dog training houston katy tx Archives | Page 4 of 17

Positive Thinking – Positive Training

Michael Baugh CDBC CPDT-KSA

You know the look they give us. They cock their head and flash those weary eyes. It’s as if they are saying, “For God’s sake, human, what are you thinking?” It’s the way our dog, Stewie, looks at us just about every day.

If you ask me, our dogs are on to the right question. What we think and how we perceive our world has a huge impact on how we feel and how we humans behave day in and day out. Psychiatrist Aaron Beck writes about cognition and its impact on depression, relationship problems and other psychosocial maladies. For Beck and other cognitive behavior therapists, the trick to feeling and living better begins with changing the way we think. Hmm, makes sense.

So, let’s think about our dogs for a minute. Better yet, let’s think about how we think about our dogs. Take a moment just to let some random thoughts run through your head. Cognitive therapists call these “automatic thoughts.” They’re the things we think about without really thinking. As a trainer, I get to hear a bunch of people’s automatic thoughts about their dogs. Most of them aren’t too upbeat. “He’s stubborn.” “She’s too distracted by other dogs.” “He’s aggressive.” “She’s shy.” “He won’t do that.” “She doesn’t like treats.” And then there’s my all-time favorite, “My dog is being dominant.” Add to the list if you’d like. We could fill the page.

Negative thinking is like poison. This is true in dog training. Our thoughts and beliefs serve as filters for all that we observe and experience. They directly and immediately influence our feelings and actions. Here’s an example. Our dog jumps on a visitor. We may think our dog is “bad,” or maybe “overly friendly.” That can leave us feeling hopeless or even angry. The result may be that we give up on trying to help our dog change his behavior (mistakenly believing that training is a lost cause). Or, worse yet, our anger may lead us to harsh or abusive training methods.

Now let’s look at the same scenario again. The only thing we will change this time is how we think about the situation. Our dog still jumps on the visitor, but instead of thinking poorly (and inaccurately) about him, we notice the dog is behaving the same way many dogs do. We may feel some comfort knowing that behavior can change (if my dog learned to jump on people, he can also learn other things). There are no feelings of hopelessness or anger. We can take calm, rational action. We can teach our dog some new skills.

Dog training really starts in our head. Yes, it involves timing, eye-hand coordination, knowledge and skill. But you can throw all that stuff out the window if you’re not in the right frame of mind. It’s time to weed out some of that negative thinking.

Step One: Be aware of your own negative thoughts. Some of them are just plain obvious. If you’re mumbling “stupid dog,” then you can chalk that up as a negative thought. But others might be subtler. Here’s my favorite way to identify a negative thought in dog training. Ask yourself, “Does this belief or way of thinking help me train my dog, or does it just upset me and leave me confused?” If it’s the latter, then discard the thought. It’s negative and therefore useless to you.

Step Two: Think happy thoughts. It worked for Tinker Bell and Peter Pan. No, I’m not kidding! Think happy thoughts and imagine where you can go with your dog. I suggest you start by speaking well of your dog. When you get a chance, tell someone how smart your dog is or what a fast learner she is. Then take it a step further by telling your dog how wonderful you think she is. Maybe she’ll understand you. Maybe she won’t. But by verbalizing positive thinking, you will automatically think more productively about your dog and training.

Step Three: Visualize. You already do this every day. You might map out directions in your mind before you get behind the wheel of your car. Golfers imagine sinking a putt before they actually hit the ball. We say things in our head before we speak them aloud. So why not visualize training your dog? Picture a nice crisp sit. See your dog heeling beside you. Imagine her greeting a guest politely without jumping. If you’re seeing good behavior in your mind’s eye, then you are crowding out negative thinking. You’re already on your way to better results.

Step Four: Build on success. Make positive thinking a way of life, just as you have with positive training. The fewer negative beliefs there are getting in the way, the more you will succeed. The more you succeed, the more confident your thinking will become. You can see how this quickly snowballs into ultimate success.

None of us got a dog so that we could think poorly of him. None of us wants a ho-hum relationship with our dog. And certainly none of us wants to fail at training our dogs. So, by all means, let’s get rid of anything that gets in the way of what you really want—a powerful and satisfying bond with the animal you love.

Think well. Feel good. Act it out.

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Houston, TX. He specializes in dogs with aggressive and fearful behavior.

Is Love Enough?

Michael Baugh CDBC, CPDT-KSA

For those of us who know dogs, really know them, the love comes easily. And for those involved in the hard and difficult work of rescue and sheltering, there is no shortage of love. It’s what fuels us, what keeps us going day after day. It’s what sees us through the anguish and the tears to get out once again and rescue and shelter some more. Love is the thing. But is it enough?

Psychiatrist Aaron Beck was writing about human relationships when he jumped to the answer. His book from the late 80’s was called Love is Never Enough. His idea was for people, especially couples, to use the tools of cognitive therapy to improve their lives together. Listen. Separate out feelings (at least don’t jump to feelings first). Be mindful. Love was not enough. It never was. We had to think as well.

What would Aaron Beck say about those of us who rescue and shelter dogs? Do we love too much? Does our love ricochet us into darker emotions, sadness, anger, hate, and despair? Does it paralyze us; keep us from acting at all because the problem of abandoned and suffering dogs is just too big? That was my story up until recently. Is love not only “never enough,” but is it also sometimes what gets in the way of doing the work? I won’t speculate on what Dr. Beck would say.

Here is what we do know, the sad facts:

Too many dogs are abandoned or born into homelessness. In Houston the numbers are huge.
These dogs suffer from health issues ranging from mange to broken bodies to heartworms. Most rescue groups raise funds for the proper medical treatment for all of the animals in their care.
Nearly every one of these dogs also suffers from behavior problems ranging from poor manners to extreme fear of humans to aggression toward humans or other dogs. Very few rescue groups provide professionally structured behavior care for any of their animals.

That last point interests me the most. Here’s why. 89.7% of dogs end up in shelters in the first place because of behavior problems (Wells and Hepper 2000). My colleague, Carolyn Grob, presented this bit of data and more at a recent Project Rusty Seminar in Houston (more about Project Rusty in a moment). So, we know going into this that at least 89% of dogs in rescue and shelters are there because of behavior problems. We know it like we know they have mange or a broken leg or heartworms.

Connecting the dots is pretty easy. If we help the dogs in our care learn better behavior, we increase the chance that their adoption will be successful and lasting. We justify the time and expense involved the same way we justify medical treatment. Adopters don’t want a mangy dog. Guess what? They don’t want a rude freaked out dog either.

So, let’s get back to the love. Won’t love and a little time heal most behavior issues, like fear and aggression? The short answer is no. In fact, with many dogs the problems just get worse. Can’t a dog learn to trust humans again? Yes, of course. But love and time are not enough, not really, not ever. And let’s not even talk about the jumping and leash pulling and other crazy hyper goofy behavior. Add some well-intentioned love and that unruliness can turn into downright rude-dog stuff. But, I digress.

What would Beck say? I’m not sure, but I have an idea. What if we step back from a moment and give this behavior thing some thought? We won’t stop loving. We’ll just starting thinking a bit. Let’s be mindful about training and behavior. There’s a process to treating medical issues right? There has to be a process for helping dogs act better and feel better around their new humans. (Of course there is, said the trainer).

In fact, there’s a time-honored and well-tested process for teaching animals how to act and feel better. It boils down to showing the dogs in our care that their behavior (their actions) matter. Good things happen when they behave a certain way (the way we like). Nothing much good happens when they don’t. Because we’re using rewards (reinforcement) like food and play, we’re also teaching the dogs that we humans are safe, nice in fact. We won’t get bogged down in the technical terms like Learning Theory and Classical Conditioning. We can just think of it like this. We teach the dogs what works for them in our crazy human world – and at the same time we teach them that we’re not all that crazy after all. Humans are pretty darn good it turns out.

The process is not hard. It can be fun once we get the hang of it. But, it’s not magic either. We have to show up, and we have to put in some effort. Get the dog out of the crate, into a space where we can interact with him one-on-one, and let’s start training. It’s like taking the dog to the vet for medical care, equally important, but with less hassle. Forget Aaron Beck for a moment. Here’s what trainer educator Ken Ramirez from The Shed Aquarium says: Training isn’t a luxury. It’s an essential part of daily animal care.

“Wait a minute”, you might say, “I’m not a trainer.” Well, that’s where Project Rusty comes in. That’s the group I mentioned a little bit ago. Project Rusty is a nonprofit organization in Houston with a mission to teach shelter staff and rescue volunteers how to be trainers. The truth is, you are already teaching the dogs in your care every day. Every waking minute they are learning, not just from you but also from your family, the cat, the bird, and of course from the other dogs in your home. The question isn’t whether or not they’re being trained (they are). The question is are they learning the stuff we want them to learn. Probably not.

Let’s change that. In the months and years ahead Project Rusty will be rolling out programs to help shelters and rescue groups better care for the behavioral health of their dogs. We’ve actually already started with interactive seminars. The next step will be more intensive learning programs for rescue groups, some of which are already in development. There will also be online resources for staff, volunteers and the general public. If behavior is the problem, then we will be the solution. All of us. Together.

So where’s the love? I can only speak for myself on this one. I love my dogs. I love some of my client’s dogs too, and most came from shelters and rescue groups. I write about love and compassion and hope and all the soft stuff. I’m that guy. Is love enough? Maybe not. But, maybe that’s also not the right question. Maybe the question is how do we love these dogs? What is the thing? What is the stuff of love? For me it’s the moment I look at a dog and understand and know in my heart and in my brain that she understands too. It’s communication, clichéd as that sounds. It’s learning and teaching and blurring the lines between the two. Who’s training whom?

Love is a verb.

When I’m training with my dog I am loving my dog. It’s in my actions, and hers too I think. Teaching is loving. Learning and teaching more is loving more. And, if that’s so then loving is the thing, loving thoughtfully with our actions. It’s what we do, mindfully and wholeheartedly? Can we ever really get enough?

Michael will be leading an interactive presentation about this topic on May 4th in Houston. Visit his Houston Dog Training Events page for more information.

Puppy Adolescence

Michael Baugh CDBC, CPDT-KSA

They grow up so fast. But honestly, some puppies just can’t grow up fast enough. They go from cute to incorrigible in no time. Then they seem to get stuck, for months, or for years.

We call it puppy adolescence, probably because it so horrifically mirrors human adolescence. Our dear sweet puppies who followed us around and learned their manners so quickly, suddenly go wild. A dear client of mine said she hardly recognized her own dog when he suddenly went rogue at the pet store. Atticus was a 5-month-old Rhodesian Ridgeback, and a model puppy. Then in aisle 7 he met a boxer who he absolutely had to play with, right there, right away. Atticus learned in that very moment that he’d grown in size and strength. He pulled hard on his leash to reach the other dog (who was barking and growling, by the way) and gave my client’s shoulder a good hard strain.

Welcome to the next year of your life with an adolescent puppy.

The early months of puppy development are all about teaching him that the world is a safe place. Before they come into our lives, puppies learn to interact with siblings and their mother. We hope they also have healthy interactions with humans in their birth homes (dogs born on the streets and in puppy mills aren’t so lucky). Once they come to us, we introduce them to the various types of people and human activities they will encounter throughout their adult lives. The goal here is to show them that those crazy humans and their weird ways are really quite safe and great fun for puppies. We coo, praise, and offer lots of tasty treats.

By 4 ½ to 5 months, our best efforts have produced calm and confident young dogs. We’ve been to puppy class for some beginner manners. Potty training and puppy biting are both under control. Now we have a developing dog who is growing in size and intelligence. They’ve had a taste of the exciting world, and they are hungry for more.

Atticus already weighs 45 lbs. He’s strong, and he’s sharp. He’s also is a savvy learner. That’s good news because Atticus has an excellent early history figuring out how to respond appropriately to humans, especially his human family. That can be a double-edged sword though, because Atticus is also quick to learn what to do to get his way in general. For example, jumping up on counter tops gets him free snacks (sometimes). And, pulling toward that boxer in the cat toy aisle gets him closer to an impromptu play date. Our adolescent dogs discover that behavior pays. Good behavior or bad, those are our labels. It’s all the same to our dogs. Whatever behavior works is good for them.

Helping your dog through adolescence is similar to getting him through early puppyhood. It’s all about structure, and setting your dog up to succeed. But the specifics are a bit different.

Focus on what you want your dog to do, not what you don’t want him to do. Teach him skills and practice daily. For puppy people who have already been training, much of this will be review. Start thinking about basic manners as solutions to problem behaviors. Sit prevents jumping on people. Down teaches your dog to relax and slow down hyperactivity. Coming when called averts many varieties of mischief away from you. Eye contact while on-leash prevents pulling and lunging. Reinforce the behavior you want and you will get more of it.
Teach impulse control. Stay, leave it, and drop it are all good starts. Just remember point one: focus on what you want your dog to do. Impulse control isn’t about your yelling “no.” Stay means your dog holds his position and focus on you. Reinforce this activity. Leave it means your dog takes is eyes off of trouble and looks at you instead. Clicker training is a great way to teach him to do that reliably when you call “leave it.” Drop it is also an activity. Release the object in your mouth. Yes! Good dog!
Turn play into learning. Our adolescent dogs are eager for activity and play. Integrate playtime and training time. You can reinforce all of the lessons above with tug, fetch, and other types of play. Experiment and see what your dog wants to work for. You can also use treats.

Exercise and a healthy diet are also very important. You might want to ask your vet if your dog’s breed and overall physical development are appropriate for dog sports like beginner agility, fly ball, or dock diving.

Now, pause for a moment. Imagine who you want your adolescent dog to become. Think about walking your dog down the path toward that goal. What will you teach him along the way? How will you let him know when he’s getting it right – smiles, praise, clicker train, play? Choose to let the bad stuff fall to the wayside. You already know that punishing behavior gives it too much of your attention. Watch your dog grow in size and strength, but also in spirit and maturity. Imagine the noble old dog he will someday be.

You will make it through your puppy’s adolescence. I bet you’ll even forget how hard it was. If you’re like me, you’ll wish time had moved more slowly. Darned if the little guy didn’t grow up too fast.

(This blog originally published on Chron.com)