K9 Clicker Blog

Welcome to my K9 Clicker blog.

I've created this blog to document interesting individual cases that I've been involved with.

I'm also importing some posts from my Raging Rotties blog.

I hope you find the content useful and interesting.....

I often see dogs that have apparently "gone off the rails".

A typical scenario is "He's just started ripping things up in the house when he's left. He doesn't need to be left for long - he's just so destructive now"

Another example is "He will not stop barking - As soon as he's left in the garden he just stands at the back door or the fence and barks his head off"

This usually results in the owner chastising the dog for his "unruly" behaviour. This can range from harsh words to unnecessary punishment

Here's my viewpoint on this. In my crazy assed mind I see the relationship between dog and owner as an unwritten contract. This is a contract where the owner/leader agrees to be consistent and fair. The leader displays protection and guidance and always rewards loyalty and obedience. The dog and owner create a routine that is adhered to and in return, the dog looks forward to the good times and accepts the bad times with patience and diligence.This is the foundation of a solid relationship between dog and owner.

I honestly believe that things go wrong when a dog feels this contract has been broken. The owner displays a lack of consistency and the dog recognises the negative pattern with no "good bits". This is where all negative, unwanted behaviour is rooted.

People call me thinking I can waive a magic wand and cure these issues with no input or work on their part. I'm truthful with them. I can't change a dog's opinion of their owner without the owner reviewing and adhering to their side of the contract. The dog's opinion has been based on broken promises and inconsistent routines where the dog has continuously lost out.

 Basically, the relationship has broken down and the only way I see these situations being resolved is when the owner changes his ways and lives up to their part of the contract. Trust and respect is earned and cannot be blagged or bluffed. Most dogs will happily tolerate the dull times if the good times are enjoyable, especially if they occur at regular intervals.

If your dog is displaying inconsistent, destructive or noisy behaviour you should review the contract from the dog's view point. Consistent daily routines that incorporate obedience training and fun with help in solving most of these issues

I must admit I have a low tolerance of owners that will not keep their side of the bargain. These people just don't deserve to own dogs.

Treat a human partner in this manner and you'll end up out of pocket in a divorce court. Treat a dog like this and HE ends up in a rescue centre at someone else's mercy.  Think about it ...........

I received a call from Margo who was at her wits end with her 2 year old "old time bulldog" bitch named Anouke.

Anouke had promoted herself to senior management within the household and was willing to defend her status. Anouke was getting possessive about certain articles around the house. She was also deciding what and when she ate, as well as where she slept.

To make matters worse, Anouke has a fear or a dislike of traffic which makes it difficult to disperse all the built up aggression and tension via exercise.

There were a few facets that were different about this case. Firstly I've never encountered an old time bulldog. I'm not sure if this is a registered breed or just a fancy name for a staffy,bulldog, boxer type crossbreed. Nonetheless, Anouke is a pretty girl and full of character and I don't want to blame her behavioural issues on breeding. Secondly I noticed that Anouke had a very strong stubborn attitude. This dog was used to getting her own way and she was not about to relinquish her status of top dog without a fight. 

I performed my usual body language scenario when I entered the house. I then walked Anouke out to the garden. She immediately turned and attempted to haul me into the house. I mean haul. This bitch is an absolute power house and as stubborn as anything I've seen. I had to be firm with her and stand my ground. I refused to let her pull me. I then walked her outside making her pass the gate and I just refused to let her have her own way. Each time she let up from pulling me I praised her.Each time she attempted to bully me, I forced her to walk in the opposite direction.
I then walked her into her garden and asked her to sit. I could see the change beginning to happen and I didn't want to antagonise her just for the sake of it. I offered her some food and some water and some kind words but she wasn't forthcoming. I asked her to wait and walked up to the back door. Each time she moved I returned her back to the spot and asked her to wait. To be honest she was pretty good.
I then walked her inside and placed her in a corner in the living room. Whenever she moved I placed her back.
She then made a move to jump on the sofa. I immediately pulled her off the sofa and marched her outside and made her wait. I then brought her inside and repeated the exercise.
All this was just to let her see that there was no future for her when she was dominating the household. I was praising her when she was delivering the behaviour requested but I was demanding and I was not tolerating any misgivings.

I explained what I was doing to Margo and Chris. To be honest their only crime is that they love her too much and are not experienced in handling a dominant little power house like Anouke.

My advice is simple.

• Anouke does not get the run of the house.
• Margo and Chris sit on the sofa, Anouke sits on the floor.
• Anouke gets her food issued and the bowl gets lifted after 10 minutes regardless of whether the food has been consumed.
• Anouke will be ignored if she seeks attention by jumping up etc when anyone enters the house. Anouke will be praised after she settles down.
• Anouke will wait and let her owner pass through doorway ,gates etc before her. She will be praised and treated from being patient.

All these measures are simply to reinforce the owner's status and hierarchy within the human pack. Anouke will soon learn that it's more fun obeying her owners than trying to dominate them.

Summary

I did see a lot of boxer characteristics in Anouke. She's a real character and I've no doubt she could be very lovable and humorous. My honest opinion is that she's just a mixed up wee soul who is in need of careful management. Anouke doesn't want to be leader. She feels she has no choice but to take over and defend the realm.

Is Anouke a dangerous dog? I don't want to imply that the breeding has anything to do with the behavioural issues that have occurred. Anouke has the capability to inflict damage if she's allowed to rule the roost but she's no more dangerous than any other medium sized dog who has been allowed to promote itself to pack leader.

This dog feels she has no choice but to take over and defend the realm.

All I'll say is she's been used to getting her own way and the owners will have to be vigilant or she will resort to her old traits.

Is Anouke in danger of being aggressive towards her owners? - No I don't think so. I genuinely think Anouke is confused and has been picking up the wrong signals from her owners. I think she now knows her place and I expect her to improve dramatically if my advice is adhered to.

Is Anouke aggressive? - No she's not. She shows no aggression towards other dogs at all. Also she's did not appear to be interested in approaching other people when I had her out. In fact I'd say that all her aggressive tenancies have been centered around territory,possessions and pack status. This is purely a result of inexperience on the handlers part and not a flaw in the dog.

I'm quietly confident about this one. I think Margo and Chris genuinely want to work with Anouke and mend the relationship. I received an update today and things appear to be progressing nicely. All the best guys - you deserve it.

If there's one common denominator in achieving solid dog training skills it has to be consistency.

Whenever I fall short in my training sessions it is usually down to a lack of consistency. Being consistent is not always convenient and I'd challenge any trainer who brags that they are always consistent. It's near impossible to click at exactly the correct moment or issue the same hand signal every time.

 I now have the courage to admit when I've failed in my training by moving too quickly before the dog has ingrained the behaviour or when I've not clicked consistently enough to reinforce the action. Its no big deal, you just go back a few steps and be patient. 

I've recently being dealing with a couple who have a very handsome young working collie named Floyd. Floyd is a real star and he's always up for learning new activities and he's intelligent to a fault.
Floyd's owners asked my advice on stopping him barking at strangers when they walk passed the garden.
I walked into the garden armed with my clicker and some treats. The moment he made a run for the fence, I stopped him and said "It's OK" , and gave him a treat. Soon my son was walking passed the fence with my young bitch Lu. Floyd was happy to sit quietly at my side. I instructed the owners to nip the barking in the bud and offer a tasty alternative to barking the place down and upsetting all the people who live nearby.

A few days past and Floyd was beginning to go back to his old tricks. This was down to inconsistency on the owner's behalf. Floyd had been allowed to bark a few times without being corrected thus reinforcing the barking behaviour and weakening the passive behaviour.

This is a classic case of inconsistency causing confusion in a young dog. When the dog becomes confused he will always revert to the most reinforced behaviour, in Floyd's case, barking his nut's off.

My advice is to prepare your training session in advance. Set yourself exercises and objectives. The objective may not be attainable in a single session. If this turns out to be the case, learn from your mistakes and revise your objectives accordingly for the next session.

I think it's a good idea to have a note (mental or physical) of the exercises your going to train. Advance through the session at the dog's pace keeping it fun and exciting and always finish on a good note. Never make the mistake of running out of treats or getting into a brawl on the way home. Take a detour to avoid distractions if necessary but always finish with a happy atmosphere. This is so important. It is so easy to spoil a good training session with a few moments carelessness on the way home.

As far as convenience goes, well it's just too bad. You may have to make that extra lap round the training area to reinforce the heel or perhaps you'll have to turn and walk in a different direction so not to create a situation that results in a show of aggression. Being consistent is very seldom convenient and if you want to achieve solid results , you'll have to be prepared to put yourself out now and again.

In summary, organise your training in advance, keep a note of your progress and concentrate on being consistent.

I constantly come across situations where dog owners think it's the dog's duty to understand English.

Dogs don't understand the English language, dogs communicate differently from humans. I often hear people referring to their dogs by saying "He understands every word I say". Total tosh!!! - he associates being rewarded for performing an action  and the trigger to perform the acion is a certain word or phrase - nothing more, nothing less. You could train him to perform the same task using a bell ring or a door knock . Does that mean he also understands bell language and door language? - I think not.

I want to discuss how communicating in dog language can overcome behavioural issues that are just misunderstood by most owners. I see things like a dog barking in the garden and the owner ignoring him or scolding him for barking. The dog is actually alerting the leader to a stranger is approaching his territory. All he wants is the leader to acknowledge his alert and take action.

The response may be "It's OK boy - I know this person" or  "lock the doors and bar the windows, there's a mad man coming". The action is irrelevant. The dog is simply communicating and informing the pack leader that someone is approaching. The dog expects the leader to make a decision.

To cure persisitent barking, I reward the dog for barking once and I desensitise him by getting the "distraction" to walk past the fence again and again while I'm standing with the dog. Thats another story ...

Another classic "lingo sin" I witness is when the dog is permitted to stand in front of the handler when another dog is approaching or passing. In reality, the dog is pushing himself forward to protect the pack and promote himself to a higher rank. The issue with this behaviour is that it inadvertently prompts the dog to make a decision, usually resulting in a growl or a pull on the lead or even a lunge at the other dog. If you're having dog to dog aggression problems always make sure that you are in front of the dog when another dog is approaching or passing. You are now talking the canine lingo and telling the dog, in his own language, that you do not require his assistance to handle this situation, you are in total control and very capable of making the correct leadership decision.

Talk the lingo and you'll see a difference.