Houston Pet Talk Magazine Archives | Page 2 of 2

Changing Your Dog’s Behavior

Michael Baugh CPDT-KA, CDBC

Changing behavior is all about verbs, actions. We can observe behavior in real space and time because it is physical and often includes movement. We describe behavior with verbs. He sits. She runs. They eat. Remembering that helps us steer away from the labels we put on dogs, like dominant, dumb and stubborn. Those are adjectives, and the only real way to change them is to stop using them. Actions, on the other hand, we can change.

I didn’t invent the science of behavior change (I wish I had). In fact, there isn’t a dog trainer in Houston or anywhere else for that matter who can make such a claim. The truth is, the core concepts of animal training (including the human animal) are more than a century old. And they are among the most tested and verified bits of knowledge in the field of psychology. That’s a good thing really. We dog trainers don’t have to reinvent the process. Be careful of those who claim to. I wrote about the science of dog training in the March 2011 issue of Houston PetTalk. While we are always refining the way we apply the science of behavior change in dogs, the fundamentals remain the same.

Ah science. There seems to be a collective yawn when the topic comes up. Maybe our concept of science reminds us of boring afternoons in the classroom. That’s not what I’m talking about here. Using behavior science in dog training is cool, very cool. In fact, every trick you have ever taught your dog is an example of applied behavior science. Dolphin shows are excellent examples of it. Behavior science is actually happening all around us. Dog trainers use it all the time in some form or other, even if they don’t fully understand it.

Here’s how it breaks down. A behavior is repeated (and becomes habit) when there’s a history of favorable consequences following the action. How about an example? Put on a sweater – enjoy warmth and avoid being cold. Nice! Here’s a doggie example. Knock over the garbage can – enjoy snacking on the spilled food scraps. The actions of putting on a sweater and raiding garbage cans will increase over time because of the consequences. Changes in the environment set these learned behaviors into action. Let’s look at the human example again. The temperature drops when the sun goes down – put on a sweater – avoid the cold. The temperature drop didn’t cause the action of putting on a sweater, but it did set the stage. Perhaps the sight of a garbage can and the absence of people set the stage for the action of knocking the can over. In both examples, it’s the consequence which keeps these actions going time and time again.

You’re on your way to understanding how to change behavior (your dogs’ actions). Cues from the environment (we are part of our dogs’ environment, by the way) and consequences in the environment influence our dogs’ actions. That’s very good news for those of us who live with dogs. Why? Because we can change their environment. We can remove garbage cans as a potential trigger of destructive behavior. We can also provide food-delivery toys like Kongs and Bob-a-Lots for better behavior when the dog is left alone. Now we have the tools we need to change behavior. We actually had them all along.

Think of anything your dog does that you’d like to change. Remember to use verbs. Then think of what happens right before the action, and right after. Those are the trigger and the consequence. Can you change either of those, or maybe both of them? When a visitor comes to the house (trigger), and your dog jumps on her (action), does she pet him (consequence)? How many of those environmental pieces can you influence? Better yet, could you teach your dog that when the visitor comes (trigger), he sits politely (action), and she gives him a snack and some petting (consequence)? I bet you could.

The best part is we’re focusing on our dog’s actions and things in the world around him we can control. We’re not worried at all about labels. Those are adjectives and they are not of use in changing behavior. We’re all about verbs (like sit, and come, and look at me). And we’re not just looking at our dog’s actions either. The best way to change an animal’s behavior is to make a few little changes to the environment, and this often means changing our own behavior.

Now we’re talking about a wonderful noun: Relationship.

(originally published on the Houston Pet Talk blog site)

A Look at Inter-Dog Aggression

Michael Baugh CPDT-KA, CDBC

Let’s start with the good news first. Most dogs are not intent on killing each other. That’s not to say they don’t have conflicts. They do; and those conflicts can sometimes be scary, noisy and even hurtful. Still, in most cases dogs don’t settle the score with fatal consequences.

dogs8 — Play can sometimes look like aggression

In fact, dogs give each other plenty of signals when they are upset about something. They growl, snarl, lung and even snap wildly at the air. You’ll hear some trainers refer to that as “ritualized aggression.” Think: argument or the occasional sign language you see in Houston traffic. It’s unpleasant and communicative, but not dangerous in and of itself. There are more subtle nuances as well, the slight change ear posture, facial expression, breathing rate, or pupil dilation. When it comes to their own kind, most dogs are expert communicators. The reason is simple and serious. Real fighting is costly in terms of both risk and expended energy, so dogs have to be very good at resolving things without physical conflict.

If we step back a bit we can see most inter-dog aggression is about stopping some perceived threat and making the other dog go away. Increased distance often resolves the argument. This is most obvious in dogs who guard food and objects from other dogs. It’s also evident in dogs who lack experience interacting with other dogs. Animals, including the human animal, tend to reject things they don’t understand. Dogs who aren’t familiar with their own kind keep their distance. They might run away and hide as adolescents and young adults. Later as more mature adults, they might put on an aggressive display or worse to make the other dog go away. Either way, the message is clear. “Stay away from me.”

The real trouble arises when the dogs can’t properly communicate, and when one or both of them can’t retreat. They’re trapped. This is especially true in the case of dogs who are specifically aggressive towards other dogs while on leash. It is, perhaps, the most common form of inter-dog aggression.

Jean Donaldson (1996) first identified the on-leash cycle of aggression. It begins with well-meaning people who take their new dog or puppy on a walk for the first time. The dog, naturally curious, pulls toward other dogs he sees out in the wide world. He may even bark. The owner, frightened or angered by the pulling, yanks back on the leash yelling “heel” or “no bark.” Trying to stop the problem, the person might invest in a choke or prong “training collar” for his dog. Then, even if the dog begins to pull less, the owner keeps tension on the leash every time another dog is near just in case. As the weeks and months roll by, the dog learns that whenever he’s on leash and other dogs are around things get a little scary and maybe painful. He’s unable to investigate his own kind, and his owner is freaking out (or at the very least anxious). Before long the pulling and barking turns into lunging and growling, plus more yanking on the leash and yelling. Now dogs on walks are no longer a curiosity but a trigger that something bad is going to happen. We don’t know for sure what the dog is thinking, but we can imagine it might be “Get out of here dog, you’re making my owner freak out and he’s choking me.” Imagine how much worse this becomes if the other dogs in the neighborhood are trapped in this same cycle.

Prevention is always easier than a cure. Would that we could turn back time and stop the cycle before it starts. We’d teach our young dogs and puppies how to meet other dogs while on a leash. We would hold the leash without pulling it taught; we’d keep the line slack while two friendly dogs sniffed and circled each other. On our best days, we’d chat up the neighbors and admire each other’s dogs. Some days our dogs would play in an enclosed area off-leash. Each day we and our dogs would become more social.

Fixing the problem takes more effort. However, there is help. Qualified dog trainers and veterinary behaviorists can outline a plan that includes protecting your dog from having more aggressive displays. The plan will also involve reward-based training, teaching appropriate behavior while helping him feel better about his own kind. The prognosis is usually better with younger dogs, but there is always hope.

Dogs, I’ve discovered, are amazingly adaptable. At their core, they are social animals. Even the hardest cases can and do show some improvement. I guess that too is the good news.

(originally published in Houston PetTalk Magazine August 2011)

The Science of Dog Training

Michael Baugh KPA-CTP CPDT-KA CDBC

Here is how one of my mentors used to put it. Some things trainers teach are simply their opinion. Others are the opinions shared among many trainers. Then there are the facts, verified, and peer-reviewed. The latter is what this article is about, the science of dog training.

Here’s what we know for sure. If your dog does something, and that action is followed by a well-timed favorable outcome, the behavior will happen more frequently in the future. Edward Thorndike served up that gem back in 1905. It’s been tested so many times it’s known as Thorndike’s Law of Effect. Trainers know it for its good common sense. Sit followed by a bit of food yields more sits, and faster ones too. Thorndike’s law works for lots of things. Break it and you’re sunk.

We know this too. We can give or withhold good things to change our dog’s behavior. That’s the core thinking behind Skinner’s famous Learning Theory. Our dogs control their own behavior, but we can greatly influence their choices. How cool is that? Dog jumps up; he gets nothing. Dog sits nicely; he gets something nice. What do we get? We get less jumping and more sitting. This is probably the most scientifically tested bit of psychology on the planet. Good things happen – behavior increases. Good things don’t happen – behavior decreases.

It gets better. We influence something else too. We can create cues in the environment, like certain words, hand signals and situations to trigger behaviors. That’s what all these “commands” are about. It’s not trainer magic. It’s science. The cue “sit,” for instance, informs the dog that something good might be afoot. He plants his booty on the ground, because he’s learned that’s a safe bet. Bingo! Here comes the goody. Sit, then, becomes a very powerful word. We could have set up the same chain of events with any stimulus. The science is no different.

Okay, let’s geek out a little. All this boils down to A – B – C. That cue we were talking about is the “A.” It’s called an antecedent. I remember it because I’m asking the dog to do something. I’m polite like that. The “B” is for behavior (what the dog does). The “C” is the consequence, giving or taking something away to influence a change in behavior. That’s Learning Theory. “A” (antecedent): Doggie Come! “B” (behavior) he runs to us full force, tongue lolling out the side of his mouth. “C” (consequence): We throw his favorite ball for him to fetch. Brilliant! Now, here’s the rub. We can greatly influence this whole process, but even if we don’t the process is still always in play. Our dogs are learning just about every waking hour. Check this out. “A” (antecedent): Leftovers on the counter “asking” to be eaten (begging maybe). “ B” (behavior): dog lifts himself to the countertop for a sniff. “C” (consequence): the whole thing ends in a tasty snack. Our dog just learned a new trick and we had nothing at all to do with it. How about that Dr. Skinner?

Good dog trainers and behavior consultants know this stuff backwards and forwards. They’ve studied it; they’ve watched it at work; they’ve applied it in the field. They won’t bore you with all the minutia of contingency statements and functional analysis (okay, I might a little bit). Instead, they will look at any behavior problem and ask: What is the dog actually doing? That’s the behavior itself, like jumping up on the counter. It’s not an interpretation of behavior like, “he’s dominant” or “he’s trying to get back at you.” (That’s non-science). They’ll also ask, what’s triggering the behavior? There’s your antecedent, in this case the sight of the countertop itself. Then they’ll ask, what’s keeping the behavior going? Ah, the consequence! Sometimes there’s food up there.

Move a few puzzle pieces and the picture changes. We can control antecedents and consequences. Adjust those and sure enough your dog changes his behavior. That’s what learning is all about. In this example, keeping the dog out of the kitchen is a good way to avoid the antecedent. Clearing the countertop removes the potential for a yummy consequence. Teaching the dog to put his nose to work elsewhere is even better. Where did my human mom hide that delicious stuffed Kong Toy for me?

Practice your ABC’s. This science left the laboratory more than 70 years ago. Skinner’s students took it on the road in the 1940s training animals for carnivals, movies, TV, and the military. Sea mammal trainers eat, breathe and sleep it. It’s at work right now in your own home, whether you know it or not.

Applied well and gently, science-based training is the stuff of good communication with your dog. Applied lovingly, it’s the path to a deep and abiding friendship. Of course, that last part is simply my opinion.

Michael Baugh teaches dog training online to dog lovers worldwide. He specializes in fearful and aggressive dog behavior.