’s coming at your expense! Puppy is chewing my couch!  Puppy is biting my hands!

If you see your puppy doing something, ask yourself, “What would I do if this were a toddler?”

Your toddler is playing and is getting very rough and overaroused – He is starting to push and pull and hit! He is hurting others or causing damage. What should you do?

Hopefully you would stop him. To do so, you might calm your own body and behavior,  quiet your voice, stand still with eye contact, or hold his arms to prevent the behavior from continuing.

And your puppy? Tell your puppy, “hey, easy!”  Make eye contact! Calm your body and your voice!  If needed, pick up the puppy, turning the biting end away, and prevent the behavior from continuing! There’s no reason to yell or “be firm” anymore than there is with a toddler trying to figure stuff out.  Indeed, as often as not that just adds fuel to the fire – quieting your body and voice in the presence of overarousal and anger is often much more effective. Would you hold a toddler to the ground and wait for them to submit?  I hope not. Don’t do it with your puppy.  It’s neither kind nor necessary.

Okay- so you intervened and it worked!  For two seconds, your toddler or puppy is no longer showing the behavior!  Awesome – now you need to substitute an appropriate alternative. “Here, chew on this!” or “Why don’t we do this other activity instead?”

Or maybe that didn’t happen. Maybe you tried it and… it didn’t work! The behavior is worse than ever!

When your toddler/puppy cannot respond and instead gets more riled up? Why might that be? Let’s go back to those biological needs.

As often as not, it’s a tired toddler. Toddler needs a nap. Off to bed you go, whether or not the child wants a nap.

And your puppy? Is your puppy simply overtired? Needs a nap? Great!  Oft to the crate or puppy pen the puppy goes, whether the puppy wants a nap or not.  That’s because….puppies need a lot of sleep.  Just like toddlers.  Do not assume that a busy puppy needs exercise – maybe he does!  But it’s just as likely that he needs a nap.

But…he’s crying!  With a toddler – do you allow some crying in the crib?  Probably – allow some crying with your puppy.  Sleep should soon follow.

It didn’t work!  He’s STILL crying!  Did you judge the correct biological need in the first place?  Maybe exhaustion wasn’t the problem – maybe it was boredom or a need for exercise or mental stimulation.  Can you find something for the puppy/toddler to do when you see similar circumstances in the future?

Wait! My puppy isn’t overaroused – he’s getting into my trashcan, calm as could be! Entertaining himself inappropriately – at my expense!  I can’t have this.  What should I do?

You are right.  You cannot have that. Because if your puppy learns to entertain at your expense, then plan on seeing a lifetime of it.

Instead, relocate the garbage can or add a childproof lock unless you want to continue removing your toddler/puppy from it. Most new parents childproof their house. It is a whole lot easier than protecting your house by controlling the baby – that would be exhausting.  Control the environment rather than the individual.

Experienced puppy parents do the same thing. Rather than following your child or puppy around telling them what to do and what not to do, why not just make it impossible for the problem to take place? Take the issue off the table.

That is called structuring the environment. Structure is an enormous part of raising a toddler or a puppy!   The best part is that if your little one doesn’t get in the habit of playing in the trash, the interest will usually disappear as they get older. Then, when the other is older you can remove the “garbage can protection”.  And if puppy/child goes that way anyway when they are older and no longer living with significant structure?  Without being angry but being direct, you say “uh uh – don’t do that” and you stop the behavior. And then they understand. They don’t go in the trash. Problem solved.

Which doesn’t mean it will be perfect.  Most parents I know have, on occasion, found their child somewhere they should not be, making first class mischief.  It happens because no one is capable of perfect supervision or decision making all the time.  Remove them, clean up, and see about better structure next time.  Screaming and yelling over your error makes you scary and irrational – don’t go there.  Just stop the mischief and if you want to use a verbal/physical response, do it BEFORE the mischief starts whenever possible. As your child/puppy is heading for the garbage can is when you need to say something – once they are in it you can say something if you want but mostly you just need to remove them as fast as possible.

But my puppy jumps on guests!

What would you do if your toddler was being too rough with your elderly guest? Gently remove them or hold them or don’t let them greet the person at the door where arousal levels and excitement tend to be too high. Maybe quiet your voice to calm the initial interaction.  Or avoid the issue altogether by leaving your child in their crib (puppy in crate) and letting them come out after you have seated your guest.

It’s the same with your puppy.  90% of the time, if you raise your puppy the way you raise your toddler, you’ll end up doing very well. There is no reason to be scary or “firm” or to hurt the child or puppy, nor do you need to intimidate them.

Next part!  Because so far, I haven’t even mentioned the most important part.

The most important part is to identify and acknowledge what goes right. “Look at you, helping mommy set the table!” “Look at you, being gentle with your friend.” “You were so amazing today when grandma came over that we’re going to your favorite park now!”  Acknowledge what you see that is right is much as possible! Feel free to throw a cookie on top of that praise when it’s your puppy.  Puppy looks at the trash and walks away?  Good puppy!  Praise and a cookie are just fine to get the point across.  Puppy thinks about jumping on the guest but does not?  Great puppy!  Get out of the situation before it goes south as arousal grows, hand over a cookie or two, and maybe return for another repetition.

“Look at you coming when I call!  Who’s a little puppy star? You are!”  “Look at you waiting politely for your dinner!  Super puppy!”

When your puppy behaves well is when you want to tell them how wonderful they are and offer up first class interaction! Make a point of looking for good behavior and paying attention to it. Teach your puppy to value your voice and your opinion! When you see your puppy or toddler make a choice you like, even if you structured that choice, acknowledge it! Soon you will find them doing more things you like and fewer things you don’t like. Your puppy or toddler will start “showing off” for you – to hear your positive reaction.  Take advantage of that desire to be praised and to avoid disapproval.

The things I’m talking about here are not instant fixes to getting your baby or puppy to act like an adult of that species.  No one raises a toddler or a puppy overnight. But over time, if you are realistic and recognize that both toddlerhood and pupppyhood are phases that we can move through eventually, you will end up in a good place.  That is when you start removing environmental structure (removing household puppy or child proofing), adding choice (you are loose in the house to choose your entertainment without the need for constant supervision), and enjoying the future together.

When the time is right, take your puppy to school or hire a trainer to come to your house! Now they can learn additional things that don’t necessarily have to do with the basics of living together. With a puppy, training basics like “come when called” and “stay there” and “walk nicely on a leash” allow greater degrees of freedom. Trained dogs have more choice and less structure because the guardian can give it to them!  Take that additional step and enjoy your relationship even more.

If you have raised a human child using positive parenting, you have the answers within you. Apply the concepts to your puppy to the best of your ability, and you’ll be fine a high percentage of the time.

In summary…structure the environment with puppy proofing to avoid issues as much as possible, and supervise to prevent problems from getting started. Address the puppy’s biological needs and a good deal of bad behavior will go away – is the puppy bored, tired, scared or anything else?  Make a happy fuss when you see what you like and stop behavior that you do not like.  Over time re-evaluate your overall need for structure, and begin to remove it, allowing for more choice, as your puppy shows readiness.

If you’re thinking this is all too time consuming then I need to point out the obvious – you opted for a puppy and baby animals are a lot of work. There’s nothing wrong with a toddler or child who shows behaviors you don’t like – it’s just a baby being a baby.  You’re the adult in this relationship – do your best!  And forgive yourself when you can’t – everyone makes bad decisions sometimes.

The good news is that baby animals tend to turn out okay.  Time and a bit of knowledge are your friend here.

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Typical or atypical dog behavior

Typical behavior is what I would expect of a given dog in a given circumstance. It has nothing to do with desirable behavior.  For example, I think it is perfectly typical for an eight week old puppy to mouth human hands, to chew random objects in the house, and to complain when crated. Typical is normal!

What is atypical? Atypical is what I don’t expect of a given dog in a given circumstance. For example, it is atypical for a dog to bite a family member with intent to harm.  It is atypical for a dog to scream and drool in their crate for hours when their needs have been taken care of.   It is atypical to spin in circles when there is nothing happening.   It is atypical to hide and shake when someone comes in your house who is ignoring the dog.

There are a few things you need to keep in mind when thinking about typical or atypical behavior. The obvious one is that it requires circumstances and a reference point! If you don’t know anything about dogs within your given context, you can’t possibly know what is typical or atypical. However, since I know that I am primarily speaking to “dog people” here on my blog, hopefully you have reference points to help you understand atypical versus typical behavior.

Circumstances you might look at include: What breed is the dog? Behaviors that I consider perfectly typical in a working line Belgian Malinois I may well not consider typical in another breed.  How old is the dog?   I certainly don’t expect a puppy and an adult dog to behave in the same way.  What circumstances is the dog living within? What prior training has been received?

Notice that I am not saying good or bad when I talk about typical and atypical. I’m talking about expected under a given set of circumstances and I am assuming that the person doing the evaluation has a reasonable frame of reference.

So why does it matter?

Because there are normal interventions that work for most normal dogs. And then there are interventions that are not going to work because of the dog’s specific and atypical circumstances.   Those dogs will need more.

It is helpful to start with the assumption that most dogs are normal and typical.   The nice thing about normal dogs is that they are a reflection of many many years of dogs living with humans. That means they can manage to improve even with not very good training. Believe me, this is a wonderful thing! Which does not mean we should apply poor quality training, but we should recognize that perfection is truly not required for most dogs in most circumstances – they are normal and typical. If dogs were not capable of doing reasonably well under a range of circumstances, they wouldn’t be a common household pet living with individuals who have no clue about training – and still get to a point of reasonable harmony.

When a dog is typical we talk about basic training and common management strategies.  We talk about developmental stages and molding behavior over time to get us where we want to go.  We structure the dog with communication!  We tell them what we like and what we don’t like.  We try and structure the environment for success and… they get it.   Frankly, it is almost identical to how we raise toddlers.

Typical dogs are generally going to do fine working with your average dog trainer. This is a person who understands how to teach basic obedience, how to get manners around the house, and how to stop or mitigate very normal yet annoying behaviors before they become true problems. The dog simply needs some basic training and application of common techniques.

I also like to encourage dog trainers to develop a recognition of what is normal and typical within given breeds of dogs. For example, having raised working line Belgian Shepherds, I consider a puppy hanging off the sleeve of my jacket to be perfectly normal, even if he redirects on me with anger when I attempt to remove him. Which doesn’t mean I allow it or encourage it to continue. But I find it normal.  It is typical for my breed. Again, something I am going to work on.  But does it require a specialized behavior plan? No. It requires a trainer who is familiar with that sort of dog and can set out a reasonable route that works for most typical working line Belgian shepherds.

Atypical dogs are different.   Maybe they are notably fearful in daily life situations, or sensitive, or showing neurotic behaviors, or just a really bad match for their owner and something needs to change.

When a dog is atypical we start talking about things like functional analysis, behavior modification protocols, drug therapy, and intensive management strategies.  We start thinking about behavior specialists rather than dog trainers.    For example, If I were working with a dog that had true separation anxiety, the atypical kind? The kind that is impacting the dog and owner’s quality of life? I am going to recommend a behavior specialist. The dog needs more than the average.

I am not a fan of doing a formal functional analysis and behavior modification protocols for perfectly normal dogs. Don’t take situations which are normal and typical and make them complicated! The average pet owner neither needs nor wants that degree of intervention. They just need an understanding of what is normal, what is likely to go away with age, what deserves a little attention, and what should be celebrated as part of the nature of being a dog.  It’s fine if you’re doing it in your head without meaning to, but there’s no reason to share it with your client. Just tell them what they need to know to improve the situation.

I’m bringing this topic up because I’m a little concerned about how seriously some dog trainers are taking behaviors that I consider to be fairly normal and typical and part of the dog’s growing up process. A dog doesn’t have a behavior problem because it’s not been trained yet or because the behavior is intense. It’s being a dog! It’s being a dog of a given breed! And to treat it like a problem may well be causing issues that don’t need to exist.

Before advising your client, ask yourself if the behavior you are observing is normal and typical.  If you don’t have enough experience with the behavior or the breed in question in that set of circumstances, consult with someone who does before you decide what to do next.   A herding breed of dog who is reserved with strangers? Often perfectly normal. You don’t need to change it! Simply accept the dog for who they are. A highly energetic young retriever? Your job is not to teach the dog to be calm; your job is to help the dog and handler find daily routines that can work for both of them while recognizing the normalcy of that dog’s temperament within the breed.   These dogs do not need to be changed – they do not need drugs or a specialist.  They need basic training and handling that will bring out their best selves.

Set up a reasonable plan for the dog’s owner that can actually be put into effect! Don’t make training complicated when it doesn’t need to be.   Maybe think of it like this… some toddlers are calm and some are energetic! Some are outgoing and some are shy! And yet, these are all within the range of typical, so one might ask oneself… How does one raise a toddler?  With kindness, structure and consistency!  Ask for what is reasonable, offer choice within structure as the toddler is ready, and pick your battles.  I guarantee this will set you on the right path a very high percentage of the time.

Which doesn’t necessarily mean the owners are thrilled about the entire package, but hey, if your kid is a chess player and you wanted a football player… Who should give a little?

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