dog

Why obedience is not the answer to your problems

obedience dog training hamilton

Obedience is not the answer to your problems?

Obedience…such a commonly used word when we talk about the way we train our dogs.  We have been brainwashed to think that obedience is the only thing we need to worry about. The end all be all to training. They must obey, they must sit, they must lay down, they must do what we say. They must do so willingly and with positive reinforcement only, but also without an expectation of reward. However, dogs are sentient beings with emotions, thoughts, and feelings. Why as humans do we think we are superior and need to control our dogs? Because that is what obedience is all about, control. If I say sit you must do as I say and sit because I feel the need to control you and make decisions for you despite how you are feeling about the situation.

Lets unpack why an obedience based training mentality is not ideal and actually not needed.

1. Obedience does not change the way the dog feels about the situation. Take for example if your dog is reactive on leash and it stems from fear, so you ask for eye contact from your dog and you enforce the rule that when we pass a dog you must give me eye contact on demand, in no way does this change the way the dog feels about passing dogs while on a walk.

All it does it put blinders on your dog. Your dog is still afraid of and would still react if it was allowed to look at that other dog. In the training world this is called teaching an “incompatible” behaviour. So that means you teach the dog to do something else so that it can’t do the behaviour you don’t like. This does not change the emotional state of the dog and rather only suppresses the behaviour. As trainers and owners, we should be looking for ways to help support our dogs, lift them up, help them feel better in their own skin. Instead of focusing on obedience alone to solve all our problems.

2. The second reason being that we should not feel the need to control another living being. I am not saying you can’t teach your dog to sit when you ask them to. It is more about the mindset behind the WHY you need your dog to sit. When someone wants to focus on obedience, I often as why? Why does your dog NEED to sit before crossing the street? Why does your dog NEED to sit before you give him a treat? Most people cannot answer this without a “because I said so” type answer.

Of course there are a couple of life saving commands that all dogs should know and respond to like “come” and a solid “wait” for safety around doorways that lead to the outdoors. However, this need to command our dogs “because we said so” is pointless and unnecessary. What it comes down to is that we are using control and commands based on our desire to be in charge and need to have our dogs listen to what we say.

3. The third being that when a dog is performing obedience commands they are not in free behaviour. What does that mean? If I have to tell my dog to go to “place’ because that is the only way he can handle certain situations then my dog is not making the choice on their own but rather only behaving because I have told them what to do. I don’t see the need to micromanage our dogs.

Not only is it exhausting for the human, can create conflict for the dog, but also we have to think about what our dogs would choose to do if we didn’t tell them what to do. Meaning if the human isn’t there to tell the dog to go to place, what would the dog do? What if someone else is watching your dog and they don’t know how to enforce the command? We want to teach the dog how to be well behaved and make good choices so they can live in our human world without having to be micromanaged all the time. Not only will you enjoy your dog more, but we will remove unnecessary conflict from your relationship.

When it comes to training, we should focus on relationship, teaching our dogs how to make good choices without being told what to do, work on how to be calm when they don’t necessarily want to be, and how to feel better about situations that make them uncomfortable. Let’s worry less about being in control and more about the animal in front of us that we consider family!

Is Dog Daycare the right choice for your dog?

dog_daycare

I can’t even keep up with the number of “Dog Daycares” popping up all over the place nowadays. From state of the art facilities, to someone’s backyard turned dog daycare…they are everywhere. Surely, sending Fido to a dog daycare where he can run and play with other dogs all day sounds like a great idea right? Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news but not only is “doggy daycare” not ideal for many dogs, but not all daycares are created equal and it may be doing more harm than good.

So, how can a doggy daycare possibly be bad for your dog? There are a few myths about dog daycares that I want to look at…

Myth #1 – Dog Daycare will make my under socialized or non social dog more social

Sending your dog who is not overly keen on playing with other dogs to daycare may help them come out of their shell, but this is not guaranteed. In fact, many dogs who don’t love playing with other dogs in the wrong environment will become overwhelmed and over stimulated resulting in some “aggressive” type behaviours. Dogs who were once neutral or even timid towards dogs have become defensive and short fused, resulting in them snapping or biting. However, this can in fact be prevented by well trained staff who understand dog body language, have a basic understanding of training and how to manage and advocate for the dogs. Unfortunately many dog daycares are staffed by people who just love hanging out with dogs and know nothing about this type of thing. So, if your dog is not super social then you will need to assess if your dog would actually even enjoy going or at the very minimum find a daycare that has a training philosophy to prevent this. Many well intentioned dog owners think “If we send him to daycare, then he will be better socialized” and this is not always the case.

Myth #2 – I have a high energy dog who NEEDS to play ALL day in order to be happy

For those who know me and know my training style, they will know that while I am all for giving dogs exercise, providing them with outlets, and assigning them “jobs”, I am also equally all for teaching dogs to relax and chill out. Many daycares simply allow a large group of dogs to play ALL day. There are no structured breaks, there is no calming overly aroused dogs, and there are very few rules (if those are even enforced, who knows?). Some dogs will come home tired from daycare, this is true. But I often hear about dogs who spend all day at daycare who come home just as wound up as when they arrived. See the problem is that not only do dogs build stamina and endurance to all that high energy play, but also they are overflowing with adrenaline all day right up until you pick them up. A good daycare will have scheduled downtime for all dogs, and will know when and how to calm an overly adrenalized dog.

Myth #3 – Sending my dog to daycare will help with the training issues we are having

There is a saying that “A tired dog is a happy dog”, and many people will use this philosophy in hopes to address any issues they are having with their dog. Unless you are sending your dog to a trainer who provides “Day School” your dog is most likely (almost definitely) not learning to behave any better. Many staff not only don’t know how to stop your dog’s unwanted behaviours, but they are most likely unintentionally encouraging and rewarding the behaviours. The most common complaint I hear from dog owners is that their dog’s jumping or barking is progressively getting worse with daycare, so if you want to resolve training issues, you may need to take a break from daycare.

Now that we have debunked the top 3 myths about dog daycares, I should also mention that I am not totally opposed to them (like I am dog parks)! I also don’t want to paint all daycares with the same brush. There are actually some good daycares out there that I would have no problem recommending (Dogs Reformed being one of them), but “buyer beware” as for every good daycare there are probably five that I would recommend not sending your dog to! Unfortunately, when you send your dog to a poorly run daycare, you will likely be undoing a lot of the hard work you put into training him. So, if you are going to send your dog to doggy daycare, do your research, make sure it is a good fit and that it is actually benefiting you and your dog by sending them!

Just don’t let him do that

Just don’t let your dog do that.

behaviour training

 

Sounds simple right? Maybe too simple?

I am often met with a frustrated client who feels like they have tried everything in their power to stop their dog from doing certain unwanted behaviours. What they don’t realize is that often (not always), but often, we can change a dog’s behaviour simply by interrupting the pattern or the habit. In more simple terms, just don’t let the dog do it, and they will stop doing “it”.  When I work with owners of puppies, I show them how to stop unwanted behaviours from starting in the first place. The goal is to never allow the puppy to rehearse unwanted, self-reinforcing behaviours (such as barking, chasing, counter surfing, etc). By never letting the puppy practice the behaviour, t

 

hey will never create bad habit or pattern. While, this is part of our training for preventing unwanted behaviours in puppies, we can use the same concept for adult dogs. By simply not letting your dog practice a behaviour any more (we will get to the how), they will eventually stop trying or stop practicing that behaviour.

So, how do you not let your dog do that? Management! Management will allow you to stop the cycle of the behaviour. For example, if your dog runs to the front window barking every time someone walks by, have a leash on and simply don’t let him run to the window. When you are not home, close the blinds or restrict access so the dog can’t practice while you are not there to manage. If your dog begs at the table (first, don’t feed him from the table), but put your dog

 

on place so they cannot beg. If your dog jumps on people, have him on leash and step on the leash just enough so that when he goes to jump he will not be able to. Once your dog is no longer practicing the

 

se behaviours daily (sometimes several times a day), most often they will simply just stop doing them.

As mentioned, often it is as simple as not letting them do that…but there are times where training will get more complicated. I will always suggest first that if your dog is displa

ying some unwanted behaviours, try not letting them practice the behaviour through management and communication and see where that takes you. I will bet that within 2-4 weeks your dog will most likely stop that behaviour completely.

If you need help with not letting your dog practice unwanted behaviours, please contact us today! Email us at info@thecrunchycanine.ca

What is leadership?

What does leadership mean to you? Lately, the term leadership has gotten a bit of a bad rap from the “purely positive” crowd. Somehow it has developed a connotation of dominance and harsh discipline.

However, if you look up the definition of leadership this is what you will find;

lead·er·ship
ˈlēdərˌSHip/
noun
the action of leading a group of people or an organization.
“different styles of leadership”
synonyms: guidancedirectioncontrolmanagement, superintendence, supervision

Nowhere in that definition does it talk about anything unpleasant. Even the words dominance and discipline don’t need to be negative, but that is for another post.

So how does being a leader translate into your relationship with your dog? It is simple. Be someone who you yourself would want to follow. So lets break it down given that definition above…

Give your dog guidance. Your dog is an animal, a predatory animal. He is not born knowing how to navigate this human world as a pet. Guide him, teach him, and show him how to behave as a pet dog.  Give your dog direction. This means teach him right from wrong. Communicate to him when he is doing something right, and when he is doing something wrong. This does not mean physical corrections (though sometimes it can), but simply disagreeing with a behaviour will often be enough. Control and manage your dog. Put him on a leash until he can be trusted without it and crate train your dog until he no longer requires it. You don’t need to control every tiny aspect of your dog’s life, but through control and management you will be able to stop them from practicing unwanted behaviours. Supervise your dog. If you cannot supervise, then crate him. Supervision means that you can guide, give direction, control, and manage your dog. When there is no supervision your dog is left to make his own choices (which with young dogs is often a choice we do not like).

All of that combined with being calm, clear and confident is what makes a good leader.

If you are struggling with your dog’s behaviour, sit down and honestly evaluate your role in your dog’s life and whether your provide them with calm, and clear leadership!

We can help you become the leader your dog needs! Contact us today info@thecrunchycanine.ca

6 Tips for Teaching a Solid Recall (coming when called)

recall

  1. Actually teach your dog what the word “come” means. Put a leash on, say “come” and then reel your dog in to you and reward. Rinse and repeat MANY, many times in several different situations (all with the leash on).
  2. Don’t over use it, particularly when you don’t mean it. When you use “Come” all the time, dogs stop paying attention. For example, when you are walking your dog and they are sniffing the ground, don’t say come unless you are going to do a formal recall. Use “let’s go” or something similar.
  3. Never chase your dog. EVER. Only give the command when you can enforce it so practice on-lead until the dog is reliable.
  4. Don’t repeat the command. Say it once and then make it happen.
  5. Only give the command if you can enforce it. For example, if your dog is not fully reliable yet, do not unleash at the dog park and start using the “come” command. This will only teach your dog that the word “come” doesn’t actually have any meaning.
  6. Never punish your dog for not coming. You can give a leash correction for non compliance when the dog is ignoring you but once they get to you (or you to them), you must stay positive and reward.

If you want a dog who can be trusted off leash in any environment, contact us today! Email us at info@thecrunchycanine.ca

I am not here to fix your dog

Your dog is not broken, he does not need “fixing”.

Every day I get emails and phone calls from people needing help with their dogs. Many of them want me to fix a problem they have with a behaviour that their dog displays. The problem with that is two things; one, the dog is not broken and does not need fixing, and two, they do want to make any personal changes and take no ownership for their role in the matter.

Dogs are animals, they are not humans. Before Fluffy is your cute little buddy, he is a dog, and before that he is a predator. Yes, your cute little Yorkie is a predator (if anyone ever met my Yorkie they would have no doubt that this is true LOL). We as humans bring these animals into our homes and expect them to know how to behave in our world. Many of the behaviours people complain about are actually very normal dog/predator behaviours, we just don’t like them. I am often telling people that I am mostly there to train the humans, and that it is 60% human training  and 40% dog training (this is generous though, probably more 70/30). The dogs will usually get it, and quickly. It is the humans who struggle to change themselves, and respect the dog for who he really is….a dog. Not a four legged, furry, tiny human brought into this world to receive only love and no structure or rules.

Humans put emotion into almost everything they do. We overthink, analyze, and question the process. Dogs do not. They just do, and they do what is natural and what works. So, if your dog resource guards a meaty bone from you, he is not broken. He is doing what it would take to survive in the wild. If your dog pulls on leash, he is not broken. He is doing what he thinks works to get you to follow him (and in most cases it does work otherwise he would not do it). If your dog jumps on you or other people, he is not broken. He is not only doing what feels good to him but has not been taught not to jump on people.

So if you are planning on contacting us to “fix” your dog, don’t. We are not dog fixers. We are human and dog trainers who want to heal and repair the relationship between you and your dog (aka the predator living in your house). We want to teach your dog the rules of being a pet dog. What is acceptable and what is not. But, we also want to meet them half way by teaching their humans how to be more like a dog. Think like a dog. Have compassion where needed, and how to address the stuff we do not like in a way that is fair and that the dog will understand (ie. shouting NO! all the time is NOT an effective way to teach your dog). If you are open to thinking this way then please do call us! We would love to help you with your dog and help work through the issues you are having!

Serving Burlington, Dundas, Ancaster, Hamilton, Binbrook, Stoney Creek, and Grimsby.

Shoot us an email at info@caninesinbalance.ca