You would think, after being with darling girl Tawny for 14 years, I would have run out of mistakes to make with her by now.

You would think.

Today I stand before her, head hanging, with the realization that I have made the mistakiest mistake there is, and I have been making it for years. It is this: underestimating my dog.

How? By repeatedly telling people she is not the brightest bulb in the lighthouse; not saying she’s dumb, but she’s no border collie, knowwhatImean?

So. Totally. Wrong.

What she is, is sensitive and resilient. Picks up on every shade of mood I have and adjusts. Puts up with all my crap with a wag of the tail and and patient “when’s dinner” check-ins followed by “okay not yet, returning to nap” sighs. And sometimes, because of how I’m acting, she stops reacting altogether. Which makes her…a lot smarter than I am.

This is what she has learned/accomplished in 14 years with me:

• Gone from rocket on leash to best walker on planet

• Gone from most reactive dog on planet to completely manageable

• Gone from largely unsafe around people to completely safe

• Gone from would not go out when drizzling/could not be bathed to goes out in thunderstorms and totally bathable

• Gone from noise-phobic to who cares (before hearing loss of course)

• Stopped door dashing, jumping, mouthing, destroying my belongings, anxious when I left, snapping at people, unable to be bathed, unable to be contained, humping, stealing, guarding her bed

• As my “test subject” helped me develop all the kind techniques I use today including no less than 7 iterations of walking (along the way putting up with all manner of newbie-trainer screw-ups)

• Learned brand-new things like Trickility (Tricks + Agility) and different training techniques I experimented with over the years

• Adjusted to numerous equipment changes and experimentations

• After losing most of her hearing learned a plethora of hand signals and other new ways to communicate non-verbally

• Acted in nearly all my videos (making surprise cameos as well — big surprise that I have a video ham)

• …and more I am sure I’m forgetting.

So who’s the dimbulb for underestimating her?

Today I stand before Tawny, head hanging. But also, I stand resolved to never make that mistake again. I’ll find a new one instead. And Tawny, just like always, will give me that funny look, wag her tail and roll with it. Because she is brilliant.

If your dog has it, you may be making huge handling mistakes

Smart. Sensitive. Insecure. Three little words that, when put together, can make or break the quality of life you have with your dog.

Do these words describe your dog or one you know? Then please, please read and share.

There are many common mistakes POGs make with their precious pups, but I would argue these three words cause them to make some of the biggest and most damaging ones.

I have seen dogs returned, rehomed, punished relentlessly and destroyed because of these three words. I have seen dogs make horrific mistakes because of these three words.

I desperately hope POGs will take this message deep into their hearts and take a hard look at how they are relating to their dogs so not one more tragedy happens.

Why this is important

Since the beginning of my career, I have been fascinated by behavior and have concentrated on solving tough behavior problems.

Any experienced trainer worth his/her salt is very cognizant of how important it is to notice patterns while working with the hundreds of dogs s/he sees. Studies/Research can only get you so far; at a certain point, you have to add data you’ve collected through your own experiences to flesh out your abilities.

The Troublesome Temperament Trio is one big pattern I’ve identified that contributes mightily to behavior problems, big and small.

I realized that virtually all the dogs with the worst problems were really sharp brainwise, that is they quickly processed all the information they got — no matter the quality of the information.

Also, I realized that they were taking in a lot of information because they were also very sensitive. So they were noticing everything about the situation they were in. Everything. Every. Little. Detail. And quickly processing it, and trying to make sense of it so they could solve their problem, whatever it might be.

Now, those two qualities, smart and sensitive, can be a great combination — say you have a border collie herding sheep, or a search-and-rescue dog, or an agility champ, or a service/assistance dog. Smart dogs can be challenging to train, but the rewards for both dogs and humans can be tremendous.

However, dogs with those two qualities can also turn into disasters if misunderstood/mishandled. Not just problems, but unsafe, unpredictable timebombs with hair-trigger detonators.

The main determinant of the outcome, in my experience, is the final word in the trio: insecurity.

The smart, sensitive dog that is confident (secure), when faced with a confusing situation (Hey all that information that just blew through my processor doesn’t make sense), will work to figure it out, look for more information/guidance to figure it out, and will generally hold himself together while doing so.

But the smart, sensitive dog that is unsure/nervous/anxious/fearful (insecure) will be quickly overwhelmed by the situation, his anxiety level rising to the point where he can’t process any more information, resulting in all manner of unacceptable results like unresponsiveness, frustration barking, snapping, biting, destruction, running away and more.

Compounding this bad reaction is the human, who doesn’t realize what’s going on and, thinking the dog is “misbehaving,” turns to corrections or other inappropriate reactions that only serve to make the dog more anxious, which escalates the unacceptable behavior, which increases the bad reactions, which makes the dog more anxious, and — well, you get the idea. Simply put, it ain’t gonna end well.

How to go from ‘insecure’ to ‘secure’

The first step is changing our attitude toward the dog suffering from TTT. We have to get rid of our anger/frustration as well as our commitment to correction, neither of which will help us reach a solution. Learning to treat our dogs like friends who need help rather than a “bad” dog will create the trusting bond needed to create the long-term fix.

That fix is contained in this additional, extremely important word: socialization.

Allow me to define it so the connection is clear.

Socialization is PROPER exposure to all types of environments so dogs know what each is and what to do with it, so they are not afraid of it.

It means giving the dog all the information he needs so he doesn’t have to figure it out on his own. When he knows what to do in any given situation, his confidence rises.

If you don’t provide this information, your dog will eventually figure it out himself, but not always in the way you approve of. He may find, for example, that barking incessantly at people who make him nervous gets them to go away. Or he may find that snapping works.

He may find the best way to get your attention is to take something of yours and run off with it. Or jumping on you, maybe grabbing your arm or clothes.

If you yell at him or smack him for things like that, you erode his trust, making him more nervous about his situation. Which leads to a more inappropriate behavior the next time the same or a similar situation arises.

Security is important to good mental health for people. Is it any wonder that it is also important to our dogs?

If you have a dog with TTT, start working on her confidence today!

How? Click here for an excellent article from Partnership for Animal Welfare: http://www.paw-rescue.org/PAW/PETTIPS/DogTip_Shy.php

This morning, Tawny wandered out of the back yard through an open gate. It was closed when I checked. The landscapers scrambling around beoootifying my itsy yard must have opened it in between check and release. I saw movement out my side window that alerted me something was up.

Tawny got out.

Any of you who have a reactive dog know the gut punch those words can deliver. Tawny reacted to everything — people (worse with males), dogs, cats — with lunging, snapping, snarling etc. aka full display.

The male workers were right there. My stupid neighbors let their cats roam. Disaster???

Ahhhh, no. As I kicked off my slippers to head for the back, I saw Tawny walk up to a worker, tail wagging happily, and he bent over and stroked her on the head (previous snapping trigger). By the time I got to the back door, he had ushered her back into the yard and closed the gate. Tawny sniffed, squatted and peed, then saw me, wagged and looked like she was saying “Hey Ma, what are you doing out here?”

I smiled, I laughed, and I realized I had actually expected her to act that way. Because we have done our work. And it worked. Oh, what a feeling.
We have done our work. Have you?

Don’t tell me you don’t have time to teach your dog how to behave! If you have five minutes to spare, you have time to help your dog learn DogLife Skills (aka “training” which is such a yesterday word).

I am a big fan of short, fun sessions with lots of repetitions and lots of rewards; it leaves everyone feeling great and wanting more! Is there any better way to get your dog to love doing things for you?
Weave them into your day whenever you have a few minutes (while microwaving something, waiting for a phone call, commercial breaks, etc.).

Still unsure? Here’s a short list to get you thinking:

WHAT YOU CAN DO IN FIVE MINUTES

• Practice sits, downs, waits, comes, or just about any other behavior

• Conduct a rapid-fire workout: randomly call out instructions (sit, come, etc.) in a playful excited tone, and as soon as your dog does it, call out another. Rain treats down after three in a row, then do another rapid sequence. See how many in a row he can follow. If he gets lost, laugh and start again!

• Five one-minute stays, two two-minute stays, or one five-minute stay

• Socialize by introducing one new object, sound or being (human or otherwise) to your dog or pup in the proper way (i.e. let him sniff/investigate; praise forward movement, not retreats; if he’s freaked out move him away till he calms; stay by him in a relaxed stance to comfort and calm).

• Pick up and put down your dog’s leash over and over so you can get him to calm down before a walk (and by the way, it would really help if you stop saying “Want to go for a WALK?? HUH??” which is what’s jacking him up in the first place!).

• Let your dog munch on some of his dinner, held in your hand, while you gently handle ears, touch feet, etc. When food is gone stop touching.

• Sprinkle treats around your dog when he is eating at his food bowl, and when he is chewing a bone or other chewie. Do it as you walk by: call him name cheerfully, sprinkle, keep walking. Hear a growl? Don’t sprinkle — walk away, wait a minute, walk back BUT stay farther away this time. No growl? Go ahead and sprinkle treats. That’s the distance to work for now. 

• Give your dog one more potty opportunity before bedtime.

• Do a Follow Me jog through your house. Wave a treat at your dog, say LET’S GO and take off! When your dog catches up to you, say GOOD and drop a treat. As he grabs it, take off again, saying LET’S GO etc. Great walking practice AND great exercise!

• Charge up a marker word (eg GOOD/YES/YEP/YAY) to start communicating simply and efficiently. (How? EASY: Say word, treat; say word, treat; say word, treat; repeat, repeat!)

• See, mark vocally (GOOD/YES/YEP/YAY) and reward as many behaviors as you can (including “doing nothing” — aka being good).

• When frustration bubbles up, give yourself a time out so you can cool off and not bring anger into the teaching process.

• Let your dog calm down and try again.

• Let yourself calm down and try again.

There’s lots lots lots more you can do — What can you add to this list?

And hey — if you can do all these things and more in five minutes, think of what you could accomplish in 10 minutes!!

Don’t have time to teach, huh? Think again! You’re done reading, now get going. Time’s a-wasting!

Recently, I read an article in my local paper that my state, Ohio, is number two for dog bite insurance claims (“Ohio 2nd in insurance claims for dog bites,” The Plain Dealer, 9/5/15). It included a list of breeds insurers shy away from which is full of the usual suspects, ranging from #1 “pit bull” (which is not a breed but a description) to #10 Siberian Husky. 

Having had a biting dog for 17 years, now living with a reformed snapping dog, plus having dealt with a lot of biters, fighters and snappers over the past 12 years as a DogLife Skills Instructor (aka “trainer”), I have a few pointed comments about this statistic. 

There is absolutely no excuse for this. When a dog bites, we parent/owner/guardians (POGs) have failed. I get a lot of weird looks when I tell people that, when their dogs bite, they should apologize to the dog for putting him in such a bad position. He either felt it was acceptable or necessary to bite, and I never want a dog to think that. 

However, this is exactly what we often inadvertently teach our dogs, that under certain circumstances, they can, should, or must bite. How does this happen? 

POGs fail dogs by:

• Ignoring or minimizing the behavior, assuming the dog will “grow out of it.” To paraphrase a wise trainer whose name I have forgotten (please ID yourself and I will amend this post), dogs don’t grow out of aggression, they grow into aggression.

• Not educating themselves about how dogs think, learn and express themselves. There is a lot of old, outdated, completely wrong and very harmful information out there (e.g. the dominance thing, a wagging tail means a happy dog, he knows it’s wrong but does it anyway) that current research shows should be jettisoned for good. Using this stuff can escalate the behavior.

• Assuming the way to train is to strongly correct “bad” behaviors when they happen instead of concentrating on prevention, management and giving them “right” behaviors that are well rewarded. Behaviors fade away when they are not practiced, so allowing the “bad” behaviors to happen and then attempting to walk them back can actually encourage the dog to repeat the behaviors (if you are still trying to get rid of jumping, having tried “everything,” you are a victim of this thinking). This assumption makes biters even more dangerous.

• Assuming all trainers are the same. Sadly, it is the wild West out there for POGs looking for help. Anyone can put up a trainer shingle! There are people out there who have trained exactly one dog — their own — and believe that gives them the chops to do it for others. Others have trained for years but have stopped learning and are using old, outdated harmful methods. There is no national certification for trainers. Terms are tossed around like confetti; an alphabet’s worth of letters trail some names. None of it guarantees they can help you or know what they are doing. (Note: Vets, groomers, daycare providers, petsitters, etc. are usually not trainers. Unless they are, do NOT ask them for training advice! But do ask them for a referral.)

• Assuming some dog breeds are more likely to bite, have stronger bites, and/or should be allowed to bite under certain circumstances. I will be extra careful with my words here. Some breeds have certain tendencies that could make them more likely to bite under certain circumstances. Most of the dogs on that insurers list fall into that category: these dogs tend to be smart and sensitive; they process quickly, and react quickly and often strongly. But these are only tendencies that may never/don’t have to ever develop in your dog. No dog should be allowed/encouraged to bite a human, even in play. Between dogs, I discourage roughhousing/wrestling (it so easily can erupt into a fight), preferring instead object-oriented play (i.e. a toy is always used so they grab the toy instead of each other). My exception to this rule is the dog who has not learned how to inhibit his bite (e.g. a dog who left the litter too soon sometimes bites hard all the time), so some contact is necessary at first to teach him that valuable self-control.

Oh, and no dog’s bite is substantially stronger than any other, and there is no special “locking” bite out there. “Pits” are terriers, which tend to grab and shake prey. 

• Getting dogs for the wrong reasons. Some people want “tough-looking” dogs so they can feel tough. (The irony here is that many of these tough-looking dogs are actually big mooshpits inside.) Others want a dog “for protection.” I cannot say this strongly enough — you never want your companion animal to be trained as a protection or guard dog. They are taught to attack, and they are not perfect, which means there could be a catastrophic mistake. Not worth the risk. Most dogs will bark if someone they don’t know comes into the house, and come to your assistance if you cry out. If yours doesn’t, get a security system. It’s cheaper than a lawsuit. 

Professionals fail dogs by:

• Clinging to old, outdated, completely wrong and very harmful information that current research shows should be jettisoned for good. One of the biggest responsibilities we have as professionals is to continue our education so we have all the best tools at hand when trying to help a dog. Just because it works for you doesn’t mean it’s the best solution. The end does NOT justify the means.

• Assuming the way to train is to strongly correct “bad” behaviors when they happen instead of concentrating on prevention, management and giving them “right” behaviors that are well rewarded. (See above.)

• Giving POGs the how but not the why. “Do this and this” fixes one problem. “She’s doing it because” fixes many problems. If you don’t know why, you should find out why before you get into how.

HOW TO TURN FAILURE INTO SUCCESS

Turn failure into success by:

• Changing your perspective. I often find it helpful to explain a dog’s behavior by making a comparison to humans. If this dog were a child, how would you handle this situation? If you wouldn’t do it to a human, you shouldn’t do it to a dog.

• Learning to read body language, and by that I mean going beyond hair up or snarling. Find out the subtle signals that will tell you your dog needs help before there is any outward display. There are some super books and videos out there (check out my Recommended Reading [http://cp-hipdogs.com/train/resources/recommended-reading/] page for some), or you could schedule a single session with an experienced pro who can read your dog for you (I always do this in my first session; the more the POG sees, the better the result). 

• Socializing your dog properly. The well-socialized dog understands his environment, isn’t scared of it, and knows how to act in it. To accomplish that, she needs help from us. That means not only exposure to a lot of different situations, but proper exposure (i.e. not just taking her places so she can “get used to it,” because that may never happen!). Read more about socialization in my book, Reverse Dog Training: A Fresh Perspective for Solving Common Problems.

• Searching for a trainer who will help you change your dog’s behavior using the latest science-based methods, not perpetuate old, intimidation-based techniques. See my article How to Choose the Right Trainer for more pointers.

• Never saying never! I searched for years before finding the solutions for me and my dogs. My 17-year-old boy died before I found the right stuff. Yet, because of him, I am a trainer, my current girl (still developing at the ripe old age of at least 12) has become the dog I always wanted, and I get to help other dogs and POGs experience the same joyful success. If I had given up, I would not be in this great situation now, doing work I love. Sooo worth it.

Lowering the number of dog-bite claims depends upon the actions of the humans, not the dogs. Let’s get on with it.