Smart Dog

Too Long Gone

I've been away too long! But I got lots of good news while I was traveling (for business). My first stop was Orlando, Florida for the North American Veterinary Conference. I was with the Karen Pryor Academy and we talked to lots of vets and veterinary technicians interested in positive reinforcement training. I got to see several Behavior lectures presented by both veterinarians and veterinary technicians -- they were fabulous. All of us -- vets, techs, and Karen Pryor Academy faculty and students -- are on the same page when it comes to teaching dogs and modifying behavior: positive reinforcement is the only way to go. It was refreshing and helped re-charge my batteries.

My next stops were local and both in Columbia, MD. On Friday, a group of positive trainers got together at Ruth Chase's Coventry School for Dogs for some socializing and training. Many of us brought our dogs, but none of us brought our camera, so there aren't any pictures. Nemo went with me and had a rollicking good time. His favorite playmate was a spunky 8-month old husky. They were fast friends and when it came time to leave, they didn't want playtime to end!

I was back at Coventry all day Saturday and Sunday teaching for the Karen Pryor Academy. I held my first workshop and had a terrific time with the three positive reinforcement trainers in my class. They brought their dogs and worked hard for two days. We were all exhausted (dogs included), but I think everyone learned a lot and had fun, too.

It's impressive how much interest there is in positive training. Just five years ago, people rolled their eyes at us "treat slingers," and spoke down to us as if we knew nothing. Stand by the science and the science will stand by you -- I'm a believer in that, and it's really paid off for dog-friendly training. But most of all, it's paid off for the dogs who are taught with positive reinforcement. And that's why I'm in this business, after all.

Test Your Knowledge: 10 Life-Threatening Dog Behavior Myths

Have some of voiced any of these misconceptions? Read this terrific article and test your knowledge -- how many of these myths did you believe?

Behavior problems continue to be the leading cause of relinquishment and euthanasia of pets in the United States.^1-3 Yet most veterinarians graduate with minimal to no training in the normal or abnormal behaviors of domesticated animals.⁴

To further complicate matters, no other subject within veterinary medicine is as rife with myth and belief based on anecdotal information as animal behavior. If a student enters veterinary school having seen a grandfather apply motor oil to a dog to treat mange, he or she quickly discovers that this is inappropriate and learns how to treat mange based on the latest findings. However, the same student can enter veterinary school having been told that rubbing a dog's nose in its feces is an appropriate and effective means of housetraining, but is unlikely to be taught the potential danger of this technique. A recent study shows that 31.8% of pet owners think that rubbing a dog's nose in its feces is an appropriate training technique⁵ even though as much scientific evidence is available to disprove this method as there is to refute treating mange with motor oil.

In addition, evidence suggests that when the owner-pet bond is weak, people are less likely to give their pets the best veterinary care.⁶ And, without a doubt, behavior problems can severely damage this bond.

In this article, 10 common myths are discussed about animal, particularly canine, behavior—misconceptions that may increase the likelihood that a pet will develop a behavior problem and, thus, can lead to the pet's abandonment or euthanasia.

Don't Try This At Home

Regular Smart Dog Blog readers know that there is an awful lot about which Cesar and I disagree. Here's a news video explaining why.

Dog training isn't an art, it's not about restoring balance, and it's not about discipline. It's simply about modifying behavior. It's science through and through.

When watching the video, turn the volume down and simply look at the dogs. He hasn't restored calm and balanced. They are stressed and shut down. A stressed dog is more likely to bite. A dog who has shut down (also called "learned helplessness") is very likely to bite without warning. Clearly, Millan's methods are something you don't want to try at home.

If you need help with your dog, look for someone who uses positive reinforcement methods (clicker training, for example). Check out Karen Pryor's Clickertraining website, the Association for Pet Dog Trainers, and the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.  Or contact me and I can help you find a qualified positive reinforcement trainer in your area.

Follow SDU on Twitter

We're "smardogu" on Twitter. Look us up - you'll get quick dog-related snippets, links, articles, tips, news, and information -- all in 140 words or less! If you're not familiar with Twitter, here's what Wikipedia says about Twitter:

Twitter is a free social networking and micro-blogging service that allows its users to send and read other users' updates (otherwise known as tweets), which are text-based posts of up to 140 characters in length.

Updates are displayed on the user's profile page and delivered to other users who have signed up to receive them. Senders can restrict delivery to those in their circle of friends (delivery to everyone being the default). Users can receive updates via the Twitter website, SMS, RSS, or email, or through applications such as Tweetie, Twinkle, TwitterFox, Twitterrific, Feedalizr, and Facebook. Twitter had by one measure over 3 million accounts^[1] and, by another, well over 5 million visitors in September 2008, a fivefold increase in a month.^[2]

Discounted Clicker Training Books

The good folks at Karen Pryor's Clickertraining website have put lots of good books (and some VHS tapes) on sale. If you've got a cat, dog, or horse, there are some good deals to be had.

So if one of your goals for 2009 was to start training, now that goal is even easier to reach! Buy a couple books, give it a try, then come to Smart Dog University and take a class or two.

Timing Is Everything

Just got off the phone with my parents. Seems their little Rottie, Copper, got a pair of my dad's shoes and chewed them to bits. They were a little angry with her. I asked: "How on earth did Copper get the closet door open?" (knowing full well the shoes were left right there on the bedroom floor where Copper had free and easy access to them).

Sheepishly, my parents said they were at fault for Copper's antics, as they left the shoes out.

Not too long ago, they would have found the ruined shoes, showed them to Copper and shouted "No! Copper, bad! No!"

Which wouldn't have done any good at all. Except to make Copper think that  my parents are a little off their rocker and not to be entirely trusted.

So it seems I'm making some inroads at least. Little by little...

I'm also reminding them to praise Copper when she's doing something right. They tend to ignore the good and only pay attention to the not-so-good.

Turns out that timing is everything: if you notice and reward your dog for sitting instead of jumping (immediately when the dog sits), you'll get a lot more sitting. And a lot less jumping.

In the same vein, if you feel you must punish (correct, admonish, whatever) your dog for doing something, don't do it after the "deed is done." If you find a chewed up shoe, just throw it away. Don't drag your dog in to the pile of dead shoe, or pick the pieces up and put them in your dog's face and say "No!"

For the record, I never recommend punishing, correcting, admonishing, etc. Ever. You'll get much better results "dog-proofing the house, managing your dog's access to the house when you can't watch him, and giving the dog toys he likes to keep him away from your "good stuff."

More importantly, remember that your dog likes to chew shoes and put those shoes in the closet!

Think of it this way: I love brownies -- if you leave them out, I'm going to snack on them. Same thing with dogs and shoes.

FDA Continues To Receive Complaints About Chicken Jerky Products, Says American Veterinary Medical Association

More than a year after warning consumers about a possible link between certain chicken jerky products imported from China and illness in dogs, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continues to receive complaints from pet owners and veterinarians claiming these products are making dogs sick.

Read more here.