BARKS from the Guild Summer 2012

Barks From The Guild (An environmentally force-free online magazine)

The Pet Professional Guild

No Pain, Lots To Gain.

Relationship-Building Between Pets and People.

Is Fido a ‘fraidy Dog? Don’t Miss this Issue!

Vol. 1, No. 2 June 2012

Message from the Founder The Pet Professional Guild’s Organizational Development and Culture As Founder and President of the Guild, the one role that I consider to be my ultimate responsibility is our key strategic direction – the direction for our future, our purpose and our ambitions. Setting our organizational strategy is very important as it identifies our purpose. This strategy lays down our action plans and how we will achieve them.

The success and sustainability of our organization will be determined by how successfully we implement, manage and control our strategic direction. This is not just a role for the organization’s leadership, but also a key role of each of our members. Each and every one of us is a stakeholder in PPG. We each joined to align ourselves as a group, to create a platform and voice for our individual and group training beliefs and philosophies in order to help us all succeed within our micro-business environments. We succeed in terms of positively impacting the lives of pets and their owners alike.

As an organization we need to remain stable during our growth. Stability is not to be interpreted as stagnation. We must consistently be looking at how we communicate our message, how we service the needs of our members and how we manage our culture as we develop and implement our goals. Several studies have documented that the most frequently-cited reason for an organization to fail is neglect of the organization’s culture while focusing on the organization’s growth (Gross, Pascale, & Athos 1993).

The Guild Culture The first document we established before the Guild even became a reality was the organization’s “Guiding Principles.”

This was not a small endeavor and these guiding principles underwent many edits and reviews. When the wording was complete and they were free of grammatical errors, I asked myself the following questions: 

Do they encourage collaboration and do they place a (Continued on page 6)

IN THIS ISSUE… Fear & Anxiety: When Medication Can Help Build Bridges—B. Jordan Play Date Checklist—Orr & Lewin PPG Best Practices & Standards—D. Milikan Application of Force-free in Shelters—B. Mattei-Miller Behavior Change Procedure for Dogs with Separation Distress—N. Tudge A Tale of Patience—N. Tudge Canine Emotional Detox© - D. Garrod Canine Thunder Phobia—J. Visconti

Columns Founder’s Message—N. Tudge Book Review—B. Mattei-Miller Free Member Educational Resources Member Brags—contributed Ask Leah—Leah Roberts International News—contributed Member Profile—A. Steinker Product Review—R. Ingram

The Guild Steering Committee Niki Tudge Catherine Zehner Diane Garrod Angelica Steinker Leonard Cecil Leah Roberts Anne Springer

Contact The PPG Member Communication Admin@PetProfessionalGuild.com Publication Information Catherine@PetProfessionalGuild.com Advertisements Admin@PetProfessionalGuild.com International Communication Leonard@PetProfessionalGuild.com Mailing Address P.O Box Oxford, MS, 38655 Telephone 41 Dog-Train www.PetProfessionalGuild.com Newsletter Editor—C. Zehner

Our key business purpose is to initiate a serious effort for the education of pet care providers and the public coupled with an emphasis on building collaboration among force-free pet trainers and professional pet-care providers. We aim to publicize “our voice for the profession” that advocates for mutually-agreed guiding principles for the pet care industry.

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From a Medical Perspective ...

Fear and Anxiety: When Medication Can Help Build Bridges Bethany Jordan, CDT, CVT, CPDT-KA The DogSmith ® Copyright 2012 Fear is a response to an experience. How is it that an experience can alter a dog’s world, filling it with terror significant enough to affect learning ability and confidence? Ultimately, it is the brain that processes and internalizes learning and traumatic experiences. It is the brain that mediates all cognitive, behavioral, and social functioning. It is the brain that initiates the body to act in times of “fight or flight” to survive when faced with threatening situations. It is within this brain that lies the canine; and within that our companion, family member, and friend. Understanding the function of chemical processes within the canine brain and brain-mediated responses to threat provide the key to understanding the fearful dog and how we can assist the brain to facilitate a positive learning experience.

Anxiety is a condition which commonly accompanies fear or may exist alone in a generalized or contextual state.

Even though they commonly coexist within many conditioned emotional responses, it is important to differentiate between the two: fear is a normal response to realistic and imminent danger,1 and anxiety is not linked to an objective source of danger and is more future-oriented.1 In other words, anxiety is the anticipation of danger or lack of reward2 and includes such feelings as apprehension, nervousness, and tension.3 Many dogs that suffer from fears and phobias also experience high levels of anxiety that can lead to excessive worry, strong somatic and physiologic signs of arousal and increased vigilance,4 ultimately prohibiting them from exploring new environments or offering new behaviors.

As professionals, we can interpret a dog’s body language to decipher a fearful situation. From the outside we look at the position of the ears and tail, body posture, and other fear or distance-increasing signals. This emotional response is referred to as respondent or classical conditioning and is a mechanism by which the dog can learn to predict events in the environment.3 An important development in learning theory literature within the last decade is the acknowledgement that conditioning is not a low-level reflexive stimulus-response process, but a highly complex cognitive operation.4 Such conditioned emotional responses are best altered through a detailed program including systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning, however; complex processes in the brain can have a paralyzing affect on even the most well-structured program. Therefore, the question remains as to why a behavior change program alone cannot always achieve the desired goal.

Carried out by chemicals, the brain utilizes two main systems to constantly change focus either to maintain normal balance or assist the body in times of significant stress. The first system is the autonomic nervous system, which functions to divert blood flow from non-essential areas to provide the muscles of escape or fight with much needed nutrients and oxygen during times of stress.5 The autonomic system also returns the body back to normal chemical balance after the stressor is gone. With the second system, a specific stressor can trigger neuroendocrine adjustments of the brain by activation of hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal glands (HPA axis), resulting in the release of chemicals such as cortisol and adrenalin5 which allow the body to function the most efficiently to either escape an attack or confront the attacker. The brain is not without limitations, however; in times of extreme stress, the brain will “shut off” all upper centers of reasoning and cognition and activate areas which allow for hearing, sight, mobility, and balance. In short, when in times of extreme stress, no learning can take place because the brain will disengage learning centers to allow for more efficient fight or flight.

In situations such as phobias, the HPA axis will engage rapidly, greatly compromising any chance of counterconditioning. According to David Appleby, a “phobia occurs when fear is not extinguished, but remains at the same high level even though the conditioned stimulus is never again paired with the noxious unconditioned stimulus.” 2 In cases of phobia, a single trial learning experience has left such an impact on the dog that the HPA axis will engage immediately with the next predictable cue of the same stimulus instantly placing the brain in a state of crisis for survival. For the phobic dog, or one who has extreme levels of fear or anxiety to early predictors of the stimulus, it can be almost impossible to build a more positive association when the brain immediately shifts into survival mode. Using the right medication at the right time for the right situation can help build a bridge to a happier, more (Continued on page 10)

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Safety Protocols; A Play Date Checklist

By Joan Orr & Teresa Lewin When a child wants to go to at a friend's house, a responsible parent asks some basic questions. For example: will a parent be home? Does the family have a pool? Is the yard fenced? Rarely does it occur to a parent to ask if the family has a dog and, if so, what steps will be taken to ensure that there are no incidents.

Doggone Safe recommends that parents visit the home of the family that their child wants to visit to meet the parents and the dog. We have created a checklist of situations to help parents judge whether it seems safe to leave their child at a home with a dog. We encourage trainers to copy this list and hand it out.

Red Light Criteria (do not leave your child to play at this house):  Dog is chained or tied up or there is evidence that dog is kept tied up;

 Dog seems uncared for; house smells like urine or feces;

 Dog comes to the door barking and growling and continues even after owner answers the door;

 Owner is rough with the dog, yelling, hitting or grabbing it by the collar to get it to comply;

 Dog seems afraid of owner or ignores the owner's attempts to control it;

 Dog is a kept as a guard dog.

Yellow Light Criteria (leave your child only if the dog will be crated or locked away the entire time):  Dog comes to the door barking and/or growling, but stops when told to do so and seems friendly when the owner answers the door;

 Dog insists on getting between you and the owner’s child;

 Dog is overly-excited and races about or jumps all over you and your child;

 Your child is afraid of the dog;  Dog holds his tail up in the air and wags it slowly or not at all;

 Dog wags his tail low to ground or between his legs;  Dog seems fearful and hides, retreats from you or barks at you;

 There are multiple dogs.

Green Light Criteria (leave your child if supervision will be adequate):

 Dog is on a loose leash, in a crate or in a sit/stay or

down/stay when the owner answers the door;

 Dog

greets you in a calm and friendly manner with wagging tail when the owner gives permission;

 Dog obeys the owner and the owner rewards this;

 The dog owner agrees to supervise all interactions with the dog.

The Rules for Other People’s Dogs You should take the time to teach your children the rules for approaching strange dogs and interacting with other people’s dogs:

 No hugs and kisses;  Don’t take anything from the dog, or approach him while he is eating, chewing something or resting;

 Interact with the dog only if the parent is present;

 Be a Tree and stand still if the dog is too frisky, seems threatening or otherwise causes concern;

 Call home if you are worried.

See Teresa's safety www.doggonesafe.com

rules

for

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info

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Joan Orr and Teresa Lewin are the co-founders of nonprofit Doggone Safe and co-creators of the award winning Be a Tree teacher kit, Doggone Crazy! board game and Clicker Puppy training DVD. Joan and Teresa have lectured and written extensively on the topics of dog body language and child safety around dogs. They are known for their work with clicker training and TAGteach and have co-authored the book, “Getting Started Clicking with Your Rabbit”. Their websites are www.doggonecrazy.ca, www.doggonesafe.com, www.clickerbunny.com and www.tagteach.com.  4

Behavioral Modification — A Case Study A Difficult Dog: The Joy and Journey of Rehabilitating a Dog with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Panic Disorder, Pica, Separation Anxiety, Noise Sensitivity and Aggression

By Maren Jensen, Ph.D. and Angelica Steinker, M.Ed., CDBC, PDBC Rumble was a normal puppy. He investigated, pounced and loved all. Rum, as he is affectionately known, socialized with confidence and happiness, starting at nine weeks. He learned how to learn playing games. Maren, his owner, is a dog trainer and dog sport coach. Everything seemed on track for Rum to make a spectacular entrance into the dog sport world...

Six Months Sexual maturity can be the onset for genetic mental illness in dogs, although the data on this is unclear because of early spaying and neutering. At six months Rum began showing stress when puppies approached him, but his love of people continued. During a routine nail trim, Rum attempted to bite Maren in the face. Previous nail trimmings had been done with food and many small approximations. There was no history that could explain this sudden shift in behavior. As is appropriate with most aggression, Maren remained calm and did not move away — Maren wanted to avoid Rum learning that aggression works (please not that only a professional should take this kind of a chance as there is risk of being bitten with this strategy). Another problem appeared at Rumble’s third vet visit when he showed stress during handling. During previous visits he had been very happy.

Soon Rum was biting Maren when she was handling him and his feet. Maren was bitten numerous times on her arms and legs. Most bites were nips, but occasionally he used his full mouth. Avoiding triggers of biting would have been ideal, but new sensitivities were cropping up quickly, making it impossible for us to anticipate all triggers.

Within a month of the aggressive nail trimming event, Rumble’s issues generalized to include other dogs, including dogs he had grown up with. His aggression during nail trimming and vet visits escalated. Maren temporarily stopped trimming his nails. Soon any handling of Rum became a source of stress. Touching any part of his body triggered displacement behaviors and Maren’s cuddly affectionate puppy could not be touched.

When modifying aggression, is important to teach a dog to relax, this is done with slow, calm petting or massage. In Rumble’s current state, this was impossible. Maren began a very rough scratching type of massage on his face and then gradually built up to his head and neck. This was the only touch that Rum enjoyed. After months of massaging, she was able to touch Rumble all over again and this quickly generalized to all familiar people.

Sensory Integration Disorder In humans there is a new disorder that is being called sensory integration disorder. Children affected by this disorder show touch sensitivity, have high pain tolerance and they may be unable to respond to certain sensory inforAs a puppy Rumble occasionally showed some mild stress mation. This leads to an inability to plan and organize senbut nothing that would prepare us for what was to come. sory information and what needs to be done in an appropriate and automatic manner which in turn may cause fright, flight and fight or withdrawal responses. Rum had high pain tolerance, fight and withdrawal responses. Playing at home, he would slam hard into the walls and never flinch or yelp. Doing agility he would fall off of obstacles and never bat an eye, even when he was visibly injured. Rum shattered one of his puppy canine teeth, requiring the vet to pull numerous pieces out from within the gum line, but Rum was still tugging like a maniac and eating. It seemed that he did not process the feeling of pain normally. Treatments for sensory integration disorder are similar to dog agility training, in addition Maren added balance exercises intended to help integrate senses.

Athleticism Parenting a dog with multiple mental health issues is particularly challenging when he is born to run all day. Com(Continued on page 20)

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(FOUNDER, continued from page 2)

high priority on developing and maintaining professional and productive relationships? 

Will they help us avoid organizational conflicts?



Do they encourage us to work towards perfection and are they relevant and necessary to our purpose?



Can we self-actualize and is it possible for us to operate at this level and in accordance with these principles?



Do they identify key standards of conduct for our membership and leaders?



Are they supportive of our pets’ welfare and wellbeing?



Will they have a cohesive effect on those that choose to join us?



Will they help engage, educate and unite pet professionals advocating for the use of humane and effective training and pet care procedures?



And last but not least, are they innovative and do they set performance standards for the membership unlike any other professional organization?

Our Guiding Principles define our values and norms and they form the basis of our corporate culture.

They are our code of conduct – our due North, our compass setting. The culture of our organization affects everything the organization touches. It impacts

each of our members, it shapes member morale and well-being, and it will ultimately determine how effective we are in achieving our goals and advocating for our mission.

The Guild’s Key Charter The Guild key charter states: 1. “By combining and coordinating our knowledge, efforts, skills, talents and passions to pursue a common purpose, we can accomplish far more together than any one of us could possibly accomplish alone; 2. The Pet Professional Guild was founded on a commitment to provide educational resources to pet industry professionals and the pet-owning public while emphasizing our collaboration of force-free pet trainers and pet care providers; 3. We aim to publicize ‘our voice for the profession,’ advocating for mutually-agreed guiding principles for the pet care industry. Pet Professional Guild members and affiliates focus on a pet’s physical, mental, environmental and nutritional well-being, a holistic approach to the care and training of family pets.”

To ensure we can fully implement our charter and work within the guidelines of our Guiding Principles, I am challenging each of us to help shape and mold our culture. We all need to focus upon: (Continued on page 26)

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Free Member Educational Resources Here is a great (and free) YouTube series discussing different aspects of learning theory done by Sophia Yap of Singapore.

Sophia Yap majored in psychology, piquing her interest in animal learning and behavior and prompting her to question, “How do animals learn? What are some environmental factors that help animals to learn better?”

She found these questions and the experiments conducted to answer them fascinating, with enormous realworld implications and applications. She keeps continues to follow the science of ethology and the neuroscience of learning. At present, she is working as a high school teacher where she finds practical application of learning theory helpful in teaching humans, too.

1. Learning and Behavior: Introduction http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJpb6f2MzQ0 2. Fixed Action Patterns - How to test? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BklqnfLgb8U

5. Classical Conditioning I http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jUWh4ObY-2o 6. Classical Conditioning II: Temporal Contiguity is not Enough http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xGt4Aa_NAy8 7. Rescorla-Wagner Model and Dopamine Jackpot http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UC4V8dJxGRw 8.How to teach children to read and can hummingbirds time? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=leOhyCX2zCE 9. Do Animals Have Temporal Maps? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uZ0Sfov8hBU 10. Operant Conditioning I: The 4 Quadrants http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QXOdX8ooxLw

3. Behavioral Genetics http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=amigdPlJJTw

11. Operant Conditioning II: Shaping and Schedules of Reinforcement http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=juK1mAeFYRc

4. Habituation and Sensitization http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0gWxImqiGx0

12. How Punishment Works http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_f77lDaAsoQ 

Upcoming PPG Member Educational Programs Thursday, July 26, 2012

A Recipe for Behavior Modification Success: Behavior change for dangerous problems using antecedent control by Angelica Steinker

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM (CDT)

When:

The PPG - Pet First Aid Certification Program Date:

Location:

Internet webinar

Dog Park Etiquette & Safety. Learn About Dog-Dog Play by Carol Byrnes Date:

Location:

2:00 PM - 3:00 PM (EDT) Location:

Internet webinar

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

What is Ethical and Humane Training? Grisha Stewart

1:00 PM - 2:00 PM (PDT)

When :

Internet webinar

The PPG - Pet First Aid Certification Program Date:

Friday, September 07, 2012

Thursday, September 13, 2012 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM (PDT)

Location :

Internet webinar

Thursday, Aug. 2, 2012 (CDT) 11:30 AM—1:30 PM

Location:

Internet webinar 7

PPG Standards and Best Practices …

Defining, Determining and Maintaining Best Practices within Our Force Free Organization.

By Debra Milikan, Dip.ABST, Dip.DTBC, PABC The question of how one defines determines and maintains best practices is one that troubles individuals, organizations and professions alike. In the fledgling, unregulated industry of animal training, the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has worked in conjunction with James O’Heare (President of the Companion Animal Sciences Institute and Director of the Association of Animal Behaviour Professionals) to deliver to its members a guided delivery system for best practice.

Definitions of best practice vary with information sought. Some definitions are purely resultdriven; “Methods and techniques that have consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means and which are used as benchmarks to strive for,”1 whilst others take a wider view of the subject, believing the definition is, “a process, method, technique or activity that conventional wisdom considers to be more effective at delivering a particular outcome than any other technique, method, process, etc. when applied to a particular condition or circumstance. The idea is that with proper processes, checks, and testing, a desired outcome can be delivered with fewer problems and unforeseen complications ... A given best practice is only applicable to particular condition or circumstance and may have to be modified or adapted for similar circumstances. In addition, a ‘best’ practice can evolve to become better as improvements are discovered.”2 The “particular condition or circumstance” to which animal trainers desire to establish best practice is training animals thus modifying their behavior. Friedman3 suggests that a standard needs to be set to determine procedures for behavioural change. She states, “without such a standard, we are likely to intervene on the basis of effectiveness 8

...Least Intrusive Effective Behavior Intervention (LIEBI) O’Heare, J. (2012). The least intrusive effective behavior intervention (LIEBI) algorithm and levels of intrusiveness table: 2012 updated version. Association of Animal Behavior Professionals.

alone, without due consideration of humaneness. To be maximally humane, our interventions should be as un-intrusive for the learner as possible and still be effective.”3 Carter & Wheeler4 cite Alberto and Troutman’s fourlevel intervention hierarchy where Level l interventions such as differential positive reinforcement schedules are considered “to be the most socially-acceptable while maintaining the highest amount of counter control for the participant (i.e., least intrusive).”4 This hierarchy proceeds to Level II which includes “extinction procedures which involve terminating reinforcement that was previously available to the student.”4 Level III interventions include time -out procedures (denying a student the opportunity to receive reinforcement for a fixed period of time4) and response-cost procedures (removing specific amounts of reinforcement contingent on problem behavior4).

Level IV, the most intrusive of the levels, includes unconditioned aversive stimuli, presentation of stimuli which causes pain, conditioned aversive stimuli and overcorrection procedures.

Friedman3 agrees with Carter and Wheeler4 that social acceptability is an important component of compliance with an intervention and also that “the degree to which the learner maintains control while the intervention is in effect”3 is of importance. She believes that considering the continuum of learner control is “essential to developing a standard of humane, effective practice.”3 She goes on to say that “research demonstrates that to the greatest extent possible all animals should be empowered to use their behavior to control significant events in their lives, i.e. to use their be(Continued on page 30)

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(MEDICAL PERSPECTIVE, continued from page 3)

well-balanced companion.

Psychopharmacology assists the brain and therefore the canine in two main ways: specific medications known as anxiolytics can assist with anxiety by elevating the threshold for reactivity to early cues or predictors, and antidepressants can provide a long-term feeling of resilience, flexibility, and over all wellbeing.6 By incorporating one or both types of medications in the right situation the fearful dog can begin to learn more positive associations to the stimulus while building confidence to explore their environment and offer new behaviors, which is vital to a successful behavior change program.

The most common anxiolytics used in canine behavior belong to a class of drugs known as benzodiazepines, and includes such medications as diazepam (Valium), alprazolam (Xanax), and clonazepam (Klonopin).7 GABA is a neurotransmitter in the brain that functions to control spontaneous nerve firing. Benzodiazepines function to make GABA more efficient, resulting in an elevation of threshold by decreasing impulse nerve firing or the instantaneous startle response.2 As with all medications, benzodiazepines are not without side effects. The most common side effects include mild sedation, muscle relaxation or increased appetite; however, some dogs may experience paradoxical excitement.7 Benzodiazepines also decrease inhibitions; therefore, pet owners should be aware that they may see an increase in undesired behaviors that relate to impulse control. For this reason, these medications in particular should never be given to a dog who has displayed aggression while fearful as there is the potential for a decrease in bite inhibition resulting in a dangerous situation.6 Anxiolytics used in combination with antidepressants has proven to be very effective therapy to assist with behavior modification.

Many medications are considered antidepressants. Collectively, they function to affect the amount or efficiency of neurotransmitters such as serotonin, norepinephrine and dopamine.7 In the brain, serotonin is directly linked to obsession, compulsion, and mood control as well as the modulation of aggression.7 Norepinephrine is linked to excitement, attention, and arousal while as dopamine is central to the reward system and has a large influence on motivation.5 Depending on the type… antidepressants can increase the threshold of reactivity, decrease aggression, increase resilience while providing an overall feeling of well-being. Therefore, such medications can help jump start a behavior change program by chemically decreasing the amount of reactivity to a stimulus within the brain, and facilitate learning a new association of a previously threatening stimulus.

Animal Behavior in general has reached a point where we are constantly discovering new bridges allowing both professionals and pet owners to expand the boundaries

of the human-animal bond. By understanding fears, anxiety, and phobias and how each affects the brain respectively, we can have a thorough understanding of what that animal is experiencing and how the right medication can facilitate successful programs for behavioral modification.  Bethany Jorrdan is the owner of The DogSmith — Washington County (FL) and Southern Alabama. She holds a degree in Animal Sciences from the University of Florida and is a Certified Veterinary Technician (CVT). She served for three years as the Head Technician at an animal clinic, two years as a Surgery Technician with the Veterinary Heart Institute, two years as the Emergency Technician at Affiliated Pet Emergency Services and two years as the Medical Director at an animal refuge. Her reputation and growing expertise was then noticed by the University Of Florida College Of Veterinary Medicine where she spent four years as a Senior Floor Technician responsible for teaching students pursuing Veterinary Medicine degrees.

References 1) Marks IM (1969): Fears and phobias. New York: Academic Press.

2) Appleby David and Pluijmakers, Jolanda: Separation Anxiety in Dogs: The Function of Homeostasis in its Development and Treatment, Cambridge University Press, 2002 pp205-207.

3) O’Ferrell, V.: Problems of Emotionality, Manual of Canine Behavior, 2nd edition. Gloucestershire, British Small animal Veterinary Association, 1992. pp 103-104.

4) Grillon, Christian: Startle Reactivity and Anxiety Dis(Continued on page 11)

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(Continued from page 10)

orders: Aversive Conditioning, Context and Neurobiology. Society of Biological Psychiatry 2002. 52: pp 958-975.

5) Browd, Carroll. And Kolb, Carol: Veterinary Neuroscience UFCVM 2000.

6) Dodman, Nicholas H. and Shuster, Louis: Psychopharmacology of Animal Behavior. Blackwell Science Inc, 1998.

7) Curtis, Terry Marie: What Medications to Use for Various Behavior Issues- and Why. Proceedings of the Latin American Veterinary Conference, Lima Peru, 2010.

8) Gray, J.A.: Fear and Frustration, the Psychology of Fear and Stress, 2nd edition, Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1987 pp 174-206.

Glossary of Terms Anxiolytics: (also antipanic or antianxiety agent) is a class of drug used for the treatment of anxiety and its related psychological and physical symptoms.

Antidepressants: A psychoactive medication which produces changes in behavior and/or motivation. While only three antidepressants are FDA approved for use in Veterinary behavior ( Clomicalm, Anapryl, and Reconcile) ; many more are used off label with data extrapolated from human psychiatry. Antidepressants have a wide range of effects on neurotransmitters and a wide range of effects with the general use including anxiety, fears and phobias, compulsive disorders, etc. Antidepressants are classified into three main types depending on the action of neurotransmitters including Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRI’s), Tri-Cyclic Antidepressants (TCA’s), and Monoamine Oxidase inhibitors (MAOI’s) Counterconditioning: A respondent conditioning process in which the learner’s previous conditioned response to a conditioned stimulus is changed. Counterconditioning is used to change a conditioned emotional response from fearful to joyful, or anxiety to relaxation.

Increased Vigilance: Defined by the Association of Psychiatry as a prolonged state of attention and awareness. With increased vigilance, the animal is on constant alert for a potential unexpected threatening stimulus.

Neuroendocrine: Cells that receive neuronal input (neurotransmitters released by nerve cells) and, as a consequence of this input, release message molecules (hormones) to the blood. In this way they bring about integration between the nervous system and the endocrine system.

Neurotransmitter: The canine central nervous system uses chemicals called neurotransmitters to transfer information from cell to cell. The main neurotransmitters that involve canine behavior include Dopamine, Norepinephrine, Serotonin, and GABA. Depending on the composition, some are excitatory and some inhibitory.

How much, what type, and how each is received by the nerve receptor will determine mental and emotional function.

Paradoxical excitement: unusual levels of excitement or hyperactivity Respondent or Classical Conditioning: Occurs when a neutral stimulus is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (that elicits an unconditioned response). After conditioning has occurred, the neutral stimulus itself elicits what we call a conditioned response, and the neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus. The conditioned response is also referred to as a conditioned emotional response, and is performed as a reflex behavior (no thought process involved).

Single Trial Learning Experience: When a conditioned response occurs after one exposure with a powerful unconditioned stimulus. For example, a dog develops a phobia to loud noises after experiencing a hurricane. Taste aversion is also a very powerful unconditioned stimulus that can result in a single trial learning experience.

Systematic Desensitization: Changes problem conditioned emotional responses by teaching relaxation at low levels of the threatening stimulus, developing a hierarchy of fear and then incrementally and gradually exposing the animal to the stimulus starting with the least intense and working through the entire hierarchy level by level.  11

Ask Leah

By Leah Roberts My dog barks when I'm not home and the neighbors are complaining. How do I stop him?

Dogs bark for a number of reasons. When you're not home and your dog is barking, the most common causes are loneliness, boredom, and alerting to a perceived threat (i.e., the sight of people walking by the window or the sound of noises from neighbors). When this happens, it's natural for people to think in terms of “how do I stop this behavior?” But the most effective and reliable solution would be to determine the cause and change the situation so that the dog no longer feels the need to engage in the behavior. That usually means being patient, committing to a program of both management and therapy, and realizing that there is no “magic wand” that will instantly cure the problem, especially if it's been going on for a long period of time.

Management Crating: If possible, confinement to a crate can be helpful. A dog that is properly conditioned to enjoy being crated can feel safer and less driven to “guard” the entire home area. Also a crate can be placed in an area in the home that is quieter, and away from windows to avoid visual stimulation. Here's a video by Rebecca Lynch of K9 Clicking showing how to teach a dog to like his crate. If a crate is not an option, confine the dog in an interior space, and keep windows and blinds closed to cut down on stimulation.

Masking Sounds: It can also be helpful to play music or videos so that the sounds outside the home are easier for your dog to ignore. There are CDs called Through a Dog's Ear that calm some dogs, and also several videos that are made specifically for those dogs who enjoy watching TV. Calming Products: Thundershirts and DAP (Dog Appeasing Pheromone) sprays and plug-ins work to calm many dogs, and may be helpful for your barker.

Enrichment Giving a dog something special to do can also help make time alone more pleasant. A hard rubber chew toy that can be stuffed with food and frozen can give your dog enjoyment for quite a while. There are a variety of food puzzle toys on the market that can be used to make alone time more fun for your dog. These toys should be reserved only for the times when you are leaving him alone, and picked up as soon as you get home. One of my favorite fooddispensing toys is the Buster Cube. Because of its shape it's more difficult for power chewers to be able to destroy it, and the difficulty level can be adjusted as your dog gains skill.

If you're gone for long periods of time, another helpful solution may be to hire a dog walker, not only to break up your dog's day and provide enrichment, but to give him the opportunity to eliminate instead of being uncomfortably forced to hold it for too long. There are professionals available or you may be able to engage a trusted friend or neighborhood kid.

Get Your Neighbors Involved Neighbors who complain about barking aren't necessarily bad people or dog haters. It can be very annoying to hear a dog barking on and on, and can try anybody's patience. If you approach these neighbors, apologize for the inconvenience and let them know you are actively (Continued on page 13)

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Book Review

By Beth Mattei-Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA BOOK: Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us about All Animals Author: Karen Pryor Publisher: Scribner/New York, NY, 2009 Cost: $15 U.S./ $19.99 Canadian for paperback $25 U.S./ $32.99 Canadian for hardcover In Reaching the Animal Mind: Clicker Training and What It Teaches Us About Animals, Karen Pryor lays out some incredible stories that will introduce and/or reaffirm the fact that clicker training is a wonderfully versatile and humane teaching tool through an assortment of stories about clicker training different species from fish to humans. Though Reaching the Animal Mind is not a training manual in its purest sense, it does have a small section at the back of the book that does tell you how to train simple behaviors for cats, dogs and people. From the stories, you can easily usurp practical advice for everyday training issues such as creatively clicking your way out of a training corner, working with fearful animals and how different personalities respond.

Sprinkled throughout the book is some advice on how to handle doubters. Pryor does such a superb job bringing the reality to light without focusing so much attention on it that it becomes daunting. It is strewn within uplifting stories that helped me understand the long road ahead and yet appreciate the huge strides that positive force-free training has made.

The stories are fantastic, eye-opening and sometimes quite humorous but my favorite chapters of the book were Chapter 9 titled “Questions” and Chapter 10 titled “Answers” in which Pryor recaps her journey to find out

the whys of clicker training by enlisting the help of other scientists. She writes about the SEEKING circuit, the work of Jaak Panksepp and its importance in understanding why clicker training works so well.

Pryor writes, “according to B.F. Skinner’s daughter Julie Skinner Vargas, Skinner felt that his great discovery was that the postcedent, not the antecedent, governed behavior: not what happens first, but what happens afterward. That’s the main point in this book: when we stop pushing at the front end of the string and instead attend to what happens as an outcome of our actions and those of others, we can not only accomplish marvels, we can commune on a whole new level with other minds.” Yes! This is what force-free positive training is all about. Pick up this book and enjoy the stories and the versatility of the click.

The book has a complimentary website : www.reachingtheanimalmind.com It lists videos and papers that supplement the book. 

Beth Mattei-Miller has more than 10 years of experience working with dogs and other animals. Most of her handling experience came from six years of shelter work where she handled virtually all breeds of dogs (and other animals) and helped teach volunteers how to train the dogs in their care to make them more adoptable (among many other responsibilities). She lives in Pittston with her husband, daughter, son and animals. Beth is a CPDT-KA, a CBCC-KA, a professional member of the APDT, a C.L.A.S.S. evaluator and an AKC CGC evaluator and devotes considerable educational volunteer work.

(ASK LEAH, continued from page 12)

working on the problem, most people will be much more tolerant. Ask them to help you by letting you know if what you are doing is working – is the barking lessening? Staying the same? Getting worse? Your neighbors' input can be helpful to you.

It is also a good idea to audiotape your dog's barking so that you know with what baseline you're starting out.

Though most complainers won't be dog haters, sometimes there's that one who is reacting completely out of proportion to the problem. If you find out your dog is barking for 10 seconds every 2-3 hours, for example, well... that's what dogs do. That's not a barking problem, that's a neighbor problem.

Bark Collars – NOT an Option There are three types of collars on the market that are manufactured to stop a dog from barking. All of them use (Continued on page 32)

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PPG Worldwide Reports on...

Ray Coppinger 10./11. März 2012 in Clickerzentrum Schweiz, 2716 Sornetan von Nico Feider, ballance.lu Dog Training, Luxembourg Den meisten wirklich Hundeinteressierten wird der Name Raymond Coppinger wohl ein Begriff sein. Er schrieb zusammen mit seiner Frau Lorna das Buch mit dem simplen aber prägnanten Titel “Hunde” (“Dogs” in der englischen Originalausgabe).

Ich muss gestehen, dass ich das Buch nicht besonders schätzte als ich es das erste mal las. Mir schien es, als ob die Autoren Hunde nicht mochten, -zu oft wurden Versuche und Beobachtungen beschrieben, deren Umstände ich persönlich so auf keinen Fall gutheißen würde.

Da der Name Coppinger immer wieder von allen namhaften Hundebuchautoren und guten Hundetrainern aufgegriffen und seine Theorien und Erkenntnisse zum Teil heftig diskutiert werden, dachte ich mir, es wäre eine gute Gelegenheit dieser “Legende” bei seinem 2TagesSeminar im März 2012 in der Schweiz zuzuhören.

Im Vorfeld erreichten mich Gerüchte, dass Ray Coppinger alt und geistig nicht mehr ganz auf der Höhe sei.

Da mein Englisch außerdem recht bescheiden ist, hatte ich einige Bedenken, den Ausführungen des Referenten (trotz vorgesehener sinngemäßer Übersetzung auf Deutsch) überhaupt folgen zu können.

Um es kurz zu machen: alle meine Bedenken waren unbegründet. Ray Coppinger ist ein sehr netter und interessanter alter (-ja, das stimmt, er ist über 70) Mann, der viel erlebt und erforscht hat. Seine einfache, logische und trotzdem fundierte Art, Zusammenhänge zu erklären und auf den Punkt zu bringen, hat mich fasziniert. Für den Forscher Raymond Coppinger gibt es keinen Ruhestand; er ist immer noch begeistert und seine Augen haben dieses Leuchten, wenn er über Hunde redet (und immer wieder NUR über Hunde...)

So erklärte er beispielsweise am ersten Seminartag seine beeindruckende und recht einleuchtende Sichtweise, wie der Hund seine ökologische Nische selbst gefunden haben dürfte, -zwar wohl mithilfe der Präsenz der Menschen, aber ohne deren bewusste Selektion. Die durch Menschen gezüchteten Haushunde, wie wir sie kennen, machen nur einen kleinen Prozentsatz der weltweiten Hundepopulation aus. Die “richtigen” Hunde seien überall gleich in ihrer Form und würden sich lediglich dadurch unterscheiden, dass sie

um den Äquator kleiner und zu den Polen hin etwas größer und schwerer würden (dies natürlich aus dem ganz einfachen Grund, dass die Rechnung: zugeführte Energie geteilt durch verbrauchte Energie größer als 1 sein muss) Diese Hunde lebten zwar wohl in Menschennähe und könnten ohne die Menschen nicht überleben. Jedoch seien sie nicht im eigentlichen Sinn domestiziert, genausowenig wie es die Millionen Tauben sind, die in vielen Großstädten leben. Bei diesen Hunden würden sich die Eigenschaften weitervererben, die wesentlich sind, um in der spezifischen Nische existieren zu können und nicht die, die wir Menschen aus irgendwelchen Schönheitidealen heraus kreieren.

Ein Punkt, den er am zweiten Vorlesungstag immer wieder hervorgehoben und erklärt hat, ist die Wichtigkeit der Lernerfahrungen von Hundewelpen. Was den meisten seriösen Züchtern und Trainerkollegen wohl als nichts wirklich Neues erscheinen mag, hat er in seiner enthusiastischen und mitreißenden Art mit Fotos, wissenschaftlichen Auswertungen...(z.B. auch aus den schrecklichen Kinderheimen unter Ceaușescu in Rumänien) zu einem so spannenden Thema gemacht, dass wir alle (so denke ich) ein wenig frustriert waren, als es hieß, wir müssten nun doch aufhören, -wir hätten sowieso schon fast eine Stunde überzogen.

Ich habe meine Ansicht in Bezug auf die “brutale Sachlichkeit” vieler der im Buch beschriebenen Versuche und Erkenntnisse geändert . Die Allermeisten dieser Tests wurden vor vielen Jahren durchgeführt und zu dieser Zeit gab es nicht die gleiche Ethik, wie es sie jetzt vermehrt (zum Glück) in vielen Forschungsgebieten (Continued on page 15)

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...the Ray Coppinger Seminar, March 2012 Seminário com Ray Coppinger, 10-11 Março Felizmente, as minhas preocupações revelaram-se sem fundamento. Apesar da sua avançada idade de 2012 Clickerzentrum na Suiça, 2716 Sornetan Por Nico Feider, balance.lu dog Training, Luxemburgo (traduzido por Claudia Estanislau, da Its All About Dogs, Portugal) O nome Coppinger é muito conhecido como pertencente à dupla Raymond e Lorna Coppinger, responsáveis pelo livro Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. Este trabalho é e tem sido tópico de discussão entre os entendidos da cinofilia desde que surgiu no mercado. Por isso e apesar dos rumores que o Dr. Coppinger está velho e já não está na sua melhor forma, eu decidi participar neste seminário de dois dias na Suiça, mesmo apesar também das minhas dúvidas acerca de como enfrentaria um seminário todo em inglês.

A palavra mais importante e aquela com a qual o Dr. Coppinger nos queria impressionar durante o primeiro dia de seminário era “nicho”. Um nicho é um local ecológico habitado pelos animais, que seja ou perto de, ou tenha mesmo a ajuda activa de nós, humanos. Uma vez que este nicho seja fundado, as características que tornam possível existir dentro do mesmo, são passadas de geração em geração. Neste sentido, existe um grande diferença entre, viver dentro desse nicho e ser realmente um animal domesticado, da mesma forma que os pombos vivem com os humanos, mas não são domesticados. Isto é claro aplicasse a todos os cães ferais e semi-ferais, que constituem na realidade a grande maioria dos cães no mundo todo e a aparência deles – que está também dependente do nicho onde habitam – não tem nada em comum com os cães design fabricados pelos humanos e que habitam nas nossas casas.

bem mais do que 70 anos o seu vasto conhecimento e experiência transpareceram bem, fosse durante o seminário ou mesmo depois deste enquanto bebiamos uma cerveja, através da forma como ilustrava e explicava os seus vários pontos de vista científicos. E apesar da sua forma muito rígida e científica de explicar o comportamento usada no seu livro, foi muito interessante ouvir que ele deixou de procriar e correr com cães no trenó por causa do facto da sua ética ser um obstáculo para fazer o que fosse preciso para ganhar.

Um dos seus pontos principais focados durante o seminário foi a importância das experiências e aprendizagem adquiridas pelos cachorros. Apesar de não ser nada de novo para muitos de nós, ainda assim foi muito interessante ver através das muitas e variadas fotografias e estatísticas científicas a validade dos seus pontos de vista.  (Continued from page 14)

gibt.

Abends beim Bier erklärte mir Ray, warum er seine große Passion, Schlittenhunde zu beobachten und möglichst zu noch erfolgreicheren Schlittenhunden zu züchten... aufgegeben hat. Er sagte, dass die Tatsache, dass er weiterhin bei Schlittenhunderennen gewinnen wollte, ihn soweit gebracht hatte, dass er sich nicht mehr so ohne Weiteres im Spiegel anschauen konnte.

Meine Heimfahrt (von etwas über 5 Stunden Autofahrt) war nach diesem Seminar keine Spur ermüdend oder langweilig. Die Erzählungen und Aussagen von Ray Coppinger beschäftigen mich bis heute. Ich überdenke mein Hundewissen zu einem gewissen Anteil bzw. setze es ab und zu in einen anderen situationsbedingten Kontext. Das Buch lese ich gerade noch einmal in der originalen englischen Ausgabe. Jetzt, da ich einen der beiden Autoren kennenlernen durfte, verstehe ich vieles in dem Buch ganz anders als beim ersten Lesen und -ich finde es grossartig!

Danke Ray Coppinger und Danke Leonard “Buzz” Cecil, der es mir ermöglicht hat, an diesem tollen Seminar teilzunehmen, 

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Ray Coppinger's Seminar, March 10-11, 2012 Clickerzentrum Schweiz, 2716 Sornetan

(Vertaald door Annieke Lamers, KiaraLuna Clickertraining)

By Nico Feider, ballance.lu Dog Training, Luxembourg (translated by Leonard "Buzz" Cecil, Auf den Hund Gekommen)

De naam Coppinger is natuurlijk welbekend als behorende aan Raymond en Lorna Coppinger, die verantwoordelijk zijn voor het boek Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. Dit werk is en was onderdeel van discussies onder hondenmensen sinds zijn verschijning. Dus ondanks de geruchten dat Dr. Coppinger oud en niet meer in vorm was, heb ik besloten om zijn 2-daagse seminar in Zwitserland te volgen, hoewel ik twijfelde over mijn beheersing van de Engelse taal.

The name Coppinger is of course well known as belonging to Raymond and Lorna Coppinger, who are responsible for the book Dogs: A New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior and Evolution. This work is and has been a topic of discussion amongst dog people since it appeared. So even though there had been some rumors of Dr. Coppinger being old and no longer in his best form, I decided to attend his two-day seminar in Switzerland, also despite my doubts about my own capabilities with the English language.

The most important word Dr. Coppinger wanted to impress us with on the first seminar day was "niche." This is the ecological place the animals habitats, either next to, with or with the help of us humans. Once this niche has been found, the characteristics necessary to exist within it are given on to further generations. And in this sense, there is a difference between inhabiting such a niche and actually being domesticated, in just the same manner that pigeons live with humans but are not domesticated. This also applies to feral and semi-feral dogs, which make up the vast majority of dogs worldwide and how they look which is niche dependent – and has nothing in common with the human-designed pet dogs we have at home.

Fortunately my concerns on both accounts proved to be unfounded. Despite being well past 70, his vast array of knowledge and experience came over well, be it during the seminar or over a beer after the session(s), as shown by way of the simple but clear way he could illustrate and explain his various scientific points. And in spite of the rather rough, strictly scientific manner of explaining behavior in his book, it was interesting to hear that he quit breeding and racing sled dogs because of his own ethical stance getting in the way of doing what might be necessary to do to win.

One of his main points of the seminar was the importance of the learning experiences accrued during the puppy age. Although this is not new to many of us, it was still interesting through his many and varied photos and statistics, showing the validity of his points. At the seminar and through the five-hour trip home, this made a lasting impression on my way of thinking about dogs and how I thought about his book and cold scientific manner I'd perceived it having been written before hearing him in person. In fact, I'm reading the entire book once again and am finding it to be terrific.  Seminar van Ray Coppinger, 10-11 Maart 2012 Clickerzentrum Schweiz, 2716 Sornetan door Nico Feider, ballance.lu Hondentraining, Luxemburg

Het belangrijkste woord dat Dr. Coppinger ons wilde meegeven op de eerste dag van het seminar was “niche”.

Dit is de ecologische plaats die dieren innemen, of dat nu naast, met, of zonder de hulp van ons mensen is. Wanneer deze niche gevonden is, worden de kenmerken die nodig zijn om binnen die niche te bestaan, doorgegeven aan volgende generaties. Op deze manier is er een verschil tussen het innemen van zo’n niche en daadwerkelijk gedomesticeerd zijn, op dezelfde manier dat duiven met mensen samenleven, maar niet gedomesticeerd zijn. Dit is natuurlijk van toepassing op wilde en halfwilde honden, die samen de overgrote meerderheid vormen van alle honden ter wereld, en hoe ze eruit zien – wat nicheafhankelijk is – heeft geen enkele overeenkomst met de door mensen ontworpen huishonden die wij thuis hebben.

Gelukkig bleken mijn zorgen over beide zaken ongegrond. Ondanks zijn gevorderde leeftijd van ruim boven de 70 kwam zijn enorme kennis en ervaring goed over, of dat nu tijdens het seminar was, of met een biertje na de sessies, zoals aangegeven door middel van de eenvoudige, maar duidelijke manier waarop hij zijn verschillende wetenschappelijke punten kon laten zien en uitleggen. En ondanks de ietwat grove, strikt wetenschappelijke manier van uitleggen in zijn boek was het interessant om te horen dat hij gestopt was met het fokken van en racen met sledehonden, omdat zijn eigen ethische standpunt in de weg stond van het doen wat nodig zou zijn om te winnen.

Een van zijn speerpunten tijdens Ray’s seminar was het belang van de leerervaringen opgedaan gedurende de puppytijd. Hoewel dit voor velen van ons niets nieuws is, was de geldigheid van zijn punten toch interessant wegens de vele en gevarieerde foto’s en wetenschappelijke statistieken.

Beginnend tijdens het seminar en verder gedurende de lange reis van 5 uur terug naar huis, maakte dit seminar een blijvende indruk op mijn manier van denken over honden en hoe ik over zijn boek dacht, en de koude wetenschappelijke manier waarin ik vond dat het geschreven was, voordat ik hem persoonlijk ontmoette. Ik ben het hele boek nu nog eens aan het lezen en vind het geweldig.  16

PPG Worldwide Reports on Prong Collars Aktion Tausche Stachelhalsband gegen Training (http://www.tausche-stachelhalsband-gegentraining.de) und die Petition gegen Stachelhalsbänder in Deutschland (http:// www.tausche-stachelhalsband-gegen-training.de/ petition.php) Bericht von Tina Müller Heute über ein halbes Jahr nach unserer Aktion, fühlt es sich fast etwas unwirklich an. Vor einem halben Jahr verging kein Tag an dem wir nicht um die 100 Emails beantworten oder 300 Rundmails herausschicken mussten. Das Handy klingelte fast ununterbrochen, der Drucker lief Amok und unsere Nerven lagen ein wenig blank. Wem hatten wir dieses Chaos zu verdanken?

Einer einfach aber genialen Idee von Sonja Meiburg (Hundeschule Holledau) ein paar Wochen zuvor. Sie suchte für ihr jährliches Hundeschulsommerfest einen Aufhänger, der ihre Trainingsphilosophie ebenso transportieren sollte, wie auch ihre Einstellung zum Tierschutz. All dies gipfelte in dem Slogan “Tausche Stachelhalsband gegen Training“ und meinte, dass sie gegen die freiwillige Abgabe von aversiven Erziehungshilfen, wie Stachel - , W ü r g e - , Elektrohalsbändern, aber auch Erziehungsgeschirre, Fisher-Disc, Rappeldosen etc., eine kostenlose Einzeltrainingsstunde als Gegenleistung anbieten wollte.

Nun leben wir im Zeitalter von sozialen Netzwerken und was lag näher, als diese Aktion auf Facebook zu posten? Die Resonanz die sie auf ihre Idee bekam, war unglaublich und so nicht absehbar. Innerhalb von drei Wochen, schlossen sich spontan immer mehr Hundeschulen in ganz Deutschland, die ebenfalls eine Trainingsphilosophie der positiven Verstärkung vertraten, diesem Angebot an.

Tina Müller(FreundschaftHund-Gemeinsam durchs Leben) programmierte, quasi über Nacht, eine professionelle Webseite und Heike Hillebrand (Hillebrand-hilft-Hundehaltern), steuerte die Texte hinzu.

Die Webseite gab dem Projekt eine neue Dimension, immer mehr Hundeschulen im In- und Ausland sprangen auf den rollenden Zug. Bald waren es mehr

als 500 und die Webseite wurde, aufgrund der enormen Nachfrage ins Englische übersetzt. Die ersten Presseberichte erfolgten und die einst regionale Aktion, drohte in ihrer Dynamik die drei Hauptakteure fast zu überrollen. Tina Müller erkannte die einmalige Chance, den momentanen Hype zu nutzen um weitgreifend etwas zu verändern. Sie wollte eine Gesetzesänderung in Deutschland in Bezug auf Stachelhalsbänder erwirken. Gemeinsam mit Heike Hillebrand reichte sie eine Petition ein mit dem Ziel, Stachelhalsbänder in Deutschland ein für alle Mal zu verbieten. Im Rückblick hört sich das Ganze wie ein Hundespaziergang an, aber so war es nicht. Manchmal ist es gut, wenn man ein wenig naiv an eine unbekannte Sache herantritt, sonst würde einen im Vorfeld schon der Mut verlassen- so würde sich nie etwas ändern. Wir hatten keine Ahnung wie viel Arbeit, Recherche und Zeit in einer Petition steckt, wenn man sie denn auch erfolgreich zu Ende bringen möchte.

Erschreckend ist wie viel Anfeindung und Häme einem entgegen schlagen, wenn man sich engagiert, eine Erfahrung, die überrascht, aber unter menschliche Abgründe abgehakt wurde.

Die eigentliche Eingabe der Petition war das geringste Problem, s c h w i e ri g e r gestalteten sich die Bedingungen, die sich an eine, in unserem Fall, Nicht-Öffentliche Petitionen, wenn man eine Anhörung vor dem Petitionsausschuss erreichen möchte- und das wollten wir unbedingt.

Zwischen uns und der Anhörung und in der Folge einer möglichen Gesetzesänderung, lagen mindestens 50.000 handschriftlichen Unterschriften auf Listen, die innerhalb von drei Wochen nicht nur gesammelt sondern auch in Berlin beim Petitionsausschuss eingereicht werden mussten.

Selbst die Sachbearbeiterin des Ausschusses hielt dies für ein Ding der Unmöglichkeit. Wir glaubten an uns und unsere Mitstreiter, Facebook nutzten wir als unser Sprachrohr. Nach drei Wochen in denen wir fast Tag und Nacht in Sachen Petition eingebunden waren und viele mit Listen bewaffnet Fremde und Freunde unterschreiben ließen, sank unser Mut. Wir hatten zwar sensationelle 27.000 Unterschriften, aber das war gerade mal etwas über die Hälfte. Auch diese (Continued on page 18)

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Hiobsbotschaft verbreitete sich wie ein Lauffeuer über Facebook und Tina Müller startete immer neue Aktionen, um möglichst viele Großunternehmen und ihre Verteiler für unser Projekt zu gewinnen. Im Nachhinein hat sie wohl jeden angerufen, der einen Namen und eine Telefonnummer hatte. Ihre unermüdliche Arbeit trug Früchte, so gewann sie Zeitschriften wie DOGS…., Tierschutzorganisationen, wie Tasso… und Großunternehmen als Unterstützer für unsere Petition.

Friendship with Dogs – Together Through Life

By Tina Müller, Freundschaft Hund – Gemeinsam durchs Leben What started out as simply a nice cute offer/activity for a summer festival put on by Ms. Sonja Meiburg (Hundeschule Holledau) that also expressed a certain training philosophy, grew into madly ringing cell phones, hundreds of emails per day sent and received, and printers printing themselves crazy.

Starting out as Trade Your Prong Collar For Free Positive Instruction, this movement grew to include all aversive tools and into a parlimentary intiative to ban prong collars.

Nach insgesamt sechs Wochen war unser Ziel erreicht und die 50.000 Unterschriftenhürde geknackt. Dank noch einmal an alle, die daran mitgewirkt haben. Nun lagen also all diese mühsam gesammelten, von Tina Müller gebündelten und gezählten Unterschriften dem Petitionsausschuss in Berlin vor. Allerdings mussten And it started to take on a life of its own, thanks to wir lernen, dass die Uhren in Berlin ein wenig anders social networking. Ms. Tina Müller (FreundschaftHund -Gemeinsam durchs Leben) ticken. Heißt langsam- seit programmed a website and Ms. Oktober 2011 warten wir nun Heike Hillebrand (Hillebrand-hilftauf einen wie auch immer Hundehaltern) wrote the texts. In no gearteten Bescheid. time at all, more than 500 schools Starting out as Trade Your Nachfragen von Tina Müller internationally joined this cause, also beim Petitionsausschuss Prong Collar For Free Positive requiring a translation into English. ergaben, dass man zu noch keiner Entscheidung gefunden Instruction, this movement A petition was started, which was to hätte. Die letzte Aussage aus be turned in to start a parlimentary grew to include all aversive dem Februar 2012 lautet, dass process to ban prong collars in der Ausschuss immer noch tools and into a parlimentary Germany. This was the easy part. darüber berät und abstimmen The difficult part was to get enough wird, ob man uns ein intiative to ban prong collars. signatures in a very short amount of Vorspracherecht einräumen time as was required by Germany for wird. Also heißt es weiter such private intiatives. We needed warten, was da auch immer 50,000 signatures within a period of kommen mag. three weeks. The first attempt only got us 27,000 .. but still.

Die Aktion hat in dessen den DogsAward 2011 gewinnen können und die Idee „Tausche Stachelhalsband gegen Training“, wird noch immer von vielen Hundeschulen angeboten. In der Quintessenz war es eine extrem anstrengende, zeitund geldraubende, aufregende, stressige Zeit- aber sie hat sich in jedem Fall gelohnt. Allein das Gefühl nicht einfach machtlos und wütend zu zuschauen sondern aktiv an einer Änderung der Ungerechtigkeit gegenüber unseren Hunden teilzunehmen – war und ist unbezahlbar.

Für ein Ziel das sich lohnt, würden wir es wieder tunjeder Zeit.

Tina Müller started another try and this time we made it. Of course not everyone works with the same intesity and drive as we do/did. We've been waiting since October 2011 to hear if and when Parliment in Berlin will take up this matter. The matter is now in a subcommittee that is “looking it over“ and will decide if we will be invited for a hearing. Even if this doesn't pass the Parliament, this movement Trade Your Prong Collar For Free Positive Instruction won the 2011 DogsAward and scores of training schools are still offering this training trade, for the sake of our dogs.

Something we would do all over again if necessary.





Tina Müller von Freundschaft Hund – Gemeinsam durchs Leben und Heike Hillebrand von Hillebrand hilft Hundehaltern.

Text translated by Leonard "Buzz" Cecil, Auf den Hund Gekommen

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La relation humain-chien ; ensemble pour la vie.

Ce qui a d’abord débuté par une simple activité élaborée par Mme Sonja Meiburg (Hundeschule Holledau) Pour un festival d’été, proposant aussi une certaine philosophie de l’entrainement, a vite provoqué une folle avalanche de courriels, de sonneries de cellulaires et de ronronnements d’imprimantes. Appelé à l’origine «Changez votre collier à pointes pour des méthodes positives», le mouvement a pris de l’ampleur jusqu’à inclure tout les outils aversifs et a initié une réelle cabale afin de bannir le collier à pointes (aussi appelé collier Torquatus).

Grâce aux médias sociaux le mouvement s’est répandu rapidement et Mme Tina Müller (FreundschaftHundGemeinsam durchs Leben) a élaboré un site Web tandis que Mme Heike Hillebrand (Hillebrand-hilftHundehaltern) en a écrit les textes.

En un rien de temps, des organismes de partout dans le monde se sont joint à la cause, ce qui demanda une traduction en anglais.

Une pétition a été lancée afin de bannir le collier à pointes en Allemagne, ce qui fût assez facile. La partie difficile était de recueillir suffisamment de signatures en un très court laps de temps tel que requis par le pays pour des initiatives privées de la sorte. Nous nécessitions 50,000 signatures en trois semaines. La première tentative n’en regroupa que 27,000. Tina Müller en démarra une autre et réussît.

Bien entendu, tout le monde ne travaille pas avec la même motivation et la même intensité que nous l’avons fait; nous attendons depuis octobre 2011 de savoir si et quand le parlement berlinois va considérer notre requête. La demande est maintenant entre les mains d’un sous-comité qui «l’étudie» et qui décidera si notre cause sera entendue. Mais même si le parlement ne donne pas suite, ce mouvement: «Changez votre collier à pointes pour des méthodes positives», a mérité le 2011 DogsAward et plusieurs écoles d’entrainement propose cet «échange de méthodes» pour le plus grand bien de nos chiens. Et nous recommencerions tout depuis le début si cela s’avérait nécessaire. 

Texte original: Freundschaft Hund – Gemeinsam durchs Leben, traduit de l’anglais par Jean Lessard, MCP, éducateur canin-comportementaliste, Montréal, Québec, Canada.

"Freundschaft Hund-Gemeinsam durchs Leben" (traducción de "amistad con los perros juntos a lo largo de la vida") Por Tina Müller Lo que comenzó como una idea sencilla para una actividad durante un festival de verano organizado por la señora Sonja Meiburg (Hundeschule Holledau), en el cual se impartían unas pinceladas de filosofía de entrenamiento canino, se acabó convirtiendo en un sin fin de llamadas telefónicas, cientos de correos electrónicos tanto enviados como recibidos y una gran cantidad de documentos impresos y repartidos.

Comenzó con la iniciativa "cambia el collar de castigo de tu perro por un entrenamiento positivo gratis". Dicha propuesta acabó abarcando todas las herramientas de carácter aversivo y posteriormente en una iniciativa parlamentaria para prohibir los collares de castigo, la cual comenzó a tener vida propia gracias a su difusión en las redes sociales. La señora Tina Müller (FreundschaftHund-Gemeinsam durchs Leben) realizó una página web y la señora Heike Hillebrand (Hillebrand -hilft-Hundehaltern) escribió los textos. En poco tiempo, más de 500 escuelas a nivel internacional se unieron a esta causa, y en poco tiempo hizo falta una traducción de los textos al Inglés. La petición para prohibir los collares de castigo en Alemania se inició, siendo esto la parte más fácil. Lo más complicado era conseguir suficientes firmas en un lapso muy corto de tiempo, como se estipula en por Alemania para este tipo de iniciativas privadas.

Necesitábamos 50.000 firmas en un plazo de 3 semanas. En el primer intento sólo se recogieron 27.000 .. aunque eran un gran número no eran suficientes. Tina Müller comenzó otro intento y esta vez lo hemos conseguido. Por supuesto que no todo el mundo trabaja con la misma intesidad y nivel de motivación. Hemos estado esperando desde Octubre de 2011, para saber si el Parlamento en Berlín se ocupará de este asunto y cuándo. La petición está actualmente en una subcomisión que está revisando y evaluandoel asunto y decidirá si seremos invitados a una audiencia.

Incluso si esto no pasa al Parlamento, este movimiento de "cambia el collar de castigo de tu perro por un entrenamiento positivo gratis", ganó el premio "DogsAward 2011" y en un gran número de escuelas de entrenamiento canino se sigue ofreciendo este intercambio de formación, por el bien de todos nuestros perros. Algo que volveríamos a hacer de nuevo si fuera necesario. 

Text translated by Nando Brown, In the Dog House, Malaga, Spain

(Continued on page 20)

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(PRONG COLLARS, continued from page 19)

Gemeinsam durchs Leben (vertaling: Vriendschap met Honden – Samen Door Het Leven) Door Tina Müller Freundschaft Hund Wat begon als gewoon een mooie, leuke aanbieding/ activiteit voor een zomerfestival opgezet door mevrouw Sonja Meiburg (Hundeschule Holledau), die tegelijkertijd blijk gaf van een bepaalde trainingsfilosofie, groeide uit tot als gekken rinkelende mobiele telefoons, honderden verstuurde en ontvangen e-mails per dag, en printers die zichzelf een slag in de rondte printten.

Wat begon als “Lever Je Prikband In voor Gratis Positieve Instructie”, groeide al snel uit tot een beweging waarin alle aversieve “hulpmiddelen” werden opgenomen, en in een regeringsinitiatief om prikbanden te verbieden.Dankzij sociale netwerken begon deze beweging een eigen leven te leiden. Tina Müller (Freundschaft Hund - Gemeinsam durchs Leben) programmeerde een website en Heike Hillebrand (Hillebrand-hilft-Hundehaltern) schreef de teksten. Binnen de kortste keren sloten meer dan 500 hondenscholen in binnen- en buitenland zich aan bij deze zaak, waardoor een Engelse vertaling noodzakelijk werd.Er werd een petitie gestart, die ingeleverd moest worden bij de regering om een proces voor het verbieden van prikbanden te kunnen starten. Dit was het makkelijke gedeelte. Het moeilijke gedeelte was het verzamelen van genoeg handtekeningen in de zeer korte tijd die in Duitsland is toegestaan voor dergelijke privé-initiatieven. We hadden binnen 3 weken 50,000 handtekeningen nodig.

De eerste poging haalden we er maar 27,000… maar toch.

Tina Müller begon nog een poging en deze keer lukte het. Natuurlijk werkt niet iedereen met dezelfde intensiteit en gedrevenheid als wij doen/deden. We wachten al sinds Oktober 2011 om te horen of en wanneer deze zaak in Berlijn wordt behandeld. De zaak zit nu in een subcommissie die alles “doorneemt” en daarna zal beslissen of wij worden uitgenodigd voor een hoorzitting. Zelfs als dit niet door het Parlement komt, dan heeft “Lever Je Prikband In voor Gratis Positieve Instructie” alsnog de DogsAward 2011 gewonnen, en zijn er nog steeds een heleboel hondenscholen die deze ruil aanbieden, voor het belang van onze honden. Iets wat we helemaal opnieuw zouden doen als het nodig was. 

Tekst vertaald door Annieke Lamers.

(RUMBLE, continued from page 5)

pounding this, Rumble was unable to leave his house at his peak of mental illness. Maren resorted to exercising him in her backyard and after hours — months of rehab at the empty dog school. At home, Rumble started fence-fighting with the neighbor’s dogs. Maren immediately added a second row of fencing that created a buffer, preventing the problem. The damage was already done, Rumble would lose focus and frequently became unable to learn if he could hear the neighbor’s dogs bark.

At the empty dog school Rumble’s speed and agility were awesome, but performing in front of strange people or other dogs was impossible. Yet Maren continued to be dedicated to his agility training since it was building his confidence, and giving him much needed mental and physical stimulation. As part of his agility training, Rum learned the teeter.

Teeter Rumble learned all of the equipment very quickly and negotiated it all at top speed, except for the teeter.

Initial training of the teeter had gone smoothly, but then suddenly Rumble balked at performing the fullheight teeter. Maren, knowing, the importance of foundation training, restarted the teeter training. Once the teeter was lowered to a nearly flat position, Rumble immediately and enthusiastically did the teeter again. To get him accustomed to the noise we spent hours banging the teeter while Rumble and Maren played. Rumble confidently performed a mini-teeter and a lowered training teeter. For the second time, very gradually Maren began raising the full-height teeter. Rumble was happy and confident but once it reached full height he again began to refuse the teeter. For the third time, retraining the teeter began.

Again, Rumble progressed quickly and was soon doing the teeter full height. Success! Or so we thought, until one day when Rumble fell off the dog walk. For reasons we cannot explain, the fall off the dog walk caused him to immediately refuse the teeter. Close to giving up, Maren again retrained the teeter, for a fourth and final time. Today he performs the teeter with such extreme confidence and speed that it is hard to imagine there was ever an issue.

One explanation Rum’s teeter problems is his panic disorder, a genetic illness which causes the victim to have severe anxiety attacks. Both in humans and animals, panic attacks can be associated with locations or objects. This association can lead to avoidance of that location or object. We assume that in Rum’s case, a panic attack may have accidentally been linked with the teeter. Another possibility is that the movement, noise and negotiation of this obstacle trig(Continued on page 22)

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PPG Member Profile: Lauren Elizabeth-Bertonazzi

By Angelica Steinker, M.Ed., CDBC, PDBC Lauren Elizabeth has owned dogs her whole life. In her family of origin, all people used in board training was shock collars and ongoing shock collar use as a means of managing their dogs. Lauren describes it in a way that sounds like a culture. Lauren graciously opens herself up to allow us an inside-look how shock collar trainers think and feel. PPG Steering Committee member Angelica Steinker asked intense questions all of which Lauren honestly, patiently and completely answered.

Thank you Lauren for your courage to share with us and for being part of the PPG family. You used to use shock, how did this come to be?

As far back as I can remember-- my family had dogs.

Those dogs would be sent away to "training camp" a few weeks after coming to live with my family, and they would come back well-trained and with a brand new shock collar. As a young child, I was NOT allowed to touch the remote, and I almost viewed it as a "rite of passage" when my parents taught me to use the remote on off-leash walks in the woods with the family border collie Bruno. When I turned 10 years old, my parents gave in and let me pick a puppy from a friend's litter to raise as my own dog. She was a GSD/Husky mix named Crystal. She went away to shock collar camp like every other dog when she turned four months old. My parents had me go to the follow-up classes with the trainer to learn how to "train" and work my dog. I was amazed at how she went from a wriggly little puppy to a "serious" dog who would listen to anything I asked her to do. I was so proud of my dog! From that point on, every dog I had went away to shock collar camp and I got "great" results. That all changed when I adopted Brody in August 2010. I was called to pick up my dog after only two days at "camp." He severely bit the trainer, I was told that my dog was dangerous and uncontrollable, and that he should be euthanized.

What do your parents think now that you are opposed to shock collars?

It has been a point of contention in my family. They are good friends with my first trainer, and they agreed that Brody should have been euthanized after he bit my sister. They forbid him on their property until yesterday, actually! That same trainer actually harassed me and took legal action against me for violating a confidentiality agreement when I started to speak out against the method and placed blame on his methods for Brody's aggression. It has all been swept under the rug for the most part, but my parents still shock their dogs and have no intentions of changing as long as it "works."

They admitted they don't care enough to spend the time

to learn to train another way and like that someone else trains their dogs for them.

Tell me about this confidentiality clause, what is that?

In the confidentiality clause, I signed a paper agreeing not to disclose identifying details about the shock collar trainer’s business in conjunction with any criticisms I have of his methods. Basically, I cannot talk badly about the trainer’s methods and name the trainer or business directly. It was a weird clause for sure, but very common among shock collar trainers.

What did you feel when you actually shocked the dog?

It was a powerful feeling because as soon as you pushed the button, the dog stopped whatever he was doing and you became the center of attention. I didn't feel bad for my dog, because my dog didn't act like he was in distress (as far as I knew at the time), and I had felt the shock before and didn't think it was painful at all.

There are so many reasons why the "hold the collar in your hand and push the button" test is a misleading and inaccurate representation of what a shock collar feels like when it is on the dog.

Many shock trainers admit that a dog will often feel the shock at a lower level than a human does. For example, the lowest level I felt the shock using the Dogtra collar was a level 12. Brody's "working level" was a level 7.

His "correction level" (with the "behaviorist") was a level 10. I couldn't feel a level 10 but it was painful enough for Brody to yelp. If we can't feel what they feel in the first place, how can we possibly confirm that it is not painful?

These numbers are out of a possible range of level 1 to maximum level 126, by the way. If a level 10 causes a dog to vocalize, what would happen if you used the maximum 126 level?

Dogs are very stoic to begin with. They often will hide signs of illness or injury until it gets rather serious. I think it would be highly unlikely that the lowest level Brody could feel was a 7, that's the actually slightly above the highest level he could tolerate enough to mask. The way they're setting a "working level" is the progressively increase the intensity of the shock until they see an ear flick, a lip lick, sniffing, or turning away.

Do those actions sound familiar? They are stress signals! Aversive trainers are notoriously horrible at reading stress signals in dogs. You are using a stimulus that is causing stress in a dog but you're saying it isn't uncomfortable? How does that work?

(Continued on page 42)

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(RUMBLE, continued from page 20)

gered his sensory integration problems.

Catching the Wave

old and he showed no response. When he heard them again at 10 months of age, Rumble showed extreme stress, shaking and panting and once the fear was triggered there was no calming. The vet prescribed some anti-anxiety medications which appeared to have no effect, but a pair of Mutt Muffs from www.MuttMuffs.com. (originally designed to help reduce cockpit noise, this product has Velcro straps which fasten around the dog’s head. Dogs can still hear fireworks or thunderstorms, but the sound is greatly reduced and most noise sensitive dogs experience less anxiety.) The Mutt Muffs reduce Rum’s fear from a 100 to a 20 on a scale of 100 being complete panic and 0 being no fear.

Rum wearing his Mutt Muffs Pica

Another thing about Rum is that his mental ability to learn or perform a behavior can be similar to waves in an ocean. If you ask Rum to perform a cue he may or may not be able to do it based on where the wave is. The cue has to be timed in a way that you can catch the wave. Usually when an animal balks at an obstacle you go back to a much easier step in the training, quickly refreshing the dog’s memory. We noticed with Rum that his hesitations were not based on missed steps or repetitions in the training process but rather on some sort of internal wave dynamic. With time and patience this “phase” of Rumble’s learning seems to subside.

Fireworks The first time Rum heard fireworks, he was five months

As an adolescent Border Collie, when his anxiety disorders peaked, Rum started obsessively chewing. Here is a list of some of the things Rum chewed:                 

His own tail hair Family room blinds Video camera Books, toilet paper Prescription bottle with pain killers Shoes DVDs Couch Couch cover Coffee table, kitchen table and chairs Rugs Plastic hamper Neosporin Clothing Hats Camera Bed sheets, pillows, blankets, towels, wash cloths  Agility ribbons  Silverware  Cell phone Dr. Karen Overall VMD, Ph.D., determined that Rum has virtual separation anxiety. Every time Maren turned her back on Rum he would anticipate her departure and grab an item to ingest. Usually the items were things that Maren had just handled and placed out of his reach.

Many times items were grabbed within a few seconds of Maren briefly turning her back. A bottle of pain killers was grabbed within three seconds of Maren touching it.

Maren’s vet had to induce vomiting and Rum threw up all of the pills, a mascara label, pieces of his toy and part of a towel. All if this had been ingested as Maren was getting ready for work and had never left the room 22

Rum was in.

“Ceiling Fans Implicated in Death of Several Border Collies” This is what the headline reads on Rumble’s news channel ticker. At 18 months of age Rum suddenly discovered the ceiling fans in the house. We mention his age because 14 to 18 months can be another onset period for genetic mental illness. Both sexual maturity (six months of age) and the later social maturity time period can act as genetic light switches for behavior to suddenly appear.

straight it looked as if it was mechanically cut. However, Maren placed some food dye on the hair and sure enough the dye showed up on Rum’s lips.

Global Suppression of Behavior One of the most challenging issues with Rum was his absolutely stoic facial expression and body language.

After his friendly puppyhood body language faded we thought we were dealing with a dog that just wasn’t very expressive. Prior to realizing the extent of his issues, it was impossible to tell if Rum was stressed or not stressed. We very much wanted to keep him unstressed, but always seemed fine. Then seconds later he would blow his fuse. Could it be that he was suddenly stressed coming to the same location he had been coming to since he was a pup?

One would assume that a moving ceiling fan may be scary and that still fan would be ignored.

Not with Rumble! He became fearful of the ceiling fans if they were turned off. Fans that Rum’s stoic body lanare spinning are fine, guage was actually a rebut fans that are not sult of his severe anxiety. spinning apparently The finished product: Rum flies across the teeter.

He was so anxious that can be deadly. Maren he had become globallywas forced to leave the fans on at all times because Rum would panic if he suppressed. Global suppression of behavior is usually a saw a still fan. We can’t know but it is possible that Rum by-product of punishment. Dogs fearing punishment had a panic attack while looking at a still fan. The panic stop displaying behavior and withdraw into their shells. became associated with the still fan and bam a massive Socializing Rum had pushed him into global suppresfear was born. Maren continues to manage the problem sion of behavior. Flooding is when a being is overwhelmed with fear. Rum, who was never subjected to by keeping the fans turned on. punishment training, learned to go numb because of acImpulse Control cidental flooding.

Starting with the first bite, it was clear that Rum had diffi- Back to Kindergarten culties controlling his impulses. Humans who have impulse control disorders (ICD) are prone to aggression, Rum was globally-suppressed, so we had to find hair pulling, self-mutilation, gambling and substance WHERE Rum was happy and then gradually increase abuse. Rum’s impulse control most closely resembled his world from there. Turns out he was happy at home. the human intermittent explosive disorder. A simple ex- For one month Rum stayed home, so that he could start planation of this disorder is to call it road rage. One sec- to feel safe. Then began the tedious process of graduond Rum seemed fine, and the next second he would ally shaping Rum to leave the house. First, clicking and explode. After the rage subsided he was completely nor- treating for simply looking out the open front door, then mal. The switch had been flipped back and he was fo- planting cookies outside so that Rum could step out cused and ready to learn. If Rum saw another dog or onto the front door mat and find a treat. This training became frustrated he would redirect his aggression to continued for months until Rum could hop into the car whoever was closest. On several occasions he redi- and be happy. Gradually building up to longer time periods in the car, Rum ate dinner in the car and played rected on Maren or one of his housemate dogs. games in the car. Three months later, Rum arrived at In humans, ICD can include self-mutilation and hair pull- the school, a different dog. Joyous and happy he clobing and as an adolescent, Rum pulled and ate his own bered Angelica with love. The puppy Rumble was back. hair. Fortunately, this subsided with Prozac and amitryptaline which also prompted other improvements.

Counting It took some detective work to figure out if Rum was doing the hair chewing. The “cuts” to his hair were so

Rum will always suffer from some level of anxiety, so (Continued on page 33)

23

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Practical Application of Force-free Training Why shelters and rescues should embrace positive, dog-friendly training.

By Beth Mattei-Miller, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA There are many shelter and rescue groups that have not truly embraced dog training without force. They seem to believe, as many people do, the myth that positive training is great for a dog without issues or for small dogs. But with dogs that display aggression or if the dog is large and boisterous, they feel that they need harsher methods to “correct” the behavior and get them into a home. This is the farthest thing from the truth.

So why should shelters care if the problem appears to be resolved and the dog gets a home? Here are four reasons.

1. Their mission statement. Most, if not all, animal shelters and rescue groups’ mission statements include promoting kindness to animals. Are they really promoting kindness to animals by advocating traditional training programs that rely on the use of methods that include force and pain? Shelters and rescue groups should strive to be the highest ground of humaneness and kindness.

Training using force or pain is not an example of this highest ground especially when science tells us that organisms learn in multiple ways and not just through punishment.

2. Suppression of Behavior. While methods that involve corrections (either leash or shock) may suppress aggressive or fearful behavior, it is very likely that this behavior may resurface later and with more intensity. Or worse — the dog can experience behavioral fallout attached to this type of training. For example, if a dog barks at other dogs on the leash, issuing a leash correction during walks when he sees a dog might stop the dog from barking and lunging at the end of the leash, but the dog may bite when other dogs come too close. Why? The behavior (lunging and barking on the leash) has been suppressed so now the dog has to communicate to the other dog to get away in another way. How does he do it now that lunging and barking are no longer an option? This type of treatment can also feed his fear of other dogs

as every time the dog sees another dog, he feels the pain (or the annoyance) of the leash correction so over time other dog equals pain (leash correction).

It’s a Band-Aid over a gaping wound.

3. Do not remove a fly from your friend’s forehead with a hatchet. Positive reinforcement, light use of negative punishment and/or desensitization and counter-conditioning programs work just fine. These programs have been used with dogs for decades with great results. They have been used with very large and dangerous animals in zoos. Yes they work and there is proof. Plus there are many other less-aversive methods to use if you don’t achieve the results that you want through those means or compliance with those methods are difficult for whatever reason.

4. What are we teaching our children? When this type of bullying is used to teach children that they have to be the boss of their dogs or have dominion over them by using force, these principals will spill over in other areas of their lives such as in interactions with their peers. This is not conducive to any definition of humane education.

If you are part of a shelter or rescue group which still uses positive punishment in its training program, look up a dog trainer who is a member of the Pet Professionals Guild. I’m sure they would love to help and we can all work together to make a more humane world. 



Beth Mattei-Miller has more than 10 years of experience working with dogs and other animals. Most of her handling experience came from six years of shelter work where she handled virtually all breeds of dogs (and other animals) and helped teach volunteers how to train the dogs in their care to make them more adoptable (among many other responsibilities). She lives in Pittston with her husband, daughter, son and animals. Beth is a CPDT-KA, a CBCC-KA, a professional member of the APDT, a C.L.A.S.S. evaluator and an AKC CGC evaluator and devotes considerable educational volunteer work.

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(FOUNDER, continued from page 6)



Building a personal organization like an extended family, a place where we all share of ourselves, our knowledge, skills and talents;



Encouraging a dynamic organization full of entrepreneurial ideas that can be shared among members as best practices;



Building an organization that is held together by a glue comprised of loyalty, respect for each other, and mutual trust;



Shaping a collaborative model that exemplifies open, honest, non-aggressive communication both within our organization and to those who have not yet joined us.

If we are to meet the challenge of our charter “emphasizing the collaboration of force-free pet trainers and pet care providers” and advocating for “mutually-agreed guiding principles for the pet care industry,” then we all need to lead by example in each and every one of our interactions whether it be with our clients, our fellow members or our industry at large. Through our actions and high standards of conduct and performance we can influence how our industry evolves. We can engage and educate others to join us in our force-free movement.

Each of us wants to bring about change in our industry. We yearn for a day when pain will no longer be used in the training and care of pets. We have a big job ahead of us and this is not going to be a sprint, it’s going to be a marathon. If we are to be highly-effective as individuals and as a group then we must manage and shape this change carefully.

Through PPG we have formed a force-free coalition and we have developed our future vision and we are constantly building our strategy – a strategy that must be consistently and professionally communicated. We must remove emotional barriers and welcome individuals who are aligned with us philosophically but not yet armed with the tools and skills to be effective force-free professionals. This is how we can educate and engage others.

We need to reach out to other organizations, groups and associations that seek the same change as we do and work together building on early successes. We need to maintain our pace of change and put systems in place to reinforce others who seek to help us in our change efforts.

Our key charter relies on our ability to be persuasive and the process of guiding people toward the adoption of our beliefs. Reardon’s ACE Theory suggests – and I concur – that people use three criteria to determine whether to respond to a persuader’s message: a) the appropriateness of the message, how is the message delivered and in what context; b) the consistency of the message and how much sense the message makes; and c) the effectiveness of the message, does it impact a desirable outcome? Persuasion is not simple and it requires many steps (Janasz et al 2002).

If we all believe in ourselves and our organization and its underpinning principles and values then we can and will bring about change. When engaging and educating industry professionals, you must know and recognize your audience. When you understand your audience you are better able to communicate with them in an impactful manner. Balance emotional appeals with facts and solid reasoning. Use facts, data and logic. Question your propositions before presenting them or you can damage your credibility and negatively impact your message. Use appropriate, respectful and courteous communication and in this era of social media be particularly sensitive to how your written word may be perceived. Use lots of reinforcement and maintain positive dialogue so we can continue to spread our message to audiences that are receptive to listening.

Be what we all aspire to bring about. And always be “force-free” in your own behavior and communication. 

Niki Tudge is the founder of the PPG and The DogSmith, a national dog training and pet-care franchise. Her professional credentials include; CPDT-KA, NADOI – Certified, AABP- Professional Dog Trainer, AABP- Professional Dog Behavior Consultant, Diploma Animal Behavior Technology, and Diploma Canine Behavior Science & Technology. Niki has also published many articles on dog training and dog behavior and her pet dog training businesses have been featured in many publications including The New York Times.

26

Learning & Behavior — Separation Distress, Part I Appropriate Behavior Change Procedures for Dogs with Separation Distress

By Niki Tudge. CPDT-KA, NADOI – Certified, AABP- Professional Dog Trainer AABP- Professional Dog Behavior Consultant, Diploma Animal Behavior Technology Diploma Canine Behavior, Science & Technology Editor’s Note: This is Part I of a two-part series When dealing with separation distress, it is important to understand the underlying behavior that drives the dog’s response. Evidence shows that separation distress-related behaviors are respondent behaviors — they are a combination of the body’s panic and fear systems. The amygdale, a section of the brain that stores memories associated with emotional events, activates behavioral and emotional responses to fear (Lindsay p.133 2005). Separation distress is defined as “physical or behavioral signs of distress or panic ….only in the absence of, or lack of access to, the attachment object.” (O’Heare p.31 2004) The individual behavior change program developed for the dog must be based on a functional assessment, but the very first step is to rule out any existing medical conditions that may be causing problematic behaviors and investigate the possibility that some or all of the behaviors may stem from other inadequacies in the dog’s life such as boredom, lack of exercise, external distractions or inadequate mental stimulation. Problematic behaviors that may result from these inadequacies are excessive barking, whining, chewing and other displacement behaviors.

If medical or learned behaviors due to environmental deficits are ruled out, then the extent of the behavior change program will be based on the severity of the problem, the owner’s goals and the owner’s level of commitment toward the prescribed program (O’Heare p.54 2004). In some cases of separation anxiety it will only be required to implement management protocols. More severe cases will require daily management and a systematic desensitization program. With any separation distress program, punishment and any form of harsh treatment should be avoided at all costs. Dogs that exhibit separation distress behaviors have lost their ability to form healthy relationships with the “object of attachment.” The dog is not able to predict or control its basic need for safety and has no (Continued on page 28)

The Pet Professional Guild membership offers a variety of benefits for the force-free dog training and pet care community and others interested in the behavior and care of pets. It is the Mercedes Benz of the Pet Industry. The Guild is not designed to attract the masses — we aim to attract the best. The only pet care providers and dog trainers that are listed on our pages abide by all our guiding principles and are proud members of the Guild.

Member Level

Eligibility

Benefits

Supporter

A pet owner who supports PPG

Visit this page where you can proudly display your name and your pet’s names.

Provisional Join Today

Associate Join Today

Full Join Today

a d

! y

You will receive your name in our provisional A dog training student or ap- membership listing and have access to our mentoring programs as soon as they are prentice trainer launched.

o t n i Jo A pet business employee

You will receive a basic business listing in our membership directory

A pet business owner

You will receive a deluxe business listing in our membership directory 27

(SEPARATION, continued from page 27)

ability to “establish an adaptive behavioral framework” (Lindsay p.198 2005). The dog’s environment must become predictable and stable so the dog can begin to establish a healthy relationship with the attachment object (O’Heare p.54 2004). Research also shows that punitive rearing practices, traumatic experiences, isolation, and re-homing can be considered risk factors to separation distress behaviors.

Tackling the problematic separation-related behavior usually requires a multi-faceted approach comprised of training, appropriate diet, exercise and desensitization and counter-conditioning.

Basic obedience training using the least-invasive and aversive method — shaping, which develops operant behaviors by empowering the dog to experiment with alternative behaviors and thus helping the dog build confidence and develop social independence (Lindsay p.226 2005). Daily training exercises also engage the dog in pleasurable activities that provide mental stimulation. Pleasurable activities restrict the limbic system from activating negative emotional responses (O’Heare p.59 2005). Obedience training heightens a dog’s “attentional and impulse control abilities – two vital cortical executive functions” that are supportive of a dog’s ability to adapt under stress (Lindsay p.226 2005). Newly-acquired obedience behaviors can then be incorporated into everyday life situations and the dogs should then only have access to highlyvalued resources through the owner. This encourages the dog to look to the owner for guidance (O’Heare p.69 2005).

It is also important to consider diet. Dogs that undergo high levels of stress require a more specialized and pertinent diet. Foods that contain wheat, corn, animal by-products, chemicals and/or inadequate protein levels can significantly impact a dog’s behavior. Diets that are deficient in amino acids can impact the serotonin levels in the dog’s brain causing them to be emotional, overly-reactive and more sensitive (O’Heare p.58 2005). If necessary, the dog’s diet should be changed to meet the dog’s dietary needs and the goals of the behavior change program.

A very structured exercise schedule must be put in place for a dog exhibiting separation distress behaviors. Exercise is an important aspect of managing stress because it has a therapeutic effect on the dog’s physiological state.

Exercise also induces the release of endorphins and enhances serotonin activity which supports the regulation of mood and the control of impulsive behaviors (Lindsay p112 2000). A dog that is well-exercised will be more relaxed and this will contribute to a healthy state of mind and assist in the obedience training exercises.

In severe cases of separation distress it may be necessary to employ a systematic desensitization program. To effectively design a systematic desensitization protocol for separation distress we need to develop a graded hierarchy of all the pre-departure activities. It is critical to ensure that the animal enters the process in a relaxed manner and stays calm throughout each of the trials. The desensitization program should identify at which of the pre-departure activities the dog first shows signs of sensitivity. The program then begins at a level below that sensitivity.

The dog is exposed to each step one at a time. Each step is repeated several times until the dog has habituated to the stimuli. When the dog has habituated to all of the pre-departure activities then the desensitization program begins working on the actual owner absence. Each trial of owner absence duration is repeated until the dog habituates. The periods of absence begin at just a few seconds and build up in duration. Introducing another dimension of frequency can also be included into the graded hierarchy.

It is critical during the desensitization program that the dog not be left alone and pushed above threshold or it will further sensitize the dog. If owner absence cannot be avoided during the program then a “safety cue” should be conditioned (O’Heare p.15 2005).

Editor’s Note: Part II will explain the “safety cue,” and more.

 Niki Tudge is the founder of the PPG and The DogSmith, a national dog training and pet-care franchise. Her professional credentials include; CPDT-KA, NADOI – Certified, AABP- Professional Dog Trainer, AABP- Professional Dog Behavior Consultant, Diploma Animal Behavior Technology, and Diploma Canine Behavior Science & Technology. Niki has also published many articles on dog training and dog behavior and her pet dog training businesses have been featured in many publications including The New York Times.

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Product Review — Buster Cubes

By Rick Ingram DogSmith Franchise Operations Manager Given a choice, wouldn’t we always rather give our dogs interactive toys to play with, especially while we are away? Interactive toys keep them engaged, help burn off excess physical and mental energy and provide them with extended periods of play that tap into their natural instincts. Toys that provide this kind of interactive play are great to head off possible problem behaviors, separation issues, loneliness, boredom etc.

The various treat-dispensing interactive toys are at the top of our list of favorites because not only do they address potential problems as mentioned above but they also reward our dog’s problem-solving abilities and are a great way to give our dogs their meals in a more natural way compared to putting their kibble in a bowl.

Buster Cube is one of the original, and patented, interactive treat dispensing toys and is advertised as dishthat are rubber-coated to rewasher safe, tough, duraBuster Cubes, in a nutshell duce the noise and prevent ble and is available in two skidding. sizes. The two sizes, 3PROS: inch (for dogs under 22  Two sizes to choose from.

Some dog owners have found lbs), and 5-inch (for larger  Dishwasher Safe. the smaller sized Buster Cube dogs), are a great benefit if  Adjustable dispensing. difficult to open (using an impleyou have big and small  Durable. ment helps – we use a bamboo dogs in the same family  Mentally engaging. spatula — and despite the comsince they will each need pany’s claim of rugged contheir own Buster Cube.

CONS: struction, we’ve talked to own Can be difficult for some to open/ ers with strong chewers that The cubes operate in a adjust. claim the cube couldn’t stand up similar way to other treat  Not indestructible so if you have a to their dogs, so if you have a dispensing types available; strong chewer use only under superparticularly strong chewer only you load the cube with vision. use the cube with supervision. treats or dry kibble (it has  Can be annoyingly noisy depending We did not have any problem to be dry to ensure treats on floor surface. with our mid-sized or small will dispense properly and  Some dogs may not like it or not like dogs. make cleanup easier) then the noise on hard floors. you put it on the floor and  It will skid rather than roll (which is If the cube works for you, not watch the show. The rate/ required to dispense treats) on some only will you be feeding your difficulty of dispensing surfaces. dog, but you will be rewarding it treats can be adjusted so for problem-solving while reducstart out easy (maximum dispensing) and as your dog learns, increase the diffi- ing boredom and re-directing possibly destructive beculty (minimum dispensing). Though you may have to havior. Buster Cubes are dishwasher safe so theoretishow your dog how to get the treats at first, most dogs cally easy to clean. We put ours on the bottom rack but figure out how to dispense the rewards pretty quickly. use the non-heat or air dry setting and have never had a Our oldest, most insistent dog really thrashes the cube problem (we only use dry, small sized kibble). around. If you have tile, brick, concrete or hardwood This and other products are available at: floors it can get pretty noisy and unless your dog figures http://www.lookwhaticandopetsupplies.com/ out how to flip the cube it will skid on hard slippery sur-  faces. There are other interactive, treat dispensing toys  29

(LIEBI, continued from page 9)

havior effectively to accomplish a desired outcome.”3 (Empowerment Training - Conditioning for General Behavioral Well-Being in Companion Animals by James O’Heare (2011) is a modern effective guide to empowerment training.)

Intervention hierarchies that are both ethical and feasible to implement would be “in the best interests of captive animals, their caregivers and the professionals working with them to solve behavior problems.” (Friedman3) Further, Friedman says that by choosing the “least-intrusive, effective procedures (i.e. positive reinforcement-based and empowering) we increase the humaneness of our interventions without compromising our learning objectives.”3 To this end Friedman also developed a hierarchy of behavior change procedures using the most positive, least-intrusive effective criteria.3 O’Heare5 has also refined a behaviour intervention model that the PPG will use to determine the least-intrusive methods by which an animal should be trained. O’Heare5 states, “questions such as whether to use aversive stimulation, under what conditions and how to choose what form it will take in a behaviour change program are always about weighing the likely benefits and the likely risks of the intervention in question, in the context in question.” He, like Friedman, agrees that “effectiveness is not sufficient to justify highly intrusive interventions.”5 In order to fulfil his statement that “it is important to remember that, because we are committed to ‘do no harm,’ we are ethically obliged to ensure we choose the options that are the least-intrusive possible.”5 The Pet Professional Guild As members of PPG we must act in accordance with our Guiding Principles which state that “members understand force-free to mean, no shock, no pain, no fear, no physical force, no physical moulding, no compulsionbased methods are employed to train or care for a pet.” It is also the belief that experienced trainers must begin their behavior change programs with the least-invasive and least-aversive training protocols necessary to change the problematic behavior. Education is one of the key goals of PPG so its members have access to resources and thus training tools that meet the needs of their clients in line with the Guilds Guiding Principles. Our future provisional member mentor programs will enable less-experienced trainers to learn these training techniques and broaden their tool kits.

Allowing Professional Autonomy A professional must be allowed autonomy to work within the guidelines of his/her professional code of practice.

PPG members are encouraged to use their individual methods of choice from within governing principles and guidelines. As a governing body, the PPG endeavors to choose well researched methods that are least intrusive and most effective in its information to members. Together with the LIEBI model, PPG members can further determine the intrusiveness of their interactions with animals by considering the following, taken from Bailey & Burch:6 1. According Dignity. Regarding human learners, Bailey and Burch6 explain that “many of the clients that we serve are not able to effectively represent themselves. They may be nonverbal or simply unable to get someone to listen to them. If their wishes are unknown and they are unable to make choices, they may become depressed and present behavior problems.”6 This statement can also be used to guide direction for animal training methods. Methods should allow choices that can be positively reinforced, further empowering the animal to progress.

2. Treating Others with Caring and Compassion. “If, as a behavior analyst (here read animal trainer), you respect the autonomy of clients (both human and animal), work to benefit them, and devise programs that accord them dignity, you will automatically be treating clients with care and compassion.” 6 PPG members should actively factor this into method development and use.

3. Respecting Autonomy. “To respect one’s autonomy means to promote his or her independence or selfsufficiency.”5 Bailey and Burch say that “prompting, shaping, chaining, fading and the use of conditioned reinforcers”6 aid self-empowerment but should be used judiciously to ensure safety at all times. Although their book relates to human application of behaviour analysis, the same principle can be applied to animal training.

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Maintenance of Best Practice Without a prescribed method of determining best practice an organisation will flounder and/or diminish. A willingness to adhere to the intervention model and principles stated above, with regular oversight by our caring, well-versed governors, the PPG will help guide animal trainers to maintain a standard of humane, effective best practice. This too will evolve with experience, like the behaviour of the animals we teach!  Debra Milikan embarked upon positive training while living in Europe. She attended the Delta Society Australia Canine Good Citizen Instructors’ Course (Cert IV in Dog Behavioural Training) and then the Companion Animal Sciences Institute, attaining a double diploma (Dog Training & Behavior Consulting and Animal Behavior Science & Technology) in 2009. Debra is currently involved with mentoring Delta CGC students, giving in-service training to the instructors and aspiring instructors of Canine Behavioural School Inc (a community service dog training club for which she is head instructor) and with writing articles for the journals of various dog control bodies around Australia and New Zealand. She has also been published in the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behaviour and currently serves on the Advisory Board of the AABP as well as the CASI Board.

Bibliography Best Practice Definition (1). Retrieved December 2010 from: http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/best-practice.html Best Practice Definition (2). Retrieved December 2010 from: www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Best_practice) Friedman, S (2008). “What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness is not enough.” Good Bird™ Magazine, Vol 4-4, Winter. Retrieved October 2010 from: www.goodbirdinc.com Carter, S.L., Wheeler, J.J., (2005). “Considering the Intrusiveness of Interventions.” International Journal of Special Education 20:2 p136-142.

O’Heare, J. (2012) The least intrusive effective behavior intervention (LIEBI) algorithm and levels of intrusiveness table: 2012 updated version. Association of Animal Behavior Professionals.

Just SHOCKING! In the March issue of Barks from the Guild, we used an illustration without giving the proper and much-deserved credit to Cathy Lester of NeverShockAPuppy.com The folks at NeverShockAPuppy.com got started when they hosted their first-ever BlogPaws conference in April 2010 challenged pet bloggers to Be the Change for Pets. “When asked what ONE thing would improve the lives of pets, some of us replied … raise awareness about humane (painfree) alternatives to dog collars designed to hurt, startle, punish,” their website states.

There’s cool swag and inspirational videos on this nifty site. Their mantra? “We might not be able to change the lives of EVERY dog, but even helping ONE dog makes all the work worth it.” Check these folks out—they’re doing amazing work!

— Ed.

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For more information, contact Niki Tudge Niki@PetProfessionalGuild.com 41-DOG-TRAIN ((413-648-7246)

(ASK LEAH, continued from page 13)

aversives to punish the dog. The three aversive stimuli are sound, citronella spray and shock. Though one of these may actually stop a dog from barking temporarily (the one that utilizes sound usually doesn't work at all), they are not recommended. First of all, stopping the barking is simply addressing the symptom, not the cause. Whatever is making your dog anxious is still there, and you can end up with worse behavior problems if the anxiety worsens.

For example, if every time your dog sees your neighbor out the window he is shocked, he can develop aggression towards that neighbor, or people walking past the window in general. Through classical conditioning, he can make the association that people walking outside make bad things happen to him. This is a very powerful way to end up training exactly the opposite of what you want to train! For more information, read Anti-Bark Collars Increase Barking by Jules Nye and Bark Collars – Just Another Quick Fix by Jonathan Klein.

Separation Anxiety Some dogs experience a condition called separation anxiety, which can range from mild discomfort to panic when left home alone. Barking can be one of the symptoms of this condition, though it's usually accompanied by pacing, drooling, destructive chewing (especially at exit points like doors and windows), inability to stay in a crate due to self-destructive behavior, and elimination in the house. If you think that your dog may be afflicted with separation anxiety, you should find a qualified veterinary behaviorist who will be able to prescribe anti-anxiety medications, if needed, while working with this issue. Dogs with severe separation anxiety are in a state of panic when left alone, and any therapy can fall short if his emotional state isn't relieved.

Find a Trainer If you need help with your barking problem, or if you determine that your dog may be suffering from separation anxiety, consult the PPG directory to find a qualified force-free dog trainer or behaviorist near you. ď Ł Leah Roberts is the owner of Dog Willing, which places an emphasis on teaching owners and dogs skills that will allow for better communication with one another. She is a founding member and PPG Steering Committee member as well as a mentor trainer for the Animal Behavior College and is currently participating in the Academy for Dog Trainers online program. She is also a nationally-respected writer about dog issues. Her online articles can be found at Orlando Dog Training and Behavior Examiner and Dog Star Daily. Leah is currently writing a book on how to teach Puppy Kindergarten classes.

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Member Brags!

Claudia Pereira Estanislau translated Ian Dunbar’s Before you get your Puppy into Portuguese and it now can be purchased from anywhere in the world as an E-BOOK. Word has it that she is also going to translate Culture Clash for Jean Donaldson.

Bev Truss, Dip CAPBT(COAPE) RVN APDTI010 APHC, was awarded the honor of Irish Veterinary Nurse of the year 2012. Also a wildlife rehabilitator, Ms. Truss will be using her raised profile to promote reward-based training and properly run veterinary puppy pre-schools.

Nando Brown, a talented radio broadcaster, has been heating up the airwaves with provocative interviews and debates highlighting force-free training methods. Each week on his show Nando has been hosting a PPG member with the goal to help educate the audience on training topics and tips. His radio show can be heard every Sat. from 10-12 European time and Sun from 8-10 at http://www.italkfm.com/ You also can hear the extracted PPG interview usually within 48hrs at http://www.youtube.com/user/PetProfessionalGuild  (RUMBLE, continued from page 23)

instead of focusing on competitive dog sports, he learned to count. Using flash cards and golf balls, Rum indicates 0 –4. He has also learned:         

How to perform a handstand against a wall Balancing on his exercise ball Targeting (lifting) each of his four feet on cue Trimming his own nails – Rum scratches at a board that is covered with an abrasive surface that files his nails Crawl Roll over Hide his face with his paw on the cue “shy” Standing on back feet and moving back and forth Heeling – he will knock your socks off with his fabulous extremely accurate heeling

Conclusion Today Rum enjoys being physically touched by people he is familiar with. Today he can perform agility while unfamiliar people watch, and has run at his first competition. The work of acclimatizing him to other dogs and unfamiliar people continues. While Maren and Rumble’s journey continues, Maren says this about why she loves Rum: “Even thinking about writing this, I get teary-eyed. At this point I can’t imagine my life without Rum and I think most ‘normal’ people couldn’t imagine their lives with a dog like Rum. A good friend of mine asked me when Rum was less than a year old if I regretted getting him. I couldn’t give her a straight answer.

Do I regret having a dog with issues? On some level I’d love a ‘normal’ dog, sure, who wouldn’t? But the real question is, do I regret having Rum in my life and that’s a big fat NO. I love him more than words can express, but that’s just a cliché, many people feel that way about their dogs. I don’t doubt than many peoples’ dogs are very special to them. Rum is special on so many other levels. I truly think there are very few dogs out there like him. With the problems that he has suffered through and the range of emotions that he feels, I don’t think it’s fair and there is a lot of pity and sympathy I have for him.

Loving Rum is something like loving someone who needs you more than they need air to breathe. I don’t know how else to express it. It’s such a mutual experience. I love Rumble for the way that he looks at me and searches for me when he first wakes up from a nap. He needs that reassurance that I’ll never leave him. I love Rumble because he has taught me more than I thought possible about animal behavior and emotions. I love Rumble because I don’t have any other choice. That sounds like an ultimatum but it’s the best decision I’ve made in a long time, to love him each day. Love means that I can forgive him for chewing up most items in my house. Love means I forgive him for beating up on the other dogs occasionally and even beating up on me. Loving Rumble was one of the hardest things I’ve done in my life.

At this point, no one could pay enough money or make an offer good enough for me to regret taking Rum into my (Continued on page 34)

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(RUMBLE, continued from page 33)

life. I got him as a potential agility competitor. He plays agility beautifully, one of the best I’ve seen, but he may never get to compete again because of his issues. It’s taken me a LONG time to accept that and I’ve shed many tears realizing the actuality of our situation.

Loving Rumble means that I accept him for who he is and I don’t try to change him, just make him happy in his own skin.”

Accomplishing the Impossible Throughout the years of writing this article Rumble has accomplished some major feats. At the age of three and a half, Maren could trim Rumble’s nails without being bitten. Maren has trained Rum to give kisses instead of bite. Kissing is an incompatible behavior to biting. It has been many months since Rum has tried to bite during a nail trim.

Rum’s second major accomplishment is that he successfully competed in numerous agility competitions. His first competition was in October of 2009 Rum earned two of three qualifying runs! Within seven months of competition, Rum earned five Novice agility titles, one Open title and was just one run away from an Elite Weavers title. Rumble excels at agility and even competed in new environments with very little stress evident. Agility is a great outlet for his anxiety and he is very good at it.

Maren only runs Rum at one ring trials and with four assistants, one person stationed at each side of the ring.

Rumble’s recent major feat is accepting a new dog; Bliss is an Australian Shepherd, into his home. Rum can be left free with Bliss and he does not show any aggressive behaviors, as a matter of fact he has a new best friend. At bedtime, Rum and Bliss are in the bed next to each other ready for a good night sleep!

Note: Pet owners should always seek the advice of a certified behavior consultant if their dog behaves aggressively. Getting professional help at the first sign of aggression is the best course of action.

Thank you to Leslie McDevitt’s outstanding Control Unleashed program (www.LeslieMcDevitt.net). Buy your own copy of Control Unleashed from AND benefit the PPG by clicking here.  Angelica Steinker is the president and founder of Courteous Canine. She has authored Agility Success: Training and Competing with Your Dog in the Winning Zone and Click and Play Agility. She has also been published in the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behavior and the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, peer-reviewed professional journals. She has been published in the APDT (Association of Pet Dog Trainers) Chronicle of the Dog Newsletter, Dog & Handler, Animal Trainer Magazine, Dog Sport Magazine, Dalmatian Quarterly, and Clean Run, the dog agility magazine. She is certified by the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals, and she serves on the Advisory Board and instructs at the Companion Animal Sciences Institute. Angelica is also certified as Dog Behavior Consultant through the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants. She has her CAP2 through Kay Laurence’s Learning About Dogs. Angelica has a Master’s degree in Education, which has served as the foundation for her continued certifications in dog training and her extensive understanding of dog behavior and operant and classical conditioning, the science of how animals and people learn. She is the Director of Training for the national franchise DogSmith (www.DogSmith.com) as well as a PPG founding member and Steering Committee member.

Maren T. Jensen, PhD, CAP1, earned her BS in Biology from the University of North Florida. from 1997-2000 and graduated with a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Biology. She earned her doctorate in Biology from the University of South Florida, specializing in neuroscience.

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Rehabilitation — A Tale of Patience Commitment and Compliance from a Professional Perspective.

By Niki Tudge 2012© After twelve years of involvement in the pet industry and eight years as a full-time dog training professional, it took a scraggy and pitiful little red merle Aussie to teach me a lesson in “long-term” behavior change programs and the true meaning of patience, commitment and compliance to the plan.

She had been purchased as a five-weekold puppy from a breeder and then left to live loose on a huge tract of land with an elderly couple who made no effort to socialize or interact with her. They finally had her trapped and removed when they could no longer catch her to feed

Yes, I am one of those kinds of people!

The kind that loves a challenge, loves change and strives to make a difference.

Unfortunately this part of my personality is often in conflict with the other key part of my inherent being, the part that wants to fix things here and now so world order is restored quickly when it becomes unbalanced in my sphere of influence.

her.

It was two years ago to the day that a small “manky” looking red merle Aussie entered my life. Not only did she bring fleas, ticks, anxiety and a huge deficit in the socialization department, she also rendered forth the lesson book on patience in working a behavior change plan.

This Little Adorable Red Aussie, to whom I refer, became affectionately known as LARA.

few memo issued from Rick. Sara, the contact person I spoke with, explained that they had a small Red Merle Aussie in their midst that was so shy she refused to reveal her face from her tightly wrapped body and remained pinned against the back of the kennel. It was proving impossible to get anyone remotely interested in adopting her and they were desperate not to euthanize her, having delayed the date three times already.

Suffice to say I visited her twice and tried to interact with her to no avail. I lost sleep over this little dog and her potential demise so I worked on convincing Rick that, since with all our other Aussie fosters we had them ready for their new home in just a matter of weeks, why would this one be any different?

When I arrived on my third visit I was armed with a crate and a leash and a rescue group release form, having sought the approval to bring her into the fold of New Spirit 4 Aussie Rescue. I was embarking on a long journey into the unknown, one that would require huge amounts of patience, kindness and hours of training. It was during this journey that I realized the huge transformational power of force-free training and the use of minimally aversive and invasive training protocols.

Don’t misunderstand me, all my education and exposure to dog training has been under the umbrella of clicker training but the path I was about to embark on was going to be very different, far more intense and requiring lots of subtlety.

Having fostered lots of Australian Shepherds over previous years I was currently operating under a foster curfew. I had promised my husband that for a few months we could peacefully enjoy our farm with just our own three dogs and our array of yard ornaments, our mini donkeys, horses, geese, peafowl, and ducks. It was during that time when the dreaded call came from a well intentioned animal control manager at our local county “kill facility.”

I remember the call well, it was the second time I had heard whispers about this particular dog and this time I could not manage to bury my head as the call had come directly to me and not via social media sites. They had me pegged and had clearly not received the foster cur-

The Little Adorable Red Aussie (LARA) curled up in an animal control facility in Northwest Florida

(Continued on page 39)

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Feature Article …

By Diane Garrod If you could be more effective in analyzing behavior, getting faster results and helping owners be compliant for longer-lasting results, would you want to do it? If you could build better relationships and bonds between owner and dog, create a stress-free environment for a foster or shelter dog, or solve high-level challenges such as aggression, hyperactivity, high-level reactivity, sound sensitivities, OCD, separation anxiety and more, would you want to do it?

The Canine Emotional Detox© (CED) is the missing link to enhancing results of the behavior change program.

Most of us jump right into behavior modification and skills training and sometimes results are less than convincing or lasting. The development of the CED started as a result of discovering many dogs I work with need much more before behavior modification could begin and even before training skill deficits.

WHAT IS AN “EMOTIONAL DETOX?” Dogs who repeat over-the-top behaviors such as have bite histories or are constantly barking, or have various levels of reactivity (reactions to scary objects, sounds, humans or dogs) in their environments, or dogs who suffer from separation anxiety, post-traumatic stress syndrome, OCD and other stresses and anxieties will build harmful toxins in their bodies and brains, especially cortisol and adrenalin. The emotional detox is a form of systematic desensitization. In humans, a systematic desensitization procedure consists of three components: · Deep relaxation training · Hierarchy of intensity of exposure to stimuli · Counter-conditioning In its simplest explanation, a CED includes periods of intense relaxation coupled with periods of intense physical and mental stimulation. Cases of high stress means the individual first needs to achieve a highly-relaxed state to ensure physiological changes within the body build good chemicals, such as serotonin, oxytocin, dopamine. Preparing the dog's body from the inside out, fostering deep relaxation, and drawing the canine into a solid learning state means rehabilitation can occur faster and be longer lasting. The golden nugget comes alive in the resulting analysis.

Take Bindi, a Parsons Jack Russell Terrier, for instance. In the left-hand photo, you see her tense and alert on Day One of CED. In the righthand photo, you see her completely relaxed on Day Three of CED. Her owner, upon completion, commented that, “Bindi is definitely quicker to relax now, if I’m busy she settles down and sleeps or at least sits quietly and watches me. A lot of her attention-seeking behaviors have diminished. I think today has to be the day she’s barked the least in her entire time with us!”

The three-day goal is zero reactivity/aggression. If you think of the process as a time of uninterrupted, scheduled and continued pampering and spa treatments, you’ll have the right mindset. The first day strives for complete relaxation where the dog goes into a really deep sleep – and I look for deep sighs during these relaxation periods. This stage is the chemical dump of toxins caused by stress. This stress release takes on average 72 hours. How long it takes depends on the individual, and to date I have had a few canines take up to eight days and others may need more than one detox to release toxins from the system. For each stressful episode, cortisol takes at least eight hours to neutralize. The process includes two-day detoxes and maintenance detoxes of one-day intervals for the health and well 36

… Canine Emotional Detox© — The Missing Link -being of the dog, not to mention continued behavioral change.

Canine emotions have been studied for ages. Pavlov discovered that a dog feels viscerally, i.e. physically, connected to what it is attracted to. In other words, a dog feels what it feels Internally and that is what causes things to happen externally. One of Pavlov’s students, Simonov, is quoted as saying “Positive emotions arising in connection with the perfection of a skill, irrespective of its pragmatic significance at a given moment, serve as the reinforcement.” In other words, emotion, not reinforcements, is actually what reinforces any given behavior.

The CED, developed over a six-year period with two years of recorded case studies (111 to date) is designed to

work from the “inside” out where toxins have built up from stress, anxiety and tension. By its nature and complexity the detox allows a dog to get to a heavy-body state of relaxation while giving feedback as to how the individual learns, thinks and exposes key elements of personality and temperament. This, along with learning how the dog interacts with its immediate environment, often reveals much about the owner dog bond and relationship, such as: · How the dog processes information; · How the dog may respond in real life; · Why the dog is responding to triggers; and · Revealing health issues if they are present.

This allows the trainer to recommend a veterinarian, veterinarian behaviorist, or other specialist, if needed. All have a direct impact on how the dog will begin to process the information given to the betterment of their particular challenge.

In shelter dogs, this means unknown histories are okay, because the detox works from the inside out and allows these dogs to thrive as their bodies move toward stress release. It allows caretakers to know what is best for that dog in all areas from behavior modification, to skills training, to health screens.

Pavlov also discovered emotion to be object oriented-evidenced by the fact that the strongest emotional responses are elicited by external objects (prey/play/mate/offspring/toy). External stimuli trigger visceral, autonomic responses over which an animal has no control and satisfying the internal void (physical/sexual/social appetite) thus engendered requires an external object.

Constant stress creates a chemical bath to the brain of the bad toxins adrenalin, cortisol, neoepinephrine, noradrenalin vs. the good toxins of oxytocin and serotonin. An emotional detox allows the stress toxins to neutralize so the dog can begin to learn and process positive information, as well as retain learning. It works with the senses of smell, taste, hearing, vision and natural emotional stimulation to create new ways of thinking, feeling all of which will be a part of a results-oriented, positive reward-based learning system.

An example is in one dog, Isaac, a Chihuahua, who went from being a dog with a bite history to confident in six sessions and two emotional detoxes. He is one of the worst cases of aggression because any movement caused intense aggressive behavior, vigilantly and for long durations. He is one of many success stories using the CED approach. The reasons for which Isaac was reacting were neutralized and health issues were unveiled, creating a happier, more willing-to-learn individual as well as a better bond between family members.

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An emotional detox changes the dog’s body language from tense to relaxed. Emotions can take a toll on how a dog responds daily in a tense, agitated, over-sensitive, anxious, hyperactive way to becoming a more confident, calm, relaxed, responsive member of the family. The more ingrained and habituated the patterns, the more likely a dog may need more than one emotional detox. It is the beginning of the learning process for both human and dog. The added benefit for a trainer using the process is it also gives important feedback about the owner and how they interact with their dog. It can make the difference between a successful or unsuccessful behavior modification program.

How long does emotional detox take?

The first detox is a required full three days. Adrenalin rushes bring on responses of fight, flight, fool around and freeze, not just in dogs, but in humans. It is important to replace the negative imagery with positive feedback, this changes the way the body handles stress and anxiety. With each episode of adrenalin rush (racing around mindless = fool around behavior) or overbarking, or hyperactivity, it may take from eight to 72 hours to bring the body back into a neutral state, depending on intensity factors, duration, frequency of behavior. The emotional detox is based on 72 hours of toxin-cleansing so whatever the dog learns after that time can make a lasting change. Why? Because the dog is then in a "learning state" and can successfully process information. The idea is to bring out the natural responses, personality and how each individual learns through seeing them in a relaxed non-reactive, non-stressed state of mind.

Using what is discovered in a life-changing behavior modification and skills training system to include management and prevention not only shortens the process, but makes it longer lasting.

WHAT DO YOU DO IN A CANINE EMOTIONAL DETOX©?

In her book “Made for each other,” Meg Daley Olmert studies the role oxytocin, a chemical that “turns off” fight/flight” responses but also quiets the rest of the fear and arousal brain center that launch anti-social responses including stress axis and the sympathetic nerves. The emotional detox is designed to increase oxytocin not just in the dog, but in their human and stimulate the natural increase of serotonin levels (severe cases may need medicinal support to allow the dog to learn, but in most cases the emotional detox will serve to either keep meds out of the picture OR allow a decrease or cessation of meds entirely).

It is a process customized to each individual situation and home environment. It starts with a checklist of action items. Owner checks off each item as they move through the emotional detox. The first goal, first day is complete relaxation, leading to a full eight hours of uninterrupted sleep. Owners must commit to taking time with their dogs for three full days with zero distractions. The detox is a combination of rest and activity.

What does complete relaxation look like?

Complete relaxation means a soft, heavy body, blinking eyes, deep sleeping, big sighs, satisfied involvement in activity without aggression/reactivity, decreased respiration, and zero aggression, reactivity or distraction.

From mentally stimulating activities, interactive play, energy releasing activity, working on key pieces of behavior modification and scheduled full rest periods owner and dog will not only come to see each other in a new light, but will build positive associations while toxins release from the body so a learning state can replace confusion and inconsistency. Often, the emotional detox immediately reaps visible results to behavior changes. It has worked in all kinds of situations, even in kennel and board-and-train where no owner was involved. An emotional detox involves play training. This is especially critical when you have a situation where the owner says “My dog doesn’t know how to play,” or “My dog doesn’t like to play.” These statements are a clue and a cue that this dog needs to learn to play because they do not have emotional outlets. Energy release, the ability to solve problems successfully, ability to interact with Owners positively, and creative thinking create a state of learning where the dog can see themselves operating in the environment in a successful, positive way without incident.

(Continued on page 40)

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(REHABILITATION, continued from page 35)

After a panic ridden first few hours, yes me not just Lara, we managed to settle her into our training school building. I had stupidly let her off leash to explore in one of our training areas and she had slinked straight into a bramble bush. With nightfall approaching and only a 5 feet high fence to enclose her I knew leaving her outside all night was not an option. Equipped with leather gloves and my all weather protective sailing wear I fought through the brambles to retrieve her, convinced that if she was going to bite then this would be the time it would happen. It was equally amazing how much a small dog can weigh when they are dead weight and you are carrying them out of a bush with your head turned sideways to protect your face from any forthcoming bites. Happy I am to report that my clean bite sheet is still intact to this day.

The first few days then passed quickly. Lara had to be carried inside and out for her bathroom breaks. She refused to walk anywhere. Her fear of everything was dreadful but manifest itself into a complete withdrawal.

She displayed no visible behaviors. She would wrap up her body and tightly squeeze her eyes shut pretending to be invisible.

Looking after her basic needs was a full time job, almost like being a hospice worker. Our presence was highly aversive to her and we had to completely rethink our approach if we were going to make any progress. Rick, as always once the decision was made to foster her, was fully on board and fully supportive. We both take our responsibility of animals in our care very seriously and one evening while enjoying our evening walk with the dogs he said very quietly and with no todo “she is very sweet and deserves a go of it, fix it, you know you can.”

So as with any client I began to develop a behavior change program. I sat down to do a functional assessment and answer some basic question. What are the problematic conditioned emotional responses and what is eliciting them? What are the observable problematic behaviors and how are they being maintained, what is reinforcing them? How can we build behavior repertoires while remaining minimally invasive and aversive? The actual problematic behavior list was very short, and our goal behavior list was two pages.

We finally had a starting point so we set about our plan.

Teaching Lara any set skills such as ‘sit’ or ‘down’ was weeks away. If you cannot get a behavior you cannot reinforce it and this makes it impossible to put under stimulus control. The first thing we had to do was manage her environment carefully to minimize any further trauma while we worked diligently on building up a trusting relationship with her. The second prong of our

three prong approach was to counter condition our arrival and presence from being a problematic experience to one of joy or at least neutral acceptance. This is difficult when, to meet the basic needs of the dog such as feeding her and taking her outside for bathroom breaks, you have to push her over threshold. It took a huge effort and for several weeks we were visiting Lara every 15 to 30 minutes so we became predictive of good things, those good things being the very basics of food, water and bathroom breaks.

After three weeks, according to my journal entries, Lara was actually waiting for us on our trips down to see her. Lara was living in our indoor school room; the house had proved too much for her as she was so scared of all the normal household noises. When we had attempted to bring her inside she was in continual panic mode. We began to see the very beginning of an Aussie grin with comfortable glances in our direction while we sat quietly with her in her room. We then began shaping small behaviors like approach behaviors, glances and we reinforced the absence of retreat or fear. This progressed over two weeks into a “target” the hand behavior. These were all free shaped with no trainer movement or voices. The slight shift in your chair or giggle of pleasure would send her running. At two months we were able to work on duration behaviors of close proximity and soon when she was within four feet she would sit or lie down. These were rapidly reinforced until she was throwing herself on the floor into down positions with very gentle hand signals.

Lara would still target the hand but it was an in and out, just out of the touch range.

Are you anticipating a quick development from here? I don’t want to disappoint you as now, and only now, could we really begin training her. We continually revised our training plan based on her visible progress.

The planned increases and shifts in expected behavior criteria were so slight so not to scare her and set her back and each day we continued building. Two years later we are still on our journey and each day brings about a new and ever so slight breakthrough.

Lara will now solicit affection from her “special people,” there are three of us. Lara can be leash walked in familiar environments and on the farm she enjoys evening runs with our other three dogs. Lara is still easily spooked if we change the position of any of our patio furniture or the wind blows too loud against one of the buildings, however her recovery time is much faster. I have learned a huge lesson in patience, commitment to the plan and the real power of force-free dog training methods, how else could we have reached this point. Recognizing that there is always a starting point, no matter how extreme the behavior case may at first (Continued on page 41)

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(DETOX, continued from page 38)

An emotional detox works on puppies with hyperactivity and adult dogs with major emotional issues such as aggression, not to mention senior dogs with health issues. Not all dogs with issues need an emotional detox, but those with intense behaviors most often do.

How it will start?

The owner receives instruction and a setup list of items needed to complete the detox. Then a “customized” schedule (or one that has been used in a similar case study) to be completed exactly as written and the reasoning behind each step. The first day is customized according to "behavior" as seen by filling out an intake form on the individual dog. The subsequent days are customized according to what is seen in the first day and completely individualized.

The owner receives guidelines as to what types of body signals and language owners should be looking for as milestones in the process and they will be required to take digitals and/or video of the detox for reference, review and observatory analysis. A “before” and “after” video are required and digital photographs throughout. Video is also helpful throughout the process, but optional depending on owner's technical skills.

At the end of the day, the client will need to answer several questions honestly in order to receive day two’s requirements. Six p.m. is a good time to shoot for to have the owner do the analysis, but any time toward early to late evening is acceptable according to their schedule. However, the trainer must have time to compile the next day’s schedule and the owner must have time to review it to get off to a good start. The start of each day sets the tone for the entire day and resulting activities. The analysis is the golden nugget and because of this, it is best for dog and owner to work with a trainer in the accomplishment of the emotional detox.

(Continued on page 41)

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(REHABILITATION, continued from page 39)

appear and that the use of the least aversive and minimally invasive training protocols are the only way to go.

Oh, I forgot to mention, we did manage to gather some of Lara’s history.

She was eight months old when we first pulled her from the animal control facility. She had been purchased as a five-week-old puppy from a breeder and then left to live loose on a huge tract of land with an elderly couple who made no effort to socialize or interact with her. They finally had her trapped and removed when they could no longer catch her to feed her. Many of us can list things we consider cruel when raising and owning dogs. For me one of most serious errors we can make as a dog owner is not taking dog socialization seriously. There is nothing more mentally cruel than raising a dog that does not have the necessary coping skills to function in the very life they have been bred to live.

In closing I summarize, this is an extreme case of an under socialized and fearful dog. It does however beg the questions. How else could Lara have been rehabilitated, how else could she have developed confidence and coping skills, how else could we have worked with her to trust us.

How else could we have counter conditioned her emotional responses?

Pure science and non invasive protocols were the only way to go. If extreme cases like this can be resolved using force-free training methods then the presentation of a “normal” pet dog is easy when you have the correct approach, the scientific approach, the FORCE-FREE approach. 

Niki Tudge is the founder of the PPG and The DogSmith, a national dog training and pet-care franchise. Her professional credentials include; CPDT-KA, NADOI – Certified, AABP- Professional Dog Trainer, AABP- Professional Dog Behavior Consultant, Diploma Animal Behavior Technology, and Diploma Canine Behavior Science & Technology. Niki has also published many articles on dog training and dog behavior and her pet dog training businesses have been featured in many publications including The New York Times.

(DETOX, continued from page 40)

There will be questions to answer at the end of day two as well and a “final questions” series will be given at the end of the third day for the client to answer. An end analysis graph will be provided. From this point is where the trainer will incorporate what was learned into a continued behavioral change program (BCP) and skills training document. Important and life-changing information about the dog and the client will be learned through the completion of the canine emotional detox developed by Canine Transformations Learning Center. 

There are two upcoming workshops on Canine Emotional Detox, — in September and one in October. The September two-day workshop will be hosted by Smarthund Dog Training and be held at Barnegut Bay, New Jersey Lighthouse Center for Natural Resource Education; contact Maria Deleon. The October 6-7 workshop will be hosted by Braveheart Dog Training in Pleasanton, California; Contact Vickie Aquino Ronchette. There is limited registration.

Diane Garrod is the founder and owner of Canine Transformations Learning Center (cTLC) in Langley, Washington. Her book is in process on the Canine Emotional Detox (CED) with, to date, 111 case studies in a variety of behaviors. Diane has a Bachelor of Science in Communication and a minor in Journalism from the University of Wisconsin – Oshkosh. She is a Guild Certified Tellington Touch Practitioner (CA-1) and a regular contributor to Helium and Yahoo Voices as a featured pet writer. She is channel manager of Helium’s Dog Care and Health, as well as Bird channel. She is a founding and steering committee member of PPG and chair of PPG’s Member Services, Product and Promotions committee. Diane has spent an entire career studying behavior and communication between animals and their pet guardians, especially dogs and their owners. She is proudly owned by three Belgian Tervurens, teacher dogs for aggression cases, therapy dog, RN, CGC, BA, MA Treibball and one puppy in-training. Diane instructs Introductory, beginner, intermediate Treibball and is a Dog Scouts of America Troop Leader, as well as an APDT Canine Life and Social Skills (C.L.A.S.S.) instructor. Diane instructs obedience, RallyO, Treibball and is an expert in all types of aggression and high-level reactivity cases.

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(BIO, continued from page 21)

In general people do not realize how frequently shock collar trainers and users actually push that button. In a typical training session, you press the button approximately 50 times in a half hour session. Imagine someone poking you in the same exact spot briefly 2-3 times each minute for an hour. The first few times you are poked will not be painful, but can you imagine how sore that spot will be after a full hour? Another thing, let's examine how an electrical stimulus is applied. Current is passed from a negative terminal to a positive terminal passing through the path of least resistance.

How did you intellectually reason that it was ok to shock your dogs?

It didn't hurt me when I held the collar and shocked myself with the same intensity as my dog was receiving, so it couldn't hurt the dog. Why take the "longer" way of training if you can get the same results much faster using the collar? Technology is supposed to make our lives easier, so why not use it to its full advantage?

What needs of yours was using shock training meeting for you?

It was easy, and a "humane" way of having a well beWith a shock collar, the current can pass through the haved dog that I could trust off leash. I thought the old air or through subcutaneous tissue. The resistance of crank and yank method of training was inhumane when air is 10^8 to 10^9 ohms/square inch, depending on the I went to a 4H class at seven years old and heard puphumidity level. The resistance of subcutaneous tissue pies yelping as they were being "corrected" with choke is 9.9 x 10^2 ohms/square inch. Simple math says that chains. I never went back. My dogs never vocalized the path of least resistance would be the subcutaneous with the e-collar, so I thought that made our training layer. The subcutaneous layer exists directly over the methods nicer and less painful. musculature of the neck used for swallowing when you keep the receiver on the ventral surface of the neck Do you think shock trainers may be face blind (the preferred area.) The subcutaneous layer is thin (have an inability to read facial expressions in humans and animals)? Or do you enough in that area for the think they just don't know that electrical current to create an those are signs of stress, the action potential in the muscu“When I took Brody to a famous TV tongue flick and so on? lature of the neck, resulting in trainer trained "behaviorist" who also an involuntary contraction of They simply do not know they are used shock collars, she believed a those muscles over and over signs of stress and do not take a correction level was necessary in again. What happens when dog's emotional state into account you overuse a muscle that is aggressive dogs, and we found the when modifying behavior. It's not necnot frequently used? The musessary when your philosophy is "see lowest level where Brody would vocalize cle will get sore from tearing behavior I do not want: punish the in response to the stimulation. That the fibers and lactic acid prodog so it doesn't occur again!" instead would be used when he was showing duction. Can you imagine how of "why is my dog acting this way? it would feel to have a sore ‘red-zone’ aggression. His yelps still How can I get the dog to stop remuscle on your throat? Swalsponding using behavior A to the haunt me in my dreams.” lowing would be unpleasant, to situation and instead use behavior B? say the least. My prior dogs What feedback is my dog giving me? were all so stoic, and the How can I interpret that feedback to tell me what is trainer did not believe in using a stimulus high enough working, what isn't working, what is missing from this to cause a vocalization. As I mentioned previously, the situation to make the outcome successful? What is pre"working level" is determined to be the level where the sent that is hindering a successful outcome?" dog shows stress signals as a response to the stimulation. My dogs were showing signs of discomfort but I We never learned about stress signals or how to read was not educated enough to realize it. When I took dogs in shock training class. When I took Brody in for Brody to a famous TV trainer trained "behaviorist" who an evaluation with a positive trainer to start treating his also used shock collars, she believed a correction level aggression, the first thing she did was sit me down and was necessary in aggressive dogs, and we found the make me watch "On Talking Terms With Dogs" comlowest level where Brody would vocalize in response to pletely through and told me to study the accompanying the stimulation. That would be used when he was book like my life depended on it, because Brody's life showing "red-zone" aggression. His yelps still haunt me depended on it. Learning how to read my dog and in my dreams. Also, since then he learned to yelp even learning how to respond appropriately formed almost a with minute discomfort because he's afraid people will psychic bond between me and Brody. It's a beautiful hurt him until he yelps. As a result, I have a dog who relationship. yelps when I wake him up unexpectedly, when he gets Do you think that teaching dog body literacy may injections and blood drawn, and when someone accientice some shock trainers to cross over? dentally bumps into him. It's really pathetic and sad.

I believe that learning body language may help some; 42

not all trainers see things differently. Some think that some stress is necessary for learning, so knowing stress signals won't really help in those cases.

What can force-free trainers say to a shock collar trainer to change their mind about what they are doing?

degree of contact dermatitis, but then again my dogs were all BCs, GSDs, or some mix of those breeds, so they had longer, denser coats. We also followed the recommendation of not leaving the collars in the same location on the dog's neck for longer than four hours. Now that I volunteer at a local animal shelter, any strays that come in with invisible fencing collars almost always have puncture-like sores like the photos circulating online due to the prolonged wearing of the collar.

Nothing. For the most part, you are not going to change the mind of a trainer who truly and fully believes what they are doing is benign and that they cannot get results When a dog did develop sores did trainers continue without the shock collar. People trained by some shock to use the shock collar or wait until the sores collar trainers are notorious for being defensive and set healed? in their ways. I am quite curious about how they train these trainers, and almost want to attend some pro- When the dogs had sores, the trainers would simply tell grams just to see what the deal is. I have had greater the owner to move the collar more frequently, move the success reaching the clients themselves than I have collar to an area where the skin was not yet irritated, and continue shockhad reaching trainers. The best thing is to ing the dog. Pain was show, not do. Bring some of your best stuBrody, while shock training was being used not an excuse for non dents, not just your own dogs to events to -compliance, and that show that ANYONE, not just the trainer can extends to things like have a very well trained dog. Do not lecture dogs with hip dysplapotential clients who show interest about why sia refusing to jump using pain and shock is bad dog training. Inover a low jump bestead, explain how you get the results you get cause they associate and why your dog’s work joyfully, yet remain jumping with pain. I under control. Most shock trainers' selling was doing a follow-up points are "we can get your session with my dog to listen to you all the shock collar trainer time without treats" so make Brody, under the influence of (my trainer offered sure you emphasize that you positive reinforcement "Lifetime training" to can achieve the same level of board and train obedience and that your dogs dogs), and a dog came in to work with anwill eventually perform without other trainer for suddenly refusing to sit. The treats, where when you use dog was a senior dog, a large friendly-looking force, you have to keep using rottie and he obeyed every command except force to enforce your control “sit.� Instead of referring them to a vet, they over the dog for the duration decided the dog was being "stubborn" and of his life. turned up the shock collar stimulation whenWith the shock collar injuever the dog refused to sit. Eventually the ries you saw that you judge dog complied, but at one point in the session to be contact dermatitis, the dog gave a loud yelp while getting off of how often did they occur? his "place board." He wouldn't bear weight on Were some dogs more sushis right hind leg after that. They chalked it up ceptible? to him twisting his leg while getting off the board. Turns out, the dog had a tumor growVery short coated breeds ing in his right stifle and was euthanized such as pit bulls, boxers, greyhounds, and wiry coated dogs like poodles, doodles, etc. were the most suscepti- three months later because it metastasized to his lungs. ble to contact dermatitis. These dogs generally have If I had a dog who knew "sit" for over 10 years and sudmore sensitive skin to begin with because the coat com- denly stopped doing it, we would head to the vet immeposition does not offer much in protection from the sun diately for films because something's definitely wrong and oil retention, so the skin turns sort of "brittle" and and it is not behavioral. sensitive. If a dog gets "brush burn" from grooming, he Do you have any pictures of Brody trained with will most likely have some degree of contact dermatitis if shock and after? put on a shock or prong collar. Generally, you see the same dogs having issues over and over. It's usually not Yes I have a very interesting set of photos I compiled of as severe as the photos shown online because owners candid shots of Brody when he was trained using shock, would notice it earlier. None of my dogs ever had any punishment, and pain versus candid shots of him after 43

The Pet Professional Guild stands alone as the only single point of access to a variety of information and tools provided by pet care professionals who adhere to a strict code of conduct. The Pet Professional Guild affiliates & members offer a selection of force-free, learning theory-based dog training services and professional pet-sitting and dog-walking services.

Whether you’re a dog owner looking to solve a specific behavioral problem, a dog lover simply wanting to gain more control and clarity in your relationship with your dog, or a family burdened by the question of how to take care of your pets while you’re away from home, the Guild Members can help you.

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being crossed-over to positive methods. He was showing stress signals even when at rest when punishment was not applied to him. His eyes are softer, he is not trying to make himself appear smaller, his ears are forward more often — he's just a happier dog "after!"

Lauren says: “Training was NEVER "fun" when I trained with the shock people and I never thought I would be into dog sports/training, but now I can't get enough. It amazes me how easy it is too. I used to think you had to have a "gift" to be successful training a dog along with 10-20 years of experience, but it turns out you just need patience, a desire to learn, a good understanding of how dogs learn and behave, and an excellent bond with the dog you are working with. It still

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amazes me when the dog gets that "aha" moment where he knows what you are asking for.  

Lauren completed her BS from Rutgers University, Biological Sciences and a PhD from Thomas Jefferson University in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis. Lauren also fosters and trains emotional support companions for veterans with PTSD. Her current training activities include teaching manners to and doing behavior modification with shelter dogs to increase adoptability and clicker training tricks with her cat. Her passions include preventing any dog from enduring what Brody has endured, educating potential pet owners on selecting an appropriate dog, and advocating for proper evaluation and rehabilitation of shelter dogs.

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