Hello, Readers! Long time, no blog! I'll provide a brief update on myself and this blog at the end of this post.
Yesterday I had an hour-long conversation with a friend of mine who has years of experience in saving and rehabilitating shelter dogs through behavior modification. She gave me some ideas for a "Behavior Modification Plan" for Tristan. I wanted to type up the plan while it was fresh in my mind, and as I typed I found myself also including some background and explanatory information. I thought, "Hey, this is like I'm writing a blog post!" It's a little surprising that I even remembered I have a blog after all these months!
This will be of interest to two groups of people. The first is those of you who know and love Tristan (because if you know him, you gotta love him) -- especially if you have ever been with us at my husband's family's vacation home and seen what he does when another dog walks past the fence.
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| The infamous Mr. Tristan, relaxing in the sun. |
The second group who may be interested is those of you who have a dog who exhibits similar fence-reactivity (we'll get to the video in a minute or two). You may have tried practicing and rewarding calm behavior and doing obedience training sessions in the yard (which go great until another dog comes along). You may have tried tossing water balloons at him out the window (which only teaches him to stay out of range). You may have tried yelling at him, or catching him and dragging him away from the fence. You may have tried any number of things that have worked for other dogs or been suggested by your friends. It's very frustrating if nothing seems to help, but you don't want to give up! Below is our plan for Tristan; I hope to be able to tell you how it works by later this year. Meanwhile, if you want to try it, just substitute your own dog's name for Tristan's and modify any other details necessary to make it applicable to your environment.
Even if you don't fall into either of the above groups, you might be interested in the difference between obedience training and behavior modification. Did you know there is one?
Obedience Training vs. Behavior Modification
Obedience training consists of teaching owners how to cue their dogs to reliably perform certain actions, such as "sit," "down," "stay," "leave it," etc. With enough consistency, repetition and practice, the dog will even learn to anticipate and perform the desired behaviors in various situations. Most dogs can quickly and easily learn the cues and responses in a distraction-free environment. As distance and distractions are added, it becomes more challenging but with enough practice the result is a well-mannered dog that is not only easier to bring places and introduce to new people, but also less likely to ignore you in the face of possible danger.
Just as obedience seems to come more easily and naturally to some children than others, so it is with dogs. It could be the dog's natural drive based on its breed, the dog's history, or even a chemical imbalance that throws a curve into the process. Sometimes, there is a stimulus that triggers a behavioral response that can't be overcome by basic obedience training.
That is where behavior modification comes in. Here, instead of teaching a dog to respond to a cue in order to perform a specific behavior, we are trying to change the dog's response to an environmental stimulus or trigger. Often, the trigger so overwhelms the dog that obedience cues are of no use. The dog may have been born with a tendency toward the problematic behavior or it may have developed as a result of the dog's experiences.
A coonhound that understands the cue, "heel," and does it very well most of the time, may have a harder time when something scary approaches (provoking fear) or when a raccoon crosses the road (provoking his drive). If the fear has been reinforced, or if the dog is frustrated because his drive can't be fulfilled to completion, the reaction may get worse each time. Then you have a reactive dog whose behavior you want to modify. Obedience training is not the complete answer because disobedience is not heart of the problem.
As another example, a dog who resource guards may perform every obedience cue to perfection, but still act threatening if someone reaches toward the dog to take away a ball, treat, toy or whatever it is that the dog has claimed. This dog may even take treats gently and know how to "drop it," but not want to let you reach in to pick up whatever she obediently dropped. This guarding response has to be modified using different and more advanced techniques than those that are used to teach basic obedience cues.
Although I haven't done it as a business, I have learned how to teach basic obedience. My mentor has let me know that she would be willing to have me fill in as a substitute for her group classes, and I would love the opportunity to help any of my friends with it. Much of the time that I work one-on-one with shelter dogs, I am teaching them the responses to basic obedience cues. If a dog at the shelter has a behavior modification plan, I make sure I am aware of it and comfortable with it before I work with that dog, and I also make sure the appropriate manager at the shelter is comfortable with my skills for that particular dog. While I have participated in and observed behavior modification work at the shelter, I would not hold myself out as an expert or suggest that anyone hire me for that. I could probably help you identify the problem and make some suggestions, but if the problem is significant I would refer you to someone with more experience.
Tristan's Behavior Modification Plan
If you are still here, thanks for reading all that. Without further adieu, here is Tristan demonstrating the behavior I'd like to modify:
And here is what happens next:
As mentioned, my purpose in taking these videos was to solicit advice. In total, since last summer six very experienced trainers, dog rehabilitators and animal behavior experts have reviewed one or both videos. Among them, these six people have trained and/or rehabilitated thousands of dogs, including numerous dogs that had been surrendered because of behavior issues that they successfully rehabilitated and re-homed.
Conclusions
1. Although he may appear to be enjoying himself and exercising his natural drive as a hound, this state of agitation is unhealthy for Tristan. This is especially true as he gets older and becomes more likely to injure himself.2. This is NOT aggressive or vicious behavior. It is a “triggered” behavior, and as he ages (contrary to the long-standing hope and belief that he will outgrow it), the “trigger fuse” is likely to grow shorter and shorter if the behavior is allowed to continue. Although “redirection” of his energy to another dog in the yard as seen at the end of the second video is rare, occurrences could increase with age if the behavior is allowed to continue.
3. This may also be at least partially a fear-based behavior – as reactivity often is – which has been reinforced by humans appearing to join in (following him to the fence, yelling) or giving him more things to fear (such as water balloons, hose-spray or various loud noises). If this is the case, his likely motivation is to prevent the other dogs from passing the fence so that these things don’t happen to him. Because his goal is frustrated 100% of the time, he feels compelled to keep trying harder.
4. To the extent that this behavior may be fueled by his natural drive, he is still frustrated because the fence prevents him from completing his goal of interacting (without a barrier) with the other dog. Humans appearing to join in (as described above) make him think he is part of a group working together for the common goal of removing the barrier and/or interacting with the other dog – a goal that is never achieved. As above, this too compels him keep trying harder.
5. Tristan most likely does not feel good in the yard or want to be in this agitated state. Watching the fence is a compulsion that he does not know how to control, and he sometimes visibly relaxes and exhibits obvious relief when he is brought indoors. (Wouldn’t you hate to be in a situation where you couldn’t help but feel tense the entire time, and be relieved when you are finally removed from the situation?)
Consensus
Suggestions from reviewers of the video varied based on their training philosophies, but all agreed on one key point.Exposure to the triggers should be eliminated or minimized until Tristan learns to remain calm in the yard.
If exposure to the triggers is successfully eliminated (or at least drastically reduced), it is possible that he will eventually “forget” about the behavior. “Calm” in this case means much more than just not reacting so intensely to dogs that pass the fence; it also means not constantly watching for them.
The goal of Tristan relaxing in the yard obviously would not be achieved by “banishing” him from it. A more pro-active approach is necessary for him to understand (1) what the humans want and (2) what will make him feel better. Because of how long the behavior has been tolerated and inadvertently reinforced, it will take a long time to change.
Our Plan
It is likely that hundreds of repetitions of these steps will be necessary, and they need to be done consistently by everyone who decides to open the door for Tristan or leave him alone downstairs in the house.
1. Tristan may not be in the yard without a human. If only one human is present and has to leave the yard, Tristan must also leave the yard.
2. With the possible exception of the first outing in the morning when he “really has to go,” Tristan is not to be allowed or taken into the yard while in an excited or agitated state. Calm behavior must be achieved in the house before the door is opened, and he must walk (not run) through the door and down the stairs. Use “wait” at the door and again at the top of the stairs to reinforce that he is only entering the yard with the human’s permission and should do so calmly. ***This can and should be practiced at home.***
3. Tristan is not to be in the yard when the dogs across the street are out – no exceptions until considerable improvement is achieved. Their barking is too much of a trigger for him. If he reacts to them while indoors, the human should quietly and calmly encourage calm behaviors such as focus, sit, down, wait, place and stay, and reward calm behavior when achieved.
4. At a minimum, Tristan must wear the slip lead in the yard to make it easier for the human to lead him away from the fence or bring him back into the house at the first sign of compulsive fence-watching or agitation.
5. Preferably, Tristan will be tethered in a way that prevents physical access to the fence and – to the extent possible – visual access to the corners/gates. The purpose isn’t to just to remove him from the fence while still allowing him to bark, jump and lunge at the end of the tether. Rather, it is to prevent him from constantly “checking the corners” and to make it easier to remove him from the yard when necessary.
6. Anytime a human notices Tristan moving further away from the fence, looking away from the fence, or giving his attention to humans and/or dogs inside the yard instead of focusing on the fence, he should be rewarded with quiet praise and/or treats. Avoid too much animation in your own voice as this could cause him to get excited.
7. Tristan is to be brought indoors before becoming fully agitated. At the first sign of intense attention to the fence or other agitation, a human must bring him into the house (on leash). This should be done calmly, quietly and using a cheerful, encouraging voice. Once in the house, obtain and reward calm behavior. Bring him back out as soon as it can be done calmly, and watch his body language and reaction.
a. If his body language remains relaxed and he either focuses his attention solely on humans and/or dogs in the yard, or just goes and lies down, he may stay outside (preferably tethered).
b. If his body language becomes tense and he immediately refocuses on the fence, he may NOT stay outside. He must be brought back in, calm behavior obtained again and then left inside for a “time out.” This is not punishment; it is an opportunity for him to relax and feel better. If he will be left indoors without a human, prevent access to corner wing chair, window seat and open front door (see below).
8. Tristan is no longer allowed on the window seat in the dining room. His only reason for sitting or lying there is to watch for triggers, which is what we are trying to discourage. Access should be prevented when no one is downstairs by placing books or other items on the seat to discourage him from jumping up. If he is discovered on the window seat, use “off” or “out-of-there” to get him to vacate it. (“Down” to him means to lie down, not to get off of something. He’ll probably just be confused if he is already lying down when you command “down!”)
9. If Tristan is indoors and no humans are in the family room, access to the corner wing chair should be prevented by placing items on the seat so that he does not respond to triggers by jumping up on the chair to look out the window.
10.If Tristan is indoors and no humans are downstairs, then consideration should be given to closing the front door to prevent visual access to triggers (i.e, dogs walking by). (Another option, if the door needs to stay open for fresh air and breezes, would be to prevent Tristan’s access to the living room via a gate, chairs or other barrier).
It should be clear that now that behavior modification is harder work and a bigger commitment than obedience training!
Remember, the goal of all of the above is to set Tristan up for SUCCESS! Everyone agrees that his behavior is undesirable (even though we have tolerated it and even laughed about it, and in nearly 10 years only one passer-by has complained). However, until now we have repeatedly set this dog up for what humans consider to be FAILURE and what is for him an unhealthy compulsion that has become so strong he is unable to respond to humans or make a better choice. It can be turned around, but it takes time, patience and consistency!
While the reasons for trying to turn this around include being a better neighbor and being better able to relax ourselves, the PRIMARY objectives are to (1) help Tristan feel better when he visits this yard and (2) prevent him from injuring himself.
As a supplement to the above plan, I am going to try to take Tristan for a long walk early every morning when we are there. We will meet other dogs and I'll have to contend with his leash reactivity, but I have learned to manage that fairly well. (The biggest challenge now is getting him out the door without the other dog in the house realizing that she is missing out.) This way he will still get some exercise, he'll have outdoor time to enjoy away from the source of his stress (i.e., the fence) and we will feel less guilty about his "time-outs" inside the house (because no matter how much we intellectually understand that he is stressed in the yard, our emotions still tell us he wants to be outside).
One More Thing
I've recently been introduced to the concepts of "Natural Dog Training" (NDT) as developed by Kevin Behan and practiced by one training group in my local area, and I find it fascinating. As I understand it (and I'm only just learning about it), the objective of this form of training is to help your dog feel well in all situations, by helping him to be in a state of "flow" rather than a state of "flight or fight." In other words, the dog isn't stressed in any situation because the connection with the owner or handler has been strengthened to the point that the dog doesn't need other outlets for its natural drive, and doesn't need to be constantly suppressing its drive. The dog and the owner or handler are always moving in concert to a common goal, never in opposition. There are a set of core exercises that are practiced to achieve this in a way that allows the dog to "flow" in the human world, and ideally this would be done prior to any basic obedience training. A local shelter claims to have achieved 100% success in rehabilitating seriously problematic dogs using this method.
We took Tristan to meet the local NDT practitioners, and they felt that it would take a long time to undo 10 years of Tristan's drive being either suppressed or frustrated. The effort that would be required seemed like a disproportionate response given that this is is almost his only problem behavior, it isn't aggressive, it's specific to a location where we are fewer than 60 days a year, and he's 10 years old. But I have incorporated some of their thoughts and ideas into what I have written above, and when I can, I'm also trying to incorporate some additional exercises into our daily activities that allow him to direct his drive and energy to me and other exercises that perhaps make him feel just a little bit like he is hunting. I can only do this in short sessions because of his age and because I don't want to inadvertantly stress him out or confuse him more than he already is. He must be enjoying it, because after just 3 days he was eager today for me to take him out. (Unfortunately, we were taking a break today because it was already pretty hot outside when we got up this morning.)
Brief Update on Me and the Future of this Blog
This started as a blog about my Animal Behavior College externship, with Tristan accompanying me to a 6-week session. I thought I would write more after retirement, as writing is something I always enjoyed doing. I didn't know when I started down this path how controversial a topic dog training can be. I've been somewhat discouraged by how much arguing and shaming there is among trainers online. I've left most of the online groups that I had joined, including one that helped me a great deal with walking Tristan but bashed me when they saw that I combine their method with another because that is what works best for my dog. There seems to be pressure to "take sides" as a trainer, and your "side" becomes your religion. I've stopped following any trainer that makes blanket statements such as "this is the only way" or "that should never be necessary." In my heart, I believe the trainers that are doing the most good are the ones that aren't famous outside of their own communities, who don't take sides and who see each dog as an individual. They match their use of tools and methods to each unique dog's needs. With my own eyes, I have seen what works at the shelter and it's not limited to only one tool or method. With respect to sharing my own experiences and insights, I'm no longer interested in having any kind of audience beyond my own family and friends (and maybe their friends as long as they aren't rude). The topic is too emotional and controversial, and I had more than one lifetime's worth of that (on an entirely unrelated topic) in the few years preceding my retirement. So, even though this blog and the connected Facebook page never had a large audience anyway, I'm no longer sharing it in public forums in hopes of increasing it. I just hope my interested friends and family and their friends enjoy it and get something out of it.
Meanwhile, I am now listed as a Dog Bite Safety Educator and Be a Tree Presenter on the Doggone Safe website and have earned that group's "Speak Dog" certificate attesting to my understanding of canine communication and body language. I will let you know once I have acquired the materials and gotten organized to give presentations! A future blog post will further explain why I'm veering off into this new direction.
Bye for now! Thanks for reading!
