Any time you talk with someone that works with animals the topic of “Socializing” becomes part of the conversation. It is so important to Socialize your pet not only the puppies but your adult dogs as well. Even though you take a puppy around other dogs and people a lot while they are small does not mean all is well and they will stay well adjusted. This activity needs to be an on going part of their life style.
Dogs have become our closest companion since we share so may behaviors with them. In doing so, we have a tendency to anthropomorphize his actions. For instance “They look guilty when they have been destructive” when in fact their response is more likely to be fear. They have learned to respond to you yelling at them for tearing something up by ducking down and running off where they feel safe.
Fear:
In a potentially harmful situation is a normal and healthy reaction. Let’ take thunderstorms as an example. We humans have the distinct advantage over all other animals in that we can talk about it. Imagine what a thunderstorm would be like if no one could tell you it wouldn’t hurt us. They only way we would learn that thunderstorms aren’t dangerous would be through habituation, through learning from experience that the noise would not harm us.
This is the way dogs must learn to control their fears.
Fear comes from many origins. One being genetic, it can be inherited and this genetically ‘pre-wired’ fear behavior is resistant to change. It might affect only one pup in a litter and is easily detectable at six to ten weeks of age. This pup will be wild eyed and withdrawn. Inherited fear can also affect entire litters. In these circumstances, exaggerated fear develops between three and ten months of age. These pups have a generalized fear of anything new or unusual, a global fear and once more, this behavior is ‘pre-wired’ into the mind of the dog and is resistant to change.
Every dog, just as every human, will inherit a certain level of reactivity to his environment. This is normal and healthy. It contributes to our and their survival, but in some breeds or individuals, this inherited reactivity appears to be exaggerated.
Nervous mothers can imprint nervousness into their offspring, unwittingly teaching barking and excitable behavior. We also know that an impoverished physical or social environment early in life will have an overwhelming influence on the emotional development of the dog’s mind. Pups that are deprived of normal exposure to common stimuli during their critical periods of development quite simply become fearful dogs when they mature. There is considerable individual and breed variation but virtually all dogs will show a fear response to new and unusual stimuli that they have not experienced before they are sixteen weeks old.
Dogs express their fear in many ways, Fight or flight, usually flight , is a common response to fear but dogs often can’t flee from what frightens them. Instead, they might bark anxiously and assume the body posture of fear, in which the tail is tucked between the legs, the back is arched, the lips are drawn back, hackles are raised and the ears are flattened against the head. At the same time there is autonomic nervous activity. The heart rate increases, pupils dilate and trembling might occur. The dog might even urinate and, of course, he might try to bite.
When fears are not unlearned through desensitization, they can become phobias. Dogs can develop phobias to loud noises, traffic, people, vets, or many other things. Phobias to veterinarians and clinics are probably just about as common in dogs as phobias to dentists and dental clinics are to their owners. This might happen because the first association was exceedingly unpleasant.
If you have a pet with these issues talk to your veterinarian or a professional trainer to help you work through these issues.
Until next time, provide your pet with good nutrition, exercise, mental stimulation, and affection.
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Monday, September 5, 2011
3 Types Of Aggression
We often hear the phrase, “The Dog is Aggressive”. This phrase often conjures in our mind maliciousness, nastiness or vindictiveness but this is not what aggression means in the dog’s mind. Aggression has many forms so let’s look into those forms.
First we have “Dominance Aggression”
As we all know, dogs are pack animals. They simply don’t expect equality. The dog’s natural genetic predisposition is to find his place in the pecking order, the dominance hierarchy. This form of aggression is usually shown by male dogs between two and two and half years of age. Now their testosterone surge occurs between six months and a year yet the apparently sudden, unprovoked aggressive attacks of dominance usually against members of the immediate family frequently don’t occur for another one to two years. As we humans make up most dogs packs as far as the dogs are concerned, it is usually directed at us. This type of aggression can be provoked by simply disturbing your dog, such as awakening him or moving him or ordering him to move from his resting place. It can be provoked by approaching his food, is “favorite person” or his resting area even if he’s not in it. Dominance aggression can be stimulated by petting, by having collars and leads put on or off, by being stared at or disciplined, by grooming, nail cutting, toweling or even by meeting in a narrow passageway. Just standing over a dog can be interpreted as a threat to this position and can invoke a response.
The second Aggression is “Possessive Aggression”
This form can be perpetuated through the juvenile period and into the adult stage of the dog’s life. Sibling rivalry occurs when two dogs are so similar that they find it difficult to determine which is dominate. Almost routinely the problem is exacerbated through our intervention. This learning problem occurs most frequently in dogs that resemble each other in size, sex and age is usually triggered by competition for food, toy, a sleeping place or our attention. Jealousy over attention from the owner, possessiveness over a toy or a bone, rivalry over who sleeps in the favorite spot, these are all manifestations of problems in dominance behavior where a hierarchy has not been properly established.
The third form of aggression is “Fear Aggression”
Dominance aggression is primarily genetic and difficult to alter without proper training. It is offensive in the behavioral sense of the word. Fear aggression is defensive and is primarily a learned behavior. Because it is learned, it is more treatable.
We already know that a puppy which is not properly socialized to his environment, if he does not experience sights, smells and noises during his formative socialization period, can develop a fear of the unknown. Fear is a natural self-preservation response of all animals to new or unusual situations and is the most common response of all captive animals towards humans. One out of every four cases of aggression is fear aggression or its equivalent pain induced aggression.
Fear aggression is the most common cause of dog bites of children. Boys over five years old are bit twice as often as little girls and five to fourteen-year-olds are bit the most. (In seasonal climates, bites occur most frequently in the spring and summer.) These dogs bite children for many reasons. If they have not been properly socialized to children, they can think of them as a new and unfamiliar species. Fear aggression can be caused by a previous painful experience with a child when, for example, the dog’s hair was pulled. Some dogs can even develop a fear of children because they have previously been disciplined or scolded in the presence of the child and associate the child with that experience.
There are more forms of aggressions but these are the most common. If you have a dog with these tendencies you need to work with an experienced professional to help you with these issues.
First we have “Dominance Aggression”
As we all know, dogs are pack animals. They simply don’t expect equality. The dog’s natural genetic predisposition is to find his place in the pecking order, the dominance hierarchy. This form of aggression is usually shown by male dogs between two and two and half years of age. Now their testosterone surge occurs between six months and a year yet the apparently sudden, unprovoked aggressive attacks of dominance usually against members of the immediate family frequently don’t occur for another one to two years. As we humans make up most dogs packs as far as the dogs are concerned, it is usually directed at us. This type of aggression can be provoked by simply disturbing your dog, such as awakening him or moving him or ordering him to move from his resting place. It can be provoked by approaching his food, is “favorite person” or his resting area even if he’s not in it. Dominance aggression can be stimulated by petting, by having collars and leads put on or off, by being stared at or disciplined, by grooming, nail cutting, toweling or even by meeting in a narrow passageway. Just standing over a dog can be interpreted as a threat to this position and can invoke a response.
The second Aggression is “Possessive Aggression”
This form can be perpetuated through the juvenile period and into the adult stage of the dog’s life. Sibling rivalry occurs when two dogs are so similar that they find it difficult to determine which is dominate. Almost routinely the problem is exacerbated through our intervention. This learning problem occurs most frequently in dogs that resemble each other in size, sex and age is usually triggered by competition for food, toy, a sleeping place or our attention. Jealousy over attention from the owner, possessiveness over a toy or a bone, rivalry over who sleeps in the favorite spot, these are all manifestations of problems in dominance behavior where a hierarchy has not been properly established.
The third form of aggression is “Fear Aggression”
Dominance aggression is primarily genetic and difficult to alter without proper training. It is offensive in the behavioral sense of the word. Fear aggression is defensive and is primarily a learned behavior. Because it is learned, it is more treatable.
We already know that a puppy which is not properly socialized to his environment, if he does not experience sights, smells and noises during his formative socialization period, can develop a fear of the unknown. Fear is a natural self-preservation response of all animals to new or unusual situations and is the most common response of all captive animals towards humans. One out of every four cases of aggression is fear aggression or its equivalent pain induced aggression.
Fear aggression is the most common cause of dog bites of children. Boys over five years old are bit twice as often as little girls and five to fourteen-year-olds are bit the most. (In seasonal climates, bites occur most frequently in the spring and summer.) These dogs bite children for many reasons. If they have not been properly socialized to children, they can think of them as a new and unfamiliar species. Fear aggression can be caused by a previous painful experience with a child when, for example, the dog’s hair was pulled. Some dogs can even develop a fear of children because they have previously been disciplined or scolded in the presence of the child and associate the child with that experience.
There are more forms of aggressions but these are the most common. If you have a dog with these tendencies you need to work with an experienced professional to help you with these issues.
Saturday, September 3, 2011
When should training puppy start?
So many people have asked me, when is the best time to start training my puppy. So let’s look at some of the Scientific concepts on this matter.
The concept of “Critical Periods” in the emotional development of the dog is well documented. Dogs that are denied human contact until they are over twelve weeks of age seldom make good companions. Research on this issue has been carried out since the 1960’s and it has been concluded that socialization in dogs, the ability to learn to live compatibly with dogs and with us, humans, ends at twelve weeks of age and that the most critical period is six to eight weeks of age.
In 1967, it was found that pups raised in complete isolation to seven weeks of age could still recover completely and become socially normal. It was also reported that outside contacts as infrequent as twice a week and for only twenty minutes each time were enough to ensure normal development as long as these outside contacts occurred in the critical period between four and twelve weeks. In the same year, other researchers reported that pups in this age range could form social attachments to another species, rabbits simply by seeing them for as little as two hours.
So, let’s break this down more.
Neonatal period 0 to 2 weeks
Pups are born with immature, still developing brains. Although their brains look like jelly, they’re really more like sponges soaking up what they can from the environment. Their sensory abilities, hearing, seeing and to some extent feeling, smelling and touching are not yet well developed. The pup is almost wholly under the care of the mother and the way she behaves with her pups will influence their behavior in later life.
Transitional period 2 to 4 weeks
This is the period of time when most of the pup’s sensory abilities come on stream. The eyelids open and optic nerve becomes myelinated. The ears open and the teeth appear. The brain is stimulated by the sights and sounds of the world around them. The pup‘s world opens up and suddenly his littermates and the rest of his environment have a dramatic effect on his developing mind.
Also during this time, pups start to wag their tails. They growl and bark for the first time. They notice us. Their temperature regulation mechanism is improved and this means they can start to leave the nest and will now, if possible, eliminate outside of the nest.
Functioning of the pup’s visual system can first be recorded at ten days of age and by fifteen days, it has the basic features of the adult . By 28 days, the pattern is fully developed. What this means is that at about two weeks of age, when the eyes actually open, the pup’s response to light and to moving objects is rather weak and variable, but by four weeks it is similar to that of the adult. It takes another week before the pup readily and easily recognizes from a distance his mother or owner.
Socialization period 4 to 6 weeks to dogs 4 to 12 weeks to humans
The social life of the dog can only begin when he has developed all of his communication facilities. Most of these have matured to near adult conformation by the time the pup is four weeks old. His senses have matured, he can see, smell, hear and touch more than adequately. His brain is well myelinzed so he can process information quickly and efficiently. And although the major hormonal influence on the dog’s mind will have to wait until puberty, the male pup has already had a surge of male hormone course through his body, sensitizing him to behave in a masculine way. This is why, during the socialization period, male pups will mount other pups.
The obvious beginning of the change in relationship from care-dependency to dominance-submission occurs when the mother starts to walk away from the pups as they try to nurse. This usually occurs during the fourth to fifth weeks. It has been observed that the amount of nursing, the time for final weaning and the evolving interaction between the mother an her pups during this period can have a permanent effect on the minds of the pups. What a pup is really learning when his mother snarls at him as he tries to suckle is not fear but compromise. This as been called “sub dominance” rather than submission. Relationships are not as simple as dominant and submissive, but rather are multilayered. This is a sensible hypothesis and it explains how there can be a pecking order within a pack of dogs or within a pack of people and dogs. Neotenized animals have a life-long need for us. We take on the ‘maternal’ responsibilities for feeding, grooming, and housing our pet dogs. This need is tenuous at best. We are the surrogate pack. To understand the dog’s mind we need to understand the complicated relationships that evolve between littermates during their formative socialization period.
So, when do we start training? If you plan to train in a group setting, make sure they have the necessary shots in order to be around other dogs. Usually this time period is 10 weeks of age. They will have their first 2 series of shots by then. If you are going to have a trainer come into your home, then training can start as early as 8 weeks.
The concept of “Critical Periods” in the emotional development of the dog is well documented. Dogs that are denied human contact until they are over twelve weeks of age seldom make good companions. Research on this issue has been carried out since the 1960’s and it has been concluded that socialization in dogs, the ability to learn to live compatibly with dogs and with us, humans, ends at twelve weeks of age and that the most critical period is six to eight weeks of age.
In 1967, it was found that pups raised in complete isolation to seven weeks of age could still recover completely and become socially normal. It was also reported that outside contacts as infrequent as twice a week and for only twenty minutes each time were enough to ensure normal development as long as these outside contacts occurred in the critical period between four and twelve weeks. In the same year, other researchers reported that pups in this age range could form social attachments to another species, rabbits simply by seeing them for as little as two hours.
So, let’s break this down more.
Neonatal period 0 to 2 weeks
Pups are born with immature, still developing brains. Although their brains look like jelly, they’re really more like sponges soaking up what they can from the environment. Their sensory abilities, hearing, seeing and to some extent feeling, smelling and touching are not yet well developed. The pup is almost wholly under the care of the mother and the way she behaves with her pups will influence their behavior in later life.
Transitional period 2 to 4 weeks
This is the period of time when most of the pup’s sensory abilities come on stream. The eyelids open and optic nerve becomes myelinated. The ears open and the teeth appear. The brain is stimulated by the sights and sounds of the world around them. The pup‘s world opens up and suddenly his littermates and the rest of his environment have a dramatic effect on his developing mind.
Also during this time, pups start to wag their tails. They growl and bark for the first time. They notice us. Their temperature regulation mechanism is improved and this means they can start to leave the nest and will now, if possible, eliminate outside of the nest.
Functioning of the pup’s visual system can first be recorded at ten days of age and by fifteen days, it has the basic features of the adult . By 28 days, the pattern is fully developed. What this means is that at about two weeks of age, when the eyes actually open, the pup’s response to light and to moving objects is rather weak and variable, but by four weeks it is similar to that of the adult. It takes another week before the pup readily and easily recognizes from a distance his mother or owner.
Socialization period 4 to 6 weeks to dogs 4 to 12 weeks to humans
The social life of the dog can only begin when he has developed all of his communication facilities. Most of these have matured to near adult conformation by the time the pup is four weeks old. His senses have matured, he can see, smell, hear and touch more than adequately. His brain is well myelinzed so he can process information quickly and efficiently. And although the major hormonal influence on the dog’s mind will have to wait until puberty, the male pup has already had a surge of male hormone course through his body, sensitizing him to behave in a masculine way. This is why, during the socialization period, male pups will mount other pups.
The obvious beginning of the change in relationship from care-dependency to dominance-submission occurs when the mother starts to walk away from the pups as they try to nurse. This usually occurs during the fourth to fifth weeks. It has been observed that the amount of nursing, the time for final weaning and the evolving interaction between the mother an her pups during this period can have a permanent effect on the minds of the pups. What a pup is really learning when his mother snarls at him as he tries to suckle is not fear but compromise. This as been called “sub dominance” rather than submission. Relationships are not as simple as dominant and submissive, but rather are multilayered. This is a sensible hypothesis and it explains how there can be a pecking order within a pack of dogs or within a pack of people and dogs. Neotenized animals have a life-long need for us. We take on the ‘maternal’ responsibilities for feeding, grooming, and housing our pet dogs. This need is tenuous at best. We are the surrogate pack. To understand the dog’s mind we need to understand the complicated relationships that evolve between littermates during their formative socialization period.
So, when do we start training? If you plan to train in a group setting, make sure they have the necessary shots in order to be around other dogs. Usually this time period is 10 weeks of age. They will have their first 2 series of shots by then. If you are going to have a trainer come into your home, then training can start as early as 8 weeks.
Friday, September 2, 2011
What is a typical day as a dog trainer
The day usually starts with phone calls; returning calls from potential clients, advertisers wanting your business, follow up calls to past clients, etc. There is always paperwork to be done. Client records to update, preparing homework for the clients, documenting cash flow, paying bills and making sure you have good documentation for everything. I have received calls from past advertisers going back 2 1/2 years wanting to know if I wanted to close my account, without good documentation one wouldn't know when the account was already closed and you could end up paying more then you need to.
After all of the boring stuff is done then you get to go have fun on the road. A normal day is 4 visits, if you have some close together you can do 5 or 6. I cover over a 50 mile radius so 4 or 5 is my max. No matter how hard you try to schedule clients that are close to each other on the same day, sometimes the times and days just don't work out so you do the best you can. Working with the dogs is the best feeling ever when you see them start to understand what it is you are trying to communicate. Then you train the humans to handle the dog in the same manner so the dog doesn't get confused, this can be more difficult then training the dog. All in all dog training is a great profession, the down side is; don't expect to get rich doing it. It is more a labor of love then a real money maker.
After all of the boring stuff is done then you get to go have fun on the road. A normal day is 4 visits, if you have some close together you can do 5 or 6. I cover over a 50 mile radius so 4 or 5 is my max. No matter how hard you try to schedule clients that are close to each other on the same day, sometimes the times and days just don't work out so you do the best you can. Working with the dogs is the best feeling ever when you see them start to understand what it is you are trying to communicate. Then you train the humans to handle the dog in the same manner so the dog doesn't get confused, this can be more difficult then training the dog. All in all dog training is a great profession, the down side is; don't expect to get rich doing it. It is more a labor of love then a real money maker.
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