The Smart Dog U Blog

Landscape Wrecker

Great Dane Murders Hosta Plants from Laurie Luck on Vimeo.

Watch the video above (from Vimeo) to see how good Talos is at wrecking our landscaping. I posted this on my Facebook page and got a few laughs. And I got one really good question:

"So how does positive reinforcement work in this instance?"

Positive reinforcement won't work in this specific instance. Well, actually it does: Talos was positively reinforced for having fun in the Hostas. I didn't reinforce him, but the environment sure did! So now it's up to me to make sure the Hosta-rolling doesn't become a favorite pastime. I can use two tools to help the Hostas resume regular growth: management and redirection.

Management. It's my fault for letting Talos in the Hostas to begin with. I should have been managing him better and not allowed him to find out just how fun running through and rolling in them could be. I could have managed him by putting him on a leash, by supervising him more closely, or by putting a temporary barrier around the Hostas.

Redirection. If I didn't find him so stinkin' cute, and if I'd cared more about my Hostas, I could have distracted him from the Hostas and then redirected him to a more puppy-appropriate activity. To distract him, I could have called "pup, pup, pup" in a high-pitched, squeaky, friendly voice and then run in the other direction. Puppies love to follow, and he would have been more than happy to follow right along.

Once I had him out of the Hostas, it would have been good to provide him with something appropriate to do instead of landscape destruction, such as chewing on a puppy toy, chasing a butterfly, following me around the yard, whatever. Once he's engaged in the appropriate behavior, THEN positive reinforcement enters the picture. He'd receive a lot of verbal praise (he really loves that), and I'd continue to engage him in that newly found fun activity. 

Using these tools every day (it actually feels like every minute!), Talos is learning what the rules are. And I get to be the hero who shows him the ropes, not The Enforcer who rains on his parade every other minute. It's a great way to build a cooperative relationship with him and have him look to me for guidance if he's unsure.

Talos Likes His Crate

Teaching a puppy to love it's crate is an important task. Regardless of whether you want to crate your dog at home, at some point your dog will probably be crated somewhere: the vet, groomer, or if you travel. So why not teach your pup to love the crate from Day 1.

I start by feeding all meals in the crate. The door is open, so the puppy is free to leave whenever he wants. Also, I throw a handful of his food in the crate every now and then. The puppy begins to think the crate is almost magical - that's where all the good stuff originates: his dinner, snacks, and unpredictable good rewards!

So far in Talos' training, I've not had to shut him in the crate and leave. However, tomorrow I'll have to do just that, so today I'll begin teaching Talos how to be alone in the crate for a few minutes at a time. To teach your pup (or older dog) this, start by gathering some of the most delicious food you've got. I recommend leftover chicken or steak. While your pup is watching, toss a treat into the crate (toward the back). When he's eating that goodie, quietly close the door. Toss him another goodie into the crate. And another, and another. You're teaching your pup that even better stuff comes when the crate door is closed. After about 45 seconds of this, open the door and allow the pup to leave. If he doesn't want to leave the crate, don't force him. Simply walk away. In about 30 seconds, repeat the entire process. As your pup improves and can stay in the crate longer (with you still there, tossing tasty treats), you're ready for the next step.

This time, after you've tossed the goodie into the crate to get your pup to go in, you're going to walk out of sight for just two seconds - no longer. Return and immediately drop a few treats in the crate for your pup. Repeat the process several times, ensuring the pup isn't in distress while you're out of sight for two seconds. If he's doing just fine, you can now increase the time you're out of sight. Keep this easy for the pup - increase your time in one- to two-second increments at a time. Don't jump from two seconds to ten seconds right away. You're teaching your puppy that good things happen when you're gone for a few seconds.

Gradually, you'll increase the time you're out of sight until you get up to five minutes or so. Once I reach that milestone, I usually begin giving the pup a peanut-butter filled food toy as I walk away. This gives the pup something else to focus on, and will keep him busy, too.

Spending time on this skill is well worth the effort. A dog who hasn't had good crate experiences isn't likely to enjoy the crate. He may begin to refuse to go into the crate or associate the crate with punishment. Make sure you start on this skill as soon as you bring your pup home.

Introducing Great Dane Service Pup "Talos"

Service Dogs of Virginia chooses a particular theme by which the pups in that particular class are named. This class of service pups has mythological names, so we chose Talos for our new pup.

In the Cretan tales incorporated into Greek mythology, Tálos was a giant man of bronze who protected Europa in Crete, circling the island's shores three times daily while guarding it. The new Dane pup is a harlequin (spotted) Dane, and his spots have a bronze tint. Hence, the name Talos.

Talos joined our family Friday night (May 22) at 9:30p after a very long car ride from Massachussets. He's exactly nine weeks old. His coloring, spotted all over, is called Harlequin. (For those that know the Great Dane breed standard, you'll notice right away he doesn't meet that standard because of his pink nose and his brownish spots. The breeder of these Danes breeds specifically for service work, not to meet breed standard color.)

He's getting accustomed to his new digs and his new canine siblings. We're beginning to teach him that his crate is a great place to be, as well as teaching him how to manipulate food-stuffed toys. Of course, he's learning a lot more than just that: we're also working on house training, sit to greet (you don't want a full size Dane jumping on you, believe me!), and socialization.

Stay tuned, there will be plenty more updates!

Science Rules!

In my previous post "Methods Schmethods" it seems I raised quite a fire storm by expressing why I shun the Whisperers and those who use positive punishment, flooding, and aversives. I've received more comments in 24 hours on that one post alone than I've ever received in the history of this blog.

Which is funny because there are many more posts here that discredit those who claim to Whisper and rehabilitate. And those never raised anyone's ire. Anyway, I thought I'd give you all some of scientific evidence that shaped my thinking. These aren't opinion pieces (although I could post a ton of those), but actual scientists, researchers, and veterinary behaviorists who have done the research.

Regardless of what quadrant of operant conditioning you use, these are valuable pieces of research. I recommend everyone read through each of these, as these findings are not opinion. 

And, in science, a correction is identified as positive punishment. Professionals in the field stick with accepted definitions and don't use words like correction, as that's too loosely defined. So if you'd like to leave a comment, please use the professionally accepted terms - not the undefined "slang."

Science Daily
http://preview.tinyurl.com/pm8ghw
"Using 'Dominance' To Explain Dog Behavior Is Old Hat"

Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical App. + Research
http://preview.tinyurl.com/p3grgy
"Dominance in domestic dogs-useful construct or bad habit?"

Am. Society of Veterinary Animal Behaviorists
http://preview.tinyurl.com/6cz775
"The Use of Dominance Theory in Behavior Modification of Animals"

Am. Society of Veterinary Animal Behaviorists
http://preview.tinyurl.com/yw3op6
"The Use of Punishment for Behavior Modification in Animals"

American Humane
http://preview.tinyurl.com/b7t687
"'Dog Whisperer' Training Approach More Harmful Than Helpful"

Sophia Yin, DVM
http://preview.tinyurl.com/ozqhlu
"Experts Say Dominance-Based Dog Training Techniques Made Popular by
Television Shows Can Contribute to Dog Bites"

Science Daily
http://preview.tinyurl.com/cmwuln
"If You're Aggressive, Your Dog Will Be Too"

Methods Schmethods

Everyone who reads this blog knows I'm not a fan of Whisperers, force-based training, flooding, and punishment. No surprise then, when I say this: there aren't "methods" of dog training. Some people, including me, will often refer to "methods," but it's all really just science.

The whisperer you see on tv uses science: it's called positive punishment, negative reinforcement, and flooding. All of those are fraught with unpleasant consequences. It may work occasionally, but more often than not, what looks like success is really learned helplessness. The dog is shutting down, not learning how to behave. It looks really impressive, however, to those who are watching - the barky dog no longer vocalizes! It's a miracle! No it's not - it's unfortunate. The dog isn't trained, it's simply shut down. There's a big difference between shut down and trained. They may look similar, but there's a world of difference.

Stick with the safer science - positive reinforcement. It's so much easier to teach your dog what you'd like it to do (by reinforcing the behavior you like) than it is to teach the dog all the things you don't want him to do. It's quicker and more enjoyable. After all, you got a dog for the companionship, right? Not to dominate and control. Create a cooperative relationship with your dog, not a adversarial one -- find a positive reinforcement trainer!

Update on Service Puppy

We know which pup will be ours for the next year and a half. The gigantic pup on top of the heap! For now, his name is Axel. We may be changing it once he arrives and we get an idea of his personality.

We're busy preparing for his arrival. Here are the things we're thinking about:

• where will he sleep at night (definitely crated, probably in our bedroom)
• where will he stay during the day when I'm out (definitely crated, possibly in bedroom crate)
• what toys do we need to get (interactive, food-stuffable toys)
• where will we take him to socialize, but not overwhelm him (downtown Frederick at off-hours, farmer's market, soccer games [we'll have to "adopt" a neighborhood child since we don't have any ourselves!]
• what skills will we teach first (shaping, self control, polite walking, sit to greet).

It's really important for this pup to have as many different experiences as possible - he's going to be a big dog and will need to be rock-steady as a service dog. He'll need to get used to as many different sights, sounds, surfaces, and environments as possible. All of that, however, must be done in a systematic, non-threatening way -- we'll make it as fun as possible using food, toys, and praise. And we'll be sure to watch him for signs of stress (averting his eyes, lip licking, tail and ear position, etc.).

Keep an eye on this blog, we'll update it as soon as we know more about our pup's arrival!

Bark in the Park - Frederick County Parks + Rec

Almost 500 dogs and their people came out to Utica Park for the 3rd Annual Bark in the Park last Saturday, May 9. Smart Dog University was there and we had so much fun meeting everyone and everydog.

If you missed Bark in the Park, you missed dogs like this great Neapolitan mastiff named Jaba (as in the Hut). A real cream puff, Jaba took up residence under our tent to beat the heat. I'm a lover of big dogs, so he was more than welcome to chill out with us. Nemo made a surprise appearance, along with my husband, and being the irresponsible dog-mom that I am, I didn't even get one picture of him!

I did get some pictures of Major and Dozer, two of my favorite English Mastiffs. I worked with the two English Mastiffs when they were but wee babies. My how they've grown! Gentle giants, those two.

It was so much fun seeing so many friends, both four- and two-legged! Look for Smart Dog U again next year!

Nemo's Mink Stole

No, we're not fur wearers here at SDU, but Nemo inherited this from his human grandmother. None of the two-leggeds wanted anything to do with it, but Nemo sure does seem to enjoy it. It's now his to play with and plunder. Watch Nemo enjoying his mink...

Raising A Service Dog: Why I Do It

We'll be getting our next service pup in training in a few weeks. I'm often asked why I do it and how I can bear to let the dogs go after raising and loving them for a year and a half. Watch this video to see why...

(Nemo is the young dog with me in the video. Our very first service dog, Rocky, went to the older gentleman in the wheelchair.)

Great Common Sense Video About Dog Friendly Training

Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, veterinarian and trainer Ian Dunbar asks us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets' perspective, we can build their love and trust. It's a message that resonates well beyond the animal world. Don't miss this excellent video!