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When is violence required to help a dog? Analysis of Cesar Millian working with Shadow, a wolf-dog hybrid

Cathy Toft — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 22:26:00 GMT

These collies were rescued from an animal hoarder, who beat his dogs until he broke bones on some. Several suffered from PTSD and redirected aggression when presented with a trigger, such as humans yelling, making sudden movement, carrying brooms, or swatting flies. They were successfully treated with gentle, non-confrontational methods. The dog on the right continued to engage in "cage stereotypies" such as spnning & barking in this walk-in shower, which resembles a kennel.

Is violence necessary to help a dog?

Thank you for joining me to think about this important question. Cesar Millan, the popular "Dog Whisperer," and his followers would have you believe that the answer to this question is yes. I will argue the opposite, that violence begets violence, and last-chance, aggressive dogs are best rehabilitated by gentle methods. These methods are based upon alleiviating the causes of a dog's aggression and replacing that dog's underlying feelings of fear or hostility with a sense of security and well-being.

Before reading what I have to say, please review* this video clip yourself, posted on National Geographic Channel's web site:

http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/series/dog-whisperer/3252/Videos#tab-Videos/05198_00

Caption says: Shadow is a fully dominant dog that comes at Cesar like a wolf.

*Update 12/03/09: This episode seems to have been taken down from all locations on the web. I apologize to readers: Although the removal of the video is beyond my control, I am sorry that you cannot see it and judge for yourself. Without the video for you to check, I could be exaggerating or making false claims. I will keep my comments here, however, because I am confident I have represented the video accurately. There are other episodes available now with identical elements, in particular: Millan kicking the dog in the vulnerable underbelly; intentionally causing a dog to exceed its threshold in a situation: using physical force to solve a problem that Millan has created: and "solving" the problem by pushing the dog to a state of learned helplessness. In these episodes, Millan also shows no use of current methods for reactive or fearful dogs, methods based in science and in widespread use by reputable canine professionals.
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In this clip, Millan is intervening with a dog that is presumably reactive to another dog (the border collie), on leash with a person whom I assume is the owner of both dogs.

This video link became viral among "positive reinforcement" dog trainers, which is how it came to my attention. Most of their comments concerned Millan's hanging of Shadow on a choke chain, followed eventually by the dog giving up and allowing Millan to roll him onto his side, when the video ends (after some explanations by Millan).

My attention focuses, however, in what happens in the first 5 seconds of the 3-1/2 minute clip. Most of the clip shows Millan struggling not to be mauled by Shadow. I have comments about that portion as well, mostly about how the asphyxiation is secondary to Millan protecting himself and why dog trainers should work as safely as possible, for the sake of the dogs they work with, if not for themselves.

What I find most disturbing about this episode is Millan's inciting the dog's reaction, which occurs about 4 seconds into this video.

Here is what I see: A trusting owner is holding another dog on a leash as Millan walks by with the reactive dog also on a leash. As Millan is talking to the owner, Shadow turns his head to stare at the border collie. All we see is Shadow giving the other dog a hard stare, to be sure not a friendly gesture. But we do not see much else that might show an impending escalation, such as raised hackles, or apparent growling, or a move to close the distance between the two dogs, on either dog's part.

Instead, as Shadow turns to stare at the other dog, Millan utters his signature "shhhttt" and kicks Shadow. For someone who has worked with many fearful, reactive, and some aggressive dogs, I find this action inexplicable.

First, I would never "correct" a dog for normal dog social behavior, because all that you accomplish is to suppress (punish) the warning signals. You do not suppress your dog's feelings or change its instincts in how to act toward other dogs. Instead, and second, you create a dog that is more likely to react the next time because you are increasing his lack of confidence, fear or aggression. In combination, you have cut off that dog's ability to communicate with you and you have increased his need to react with aggression. In effect, you have created a powder keg.

Third, and perhaps most importantly, another reason not to kick a reactive, aroused dog that you are holding on a leash is because of what then happens next to Millan. Shadow whips around to redirect his aggression and frustration at Millan. He is a large, powerful dog. Millan has taken no precautions to protect himself against such an attack; quite the opposite, he has intentionally elicited it. Now what?

When I worked with my county's animal services on an animal cruelty case involving a large population of unsocialized, essentially feral, and reactive dogs, I learned to use a catch pole. A catch pole isessentially a stiff leash. It is about 6' long and there is a noose on the end. The stiffness of this pole is necessary so that an attacking dog can be held safely away from your body. The noose is not there for asphyxiating the dog into submission, but rather the noose is the most secure way to restrain an attacking or otherwise wildly struggling animal. The catch pole is a device that protects both the dog and the human. It is used only as a last resort in normal work by animal control officers. When a catch pole is used correctly, a dog that is frightened, panicked or aggressive can be restrained quickly and put in a place that is safe for that dog, other dogs, and the humans.

Millan, working without a catch pole and without protective gear, had no choice but to use his stiff arm and a tight leash to simulate a catch pole. In the process of making the leash tight, Millan had to cut off Shadow's air with the choke chain around Shadow's neck. This was enough, eventually, to allow Millan to subdue Shadow, but not before Millan had his clothing ripped to shreds and in the process received several bite wounds, which he showed clearly to the camera.

I can't emphasize this reality enough: Once a dog acquires a "bite history," that dog may well be euthanized. Thus, to incite a dog to bite is potentially condemning it to death.

Ironically, saving dogs that would otherwise be euthanized seems to be both Millan's and his supporters' reason for resorting to such confrontational and often violent methods with the "last chance" dogs. Yet, many highly experienced dog behavior professionals, who work quietly in the trenches, use diametrically opposite methods with last-chance, aggressive or fearful dogs. These methods are based upon science, and they work, often quickly and permanently. In the process, there is no danger of a dog being incited to bite and so lose its life.

What are these methods? Here are some dog-friendly resources for helping aggressive and fearful dogs:

1. Click to Calm, a book by Emma Parsons. This excellent book shows how communication is key in helping dogs that do not understand how to protect themselves and find themselves choosing "fight" over "flight" when they become confronted with situations that frighten or arouse them. Use of a clicker is like a binary code that any species understands and humans can use to communicate with animals that do not speak human language.

2. Scaredy Dog, a book by Ali Brown M.Ed, CPDT and Help for Your Fearful Dog by Nicole Wilde. Most reactivity in dogs arises from fear, not from dominance. Both authors have extensive experience in helping fearful dogs. Debbie Jacobs has assembled a fantastic web site and blog pointing to you many resources to help you with your fearful dog http://www.fearfuldogs.com/ and http://fearfuldogs.wordpress.com.

3. Control Unleashed, a book and DVD of same name by Leslie McDevitt. McDevitt focuses on changing "respondent" behaviors, that is, those behaviors arising from emotions. We most often think about changing operant behaviors, or behavior arising in the cognitive part of the brain. However, as we all know from personal experience, controlling behaviors arising from strong emotion is difficult, and doing so requires another approach.

4, On Talking Terms with Dogs and Calming Signals: book and DVD by Turid Rugaas. Rugaas pioneered our understanding of dog-dog communication. The DVD is priceless information, and I highly recommend it over the book, because you can clearly see the dog's body language in motion, and....

5. The Language of Dogs and Am I Safe, DVDs by Sarah Kalnajs. These DVDs are superb. Kalnajs has many years of experience working in shelter environment. She goes into finer detail than Rugaas and allows you to recognize the difference between dog behavior that does not threaten you and that which does. She also explains how to stay safe as a dog behavioral professional. Taken together, these DVDs on dog body language and behavior allow a trainer to "read" a dog correctly. A better understanding of the dog's emotional and cognitive state allows the trainer better to help that dog.

Finally, by far and away the best single resource for working with, and helping, last-chance dogs:
6. Constructional Aggression Treatment: Shaping Away Canine Aggression, a DVD by Jesús Rosales-Ruiz, PhD & Kellie Snider. Rosalez-Ruiz & Snider are scientists with extensive experience in both studying dog behavior and applying science-based methods to address dog behavior problems, aggression in particular.

What all of these highly experienced and knowledgeable trainers advocate is keeping a dog "below threshold" while the trainer is working to change the dog's behavior. "Below threshold" means to keep the dog's arousal sufficiently low so that the dog can think and learn new reactions to situations that frighten it or otherwise heighten its arousal.

Millan's first action is to do the opposite: he literally and figuratively kicked Shadow far above the dog's threshold in that situation. Millan therefore created a problem that did not exist before as far as I know (Shadow attacking and biting a human) and that Millan had to spend most of his time solving. In the process, Shadow earned a "bite history" from giving Millan levels 3 to 4 bites (level 6 is killing the individual attacked). This bite history would condemn Shadow to death in many situations.

I have myself been bitten 4 times at levels 3 and 4 in my work with reactive and aggressive dogs. In each instance, my receiving a bite was always my fault. In each case, I had committed an error of judgment from lack of experience. Getting some bites may be an inevitable consequence of a learning curve, but as a trainer gains more knowledge and experience, he or she should not be bitten in normal consultation work.

Although accidents happen, Millan's kicking an aroused, powerful dog with a history of reactivity, with no protection gear, and in a situation where he knew the dog would be reactive, was simply reckless. Once the dog was over threshold, all learning by this dog was obviated. Millan spent most of the session trying to prevent himself from being mauled.

After Millan subdued Shadow, he commented on Shadow's erection, asserting that it signified dominance aggression. This kind of statement amounts to dog psychobabble and has no basis in any known scientific study. Without question, Shadow was aroused; we did not need to see his erection to know that. However, Shadow's erection might well have been caused by the lack of oxygen from being choked. This kind of sexual arousal is a well-known physiological response used by those who engage in sex games (and attributed by some to the asphyxiation death of David Carridine).

Once again, because of Cesar Millan, I am reminded that anyone can hang out a shingle as a dog behavior professional (trainer, behaviorist, whatever you want to call yourself), without any formal education, without any certification and without any adherence to a code of ethics. Professions that assist the public are generally governed by standards and codes of ethics that may be self-imposed or governed by law; certifications and established standards of education are required. Such professions include the health professions, accounting, law, and education. Professions that require public trust and can potentially do much harm (which applies to most) will be regulated by law, if no effective self-regulation is established.

Perhaps the legacy of self-made trainers such as Cesar Millan will be that, eventually, dog trainers and behaviorists will be held accountable for their actions. If only someone with Millan's magnetic personality and captivating show presence would instead be promoting science-based, modern methods for helping dogs with behavior problems, the world would be a better place for our dogs.

Until then, please, please, do not be persuaded by an engaging television personality that use of violence and force is the only way to help these last-chance dogs, or any dog with behavioral problems. I urge you to consider a kinder, gentler form of training that is supported by scientific evidence. This mode of training may not be flashy. It may not be hawked by a flashy, personable salesman. It might even take a little longer and require patience. But in the end, I promise you that using dog-friendly and kind methods work. They work and they save dogs' lives. Please join us in making the world a better place for our loyal canine companions.

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Some other recent analyses of Cesar Millan's methods, with more references, may be found here:
Lisa Mullinax, CPDT: The Dog Whisperer Controversy
Sophia Yin: The Dominance Controversy and Cesar Millan
Steven Dale: He Ought to Call Himself the Dog Screamer

Dog training: Words matter. Positive...Balance....Truly Dog Friendly... What's it all mean?

Cathy Toft — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 19:26:00 GMT

These are exciting times in dog training with the infusion of new, science-based methods and vigorous discussion of same by dog trainers all over the world, in forums provided by the wonders of the internet. Yahoo email groups, discussion boards, blogs, You Tube, and social media such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn bring dog trainers together as never before to hammer out their trade and communicate to the public about best dog training methods.

Perhaps because of the nature of the internet media, mostly written word, dog trainers have converged on sets of terms that they use to communicate about training. Although trainers use these words to describe what they do, they also use them to identify training philosophies and method sets that are hotly debated and often controversial. These words therefore become labels for the type of trainer you are and the relationship that you have with your dog.

Not long ago on the Truly Dog Friendly email list group, we each were asked to provide a label for ourselves that accurately represented the type of training that we practice. Labels such as "positive", "reward based" and of course "dog friendly" were all offered and then often rejected as either being overly simplistic and misleading or worse, hijacked by trainers who use "corrections," another misleading term offered to obscure the use of intimidation, discomfort, pain and fear to train dogs.

I eventually settled on the label of "positive reinforcement" trainer for myself, even though I use methods outside of that operant conditioning "quadrant" (Quadrant, another word, misleadingly implies that behavior is ruled inclusively by 4 processes...). Probably the best way to describe how I train is that I avoid the deliberate use of aversives in training, to the best of my human ability. So what's aversive? I define aversive as anything a dog works to avoid, presumably because the dog experiences those things as unpleasant and undesirable.

Lately, trainers using other practices than mine have offered the label of "balanced" to describe what they do. These trainers use the term "balance" to signify that they mix methods from two contrasting sides of their toolbox. These two opposing sets of methods draw upon things that the dog works to get and things that the dog works to avoid.

Importantly, the label "balance" implies that good dog training must necessarily combine the pleasant with the unpleasant, the good with the bad, the rewarding with the painful and scary, all from the dog's perspective (which we can't know directly I suppose but we can see how the dog reacts).

That dogs require aversives to be well trained is a viewpoint, rather than a fact. Science continues to provide evidence that positive reinforcement is the centerpiece of effective training, for all animals, not only dogs. In other words, the behavior of animals (humans included) is powerfully affected by their seeking things that they want, that give them pleasure, that fulfill their needs as living beings.

Technically, management, "negative punishment" (taking away good things), and extinction round out this mix, but all of these components fall short of being aversive (I'll write an upcoming blog on negative punishment soon). The deliberate application of pain, discomfort, fear, and intimidation both erodes the trainer's relationship with the individual receiving the training and suppresses the expression of all behaviors in that individual. These drawbacks far outweigh any possible benefit of changing behavior quickly.

For its part, the balance movement claims that "positive" trainers impose no consequences on dogs. These trainers must be defining "consequence" to be a punishment, in order to make such a statement. Not all consequences, however, need to be unpleasant or bad.

Many have wrongly extrapolated that the "positive" in "positive reinforcement" somehow means letting the dog have whatever it wants,whenever it wants it, never saying "no," and I suppose being at the mercy of the dog's every whim. To make such claims about positive reinforcement as the core of one's training reveals a profound misunderstanding of this method. Training with positive reinforcement has never been about permissiveness, or showering the dog with non-contingent rewards, or not restricting your dogs' behavior in any way.

The cornerstone of training with positive reinforcement is controlling all of the resources, rewards, and ultimately reinforcements in the dog's environment. The trainer must in fact control all of the good things that the dog wants and all of the bad things that the dog avoids. Of course controlling everything is not possible, but the better the trainer, the more she will control whatever affects her dog's behavior.

That brings me back to the term "balance." As Gillian Ridgeway explains in her excellent article in her blog on The Dog Star Daily website: www.dogstardaily.com/blogs/walking-fine-line training with positive reinforcement is necessarily about balance, if you think of balance as meaning structure and limitations for dogs, as well as rewards for their good behavior. She clearly explains how correct use of positive reinforcement requires structure and limitation in order to work.

Should we positive reinforcement trainers be taking over the concept of "balance," owning it, as some have advocated? I'm not sure. I think it's better not to label our training with simple terms, although doing so would definitely be convenient at times. I would rather dig past the superficial labels and ask what trainers are actually doing to change the behavior of their dogs. If popping prong collars or zapping dogs with shock collars changes the dog's behavior, then why? How do these methods work, if the dog does not perceive those "consequences" as things it wants to avoid?

I would rather lay bare the reality that corrections, balance, popping, tickling and so on all work to change a dog's behavior because the dog is working to avoid discomfort, pain and intimidation. I oppose terms that are euphemisms to sanitize what the dog is experiencing and why its behavior has changed.

Therefore, although I certainly share the sentiments of my fellow positive reinforcement trainers, I hesitate to usurp the term "balance" for ourselves. One reason is that using terms with different meanings to different trainers confuses the public who turn to experienced dog trainers for help. Another reason is that we confuse each other as we try to discuss dog training in person or in our writing. But the primary reason I want to avoid redefining the term "balance" in dog training is to lay bear its meaning as the application of pain, discomfort, fear and intimidation to train dogs. Let us call a spade a spade and use language that makes completely clear what we are doing to our dogs.

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Read more about positive reinforcement dog training at The Dog Star Daily's web site: www.dogstardaily.com/ The Dog Star Daily is a fantastic resource, one-stop shopping for positive reinforcement trainers and anyone interested in trying out a non-confrontational approach to living in harmony with dogs.

This blog entry was inspired by my cyber-friend and fellow R+ trainer Cindy Bruckart CPDT, of the Puppy Play House thepuppyplayhouse.com/ and Three Bitches Barking fame. See her DSD blog here: http://www.dogstardaily.com/blogger/9

Thumbs up: Victoria Stillwell & It's Me or the Dog

Cathy Toft — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 06:48:00 GMT

In my last entry, I discussed modern dog training, based on solid scientific principles which emphasize the efficacy of positive reinforcement training for animals. But how's the average person to know what kind of dog training has a solid scientific basis? Currently, there is no really reliable certification of dog trainers to guide the consuming public, the dog owner who wants some assistance training her or his dog. Anyone, in the United States anyway, can hang out a shingle as a professional dog trainer.

My web site, R-Plus Dog Training www.r-plusdogtraining.info, exists entirely to provide information to the public on modern methods of dog training using positive reinforcement. It's a start, but you'll need more to implement this kind of training for your dog, if you are not familiar with it. There I list the best books, DVD's, and web sites out there for you to explore.

You should also look for local trainers who use this method. I wish I could send you to a reliable place to find this information, but alas, it's still a wilderness out there with all kinds of euphemisms for dog training that sounds great but is not dog-friendly. You can inquire with the web site Truly Dog Friendly and check their list of TDF dog trainers: www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=4 but that list is quite incomplete as yet.

For information from public media, if you have access to Animal Planet, I highly recommend the program: It's Me or the Dog, which features British dog trainer Victoria Stillwell. To find out more, visit her web site: www.victoriastilwell.com/.

I've now seen many episodes of Stillwell's program, filmed both in the UK and the US. Her program, her methods, and her explanations just keep getting better. The first episodes were tentative about explaining the method of positive reinforcement, even though Stillwell's approach centers largely upon positive reinforcement, with some negative punishment and some mild aversives here or there. Perhaps this soft touch was so that the show would not seem strident and turn viewers away. Recently however Stillwell tells it like it is. She not only is explicit about the methods she uses, she expresses her strong disapproval of pain- and fear-based methods of dog training. You go, Victoria!

Her shows collectively feature a wide variety of common concerns for which dog owners often seek help. In other words, how can a pet owner without a lot of experience in dog training solve simple and common problems, such as a dog that pulls when walking on a leash, jumps up on people, barks for attention, begs at the table, potties in the house, acts aggressively toward other dogs or people? Victoria quickly assesses the dog and its owner and tailors a program that is effective and compatible with that owner's goals and needs, and the needs of the dogs. She reads dogs well and also sizes up the owners with skill and perception. She is compassionate but firm and direct with owners. She is also straight with the owners and the audience: there is no quick fix. Working with a dog is...work. But her methods are both faster and more effective than the apparent quick fix of punitive methods.

In the picture for this entry, my dogs are lying politely and quietly by the table while we eat. They are rewarded with occasional kibble, but only if they are quiet and fully lying down. No dog is told to "down" or be quiet or "leave it". We ignore the obnoxious behaviors, or manage them as necessary, and reward whenever a dog lies down and stays quiet. Our dogs can be part of the family activies and everyone is happy.

Positve reinforcement dog training: You can try this at home. It's fun and builds a strong relationship with you and your dog. If you want to see examples, there are examples aplenty on It's Me or the Dog.

You can try this at home: modern dog training

Cathy Toft — Mon, 24 Nov 2008 07:27:00 GMT

Prepared for NorCal Collie Rescue's newsletter, the Rescue Reporter, Winter 2008.

Dog whispering seems to be a popular trend these days. Whispering started with horse trainers and originally meant a trainer who was empathetic to the needs and feelings of horses and understood horse psychology. These early horse whisperers deviated from the training of the day, in the 19th century, when horses were ubiquitous and trained with often severe force.

Today we also want to be empathetic to the needs and feelings of dogs and knowledgeable of dog psychology as we train our dogs. But what does whispering have to do with anything? Well, nothing. We are blessed with the rich science of animal behavior that now informs our training of dogs. We use positive reinforcement, a formal method by which we reward dogs for doing things we want them to do. We help them make the right choices by managing their world just as we do small children. We spare the rod, because use of punishment only causes dogs to fear us and to act out their stress.

To find out more about positive reinforcement (R+) dog training, you can visit my web site, which I created for the purpose of providing information about modern dog training: http://www.r-plusdogtraining.info.

So, what about those dog whisperers out there? Cesar Millan, of the National Geographic channel, is arguably the most famous of all. Millan is more of a dog shouter however than a whisperer. Many essays have been written about this controversial man. You may sample them at this web site: http://www.4pawsu.com/dogpsychology.htm. The 4 Paws University is a dog training facility here in northern California run by the well-respected training Lisa Mullinax CPDT (Certified Professional Dog Trainer) and her colleagues.

Perhaps you’ve read Millan’s books, such as the popular Cesar’s Way. Most professional dog trainers, myself included, would say that we support his four major tenets of dog training. These are: 1. dogs are dogs and not humans, and dog psychology is different from ours; 2. dogs thrive on structure and guidance by their humans; 3. dogs need a lot of exercise, more than most pet dogs get these days; and 4. you should be calm around your dog no matter what your dog does.

Sticking to these four tenets will get you a long way, but still you need to know more. Most importantly, you need to know what a dog’s psychology really is, and you need to know specifically how to provide the structure and guidance that dogs need. We doubt very much you can learn much about these two important areas of dog training by living on a farm. Rather, you would study animal behavior and learning theory, perhaps in college and certainly in a dog training curriculum of some kind.

For example, the concept of dominance is vastly misunderstood by the public and Cesar Millan. I’ve written about this concept in previous Rescue Reporters and these articles are reprinted on my blog. Dogs and wolves don’t alpha roll each other; humans aren’t dogs or wolves and the dogs know it. You can change your dog’s behavior far more effectively by applying modern principles of learning theory than by effusing calm assertive energy.

If you watch Millan’s TV show, keep in mind that most professional dog trainers find many of these shows so violent and disturbing that we cannot bear to watch them. Dogs are screaming with stress, and any change in their behavior has resulted from the dogs shutting down with fear and confusion. Pay attention to the disclaimer that is shown at the beginning and end of the shows: do not try this at home. You can be severely bitten, and you risk damaging your relationship with your dog. Millan is actually helping the businesses of R+ dog trainers as dismayed owners turn to modern science-based training to reverse the behavioral problems caused when they emulate Millan’s methods with their dogs.

I encourage you to take your collies to dog training classes. Collies love to work and to spend time with their humans! I urge you to be discerning and choose only positive reinforcement dog trainers. Whatever they teach you, you can try at home. If you’re not sure where to find a qualified trainer, I can help you: email me at cathy@calcollierescue.org or cathy@r-plusdogtraining.info.

Understanding your dog: Part I: The emotional lives of dogs

Cathy Toft — Mon, 18 Aug 2008 21:51:00 GMT

Reprinted from the Rescue Reporter, newsletter of NorCal Collie Rescue, Summer 2008:
http://www.calcollierescue.org/newsletter.htm

This issue of the NCR newsletter contains a piece by Mary Callaham on rehabbing one our NCR rescue collies, Dasher. Mary tells about how she used modern, dog-friendly methods to decrease Dasher's resource guarding and other undesirable behaviors. Her story seemed like a good opportunity for me to explain the current methods of treating shyness and aggression in fearful dogs.

How can there be anything in common with shyness and aggression? Don't they seem like diametrical opposites? Perhaps you have heard of the expression "Fight or Flight." This saying summarizes most animals' reaction to frightening stimuli. Both shyness and some types of so-called "aggression" are flip sides of one emotion: fear. Usually an animal's first reaction to fear is "flight" but if corned, the animal will resort to "fight." In reality, whether a dog chooses fight or flight depends in part on that animal's personality and natural tendencies.

In rescue, we get many undersocialized dogs that are afraid of a lot of things. Some of this fear makes the dog an undesirable pet, so we in rescue work hard to rehabilitate so that they can be adopted and their adopters will have much less work to do. However, even normal dogs can have strong emotional reactions to things in their environment, and their humans need to understand how best to deal with emotion-based behaviors in dogs.

When your dog growls at something, maybe at you, perhaps you have been taught to correct your dog for that growling, scolding the dog "that's just not acceptable!" (as if your dog speaks English!). Or, perhaps your dog is terribly afraid of something, and a friend warns you not to reassure your dog because you will "reinforce" the fear. Neither of these responses will help reduce the undesired behavior in your dog. If anything these responses can make the dog feel even more fearful and unable to express its feelings freely.

In the first example, the mistake is to think that reducing the dog's expression of its emotions, usually fear or other discomfort, will reduce the emotion itself. When dogs are corrected for excessive barking, growling or air-snapping (clacking their teeth for show and no intention whatsoever of biting), then the dog will learn not to display its emotions and appear to learn not to behave "aggressively." In reality, the dog may feel even more fearful or uncomfortable but cannot communicate that emotion anymore. In such cases, a dog may later escalate and attack you or another dog "without warning" and "out of the blue." The growling itself is a good thing. You want to know what your dog is feeling. What you want to change instead is your dog's perceived need for growling.

To do that, behaviorists often use a program of "desensitization and counter conditioning" or DS-CC. Without going into great detail, the idea is that you pair a good thing with whatever the dog is afraid of. I can't go into all of the protocols here, so like with Mary and Dasher and their sessions with Barbara DeGroodt, I recommend strongly that you consult a local, dog-friendly behaviorist who uses positive reinforcement and DS-CC (not Cesar Millan or his disciples, who use outdated and misguided approaches such as corrections and "flooding").

Some well-meaning people who see an owner giving a growling dog food or reassuring a terrified dog will tell you that you are "reinforcing" the fear or the aggression. This remark arises from a deep misunderstanding of respondent versus operant behaviors. Respondent behavior includes the emotions, such as fear and fear-based aggression. Operant behaviors are learned behaviors that the dog can control or change with experience. Changing behaviors of the two different types requires two different approaches and sets of methods.

One of our rescue collies, Lucy, absolutely hated having her toenails clipped. In fact, she would become not simply frightened but terrified if anyone touched her feet. Yet, her toenails were uncomfortably long. How to desensitize her to nail trimming and counter-condition her to love it?

I got out a clicker and touched one of her feet lightly. As soon as I touched her foot, I clicked and gave her a treat. The very first time I touched her foot, Lucy gave me a hard stare and a loud snarl, and made a move toward me like she was going to bite me. What did I do? I stuck to my plan: I clicked and then in the midst of her snarl, I popped a piece of steak into her mouth. Anyone watching me would think that I just reinforced the snarling and the snapping. If anything, I reinforced her not moving and not biting me when I touched her foot. In a way I used the clicker a little non-conventionally. I used it to mark something I did, and not really an action that she did--I clicked her for not reacting more than she did.

Proof that I did not reinforce her growling and snapping came rapidly. "Reinforce" in behavioral terms means that a behavior increases in frequency. The second time I touched her foot, clicked, and treated, she gave a half-hearted growl and did not snap or feign a movement toward me. The third time I touched her foot, actually now I picked it up by one toe, and then clicked and treated, she was silent. Instead, she had become very interested in how the foot touching predicted a piece of steak. By the fourth and fifth times--now I was grabbing her foot and holding on tight--she simply waited eagerly for her steak. I next placed the toenail dremel against her toe while I held her foot, clicked and treated a couple more times and quit for the day.

In the next session, the following week, we started where we left off. In about 6 more clicks I was dremeling her toenails. Eventually, when Lucy saw me get out the dremel, she would push herself in front of me and present me with her foot, holding it in the air, to insist that I trim her toenails first, before the other dogs.

I don't have room to describe the many more examples of NCR rescue dogs that we have rehabbed successfully using these desensitization and counter-conditioning methods. Please consider using a dog-friendly approach to solving dog behavioral problems of all kinds. While you can read many good books to learn these methods yourself, I urge you to find a professional to help you with any behavior in which your dog growls at you or threatens to bite you. These behaviors can be successfully addressed with well-informed positive methods, but consulting with a behaviorist ensures that you will succeed without anyone getting hurt. I would be happy to recommend a positive-reinforcement trainer near you. To learn more about positive reinforcement training, visit http://www.r-plusdogtraining.info.

Managing a multiple dog home Part I: Dog pack myths

Cathy Toft — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 05:14:03 GMT

Reprinted from the NorCal Collie Rescue Newsletter Fall 2007 http://www.calcollierescue.org/newsletter.htm

Many of our NCR adopters already have one collie or other type of dog, and many of our rescue collies come from a background of living with other dogs. We therefore often want to place NCR rescue collies into multiple-dog homes. Bringing the new dog into an unfamiliar "pack" can have its problems, and even having a stable, multiple-dog household can involve continual ups and downs in the dogs' relationships, just as happens in human families.

Modern study of dog behavior is now dispelling the myths that surround dog-pack dynamics and managing multiple dogs in a household. Important books like Jean Donaldson's Culture Clash, Suzanne Clothier's Bones Would Rain From The Sky: Deepening Our Relationship With Dogs, and Patricia McConnell's numerous books, the most recent of which is For the Love of a Dog: Understanding Emotion in You and Your Best Friend, are teaching us a kinder and more understanding view of our dogs and the world that they experience.

Here are two myths and more enlightened approaches to deal with dog-dog relationships:

The myth of "dog aggressive:" Dogs are predators; they have teeth and growl. They do not speak a sophisticated language like humans. Instead they communicate using their body language and a few simple sounds.

Many people label a dog that appears to start a "fight" with another dog as "dog aggressive." A dog is aggressive only when he or she intends to cause another dog serious bodily harm. Some behaviorists reserve "aggression" for behavior that results in another dog needing stitches. Directed aggression by one dog on another usually involves deep wounds that break completely through the skin and expose muscle, and typically such wounds are inflicted on the back of the neck or on the front legs as a dog tries to defend itself. A truly aggressive dog makes no noise and does not "inhibit" his bite. Within seconds, serious wounds on the victim dog occur, as if sliced by razor blades.

What most people call a "dog fight" is not even close to aggression. A dog "fight" is typically a loud argument. Dogs try to bluff each other with the showing of teeth and "air snapping" clacking their teeth in the other dog's face), and they try to wrestle each other to the ground by flailing the other with their front feet to trip the other dog. They also try to intimidate each other with loud growling and barking. Usually saliva is all that is shed. Occasionally one dog will accidentally hit its head on the other dog's tooth, or one dog will accidentally have its ear in the mouth of dog that is air snapping, or one dog might bite its own tongue or lip. In those cases, some skin is nicked and some blood might be shed. But rest assured, no aggression is involved in such "social fights."

IMPORTANT: Do not, I repeat, do NOT, try to break up a dog fight with your body parts. Use a chair to slide between the fighting dogs, or use a noose to slip over the dog that appears to be winning or started the fight, and carefully slide them apart. Do not escalate the fight by joining in with screaming. The dogs will not hurt each other but they can easily hurt you, as human skin is thin and has no protection.

The myth of "dominance:" Patricia McConnell first suggested that we refer to the "concept formerly known as dominance," playing on the artist Prince. So many myths surround the typical layperson's view of dog dominance that she has written books on it. I'll highlight a few things here:

There are really only degrees of status in dog packs and no clear linear hierarchy. Dogs have complicated personalities and differ just like people. We might best think of the dominant dog as the most confident dog, or the dog that can get all the resources he or she wants from the other dogs. Such high-status dogs rarely feel a need to fight because they are secure in their high status and respected by all the other dogs. Occasionally a new dog will challenge the higher status dog in a group, in which case that dog is obligated to fight to affirm rank.

Most dog fights are started by status-seeking dogs. These are the new dogs in the pack, such as the dog you have just adopted from NCR. This new dog may be young and insecure. Status may be gained by starting fights to see if he or she can win. Once the status-seeking dog is convinced that the resident higher status dogs are indeed in control, he or she will turn to the weaker (younger, elderly, or insecure) dogs in the pack to beat up on. These dogs are bullies, if anything. They are not "dominant."

You should be the highest status pack member. You do not bully, alpha roll, scream at or intimidate the dogs to "show who's boss," like a status-seeking dog would. Instead, you quietly control all the resources like a secure, benevolent dictator, and you alone divvy out the resources to the dogs. If the new status-seeking dog tries to get resources on his or her own, you will calmly prevent that from occurring. Your punishing any dog for "fighting" will cause more problems, not fewer. Instead, put the bullying dog in a time out in a crate or quiet room until emotions cool down.

Adopting the rescue dog: the first few days

Cathy Toft — Sun, 13 Jul 2008 23:54:09 GMT

Reprinted from the NorCal Collie Newsletter, Fall 2006: http://www.calcollierescue.org/newsletter.htm

Adopters of rescue dogs are angels, no doubt about it. Dogs that come into rescue, and our collies are no different, are needy in one respect or other, and in that sense, they are less than perfect (although we've had some perfect ones too). Rehabilitating a rescue dog requires time and patience, and it takes a special person to give a rescue dog a second chance. We at NorCal Collie Rescue cannot thank our adopters enough.

Collies that come into rescue are at the very least disoriented and lacking of a solid foundation of security and love. Just loving them to make up for that, however, is usually not enough. Insecure dogs need structure as well as love, and patient understanding. They also need unconditional love, which is difficult to give. After all, most of us turn to dogs to get unconditional love because people aren't very good at it.

How can you best help your new collie integrate into your home? First of all, we recommend adopting the kinder, gentler brand of dog training that is has taken over from the old-fashioned punitive, "show 'em who's boss" kind of dog training. This new kind of dog training is based upon solid scientific principles of operant conditioning and positive reinforcement. The last thing a frightened or insecure dog needs is for the new owner to scold her for "going" in the house, or kneeing him to prevent him for jumping up. What your new collie needs is the benevolent guidance of a loving parent. You would show your new dog what you WANT her to do, not what you do NOT want her to do.

A new dog needs a secure space to call her own. We highly recommend crate training (please ask us how), but if you or your new dog are not comfortable with crates, at the very least provide your dog with a secure place where your dog will stay when you are not at home. Giving your new collie total freedom in the house at first is not a good idea, especially if you are not home. You can feed your collie in this secure place, for example, so that he associates this place with good things.

Where your dog sleeps is very important. Ideally, your new collie can sleep in the same room as you do, in his own bed or better yet crate. Confining your dog to a crate or room at night will prevent your new dog from pacing around at night. Sharing the "den" to sleep with the pack leaders will make a new dog feel secure and part of the family. Allowing your new dog to sleep on your bed with you may or may not be a good idea. It all depends on the dog and his or her personality. Be aware that sleeping on your bed gives your dog extra status, and she or he may not use that special position in the pack wisely.

You can help your new dog bond to you and family members by reserving at least half of your collie's daily ration of food. Don't waste its value by giving it to your dog in a bowl all at once. Divvy this food up among family members. Whenever your new collie checks in with you, say his name and give him some kibble. Handfeeding for the first week or two can "fast-forward" your bonding with your new collie.

Make sure your new collie knows how to get outside to "go." Always escort him outside right after he eats. Eventually he'll learn the routine and when he is able to go outside to "go." Be aware that not all dogs are able to tell you that they need outside. You'll have to make sure that there is easy access to outside at least 4 times a day.

A daily walk once or twice a day will not only enrich your new dog's life but also exercise him (which he needs) and regulate his potty habits. Most dogs prefer to "go" as far from the living quarters as possible. We find that collies are so naturally clean and fastidious that they are immediately housebroken, if only they know how to get outside to their potty place.

Insecure dogs however might be inclined to "mark" in the house. This should go away after the first few days. If ever you find your dog has relieved himself in the house, there is no use to punish him for this. He cannot possibly associate the punishment with his act, which is long over, and he can only learn to fear and distrust you. If you catch him in the act, calmly interrupt and escort him outside.

To be continued: Adjusting your new collie to a multiple dog household.