Enriched Dog Training

Behaviour serves a function. Dogs communicate using a combination of subtle and not so subtle body cues, positioning, and vocalization in the form of growling and/or barking.

Dog's do not like confrontation. Confrontation is an expensive behaviour that uses energy and increases the chance of injury.

Dogs will use behaviours, positioning, and vocalizations to help prevent, mitigate, or de-escalate a potential confrontation or perceived threat.

What we often see or label as bad behaviour or aggressive behaviour is often completely normal behaviour.

Unfortunately, It has been, and still is, common practice to punish a dog when they are displaying behaviours that are meant to communicate a warning, discomfort, pain, fear, or simply a dislike for something.

We do not get to choose what a dog perceives as a potential confrontation or threat. We can however respect that they do see it as such and help manage the environment so they feel safe and not have to behaviour in such a way. We can help them to better understand what they initially thought was a threat or that there is no real threat.

When we ignore or silence our dogs communication whether it be a lunging dog, a dog not wanting to be touched, or a dog resource guarding something. We take away their safe and healthy way of communicating with us and others. The potential outcomes of this are the following

1. The dog becomes shut down and learns there is nothing they can do and they internalize the stress and discomfort, greatly decreasing their overall welfare.

2. They escalate to more harmful ways of communicating what they need, which can lead to bites and or worse.

How does your dog communicate to you?

Picture description: bluish green writing that reads "As guardians and trainers we should not ignore or silence our dogs". To the right of the writing is a red heart with a yellow paw print interlaced. Below that is an Enriched Dog Training logo

I am currently taking a course on by Sarah Owings called Control is an Illusion. The goal is to give a new lens on impulse control, how we perceive it, how we label it, and how we train for it (negative punishment and extinction) and teaches you instead about stimulus control and arranging the antecedents so your learner can achieve success with little to no errors. Although this post isn't directly about the course, the course did inspire it.

When your learner gives you an unwanted behaviour or lack of behaviour during training or in a given situation, they didn't make an error as all behaviour is learned. They are doing the best they can in that given moment. They are also not being stubborn or trying to defy you. It is more likely that one or more of the following is happening.

- You have not taught the desired behaviour, either in that context (or at all)

- The cue you thought you have been teaching is likely not the cue your dog has been watching or listening for.

- You are not being clear with your criteria.

- You moved too fast and do not have enough history of practicing in a simpler environment and are now battling competing motivators.

- Your reinforcement is not seen as reinforcing enough to your learner.

- Your learner currently doesn't feel safe or is in a state of mind that doesn't allow them to process and perform the response you are expecting.

Among so many more possibilities. The error is not within the learner, but in the teacher's expectations and teaching method. We need to read our learners more and take their behaviours, or lack there of, as information and adjust our lessons to meet our learners where they are at.

In all honesty, I don't plan to ever stop using food altogether in our training, especially during our walks.

Can it be done? I suppose, if you are really really good and are able to transfer every new behaviour you taught to another reinforcer. It can't be just any reinforcer though, your dog has to find it reinforcing enough to warrant continuing the behaviour in the future. Food is simply one of the easiest forms of reiforcement.

The truth is, a lot of behaviours we are asking for have competing reinforcers or go against a dog's natural being.

Once you remove the food reinforcer and you have not secured another reinforcer to keep the behaviour going, it will likely disappear over time.

We can work to lesson how much we use, but to remove it altogether is a lot to ask for of our dogs. We can also utilize other forms of reinforcement like the environment, toys, or praise, but food is always going to be a main motivator in behaviour change and continuing behaviours we have taught in most dogs.

We don't expect to stop getting paid once we are performing at work. In fact, we usually expect to get a raise after a while. This also happens with our dogs. What they find reinforcing can and likely will change depending on duration of behaviour, location, distractions, and even just over time.