BARKS from the Guild January 2019

© Can Stock Photo/buchsammy

BARKS from the Guild Issue 34 / JANUARY 2019

BARKSfromtheGuild.com

TRAINING The Erroneous Approach of Dominance Theory

FELINE Calmer Vet Visits for Stressed Cats

INTERVIEW Marco Adda on the Free-Ranging Dogs of Bali

CANINE Reactivity and Aggression BEHAVIOR What Does “Happy” Look Like?

CONSULTING Giving Dogs Choices

The Case for Adopting a Force-Free Approach:

The pitfalls and potential fallout of aversive training methods

BARKS from the Guild

Published by the Pet Professional Guild 9122 Kenton Road, Wesley Chapel, Florida 33545, USA Tel: +1-844-462-6473 petprofessionalguild.com barksfromtheguild.com facebook.com/BARKSfromtheGuild Editor-in-Chief Susan Nilson barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com

Images © Can Stock Photo: canstockphoto.com (unless otherwise credited; uncredited images belong to Pet Professional Guild)

Pet Professional Guild Steering Committee Kelly Fahey, Paula Garber, Kelly Lee, Debra Millikan, Susan Nilson, Mary Richards, Louise Stapleton-Frappell, Angelica Steinker, Niki Tudge

BARKS from the Guild Published bi-monthly, BARKS from the Guild presents a collection of valuable business and technical articles as well as reviews and news stories pertinent to our industry. BARKS is the official publication of the Pet Professional Guild.

Submissions BARKS encourages the submission of original written materials.

Please contact the Editor-in-Chief for contributor guidelines prior to sending manuscripts or see: barksfromtheguild.com/article-and-content-submission-policy-procedures Please submit all contributions via our submission form at: petprofessionalguild.com/bftgcontent

Letters to the Editor To comment on an author’s work, or to let PPG know what topics you would like to see more of, contact the Editor-in-Chief via email putting BARKS in the subject line of your email. BARKS reserves the right to edit for length, grammar and clarity.

Subscriptions and Distribution BARKS is a digital publication. Print copies are available by monthly subscription. Register at barksfromtheguild.com/subscribe. Please contact Rebekah King at membership@petprofessionalguild.com for all subscription and distribution-related enquiries.

Advertising Please contact Kelly Fahey at kelly@petprofessionalguild.com to obtain a copy of rates, ad specifications, format requirements and deadlines.

Advertising information is also available at petprofessionalguild.com/advertisinginBARKS

Pet Professional Guild does not endorse or guarantee any products, services or vendors mentioned in BARKS, nor can it be responsible for problems with vendors or their products and services. Pet Professional Guild reserves the right to reject, at its discretion, any advertising.

To be in any way affiliated with the Pet Professional Guild, all members must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean that no pain, force or fear and no shock, choke or prong are ever employed to train or care for a pet.

© All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the Pet Professional Guild, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please email: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com.

P

from the editor

PG has held two main photo competitions recently: the +R Rocks contest to celebrate the inaugural International Day of Advocacy on November 17, 2018 and the Cool Cats competition for the chance to win a free entry ticket to PPG’s Aggression and Bite Prevention Seminar in Portland, Oregon in April. We received an incredible standard of entries for both contests and will be featuring many more of the photos in upcoming editions of BARKS throughout the year. Just to get us started, we feature the photo of winning Cool Cat, “Buddy,” on page 7.

It is my immense privilege to get to see all the submissions as we prepare them for use on PPG’s various media platforms, and the one thing that has struck me over and over again is simply how much people love their pets. It shines through in the stories they relate about their pet’s background, in the videos of them training their dog, in their photos of their cat snoozing, and in their selfies with their cat/dog/horse/all three. Of course, this should come as no great surprise to, well, anyone really who has lived with and loved a pet, but it is always nice to see.

Our Cover feature this month focuses on the use of aversive tools and techniques in the training, care and management of pets, even as the growing body of scientific research into canine behavior now tells us that positive methods are equally effective, if not more so.

While we cannot by any means expect pet owners to navigate their way through the cornucopia of information on every imaginable aspect of animal behavior and training via a cursory internet search, much less be able to discern good advice from bad, or up-to-date and scientifically sound references from inaccurate, outdated sources, professional organizations, associations and industry bodies are in a prime position to do exactly that. They can help pet owners understand that significant physical and emotional damage can occur from the use of aversive training tools and techniques. They can also use their platform to lead the industry and ensure that it remains at the cutting edge of scientific research and study in the fields of canine behavior and training. To ignore this, our feature proposes, does both pets and their owners an enormous disservice.

Rather, a constructional approach where more appropriate and acceptable behaviors are encouraged and reinforced via positive training protocols is recommended, an approach that is supported by experts and the scientific literature. Indeed, as Dr. Karen Overall so succinctly put it in her keynote address at PPG’s inaugural summit in Tampa, Florida in November 2015: “Kindness can be scientifically informed.”

Setting the tone for our first issue of 2019 then, we also look into dominance theory, specifically how pet professionals can address this somewhat durable misconception with their clients, and examine canine aggression and reactivity, highlighting the emotional states that often drive these behaviors. Meanwhile, in our first interview of the year, we speak to canine behavior researcher Marco Adda about his study comparing the behavior and personality traits in the companion and freeranging dogs of Bali, which revealed some quite intriguing findings.

Moving on from all things dog-related, our Feline section presents tips for making visits to the veterinarian calmer and less stressful for all concerned, while our Behavior section details the prevalence of abnormal repetitive behaviors in captive exotics and the importance of providing alternative, individualized outlets for natural behaviors. Finally, in an extended Business and Consulting section, we discuss the importance of finding your voice when advocating for your animals; working with families to ensure they receive the right, humane education to strengthen the dog-human bond; the importance of maintaining general liability insurance and ensuring you have coverage for personal property and animals in your care, custody or control; and how to address competition in business. We also have plenty more on day care, grooming and boarding, along with all the latest PPG news and reports from the September and October events in Tampa, Florida.

Wishing you all a very successful Happy New Year!

n Susan Nilso

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

3

6

12

14 16 18 28 32 34 40 44 46 49 52 55 58 60 61

4

contents N EWS

Portland 2019 BARKS Blog and Cool Cats competition winner, +R Rocks best overall winners, and an update of all the latest developments at PPG, plus upcoming podcasts, webinars and workshops

M EMBER N ET WORKING D AY

Photo feature from PPG’s September “Day of Fun”

PPG W ORKSHOP : S CENT WORK

Louise Stapleton-Frappell reports on scent work instructor Robert Hewings’ October workshop

PPG W ORKSHOP : WALKING N ICELY

Louise Stapleton-Frappell presents highlights from PPG’s Walk This Way instructor certification workshop

T HE C ASE

FOR

S CIENTIFICALLY -INFORMED, KIND P RACTICES

Susan Nilson and Niki Tudge present the case for pet professionals and umbrella associations to promote and foster a solely force-free approach

T HE D URABILITY

OF

“D OMINANCE ”

Anna Bradley wonders why the concept of dominance theory applied to pet dogs still exists, and what canine training and behavior professionals can do about it

A DDRESSING A GGRESSION ,

THE

18 28

32

34

44

F ORCE -F REE WAY

Diane Garrod discusses canine aggression and reactivity, showcasing video examples to highlight two dogs’ progress as they move through a behavior change program

A B ETTER D OG -H UMAN U NDERSTANDING

Susan Nilson speaks to canine behavior researcher Marco Adda about the study he co-authored comparing the behavior of companion and free-ranging dogs in Bali

R OOM

FOR I MPROVEMENT

Frania Shelley-Grielen details her experiences of day cares and groomers when scouting for intern sites for her pet care technician students

K EEPING D OGS S AFE

Lauri Bowen-Vaccare addresses recommended procedures for handling illness or injuries to dogs in day care or boarding

C ALM V ET V ISITS

Victoria Blais discusses how to avoid fear, anxiety and stress when taking reluctant, distressed felines to the veterinarian

W HAT D OES “H APPY ” LOOK L IKE ?

Lara Joseph examines the prevalence of abnormal repetitive behaviors in captive exotics and the importance of providing alternative outlets for natural behaviors

S TANDING UP

FOR

49

ANIMALS

Kathie Gregory discusses the importance of finding your voice when advocating for your animals and engaging with industry-related professionals

G IVING D OG S C HOICES

Stephanie Peters ensures families receive the right, humane education to foster communication and to strengthen the dog-human bond

46

P ROTECTING Y OUR B USINESS

60

David Pearsall highlights the importance of maintaining general liability insurance

A SK

THE

E XPERTS : H OW

TO

ADDRESS C OMPETITION

Veronica Boutelle of dog*biz responds to your business and marketing questions

P ROFILE : P LANTING

THE

S EED

Featuring Alicia Obando of Pitter Patter Parenting in Chicago, Illinois

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

52

news

Portland 2019: Blog Competition Winners

C

ongratulations to Shannon Finch and Stephanie Peters for their respective blog posts Lessons from Bogie (barksfromtheguild.com /2018/10/17/lessons-from-bogie) and Aggression by Any Other Name (barksfromtheguild.com/2018/11/02/aggression-by-any-other-name) which are joint winners in our Portland Blog Competition. Each wins a free entry ticket to PPG’s Canine Aggression and Bite Prevention Seminar in Portland, Oregon April 26-28, 2019 (petprofessionalguild.com /2019-Portland)! Congratulations, too, to Lynn Bahr, Hannah Blumenfeld, Tina Ferner, Kathleen Godfrey, Nicola Marshall, Marie Selarque and Michelle Wieser who are all runners up in the competition, for which a very high standard of entries was received. All winning and runner up blogs have been and will continue to be posted on the BARKS Blog (barksfromtheguild.com/blog) in the next few months, as well as featured in a special, 20-page supplement on canine and feline aggressive behavior in the March 2019 issue of BARKS from the Guild (barksfromtheguild.com).

Shock-Free Coalition Now in Australia

Shannon Finch

Stephanie Peters

o contributing a winning blog post//BARKS article on aggrreession For n evention e for the Portland 2019 Ca anine Aggreession essi & Bite Prev en Education Seminarr, and an has been aw war arrded this entrryy tick tic et-*

o contributing a winning blog post//BARKS article on aggrression e n For a Aggrression eessi & Bite Preevvention e for the Portland 2019 Canine en Education Seminarr, and an has been aw war arrded this entrryy ticket-*

Canine Aggression & Bite Prevention Education Seminar

Canine Aggression & Bite Prevention Education Seminar

April 26 - 28, 2019 Portland OR

April 26 - 28, 2019 Portland OR

i etW contact Ticke Wiinner@ in @P PeetP ProfessionalGuild alGuild..com to red edeem deem

i etW contact Ticke Wiinner@ in @P PeetP ProfessionalGuild alGuild..com to red edeem deem

*TTh his prize is for entrance onlyy,, netary value a . non-tra ansferrable a and has no monetar

*TThis h prize is for entrance onlyy,, netary value a . non-tra ansferrable a and has no monetar

Equine Committee Releases New Educational Handouts

A

ustralia now has its very own chapter of the Shock-Free Coalition (shockfree.org/Chapters/Australia). Join their Facebook group, The Australian Shock-Free Coalition (m.facebook.com/The-Australian-Shock -Free-Coalition-2049254122051453) to learn more about this international advocacy initiative and to support their efforts to build a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating shock devices from the supply and demand chain. The goal will be reached when shock tools and equipment are universally unavailable.

The Shock-Free Coalition believes that pets have an intrinsic right to be treated humanely, to have each of their individual needs met, and to live in a safe, enriched environment free from force, pain and fear. Members of the Shock-Free Coalition consider it to be their responsibility and utmost obligation to be vigilant, to educate, to remain engaged and work toward eliminating shock as a permissible tool so it is never considered a viable option in the training, management and care of pets.

If you have not yet signed the Shock-Free Pledge, you can do so here: petprofessionalguild.com/Sign-The-Pledge (see also ad on p. 51).

Improved Member Zip Code Search

P

PG has invested in upgrading the zip code search feature on its website (petprofessionalguild.com/page-1862118) so that members can be found more easily. Take a moment to make sure your entry in the member directory is up-to-date so potential clients can find you!

6

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

P

© Can Stock Photo/Virgonira

PG’s Equine Committee has released two new educational handouts, Social Relationships in the Domestic Horse (petprofessionalguild.com /Equine-Social-Relationships) and Equine Social Structure (petprofessionalguild.com/Equine-Social-Structure) as part of its goal to build PPG’s equine behavior resources and increase awareness of the application of force-free methods in horse training, management and care.

PPG to Host Second Educational “Day of Fun” This Month

P

PG is planning its next member fun day, again in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, January 20, 2019 starting at 9 a.m. Following on from the success of the previous event (see pp. 12-13), the program will incorporate a free, full day of networking, sessions, competitions and more. For more details and to register, please see petprofessionalguild.com/event -3135620. If you would like to host a member fun day in your state/province/county/town, please review the blueprint for PPG Networking Groups (petprofessionalguild.com/PPG-Networking-Hosts) and reach out to PPG. The goals of the events are for attendees to: • Network and learn from each other.

• Have fun.

• Gain access to a support system to help us all in our businesses.

Portland 2019: Cool Cats Competition Winner

C

news

ongratulations to Laurel Horton of Northwest Paws (northwestpaws.com) in Eugene, Oregon who is the winner of PPG's Cool Cats Photo Competition with her cat Buddy (photo, right). She has won a free entry ticket to PPG’s Canine Aggression and Bite Prevention Seminar plus feline specialty track to be held in Portland, Oregon on April 26-28, 2019 (petprofessionalguild.com/2019Portland).

Horton is a positive reinforcement trainer who has a passion for working with shelter and rescue dogs. “Much of my work is with our local shelter,” she says. “I love the underdogs, the ones who take a little patience and time to shine. I have three dogs of my own, and they are the light of my life.”

Buddy, now about 12 years old, came from Horton’s local shelter. “We adopted Buddy and his brother, Bubby, about six years ago,” Horton says. “They were in the ‘shy room,’ but Buddy is not shy. He is the little dictator of our house, demanding food or attention. If he doesn't get what he wants, he gets loud and a little destructive. He's awesome!”

The criterion for the competition was to submit a photo of your cat(s) in a relaxed pose/emotional state that is incompatible with aggression. According to PPG’s Feline Committee chair, Paula Garber, the committee found it extremely tough to pick out just one winner due to the incredible amount of fabulous photos submitted. Because of this we will be featuring many more of the photos in upcoming issues of BARKS during the year. A big thank you to all who participated for sharing such wonderful photos and warm stories of your feline friends.

STOP PRESS: Attention shelter and rescue folks! Are you coming to Portland? Register now and bring a coworker with you for just $50!

Just email Rebekah King (membership@petprofessionalguild.com) quoting “Shelter and Rescue” in the subject line.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

7

news

Let’s Celebrate +R Photo and Video Competition: Best Overall Entries

C

ongratulations to Jeannine Lampe who won the Best Overall Entry category for North America/International and Nikki Thorpe who won the Best Overall Entry category for Europe in PPG’s Let's Celebrate +R photo and video competition. The competition was the focal point for PPG’s International Day of Advocacy on November 17, 2018, which celebrated the first anniversary of the official launch of international advocacy initiative, the Shock-Free Coalition (shockfree.org). The competition provided a platform for pet professionals and enthusiasts to showcase the best of positive reinforcement-based pet training and education.

Lampe wins a free entry ticket, including gala dinner, to PPG's Canine Aggression and Bite Prevention Education Seminar in Portland, Oregon on April 26-28, 2019 (petprofessionalguild.com/2019-Portland) while Thorpe wins a free entry ticket to Woof in Nottingham, England on February 9-12, 2019 (domesticatedmanners.com/woof2019) hosted by Domesticated

BARKS Podcasts: Schedule

Manners and PPG British Isles special counsel member, Chirag Patel.

The competition featured three categories in both photos and videos, including Best Pet(s) and Handler Team, Best Group Photo, Best Pet and Child Interaction Photo, Most Creative Complex Training Video, Best Educational Video, and Best Volunteering Video. Entries were accepted via both PPG's North America/International (petprofessionalguild.com/LetsCelebrate-Plus-R) and Europe (ppgbi.com/Lets-Celebrate-+R) websites with prizes issued to the winners selected from submissions to both sites.

The winners from each of the six categories were then forwarded to the final judging category to determine the Best Overall Entry. We will feature all the winning entries in the March 2019 issue of BARKS from the Guild.

A big thank you to everyone who participated, a special big thank you to all our sponsors (below) and congratulations to all the winners!

Thursday, February 7, 2019 - 1 p.m. EST Guest: Dr. Nathan Hall.

Topic: Understanding Gene-Behavior Relationships in Domestic Dogs, based on Dr. Hall’s upcoming PPG Portland 2019 Annual Summit (petprofessionalguild.com/2019-Portland) presentation in April (see ad on back page).

Register to listen live: attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/6446973630084684034

Recent Podcasts:

Tuesday, January 8, 2019 - 1 p.m EST Guest: Alexandra Kurland.

Topic: Two PPG Webinars: 1) Lining up the How, What and Why of Training (petprofessionalguild.com/event-3120305) – A presentation intended to help us understand how different training belief systems emerge, in which Kurland introduces us to the work of the cognitive linguist, George Lakoff. 2) Keeping Things in Balance (petprofessionalguild.com/event-3126750) – An in-depth exploration of where the simple training mantra “For every behavior you teach there is an opposite behavior you must teach to keep things in balance” takes us.

Register to listen live: attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7183319865738473730 8

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019 2018

Wednesday, December 12, 2018: Dr. Jean Dodds discusses an article regarding vaccinations that was inaccurately attributed to her. Dr. Dodds reviews the article, rebuts a number of statements and corrects the vaccination protocol: register.gotowebinar.com/register/4119350392872309505

Thursday, November 8, 2018: Jean Donaldson discusses her PPG Webinar It’s Mine! – Object Guarder Cases Studies: Two DS/CC and a DRI (petprofessionalguild.com/event-3073637) which presented three case studies of resource guarders — two resolved using desensitization and counterconditioning and one resolved using differential reinforcement: youtube.com/watch?v=DqqMGN5SU5Y Find and listen to all earlier BARKS Podcasts: barksfromtheguild.com/category/podcast.

Note: schedule is correct at time of going to press but is subject to change

PPG Names September, October Project Trade Ambassadors

C

ongratulations to Erika Gonzalez of From Dusk Till Dog, LLC (fromdusktilldog.com) in New Jersey, USA for collecting five choke collars, one shock collar, and one prong collar and is Project Trade Ambassador for September 2018. Congratulations, too, to Agnes Kavalecz of Let’s Get Pawsitive LLC (letsgetpawsitive.com) in North Carolina, USA, who collected two prong collars and three shock collars, Daniel Antolec of Happy Buddha Dog Training (happybuddhadogtraining.com) in Wisconsin, USA who collected one choke collar, and Kimberly Benson-Custard of TacoMo Dog Training (tacomodogtraining.com) in Michigan, USA who collected one shock collar.

Congratulations a second time to Gonzalez, who collected two prong collars and two shock collars, and to Vivi Myslik Jorgensen of VivaPaws Training & Behavior (vivapaws.com) in South Carolina, USA for collecting two prong collars. They have been named joint Project Trade Ambassadors for October 2018.

news

Project Trade (projecttrade.org) is an opt-in program for PPG members that has been designed to create incentives for pet owners to seek professionals who will exchange aversive training and pet care equipment for alternative, more appropriate tools, training, and educational support. Find out more about how Project Trade can help your business in Helping Dogs, Helping Families, BARKS from the Guild, March 2017, pp. 20-25 (bit.ly/HelpingDogs). See also ad on p. 54.)

Gear collected as part of Project Trade by Erika Gonzalez (top left & center), Daniel Antolec (top right), Kimberly Benson-Custard (bottom left), Agnes Kavalecz (bottom center), and Vivi Myslik Jorgensen (bottom right)

best of Bringing the stry to u d the pet in nd share a chat, chuckle

HOST A WEBINAR FOR PPG! Share your knowledge and expertise!

Topics may include a particular aspect of training, ethology, learning theory, behavior specifics...anything at all your fellow pet professionals would find educational.

We’ll even do some practice runs with you to help you along (if you need them!)

Submit your idea for a webinar to: PetProfessionalGuild.com/PresentaPPGmemberWebinar

BARKS Podcasts is the international e-radio web-casting arm of PPG, showcasing global news and views on force-free pet care.

Join hosts Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton and their special guests every month!

barksfromtheguild.com/podcasts BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

9

news

Become a PPG Corporate Partner

N

ew Animal Activities Licensing (AAL) regulations (legislation.gov .uk/ukdsi/2018/9780111165485) came into effect in the United Kingdom on October 1, 2018 and, under the regulations, staff working in dog boarding kennels, boarding catteries, day care for dogs, dog home boarding, dog breeding and pet shops, must have clear evidence of knowledge and experience or a minimum of an OFQUAL regulated level 2 qualification in a relevant subject. Or, to meet the Higher Standard, a member of staff with a relevant OFQUAL regulated Level 3 qualification must be present during the working day.

PPG corporate partner Animal Jobs Direct (petprofessionalguild

.com/Corporate-Partnerships) offers a number of animal care qualifications that meet the new requirements under the AAL regulations, including courses in canine and feline care, behavior and training (animal-job.co.uk/ofqual-animal-courses.html) (see also ad on p.33).

If your company aligns with PPG’s Guiding Principles, we invite you too to become a Corporate Partner. As a Corporate Partner you can expand your reach and grow your customer base through access to a core targeted market of pet industry business professionals. For more information, see petprofessionalguild.com/Corporate-Partnerships or email Kelly Fahey (kelly@petprofessionalguild.com).

Earn Your CEUs via PPG’s Webinars, Workshops and Educational Summits!

Webinars

Playing Without Limitations - The Impact of Canine Deafness and Visual Impairment on Dog to Dog Play, and Human Directed Play - Presented by Morag Heirs Friday, January 4, 2019 - 1 p.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3077566

The Top Ten Most Important Dog Training Knowledge Concepts You Need Your Clients to Understand - Presented by Niki Tudge Monday, January 14, 2019 - Noon (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3076356

What a Pithy: Making Classes Memorable - Presented by Kathy Sdao Thursday, January 31, 2019 - 1:30 p.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3074377 Keeping Things in Balance - Presented by Alexandra Kurland Wednesday, February 6, 2019 - 1:30 p.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3126750

Dog Separation Anxiety - Mission Possible! - Presented by Malena DeMartini Thursday, March 7, 2019 - 1:30 p.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3112400

The Sekara Diaries: Working Through the Challenges - Presented by Louise Ginman Sunday, March 10, 2019 - 3 p.m. (EDT) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3119454

A Process & System for Training People - Transferring Knowledge & Skills in a Group or Private Lesson - Presented by Niki Tudge Monday, March 11, 2019 - Noon (EDT) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3101985

“You’ve Got It!” - Clicker Training for Success! - Presented by Louise Stapleton-Frappell Thursday, March 21, 2019 - 1 p.m. (EDT) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3077728

PPG Webinars On Demand

Listen any time! (Scroll down to find all the latest additions): petprofessionalguild.com/Educational-Resources

Educational Summits

PPG Canine Aggression and Safety Education Seminar 2019 (Portland, Oregon) (see also ad on back cover) Friday, April 26, 2019 - Noon Sunday, April 28, 2019 - 5 p.m. petprofessionalguild.com/2019-Portland • Details of all upcoming summits: petprofessionalguild.com/Educational-Summits

Residential Workshops

PPG Member Educational Day of Fun with Niki Tudge (Tampa, Florida) Sunday, January 20, 2019 - 9 a.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3135620 Behavior Geeks - Fine Tune Your Training Skills In a New Context and Learn To Scientifically Track Your Training Progress with Niki Tudge (Tampa, Florida) (see also ad on p.11) Saturday, February 9, 2019 - 9 a.m. (EST) Sunday, February 10, 2019 - 6 p.m. (EST) petprofessionalguild.com/February-2019-Tune-Up-Your-Skills

Successfully Train and Compete in The Show Ring - Learn The Knowledge and Skills You Need to Compete or Teach a Professional Curriculum with Vicki Ronchette, supported by Niki Tudge (Tampa, Florida) (see also ad on p.39) Saturday, September 21, 2019 - 9 a.m. (EDT) Sunday, September 22, 2019 - 4 p.m. (EDT) petprofessionalguild.com/event-2688824 Communication, Interaction, Arousal and Problematic Behaviors with Craig Ogilvie (Tampa, Florida) (see also ad on p.31) Saturday, October 12, 2019 - 9 a.m. (EDT) Sunday, October 13, 2019 - 4 p.m. (EDT) petprofessionalguild.com/event-3053427 • Details of all upcoming workshops: petprofessionalguild.com/Workshops.

Note: All dates and times are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change. Please check website for an updated list of all live webinars, as well as discounted and on-demand webinars: petprofessionalguild.com/educational-resources

10

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Hey D Dog og TTrainers rainers and B Behavior ehavior C Consultants onsultants

Get Get O Out ut of Y Your our C Comfort omf mffort Zone!

Zone! a and nd Get A Agile gile W While hile Y You ou TTune Tune-Up une-Up Y Your our TTr Training raining Sk Skills ills a and nd Me Mechanics chanics

T Training raining Skills Skills Tune-Up Tune-Up W Workshop orkshop A Unique FForum orum W Where here the AArt rt and SScience cience of TTr Training raining and BBehavior ehavior A Analysis nalysis C Con Converge onverge

FFebruary ebruary 9-10, 2019 –– Tampa, Tampa, am Fl Fl ocused daily sk ill labs. labs.

LLearn earn new sk ills thr ough skills through ugh ffocused skill o dog tr aining.

P articipate in a scien tific approach approach tto Participate scientific training. goals,, tr track per formance data.

SSet et goals ack results results and analyze analyze your your performance data.

Critique skills C ritique yyour our sk ills and adapt yyour our mechanics in a new ccontext. ontext.

A And nd ha have v e bundles of fun in a unique learning lear ning format. for ma t .

An Incredibly Distinctive and Effective Learning Environment

In this two course you you will question what yyou aree two day course ou know know and what yyou ou ar learning. learning. You You o will be trraining aining in a systematic systematic manner and will be addressing addressing your your training measurement tracking a tr rack acking tools learn measur ement processes processes and obtain data tools you you can can take take back tto o your your business for the benefit benefit of you you and yyour our clients. clients.

uild u The Assoc Association iation for For Force-Free Pet Professionals

Instructed by Niki Tudge

CEUs: PPAB =12, IAABC and CCPDT pending

events

Member Networking Day

BARKS presents highlights from PPG’s September “Day of Education and Fun”

and reveals plans for a second event this month

P

PPG steering committee member Angelica Steinker (back row, second left) and PPG special counsel member Dr. Lynn Honeckman (back row, fifth left) take a break with the Day of Education and Fun attendees and their dogs, who also got the chance to network (see photos, bottom of page)

PG held its first ever day of free education and fun for Floridabased PPG members and DogSmiths in September at its headquarters in Tampa, Florida. The schedule included presentations

by PPG president, Niki Tudge, local veterinarian and PPG special counsel member, Dr. Lynn Honeckman, and Tampa-based dog trainer and behavior consultant and PPG steering committee member, Angelica Steinker.

After the morning’s presentation, attendees with dogs took part in a group training session for an afternoon of fun competitions, including agility.

“The event was a resounding success and from it came the idea to host more of these events across the membership as they ensure that we network and learn from each other, have fun, and have access to a support system to help us all in our businesses,” said PPG president, Niki Tudge. “If you are interested in hosting a regular PPG member network-

12

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

ing day in your area, please review the blueprint for PPG Networking Groups (petprofessionalguild.com/PPG-Networking-Hosts) then complete the short form so we have you in our database and can communicate directly with you.”

Meanwhile, PPG is already planning its next member fun day, again in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday, January 20, 2019 starting at 9 a.m. Following on from the success of the previous event, the program will incorporate a free, full day of networking, sessions, competitions and more. For more details and to register, please see petprofessionalguild.com /event-3135620.

If you would like to host a member fun day in your state/province/county/town, please let PPG know via the Networking Groups link posted above. n

events

PPG Workshop: Scent Work

O

Louise Stapleton-Frappell reports on scent work instructor Robert Hewings’ October workshop ctober saw PPG members from around the globe make their way to PPG and DogNostics Career Center’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida for two back-to-back workshops and four days of

fun.

The first two days featured British scent work instructor Robert Hewings hosting the Let’s Coach Scent Work event and making his first appearance for PPG in the United States. During the workshop, attendees were introduced to the fascinating world of scent as Hewings discussed how dogs benefit from engaging in scent work and how pet professionals can become skilled at incorporating imaginative scent work into training classes, behavior consultations, and rehabilitation and recuperation exercises for both dog and owner.

Topics covered over the weekend included how to condition scent identification; how to incorporate both classical and operant conditioning into commencing search, how to build enthusiasm in the dog which can then be transferred into the behavior problem solving environment, scent cones and how the flow of scent affects the search, simple coaching “aides-mémoires”,’ how to teach “indications”,’ and much more.

Scent work instructor Robert Hewings (right) works with workshop attendee Rachel Williams and her dog Nina

"With my chosen pathway, I believe starting in scent work involves three types of dog training that will eventually merge into the successful result," explained Hewings. “These are Scent Identification, Indication and Search (see Figure 1, below). As with all dog training, try not to start with all three at once as this will lead to confusion and badly laid foundations.”

After conducting some simple searches to find food, Hewings introduced the dogs to their first scent. He did this by first classically conditioning the scent using a two-pot method: "I use two small plastic tubs, one with holes the other without and sit with the dog, placing one treat in the top pot (holes) as the scent sits in the ‘solid’ pot beneath,” he explained. “My reasoning is that if we feed a few treats rapidly and the dog begins to know the game, just pause for a moment the dog will put his nose back into the pot and sniff for extra treats, we can then drop a treat into the tub and we are certain that the dog is sniffing and registering the required scent from beneath. A very simple starting exercise."

Operant conditioning was then employed to encourage the dogs to sniff at the contact scent. "I like to do this by placing the target scent into a small tub (with holes drilled in the lid), then presenting the tub to the dog, the dog sniffs at the pot we reward the behavior. ReFigure 1 member, at this stage it is the sniff we require and not simply targeting the pot by touching it with [the] nose," Hewings explained.

Those lucky attendees who held working spots were able to experience first-hand the eagerness and anticipation their dogs felt both during the “search” and at the moment of the “find” as the Graphic © Robert Hewings different search areas, of

About the Instructor Author of the recently published Introduction to Canine Scent-Work, head of learning and development for the U.K. College of Scent Detection (ukcsd.com), and PPG British Isles special counsel member Robert Hewings retired from the Metropolitan Police after 30 years’ exemplary service, 25 of which was as a police dog handler, and the final nine years as a full-time trainer with the Metropolitan Police Dog Training Establishment. During that time he headed training for SWAT dogs and was active in the instruction and development of all aspects of police dog and handler training.

Search Mode

14

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

gradually increasing difficulty, were set up for the dogs and their handlers to investigate. For scents, Hewings used clove pods, and two of the handlers used birch oil. Others used their own treats. In the United Kingdom, the three main scents (for competition use) are clove (pods not oil), Napier gun oil (this brand is non-toxic) and English truffle oil. In the United States, the three main scents used are birch oil, anise oil, and gun oil. “A great idea for folk who will not compete in scent but want a varied ‘portfolio’ are teabags, which are cheap, plentiful and easy to get,” Hewings added.

Hewings also provided a wealth of advice on how to set up both dogs and humans for success. “When you are setting up a search area, you should keep the search area dedicated,” he said, explaining that it was advantageous for there to be no gap in the search (i.e. the search objects) as this helps the dog to stay in “search mode.” Also, if you are unsure what scent to use or are struggling to transition from food to scents, such as clove etc., simply “dip a cotton tip into the bloody water” when you are defrosting meat, which can then be used as your search article. Hewings also stated the important of, once you complete your search area, repeating the beginning, as the dog could be orienting instead of searching at commencement of the search.

All in all Let’s Coach Scent Work was an enormous success, so much so that at the insistence of the attendees, PPG is planning to have Hewings return this year to conduct a five-day instructor certification workshop. Watch out for notifications, there will be limited spots available! n

events

PPG Workshop: Walking Nicely

Louise Stapleton-Frappell presents highlights from PPG’s Walk This Way instructor certification

workshop last October

O

Workshop instructors Louise Stapleton-Frappell and Niki Tudge (far right) demonstrate how to transfer the knowledge and skills learned to a group class setting

ctober saw PPG members from around the globe make their way to PPG and DogNostics Career Center’s headquarters in Tampa, Florida for two back-to-back workshops and four days of

fun.

Following on from Robert Hewings’ excellent scent work workshop at PPG headquarters in Tampa, Florida (see PPG Workshop: Scent Work on pp. 14-15), Louise Stapleton-Frappell and Niki Tudge hosted the twoday "Walk This Way" instructor certification workshop. Learning objectives included: Understand the basics of respondent and operant conditioning in the context of walking dogs.

• Understand and learn how to apply the key concepts of On Task Skill Coaching.

• Learn how to teach key skills through practical exercises.

• Learn to conduct a group class with your peers.

• Review the Walk This Way Instructor Program curriculum, handouts, games, skills and knowledge.

During the course of the workshop, the instructors highlighted the fact that teaching a client to teach their dog to walk nicely is a skill that is often not fully mastered in a group class curriculum when trained alongside other important pet dog skills. Walking nicely, however, is a life skill that, when missing, can significantly and negatively impact the human-canine relationship, resulting in fewer walks, less exercise and a decrease in social exposure for the dog. Tudge pointed out that this runs the risk of a dog entering a downward spiral to a life in exile or incarceration.

Attendees were guided through the Walk This Way curriculum and taught all the skills and knowledge needed to successfully run Walk This Way group or private classes and workshops. Topics covered also included gaining an understanding of how conditioning works; how setting events and motivating operations influence behavior and how you can influence them; how to effectively use reinforcement - the types, schedules, delivery and the Premack Principle; how to use the TrainTest-Train protocol and effectively baseline, track and manage training data to accelerate students' progression. There were also many practical 16

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

exercises to participate in to learn and try out the key skills needed for teaching dogs to walk nicely on leash.

The exercises began with focus games and moved on to teaching dogs how to stand on leash calmly. This is extremely beneficial, as the dogs are reinforced, using a very high rate of reinforcement, for being close to the handler in a loose leash walking position. This transitioned into the actual walk by using small criteria and setting the dogs up for success. For pets that have learned how to “pull,” Stapleton-Frappell offered options for fun and creative ways to reduce the intensity and frequency of pulling behavior without building poor behavior chains that inadvertently reinforce the pet for this unwanted behavior.

The instructors did not just focus on the requisite skills and knowledge for teaching dogs to walk nicely though. They also showed attendees how to transfer the knowledge and skills they learned to a group class setting, as well as sharing the core concepts of On Task Skill Coaching (see A Practical Teaching Method, BARKS from the Guild, November 2018, pp. 54-56). The knowledge gained in the workshop could thus be applied across all the attendees’ service offerings from group to private classes. The workshop culminated in participants conducting a group class with their peers and the opportunity to gain the professional Walk This Way instructor certificate. n

About the Instructors Louise Stapleton-Frappell is an accredited professional canine trainer and behavior consultant as well as membership manager of PPG British Isles, regional coordinator of Doggone Safe in Spain, owner of the DogSmith of Estepona, co-host of BARKS Podcasts, PPG board member, and partner and faculty member at DogNostics Career Center. Niki Tudge is president and founder of PPG, president and founder of The DogSmith, president of Doggone Safe, and founder and faculty member at DogNostics Career Center.

Resources

Tudge, N. (2018, November). A Practical Teaching Method. BARKS from the Guild (33) 54-56. Available at: bit.ly/2QhtDiu

cover

The Case for ScientificallyInformed, Kind Practices

Susan Nilson and Niki Tudge present the case for pet professionals and umbrella

associations to promote and foster a solely force-free approach to the training,

behavior consulting, management, and care of pets, and highlight the pitfalls and

potential fallout of using and/or supporting methods and tools that cause pain or fear

In training and behavior change, pet professionals can now reference the growing body of research by the scientific community which advocates for humane, positive reinforcement-based protocols, rather than rely on outdated protocols that utilize escape or avoidance behavior, or that cause fear or pain Š Can Stock Photo/ksuksa

18

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

A

s anyone who has ever shared their life with an animal knows, humans and their pets1 have a special bond. When we look at dogs in particular, the relationship is unique in that, across generations over tens of thousands of years, we have purposefully adapted this one species through natural selection to be more collaborative, more reliant and more functional to support our human needs. This selection process has resulted in hundreds of canine breeds working across multiple functions to support and collaborate with humans (Overall, 2013). Indeed, there are “fingerprints in [dogs’] DNA that suggest convergence or coevolution with humans in neurochemical patterns.” (Overall, 2016).

How Our Pets Learn

While natural selection helps pets adapt to changes across generations, it is not so effective in helping them cope with rapid changes in their immediate environment, for example, when they are adopted into a new home. McKeon (2017) states, specifically of racing greyhounds but just as applicable to any dog who finds himself the product of an impoverished early environment: “They have not generally seen or encountered microwave ovens, televisions, stairs, other breeds of dogs, small animals or children…Coming into a domestic environment must feel rather like landing on an alien planet. One day you are living in the familiar, and the next you are transported to a place where you do not speak the language, know the customs, or understand what is expected of you, and where everything appears alien.” This is undoubtedly a tough ask, and one that is perhaps not always appreciated or fully understood by new pet owners, however good their intentions.

In order to adapt to new and changing environments, pets must be able to learn, which we can define as a measurable change in behavior that takes place through experiences to events, i.e. stimuli, and is essential for survival. Chance (2008, p. 24) states that “learning takes up where reflexes, modal action patterns and general behavior leave off.”

Like humans, animals can learn in a healthy, humane and safe manner, or, conversely, through pain, force and fear. On the back of that, it is time to lay to rest disagreements and propositions about how our central nervous systems and brains differ in terms of learning and emotions; we now know, as if there were ever any doubt amongst those of us who share our lives with animals, that pets are sentient beings with similar central nervous systems and brain functions to humans. In fact, there are more similarities than differences. Our pets learn in precisely the same way we do with similar nervous system functions.

One way to look at the nervous system is to separate it into two functioning areas: the voluntary, or somatic, nervous system and the involuntary, or autonomic, nervous system. The somatic system carries out the pet’s operant behaviors such as walking, eating, sitting etc. while the autonomic system is responsible for functions that do not require conscious thought, such as breathing, blood pressure and heart rate (Bone, 1992).

According to Bekoff (2008), it is simply “bad biology to argue against the existence of animal emotions. Scientific research in evolutionary biology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds) and social neuroscience support the view that numerous and diverse animals have rich and deep emotional lives.” Panksepp (2012) defined seven fundamental emotions in mammals: SEEKING, RAGE, FEAR, LUST, CARE, PANIC/GRIEF, and PLAY, which he called “the emotional primes, the primary-process emotional systems associated with specific brain networks and specifically designated in the brain-stimulation studies of emotions.” He capitalized them “because the evidence supports a category of evolutionarily homologous experiences, equivalent across different species of mammals.”

With such rich emotional lives, then, there can be no doubt that all pets deserve to live in a safe, nurturing, stable, enriched environment where they are treated humanely, are free from force, pain and fear,

cover

According to Bekoff (2008), it is simply “bad biology to argue against the existence of animal emotions. Scientific research in evolutionary biology, cognitive ethology (the study of animal minds) and social neuroscience support the view that numerous and diverse animals have rich and deep emotional lives.” and have each of their individual needs met. This, in turn, can go a long way towards preventing future behavioral issues. Even then, depending on an individual dog’s genetics, environment and/or early learning experiences, behavioral issues can still occur and owners need to be aware that, having ruled out any medical cause, such issues can be consistently, reliably and effectively resolved – or at the very least successfully managed – with the implementation of humane, modern, science-based training methods based on positive reinforcement.

An important part of this is increased access to better pet care education via competent and qualified specialist organizations and associations to help owners understand that significant physical and emotional damage can occur from the use of aversive tools or techniques, including so-called electronic stimulation2. In our cyber-driven world, where information is not always accurate or scientifically sound, it is the goal of both the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) and international advocacy initiative, the Shock-Free Coalition, to provide a platform that promotes reliable, humane and scientific resources, equipment, ideas, methods and techniques that owners and pet professionals can trust to reflect a force-free philosophy.

When they sign up, PPG members agree to a Code of Ethics whereby they work to optimize the use of applied behavior analysis to systematically identify and resolve problem behaviors using the least aversive and intrusive methods, tools and equipment within the parameters of organization’s Guiding Principles (2012). These state that “no shock, no pain, no choke, no fear, no physical force, and no compulsion-based methods are ever to be employed to train or care for a pet.” Further, both PPG and its members actively recommend against the use of any training tools or equipment whose purpose and/or intent is to interrupt or redirect behavior using fear, force or pain (see also box on p.25).

How Shock Works

Electric shock works through escape and avoidance learning. Let’s think about that for a moment. A pet is placed in a situation where he learns to exhibit the “acceptable” behavior by the presentation and removal of a scary or painful stimulus. This uses positive punishment and negative reinforcement, principles of operant conditioning that work at opposite ends of a continuum. In practice, the pet is punished through the application of positive punishment, and as soon as he offers a more acceptable behavior in order to escape or avoid the scary or painful stimulus, the stimulus is then removed by the trainer.

Let’s now look at an example of escape learning. Say a dog is running in a different direction to his owner and the owner/trainer applies the shock stimulus while shouting, “Come.” The dog will be startled and may stop or begin to move back towards the owner/trainer. When the dog does this, the owner/trainer stops applying the shock so the dog learns that by running back toward the owner, the pain can be removed (i.e. the shock is removed). In other words, the dog learns that he can escape the aversive stimulus by engaging in a different behavior. In the case of avoidance behavior, it is exactly as it sounds: a dog learns how to avoid a painful or scary stimulus.

With a shock containment system, such as an electric, or “invisible” fence, the dog learns to stop moving forward towards the boundary when he hears the warning beep. If he proceeds, then he will receive an BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

19

cover

Herron, Shofer and Reisner (2009) state that “reward-based training is less stressful or painful for the dog, and, hence, safer for the owner.”

Rooney and Cowan (2011) suggest high levels of punishment may have “adverse effects upon a dog's behaviour whilst reward based training may improve a dog's subsequent ability to learn.”

Pets are sentient beings with similar central nervous systems and brain functions to humans that learn in precisely the same way humans do

electric shock. As in the previous example, the goal of his behavior is to avoid the fear and pain this will cause. His learning has taken place from being shocked and, therefore, getting hurt, while his new behavior is reinforced by fear as he works to avoid the beeping. The result of this is a dog who has been contained in his own area, his supposed safe haven, through fear and/or pain. (Tudge, 2009).

The key difference between escape and avoidance learning is this: In escape learning, the dog’s behavior allows him to escape the electric shock, whereas in avoidance learning, his behavior avoids the onset of the shock altogether. In both instances, the learning is based on fear. In the case of the “invisible” fence, the beep on the boundary system comes before the shock is delivered. Due to his conditioning (learning/experience) history, the dog has learned that the beep predicts a painful electric shock if his current behavior continues. He will aim to avoid this at all costs. (Tudge, 2009). (For more on “invisible” fences, see Don’t Believe the Hype, BARKS from the Guild, July 2015, pp.36-39.)

How Shock Fails

Increasingly, peer reviewed, scientific studies show, whether discussing dogs, humans, dolphins or elephants, that shock as a form of training to teach or correct a behavior is ineffective at best and physically and psychologically damaging at worst (Schilder & Van der Borg, 2004; Schalke, Stichnoth, Ott, & Jones-Baade, 2007; Polsky, 2000; Cooper, Cracknell, Hardiman, Wright & Mills, 2014). Overall (2013) states that shock collars “violate the principles of three of five freedoms that define adequate welfare for animals: Freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress.” The freedoms Overall refers to are Brambell’s (1965) Five Freedoms, which have been a standard for assessing animal welfare since 1965.

Applying an electric shock to an animal via any system – or any other pain inflicting device – provides no effective strategy for him to learn a new or alternative behavior; it simply inflicts pain and risks making him fearful, anxious and/or aggressive. Evidence indicates that, rather than speeding up the learning process, electronic stimulation de20

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

© Can Stock Photo/cfoto

vices slow it down, place great stress on the animal, can result in both short-term and long-term psychological damage, and lead to fearful, anxious and/or aggressive behavior. The British Veterinary Association and the British Small Animal Veterinary Association (2012) both recommend “against the use of electronic shock collars and other aversive methods for the training and containment of animals” and state that shocks “and other aversive stimuli received during training may not only be acutely stressful, painful and frightening for the animals, but may also produce long-term adverse effects on behavioural and emotional responses.”

Several countries, including England, Wales, Austria, Germany, Switzerland, Slovenia, Denmark, Sweden, Norway and Finland, the province of Quebec in Canada, and the states of New South Wales, Australian Capital Territory and South Australia in Australia, have already banned electronic stimulation devices. In Scotland, “strict guidance” has been published by the Scottish Parliament which provides “advice on training methods and training aids for dogs, with particular focus on the welfare issues that may arise from the use of aversive methods including e-collars. It highlights the potential consequences of the misuse of aversive training aids, including possible legal consequences.” (The Kennel Club, 2018). In the United States and elsewhere, meanwhile, a significant number of respected and credentialed canine behavior and training professionals are supporting an initiative spearheaded by the Shock-Free Coalition to remove shock from the pet training and care equation once and for all (see box on p.21).

There are significant and common problems resulting from the use of electronic stimulation devices or any other device designed to inflict pain or fear. As already explained, in the case of a shock collar, the shock is applied and then stopped when the dog discontinues his current behavior, which is whatever the person administering the shock deems to be inappropriate. There is no actual, constructive teaching involved, and the dog is given no opportunity to learn a specific and more appropriate new behavior. If the aversive device is absent at any time, there is no guarantee the dog will do what is expected of him because he has never actually been taught a new behavior within that context. With pet con-

tainment systems, for example, the pet does not learn that being in the yard of his own home is a pleasant and stress-free environment. Quite the opposite, in fact.

Any environmental stimulus not paired with a positive stimulus is, at best, neutral and, at worst, frightening and/or painful to the pet. Pets who learn to exhibit behaviors to escape or avoid fear or pain are by definition subjected to an aversive, unpleasant or frightening stimulus as opposed to a pleasant stimulus that they seek out voluntarily and which can be used as a powerful and effective training aid.

In addition, when punishment is applied to a pet’s behavior and a change in behavior is not seen immediately, trainers/owners may elect to increase the frequency, duration or intensity. The punishment may thus be applied more harshly, applied for a longer period of time, or applied more frequently (or any combination of the three). This results in the pet making more deliberate or desperate attempts to escape or avoid the punishment, so a counterproductive paradigm develops whereby he simply learns to fear the stimulus, the context, and/or the person delivering it. Alternatively, some pets tend to be more “stoic” and may fail to show any kind of fear response, irrespective of increased levels of anxiety, fear or frustration. In some cases, pets become habituated to the sense of fear or anxiety and, again, this perpetuates the owner/trainer in using increased levels, duration or frequency of the punishing stimulus. According to O’Heare (2005), it has been shown through scientific study that fear and stress caused in such situations can have a significant effect on a pet's wellbeing due to increasing cortisol levels and heart rate, not to mention the psychological impact. Just as concerning is the fact that pets who are punished can generalize the anticipation of fear and pain to the presence of the owner/trainer, impacting the level of trust and safety they feel around people.

A pet repeatedly subjected to aversive stimulation may also go into a state of “shut down,” or a global suppression of behavior. This is frequently mistaken for a “trained” pet, as the pet remains subdued and offers few behaviors. In extreme cases, pets may refuse to perform any

cover

Increasingly, peer reviewed, scientific studies show, whether discussing dogs, humans, dolphins or elephants, that shock as a form of training to teach or correct a behavior is ineffective at best and physically and psychologically damaging at worst... Overall (2013) states that shock collars “violate the principles of three of five freedoms that define adequate welfare for animals: Freedom from pain, injury, and disease, freedom to express normal behavior and freedom from fear and distress.” behavior at all, known as “learned helplessness.” In such cases, pets may try to isolate themselves to avoid incurring the aversive stimulation. This is evidently counterproductive to training new, more acceptable behaviors. (O’Heare, 2011).

Because using aversives in training can suppress behaviors, it is counterindicated in pets as the suppression removes any natural communication system of fear or pain, making any aggression more difficult to monitor, predict or anticipate. Without ritualized aggressive behaviors, people and other pets risk receiving no warning before the pet subjected to punishment feels forced to resort to biting. Pets subjected to repeated aversive stimulation may also be respondently conditioned to associate the fear and/or pain with certain contextual cues in their environment. This can promote redirected aggression towards the stimulus associated with fear and or pain.

“Startle” Devices

In the market place, one can find so-called “pet correction devices,” or

Electric Shock: What the Experts Say

The key purpose of the Shock-Free Coalition is to build a strong and broad movement committed to eliminating shock devices from the supply and demand chain. This goal will be reached when shock tools and equipment are universally unavailable and not permitted for the training, management and care of pets.

“The behaviors for which people wish to use shock in dogs are those that annoy humans. These behaviors are either signals or nonspecific signs of underlying distress. The question should be, are we doing harm when we use shock to extinguish behaviors, some of which may be normal? If one is considering the mechanism of cellular learning, the answer must be yes.” - Karen L. Overall MA VMD Ph.D. DACVB, editor-in-chief, Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research and PPG Special Counsel member “Electric shock has no place in modern dog training and behavior management. It is never necessary, and is inhumane and side effect-laden. I know of no valid argument for the continued sale of these devices.”

- Jean Donaldson, founder and principal instructor, The Academy for Dog Trainers, author of The Culture Clash, and PPG Special Counsel member "Cruelty can't stand the spotlight. And, abuse must be countered head on. Dogs need all the voices they can get. We are their lifeline, their oxygen, and they are totally dependent on our goodwill and for us to work selflessly and tirelessly on their behalf.” - Ethologist Marc Bekoff Ph.D., author of ‘The Animals’ Agenda: Freedom, Compassion, and Coexistence in the Human Age’

“It is my honor to join the PPG in the movement to stop the use of shock collars for training and behavior and participate in the campaign to raise awareness of the devastating effects on canine health and well-being as well as the damage to the relationship between dogs and their people."

- Linda Tellington-Jones Ph.D. (Hons), developer of the Tellington TTouch Equine Awareness Method (TTEAM)TM and Tellington TTouchTM

“It is morally reprehensible to use shock to control the behavior of the sentient, sensitive beings we call our best friends. Shock collars work because they hurt, and it is absolutely possible to train dogs successfully and effectively without using them. If you don’t have to hurt and frighten your dog in the name of training, why on earth would you?”

- Pat Miller CBCC-KA CPDT-KA, director, Peaceable Paws Trainer Academies and PPG Special Counsel member

“I’ve witnessed first hand the destructive power of shock collars in dog training. Shock collar and electric fence companies will tell you they’re not harmful when used ‘correctly,’ but this is false. What they don’t tell you about is the damage these devices can do, both to the human/canine bond and to a dog’s emotional stability. The ineffectiveness of these tools in terms of emotional shutdown is common and research has also effectively shown that using shock to train dogs is ultimately harmful and should be avoided at all costs.” - Victoria Stilwell, dog behavior specialist and trainer, host and presenter of Animal Planet’s It’s Me or the Dog © Shock-Free Coalition/shockfree.org (2018) BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

21

cover

States Overall (2015): “Dominance theory has shut off scientific research and has crept into medicine to the point where we think we can do things to animals whereby we are asking them to ‘submit.’ In pop psychology, dominance theory is insidious and has crept into everything we do with dogs and it’s wrong. It has gotten in the way of modern science and I’ve just about had it. Every single thing we do with dogs hurts them because we don’t see them as individuals or cognitive partners…” aversive stimuli intended for pet care, management, or training by eliciting a “startle response,” and/or an alarm reaction. These pieces of equipment are promoted and sold to prevent, barking, jumping up, growling, or any other problematic behavior but are not advisable because using the startle response to correct behavior can be perceived as highly threatening by a pet and quickly create fear, not only towards the specific piece of equipment but also to the operator or any other stimuli present at that time.

For example, using an aversive sound such as an air horn to interrupt barking risks pairing the owner or trainer with the unpleasant stimulus and, in particular, the hand or arm that is reaching out while using the tool. Repeated instances may generalize to the pet attempting to flee. If the pet feels that flight is not possible or a safe or reliable course of action, he may instead have no other alternative action to protect himself than to exhibit aggressive behaviors towards arm or hand movement, or any approach behavior.

Ramirez-Moreno and Sejnowski (2012) define the startle response as a “largely unconscious defensive response to sudden or threatening stimuli, such as sudden noise or sharp movement” that is “associated with negative affect.” According to Lang, Bradley, and Cuthbert (1990), the startle response (or aversive reflex) is “enhanced during a fear state and is diminished in a pleasant emotional context.” This equipment through its design and intended application operates using fear as motivation. (Pet Professional Guild, 2017).

A Word on Dominance

The idea that humans should exert physical control over animals was first widely-popularized in the 1970s in the book How to Be Your Dog’s Best Friend by the Monks of New Skete, which recommended the infamous “alpha roll” to deal with undesired behaviors. The alpha roll, in which a human flips a dog onto his back and pins him until he shows “submissive” behaviors, was founded on 1960s studies of captive wolves kept in an area too small for their numbers and composed of members that would not naturally be found together in a pack in the wild. These conditions resulted in increased numbers of conflicts in which one wolf would appear to pin another wolf. However, current scientific knowledge has recanted the findings of these studies, acknowledging that this behavior is not typical of wolves living in the wild (Mech, 1999). Despite these findings and the great disparity in behavior between wolves and dogs, dominance theory became applied to pet dogs, popularized, and remains a widely-propagated training style. In fact, “dominance theory is an obsolete and aversive method of interacting with animals that has at its foundation 22

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

incorrect and misinterpreted data which can result in damage to the animal-human relationship and cause behavioral problems in the animal.”

(Pet Professional Guild, 2018).

States Overall (2015): “Dominance theory has shut off scientific research and has crept into medicine to the point where we think we can do things to animals whereby we are asking them to ‘submit.’ In pop psychology, dominance theory is insidious and has crept into everything we do with dogs and it’s wrong. It has gotten in the way of modern science and I’ve just about had it. Every single thing we do with dogs hurts them because we don’t see them as individuals or cognitive partners…

Unfortunately, the dominance, discipline and coercion approach has affected every aspect of how we interact with dogs from basic training to treating troubled dogs. We MUST abandon these cruel, scientifically unsupported labels and approaches and replace them with a humane, scientifically-based approach that is dog-centric and attempts to understand situations from the viewpoint of the dog.”

Indeed, in the 21st century, can there really still be a debate over the issue of using pain and fear as “methods” of animal training? The good news is that, no, we do not need to use any training or behavior modification protocols that utilize escape or avoidance behavior, or that cause fear or pain. Instead, we can reference the growing body of knowledge and findings from the scientific community which advocate for humane, positive reinforcement-based protocols. These are known to promote a positive emotional state and therefore improve an animal’s ability to learn new things. In addition, they set an animal up for success, build his confidence, allow him to think for himself, and empower him to make good choices (O’Heare, 2011).

A Behavior or an Emotion?

It is important to be aware that behaviors are voluntary or involuntary.

They are either shaped by their environmental consequences or through the association with environmental stimuli. Voluntary behaviors are known as operants and are strengthened or weakened by their consequences, a process known as operant conditioning (Tudge, 2009). Operant conditioning occurs when a voluntary behavior is changed.

Involuntary, or respondent, behaviors, meanwhile, are elicited from an emotional reaction to a situation. In a process known as respondent (or classical) conditioning, the presence of one stimulus begins to reliably predict the presence of a second stimulus (Tudge, 2017). This is not a consciously learned process; it happens automatically and without thought. (Note: in respondent conditioning, we are managing and changing emotions; in operant conditioning we are managing and changing behaviors.)

An animal’s behavior can be overt (voluntary) or covert (involuntary).

© Can Stock Photo/adogslifephoto

Overt behavior is anything an animal does that we can observe or measure. In other words, any visible behavior we can see and directly impact through our management, care and training. Covert behaviors, on the other hand, are hidden and unobservable. They include actions like thinking and imagining. As pet owners, we can probably all agree that our pets do both, even if we cannot directly see them (Tudge, 2017).

Working with behavior issues, and specifically cases involving fear, anxiety, or aggression, requires a thorough understanding of the scientific elements of behavior modification. Positive trainers focus on building relationships with pets by using positive reinforcement to train new skills, and to build new behaviors as replacements for problematic ones.

Because the emotional brain inhibits the rational brain (and vice versa), in biological terms it is difficult for pets (or indeed humans) to learn productively when in a fearful or anxious state, other than to fear or distrust the person (or other, corresponding stimulus) causing a negative emotional response.

Many would probably agree that fearmongering, threats or punishment are not an effective – or acceptable – way for adults to resolve their differences, so it should come as no surprise that physically correcting pets, just like hitting children, causes more problems than it solves. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends that “adults caring for children use healthy forms of discipline, such as positive reinforcement of appropriate behaviors, setting limits, redirecting, and setting future expectations. The AAP recommends that parents do not use spanking, hitting, slapping, threatening, insulting, humiliating, or shaming.” (Sege & Siegel, 2018).

And, increasingly, current research in the field of animal behavior reflects this. Herron, Shofer and Reisner (2009) state that “rewardbased training is less stressful or painful for the dog, and, hence, safer for the owner.” Rooney and Cowan (2011) suggest high levels of punishment may have “adverse effects upon a dog's behaviour whilst reward based training may improve a dog's subsequent ability to learn.” Deldalle and Gaunet (2014) found that “using a negative reinforcement– based method demonstrated lowered body postures and signals of stress, whereas dogs from the school using a positive reinforcement–based method showed increased attentiveness toward their owner.”

cover

Applying an electric shock to an animal via any system – or any other pain inflicting device – provides no effective strategy for an animal to learn a new or alternative behavior; it simply inflicts pain and risks making the animal fearful, anxious and/or aggressive.

Ziv (2017) conducted a review of the scientific literature on the effects of various canine training methods and summarized that methods using punishment, fear and pain jeopardize both the physical and mental health of the pet. He concludes that “there is no evidence to suggest that aversive training methods are more effective than reward-based training methods. At least three studies in this review suggest that the opposite might be true in both pets and working dogs (Blackwell, Bolster, Richards, Loftus & Casey, 2012; Haverbeke, Laporte, Depiereux, Giffroy & Diederich, 2008; Hiby, Rooney & Bradshaw, 2004). Because this appears to be the case, it is recommended that the dog training community embrace reward-based training and avoid, as much as possible, training methods that include aversion.” (Ziv, 2017).

States Overall (2017): “Consider the universe told you that everything you did was wrong. That’s what punishment does. Take the individual responses and then punish the dog until he gets the right answer.

Consider, instead, telling dogs what’s right and when their decision is taking them away from the right answer. To change behavior you must script a detailed path to success. Telling someone what will not work or is not desired is of minimal utility in a world of a million choices, and 999,999 of them will be wrong…Remember, fear is an individual response and what’s punishing or a punisher must be considered in terms of the recipient, so while ‘fear’ is not in the definition of punishment, it may be one of the effects of punishment. How many of you have never asked a question in your life? That is what we expect dogs to do.”

Best Practice

According to Millikan (2012), the definition of best practice “varies across differing sources” and that, “[f]or some, the definition is purely result driven.” Millikan summarized the following definitions: • “Methods and techniques that have consistently shown results superior to those achieved with other means and which are used as benchmarks to strive for.” (Business Dictionary, 2011).

• “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.’” (Wikipedia, 2011).

Positive reinforcement-based training protocols are known to promote a positive emotional state and therefore improve an animal’s ability to learn new things, as well as set up animals for success, build their confidence, allow them to think for themselves, and empower them to make good choices

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

23

cover

© Can Stock Photo/izelPhotography

© Can Stock Photo/markcarper

The relationship betweens dogs and humans has evolved across generations over tens of thousands of years to be more collaborative, reliant and functional to support human needs; there are “fingerprints in [dogs’] DNA that suggest convergence or coevolution with humans in neurochemical patterns.” (Overall, 2016)

Electric shock and other aversive training methods have been shown to slow down learning, place great stress on the animal, result in both short-term and long-term psychological damage, and lead to fearful, anxious and/or aggressive behavior; in addition, he is given no opportunity to learn a more appropriate new behavior

• “Without such a standard, we are likely to intervene on the basis of effectiveness 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.” (Friedman, 2010).

The question of how a best practice is defined in the currently unregulated pet industry is historically troubling and has been one of the key sticking points between and across key industry associations and credentialing bodies. “As these key associations play a critical role in establishing and recommending best practices, codes of practice, education, leadership and technical standards that interface directly with the general public, it is a responsibility that PPG takes very seriously. PPG considers that it has an obligation to fulfil this role by taking a transparent and consistent position on important and urgent issues, such as training practices and equipment use. PPG’s Guiding Principles are specific, measurable and forward thinking and provide a clear way ahead for our industry while supporting professional autonomy without sacrificing unambiguous ethical guidelines.” (N. Tudge, personal communication, November 8, 2018). In a business environment where certifications are rife and new associations emerge annually, it is critical that these organizations representing professionals do so to the benefit of the professional, the client, the pet, and the industry as a whole, not just in the interests of the singular organization.

To support its mission, in 2012, PPG worked in conjunction with Dr. James O’Heare, president of the Companion Animal Sciences Institute and director of the Association of Animal Behavior Professionals, to deliver to its members a guided delivery system for best practice within

the parameters of the organization’s Guiding Principles. This best practice works through an algorithm and levels of intrusiveness model known as Least Intrusive Effective Behavior Intervention, or LIEBI. According to O’Heare (2014): “The LIEBI model (algorithm and levels of intrusiveness hierarchy) is proposed as a way to offer direction in meeting our professional and ethical obligations to our clients, the subject, the technologist and the profession as a whole. It focuses on a behaviorological approach and emphasizes due professional diligence in finding the Least Intrusive Effective Behavior Intervention possible, while helping guardians train their companion animals, either proactively or reactively, to resolve problem behaviors.”

Electric shock works through escape and avoidance learning. Let’s think about that for a moment. A pet is placed in a situation where he learns to exhibit the “acceptable” behavior by the presentation and removal of a scary or painful stimulus. This uses positive punishment and negative reinforcement, principles of operant conditioning that work at opposite ends of a continuum.

24

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Humane Hierarchy

A common trend across professional animal training and behavior associations is the promotion and application of a so-called humane hierarchy, and differing versions of this hierarchy have been published from a variety of sources. Some of the models are accompanied by pages of explanation, detail and academic citations, while others are wonderfully graphic and detail each level of the hierarchy, which generally progresses from positive reinforcement, i.e. rewarding a desirable behavior to increase the likelihood of that behavior being repeated, and eventually leads to positive punishment to stop an undesirable behavior via the use of force or pain or any other aversive (to the animal) means (which would include electric shock). Members of any given professional body are encouraged to work within the guidelines of these hierarchies, and they are promoted to members as a tool to utilize when initiating training and behavior change programs.

Under a humane hierarchy protocol, then, pet professionals are generally urged to begin their training and behavior change programs using the least invasive and aversive protocols available and work up to the more aversive levels if deemed necessary. However, if these hierarchies work in isolation of any non-negotiable best practices, then they fail the pet, the pet owner, the professional, and the entire industry.

Progressing up the hierarchy to more invasive and aversive protocols is merely a matter of time for individuals who are not proficient in their craft, or do not have the requisite scientific knowledge or education to understand why this strategy is so problematic in the first place. It could be argued that they are simply an expressway with nominal warning

cover

Defining Force-Free

PPG understands force-free to mean that methods involving shock, pain, choking, fear, and/or physical compulsion are never used to manage, care for or train pets.

Non-Negotiable Equipment

PPG deems certain equipment non-negotiable and this is detailed in its Guiding Principles (2012). Devices used to choke, prong, and/or shock pets constitutes an infringement of these principles and PPG considers any individual using them as ineligible for membership.

Note: PPG recognizes that no definition can be so expansive and explicit that every possible situation is addressed. This applies universally, perhaps most obviously in the US legal system, where very often courts cannot agree on a single interpretation of what terms and definitions mean, including physical force. Recognizing this, PPG considers, both in the context of its Guiding Principles and as a general framework, physical force to mean any intentional physical act against a pet that causes psychological or physical pain, harm or damage.

© Pet Professional Guild Guiding Principles (2012)

signs to highly aversive practices. Reflecting these practices on the hierarchy surely legitimizes them and sets forth that their eventual use is a standard operating procedure, albeit under certain conditions.

What is of most concern regarding the various humane hierarchies which have been adopted and promoted by industry organizations is that said organizations are not willing or prepared – even in the face of a growing academic body of knowledge regarding punishment – to remove specific tools, such as electric shock, from being a publicly endorsed and acceptable option for professionals and pet owners.

Consumer Transparency

Professional associations can no longer remain as passive observers here, but, rather, must actively shape the change in our industry by stepping forth and making the difficult and necessary decisions regarding tools, equipment and training approaches. Membership bodies should, through their selection of organizational leadership, be demanding more. It is PPG’s view that industry associations and credentialing bodies must take full responsibility for the fact that pet owners are encouraged to purchase services from their members purely by association, and through their efforts to market said members to the general pet owning public. What this does not take into consideration, unfortunately, are the vast differences in methodology and philosophy that may exist across an organization’s membership body. In other words, there is no stated transparency in terms of the risks and benefits associated with the services provided, nor any differentiation between those members who practice a force-free training philosophy, and those who still risk physical and/or psychological harm to pets through their approach, philosophy and/or choice of tools.

In addition, there are no ramifications for members that misrepresent their services through the omission of information in a membership directory, or through their individual professional websites. This begs the question as to how consumers are protected in the absence of compulsory transparency across, or within the membership organization, as a variety of methods and equipment, ranging from positive to negative, may be used by a professional without gaining informed consent. In fact, as it stands, pet owners who are steered towards a professional organization through its own marketing efforts search, at their own peril, through an assortment of trainers operating at opposite ends of the ethical and moral spectrum (Pet Professional Guild, 2017).

Professional organizations, associations and industry bodies are in the unique position whereby they can use their platform to lead the industry and ensure that it remains at the cutting edge of scientific research and study in the fields of canine behavior and training. To ignore

Professional organizations, associations and industry bodies are in the unique position whereby they can use their platform to lead the industry and ensure that it remains at the cutting edge of scientific research and study in the fields of canine behavior and training. To ignore so does both pets and their owners an enormous disservice. so does both pets and their owners an enormous disservice. At the very minimum, said bodies should be refusing to accept marketing and sponsorship dollars from the manufacturers and retailers of the very equipment designed to cause fear and pain when we know that positive training methods are just as effective – if not more so – not to mention kind, humane and ethical. In the words of Overall (2015): “Kindness can be scientifically informed.”

Currently, then, one of PPG’s key missions is to build an international coalition of competent and ethical pet professional service providers that can create widespread industry transparency regarding the use and purpose of commercially available pet training and care tools and equipment. Using pain, force or fear to modify behavior, train, manage or care for pets is completely unnecessary. Nor is it in the best interest of pets and their families. In the words of Pat Miller (2016), director, Peaceable Paws Trainer Academies and Training Programs and PPG Special Counsel member: “It is absolutely not necessary to hurt or shock your dog in order to effectively train him, and if it is not necessary, why on earth would you?” Rather, a constructional approach where more appropriate and acceptable behaviors are encouraged and reinforced via positive training protocols is highly recommended, supported by experts and the scientific literature. This way, pet professionals can ensure their practice remains ethical and transparent, with no unpleasant, scary or painful protocols administered, ever. n

1 For the purposes of this article, a “pet” is defined as “any domesticated animal kept for companionship, work or pleasure. This applies to pets already in homes, as well as pets in shelters and rescue organizations waiting to find new homes.”

(Shock-Free Coalition, 2018).

2 For the purposes of this article, electronic stimulation devices include products often referred to as: e-collars, training collars, e-touch, stimulation, tingle, TENS unit collar and remote trainers.

Susan Nilson BA (Hons) DipCABT PCBC-A is editor of BARKS from the Guild (barksfromtheguild.com) and a Reuters-trained journalist who studied feline behavior under the tutelage of Prof. Peter Neville at the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) in the U.K. She completed her diploma in companion animal behavior and training with COAPE in 2005. Based in Los Angeles, California for the last six years, she saw feline and canine behavior cases on an ad hoc basis, assisted START Rescue (startrescue.org) with behavior assessments, and was a volunteer behavior consultant and clicker trainer at the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation (lindablairworldheart.org), one of the largest pit bull rescues in the U.S. She is currently based in Finland.

Niki Tudge PCBC-A AABP-CDBT AAPB – CDT is founder and president of the Pet Professional Guild (petprofessionalguild.com), The DogSmith (dogsmith.com), a national dog training and pet-care license, and DogNostics Career College (dognosticselearning.com), and president of Doggone Safe (doggonesafe.com). She has business degrees from Oxford Brookes University, UK and has achieved her DipABT and DipCBST. Recently, she has published People Training Skills for Pet Professionals – Your essential guide to engaging, educating and empowering your human clients, Training Big for Small Businesses, and A Kid’s Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

25

cover References

Bekoff, M. (2008). Do Animals Have Emotions? Of course they do.

Available at: bit.ly/2B1b0XG Best Practice [Def]. (2010). In Business Dictionary. Available at: bit.ly/2Dhm8Bm Best Practice [Def]. (2010). Wikipedia. Available at: bit.ly/2zLSwbH Bone, J.F. (1998). Animal Anatomy and Physiology (3rd edn. Vol 11).

Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall Brambell, R. (1965). Report of the technical committee to enquire into the welfare of animals kept under intensive livestock husbandry systems. London: Her Majesty’s Stationery Office British Small Animal Veterinary Association (2012). Position Statement on Aversive Training Methods (Electronic and Other Aversive Collars).

Position Statement No. 31. Available at: bit.ly/2T38PtE Chance, P. (2008). Learning and Behavior. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning Deldalle, S., & Gaunet, F. (2014). Effects of 2 training methods on stress-related behaviors of the dog (Canis familiaris) and on the dogowner relationship. Journal of Veterinary Behavior (9) 58-65. Available at: bit.ly/2qGkpht Friedman, S. (2010). What’s wrong with this picture? Effectiveness is not enough. APDT Journal. Available at: bit.ly/2Dzsdd7 Herron, M.E., Shofer, F.S., & Reisner, I.R. (2009). Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired behaviors. Applied Animal Behavior Science (117) 47-54. Available at: bit.ly/2zRE3em Lang, P.J., Bradley, M. M., & Cuthbert, B.N. (1990, July). Emotion, attention, and the startle reflex. Psychological Review 97 (3) 377-395.

Available at: bit.ly/2QBSgDw McKeon, S. (2017, March). Great Expectations. BARKS from the Guild (23) 33-35. Available at: bit.ly/2B1ENPW Mech, L.D. (1999). Alpha status, dominance, and division of labor in wolf packs. Available at: bit.ly/2RV8Xdx Miller, P. (2016). [Interview with Susan Nilson & Louise StapletonFrappell] (January 2018). Taking Shock off the Table. BARKS from the Guild (28) 62. Available at: bit.ly/2ProZPt Millikan, D. (2012). Defining, Determining and Maintaining Best Practices within Our Force-Free Organization. Available at: bit.ly/2QJ3CW8 O’Heare, J. (2005). Canine Neuropsychology. Ottawa, ON: DogPsych Publishing O’Heare, J. (2011). Empowerment Training. Ottawa, ON: BehaveTech Publishing O’Heare, J. (2014). The least intrusive effective behavior intervention (LIEBI) algorithm and levels of intrusiveness table: a proposed best practices model. Version 6.0. Available at: bit.ly/2PSaCTr Overall, K. L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Inc. Overall, K.L. (2015, November). From Leashes to Neurons: Humane Behavioral Care for Dogs. Pet Professional Guild Summit Keynote Presentation, Tampa, FL. In S. Nilson. (2016, January). #PPGSummit 2015: Advocating for Change. BARKS from the Guild (16) 10-11. Available at: bit.ly/2K0KnVS Overall, K.L. (2016, November). Current Trends: Beyond dominance and discipline. Pet Professional Guild Summit Keynote Presentation, Tampa, FL. In S. Nilson. (2017, January). #PPGSummit 2016: Beyond Dominance. BARKS from the Guild (22) 10-11. Available at: bit.ly/2PpdwzF Overall, K.L. (2017, November). Why Balanced Training Can Unbalance Dogs. Pet Professional Guild Summit Keynote Presentation, Orlando, FL. In S. Nilson. (2018, January). A Time to Revitalize, Re-energize and Rejuvenate. BARKS from the Guild (28) 10-11. Available at: bit.ly/2B13Hzj Panksepp, J. (2012). [Discover Interview with Pamela Weintraub] Jaak Panksepp Pinned Down Humanity's 7 Primal Emotions. Available at: bit.ly/2PNVlDt Pet Professional Guild. (2012). Guiding Principles. Available at: bit.ly/2mUCTqN Pet Professional Guild. (2017). Open Letter to Pet Industry Professionals Regarding the Use of Shock in Animal Training. Available at: 26

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

bit.ly/2mUEj4Q Pet Professional Guild. (2017). The Use of Pet Correction Devices.

Available at: bit.ly/2Fj8KiI Pet Professional Guild. (2018). Dominance Theory in Animal Training.

Available at: bit.ly/2zKkOnd Pet Professional Guild. (2018). Open Letter on the Use of Pet Correction Devices. Available at: bit.ly/2Fj8KiI Ramirez-Moreno, D.F., & Sejnowski, T.J. (2012, March). A computational model for the modulation of the prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle reflex. Biological Cybernetics 106 (3) 169-176. Available at: bit.ly/2DzqZ1G Rooney, N.J., & Cowan, S. (2011). Training methods and owner-dog interactions: links with dog behaviour and learning ability. Applied Animal Behavior Science 132 169-177. Available at: bit.ly/2DBibIJ Sege, R.D., & Siegel, B.S. (Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, Committee on Psychosocial Aspects of Child and Family Health). (2018) Effective Discipline to Raise Healthy Children. Pediatrics. Available at: bit.ly/2DzRELR Shock-Free Coalition. (2018). How Pets Learn. Available at: bit.ly/2OBu4iF Shock-Free Coalition (2018). Pledge. Available at: bit.ly/2T7agHp The Kennel Club. (2018). The Kennel Club and Scottish Kennel Club Welcomes the Scottish Government’s Effective Ban on Shock Training Devices. Available at: bit.ly/2QCc5uv Tudge, N. (2008). What is the difference between escape and avoidance behavior. The DogSmith. Available at: bit.ly/2QziQNu Tudge, N. (2009). An outline of the four quadrants of operant conditioning. The DogSmith. Available at: bit.ly/2B0lvua Tudge, N. (2017). Training Big for Small Business. Ingram Spark SelfPublishing Ziv, G. (2017). The Effects of Using Aversive Training Methods in Dogs – A Review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research (19) 50-60. Available at: bit.ly/2nHKSHq

Resources

Anderson, E. (2015, July). Don’t Believe the Hype. BARKS from the Guild (13) 36-39. Available at: bit.ly/2OFRHqj Blackwell, E.J., Bolster, C., Richards, G., Loftus, B.A., & Casey, R.A. (2012). The use of electronic collars for training domestic dogs: estimated prevalence, reasons and risk factors for use, and owner perceived success as compared to other training methods. BMC Veterinary Research 8 93. Available at: bit.ly/2OEVAvY Cooper, J.J., Cracknell, M., Hardiman, J., Wright, H., & Mills, D. (2014).

The Welfare Consequences and Efficacy of Training Pet Dogs with Remote Electronic Training Collars in Comparison to Reward Based Training. Plos ONE. Available at: bit.ly/2JZ9EQ3 Haverbeke, A., Laporte, B., Depiereux, E., Giffroy, J.M., & Diederich, C. (2008). Training methods of military dog handlers and their effects on the team’s performances. Applied Animal Behavior Science (113) 110122. Available at: bit.ly/2PoVNIV Hiby, E.F. Rooney, N.J., & Bradshaw, J.W.S. (2004, February). Dog training methods: their use, effectiveness and interaction with behaviour and welfare. Animal Welfare (13) 1 63-69 (7). Available at: bit.ly/2AAKrHw Lieberman, D. (2000). Learning – Behavior and Cognition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth/Thompson Learning Pet Professional Guild. (2015). Open Letter Regarding Shock Collar Training. Available at: bit.ly/2B2B0Cd Pet Professional Guild. (2016). Open Letter on the Use of Remote Electric Shock. Available at: bit.ly/2OEpmRi Polsky, R. (2010). Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems? Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (3) 4 345-357. Available at: bit.ly/2nF4L5M Schalke, E., Stichnoth, J., Ott, S., & Jones-Baade, R. (2007). Clinical signs caused by the use of electric training collars on dogs in everyday life situations. Applied Animal Behavior Science (105) 369-380. Available at: bit.ly/2JVqJKz Schilder, M., & Van der Borg, J. (2004). Training dogs with the help of the shock collar: short and long term behavioural effects. Applied Animal Behavior Science (85) 319-344. Available at: bit.ly/2qFKcGi

Theree IIss NNo Excusee

FOR ABUSE

It’s time tto ban sh shock hock col collars llars Iw would ould sa sayy tha that, t, as with any any helping professional, professional, yyour our first and primary p imary obligation pr obligation is tto o do no harm, harm, and w we e ha have ve ccompelling o ompelling lli evidence evidenc id e that tha h t applying a l i sshock, shock h k, either i h sy systematically ystematically i ll or randomly, randomly d ly, to to d domestic tii dogs d g incr iincreases eases their th h i gener general all lle level evell of str stress ess and d disc di omffort. SSo og i en tha iv h t kknowledge, nowledg l dge, ther h e discomfort. given that there simply is no ethical eth h l rationale hi hical rationale i l ffor or using i it iit..

Janis Br Bradley, adleyy,,

Director Director of Communications Communications and Publications, Publications, National Canine Canine Research Research Council Council

If there’s a tool which causes pain or discomfort, it has the potential of creating other problems. As animal care professionals, I feel that if we...can’t find kinder, gentler ways of doing something, then maybe we are in the wrong profession.

Ken Ramirez,

Executive VP and CTO, Karen Pryor Clicker Training

“Until these devices are illegal, consumers must protect themselves and their dogs by looking beyond the marketing messages of those who profit from their sale and use. It is not necessary to use electric shock to change behavior.

It is not necessary in humans, in zoo species, in marine mammals or in dogs.”

Jean Donaldson, Author, Train Your Dog Like a Pro

ShockFree.org

training

The Durability of “Dominance” Anna Bradley wonders why the concept of dominance theory applied to pet dogs still exists,

and what canine training and behavior professionals can do about it

A

Multiple research over recent years has now discredited dominance theory in its application to pet dogs

s a dog training professional, working with so many varied combinations of owners and dogs is incredibly rewarding and satisfying, but if there is one thing that continually concerns me, it is references to “dominance” and its derivatives “alpha,” “leader of the pack,” “top dog” etc. that are still, sadly, commonly heard. These terms have become rather too well-ingrained into canine culture, but, fortunately, organizations such as PPG operate programs like Project Trade where tools of the dominance trade can be relinquished (see ad on p.54). I frequently wonder why the concept of dominance in pet dogs persists. What is it that makes the notion so entrenched?

The theory of dominance in dogs originated from work conducted several decades ago. According to Miller (2018), “[t]he erroneous approach to canine social behavior known as dominance theory is based on a study of captive zoo wolves conducted in the 1930’s and 1940’s by Swiss animal behaviorist Rudolph Schenkel (1947), in which the scientist concluded that wolves in a pack fight to gain dominance, and the winner is the alpha wolf. Schenkel’s observations of captive wolf behavior were erroneously extrapolated to wild wolf behavior, and then to domestic dogs.”

Why? Because they are a related species. The flawed theory was used to explain multiple behavioral issues in dog-human relationships from aggression to jumping up and, very soon, it seemed that all train-

I have started quizzing my clients who believe that their dog is dominant as to why they think that’s the case. Most cannot really substantiate their belief, and when I provide an explanation as to what is actually the cause of a specific behavior, admit that they would never have thought fear, frustration, anxiety, arousal etc. would be implicated. I applaud them for being so open and honest.

28

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

© Can Stock Photo/ESIGHT

ing and behavioral issues in dogs were related to “gaining status.” Treatment centered upon lowering a dog’s place in the pecking order or showing the dog who was “in charge” by physical domination, punitive equipment or so-called de-ranking techniques, such as eating before the dog, or always going through a doorway before the dog.

Multiple research over recent years has now discredited dominance theory in dogs. To cite just one example, Bonanni, Cafazzo, Valsecchi and Natoli (2010) observed “free-ranging packs of dogs in Italy and found that leadership was a very fluid thing. For example, in one pack, which had 27 members, there were six dogs that habitually took turns leading the pack, but at least half of the adult dogs were leaders, at least some of the time. The dogs that were usually found leading the pack tended to be the older, more experienced dogs, but not necessarily the most dominant. The pack seems to allow leadership to dogs, who at particular times seem to be most likely to contribute to the welfare of the pack through knowledge that can access the resources they require.” (Coren, 2010).

According to Coren (2010), this tells us that “a military-like concept of canine social hierarchy as the basis of dog training and problem solving, is based on a false premise. It is a holdover from German military service dog training at the turn of the last century, and generalization from outdated wolf research based on artificial packs of captive wolves.” Mech (2018) clarifies: “Today we understand that most wolf packs consist of a pair of adults called “parents” or “breeders,” (not “alphas”), and their offspring.” Indeed, domestic dogs are not wolves and do not socially behave as such. Research also suggests that so-called dominant behavior often stems from motivations such as anxiety, stress, or frustration. For anyone training a dog, adding in aversive treatment in such contexts is most likely to add to that underlying emotion and make the situation worse.

Surely, then, by now it is time dominance died a death. Is it perhaps a “generation thing?” It can be hard to change your practice if you have witnessed your forbearers treating dogs in your family in a specific way.

I have worked with several dogs who have suffered due to the use of

training

Miller (2018) states: “The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha, dog” on the Internet and you get more than 16 million hits. Really.

While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, animal care and training professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your dog into submission. They say that you, the human, must be the alpha. They’re all wrong. Every single one of them.” forced submission techniques and whose young owners wanted desperately to try force-free handling. All were reluctant to do so because of the suspected reaction of family members. In these cases, remedial work was as much about the human interface as the dog behavioral work.

Different Breeds, Different Techniques

I don’t know whether other canine behavior consultants find this, but I find that old-fashioned dominance techniques are often most commonly inflicted upon larger, heavier breeds and rarely on small, toy dogs. In such cases, I always explicitly point out the differences in the dog’s posture and facial expression when we swap to positive techniques such as response substitution – it is a richly rewarding exercise.

Some people find it natural to want to be in charge, and this can extend to animals as well as people. For myself, there is nothing better than seeing my dog smile, wag his tail and looking like he cannot wait to repeat the training process because he is having fun. This is because I am telling him he is doing great, plus he is playing games and having the odd treat or two. Conversely, the dog who complies because he is anxious or fearful may be reinforcing in itself for some people. But I don’t want my dog to “comply,” or respond to a cue because he fears me. I want to ask him to do something and for him to want to do it because he’s happy to do it – that makes us both feel good. I certainly don’t want to have a “push button control” automaton who I bully to respond.

Good Knowledge

The internet is great because there’s so much knowledge out there, but here’s the caveat – is it always good knowledge? Of course not. Miller (2018) states: “The alpha myth is everywhere. Google “alpha, dog” on the Internet and you get more than 16 million hits. Really. While not all the sites are about dominating your dog, there are literally millions of resources out there – websites, books, blogs, television shows, animal

© Can Stock Photo/barsik

Erroneous and scientifically inaccurate terms such as alpha,” “leader of the pack” and “top dog” have become well-ingrained into canine culture

care and training professionals – instructing you to use force and intimidation to overpower your dog into submission. They say that you, the human, must be the alpha. They’re all wrong. Every single one of them.”

Dog behavior has become something of a minefield. Everyone seems to have an opinion or want to chip in and there are many self-appointed “experts.” Unfortunately, the number of qualified, regulated, educated professionals, however, who have the most up-to-date, knowledge based on current scientific research, does not yet outweigh their counterparts. This means that outdated and inaccurate information is still widely available, and to the detriment of our dogs. Even professionals who work with animals, such as veterinarians, may also be offering clients outdated behavioral advice.

Meanwhile, in some areas where I work I still battle the view that positive training is somehow lacking. It’s not very often now, but it does happen. There seems to be that pervading belief that tapping a dog on the nose shows him that you are “in charge,” or tells him he has done something “wrong,” and that if you ignore a behavior and then reward a positive change, that’s just weak. Again the root of this is education.

Using analogies of how owners themselves wish to be treated works well for me. No one wants to be shouted at, pushed around, hit, or bullied – how does that make them feel? It is the same for their dog. For

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

29

training

those struggling to identify with what I am saying, using this approach usually gets the message through.

Interestingly, I have started quizzing my clients who believe that their dog is dominant as to why they actually think that’s the case.

Often they cannot really substantiate their belief, and when I provide an explanation as to what is actually the cause of a specific behavior, admit that they would never have thought fear, frustration, anxiety, arousal etc. would be implicated. I applaud them for being so open and honest but I think this illustrates just how easy applying a label of dominance may be to multiple behavioral concerns.

The Lure of TV

Finally, we come to what may be the biggest issue of all – the quick fixes and “cure-alls” we see on reality television. Over the last 10 years or so, outdated dominance methods and forced submission tactics have been catapulted to the fore. An additional problem is the fact that behavior issues appear to be “fixed” within a 30- or 60-minute slot courtesy of slick editing and many outtakes. I’m sure I’m not alone in wincing when I see the techniques applied on screen, not only because of the obvious distress of the animal but because of the danger of dog owners applying such techniques on their own dogs. Usually I will be seeing these dogs in practice several months later, which is just very sad, both for the owners and their dogs. I do wish that more TV production companies would switch to advocating contemporary approaches and methods based upon current scientific research and kindness.

Nevertheless, we have come a long way in canine behavioral theory and this is ever evolving. Force-free initiatives and aversive device amnesties, such as the aforementioned Project Trade, are a great way forward but we need to shout louder if we are to erase dominance from our dog behavior lexicon. It is a stubborn and persistent terminology.

Education, particularly from qualified behavior consultants, should play

A is for...

a vital role in informing not only dog owners but also veterinary staff and other animal paraprofessionals. Their lead should be taken even more prominently in media presentations. It is rising, but more needs to be done to benefit our dogs’ long-term behavioral wellbeing. n

References

Bonanni, R., Cafazzo, S., Valsecchi, P., & Natoli, E. (2010). Effect of affiliative and agonistic relationships on leadership behaviour in freeranging dogs. Animal Behaviour 79 (5) 981–991. Available at: bit.ly/2Q66LTN Coren, S. (2010, July 20). Canine Dominance: Is the Concept of the Alpha Dog Valid? Psychology Today. Available at: bit.ly/2PB0gZ0 Mech, D. (2018). Schenkel’s Classic Wolf Behavior Study Available in English. Available at: bit.ly/2Du4lae Miller, P. (2018). Danger! Dominance Theory! Available at: bit.ly/2FynCtB Schenkel, R. (1947). Expression Studies on Wolves; Captivity Observations. The Zoological Garden, Basle and the Zoological Institute of the University of Basle. Available at: bit.ly/2S2Fnme

Resources

Mech, L.D. (2008, February 15). "Alpha" Wolf? [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2qUwKif Project Trade: petprofessionalguild.com/Project-Trade

Anna Francesca Bradley MSc BSc (Hons) is a United Kingdomebased provisional clinical, certified IAABC animal behavior consultant and ABTC accredited behavior consultant. She owns Perfect Pawz! Training and Behavior Practice (perfectpawz.co.uk) in Hexham, Northumberland, where the aim is always to create and restore happy relationships between dog and owner in a relaxed way, using methods based on sound scientific principles, which are both force-free and fun.

The A-Z of Training and Behavior Brought to you by

Accountability: The acknowledgement and acceptance of the responsibilities we have to our industry, our clients and our peers in terms of our training and how we conduct ourselves in business.

Acquisition: The first stage of learning a new skill where a response is evoked and selected for reinforcement.

Activity Reinforcer: Also called the Premack Principle or Premack Reinforcer. Pets are given access to a more highly reinforcing activity after performing a less reinforcing activity. Ex. A pet is released to run and play in the back yard after they perform a sit and wait at the door prior to it being opened. This makes the target behavior of sitting and waiting more likely because of the reinforcement contingency of being released to run and play.

Affect: A feeling, which can be inferred in a pet by outward expressions of posture, facial expression and movements consistent with that pet’s individual ethogram. Affect, along with mo-

tivation and cognition, create what is called a triad of psychological functions which is associated with the mammalian limbic system.

Aggression: Aggressive behaviors are the onset of a coercive or destructive process, and threat.

Aggressive operants are growling, snarling, snapping and lunges or bites. Aggressive behaviors are operant behaviors and are reinforced through their consequences. Pets learn that by using aggressive behaviors they can access pleasant stimuli or avoid or escape aversive stimuli.

Amygdala: A small structure in the mammalian brain important to the limbic system, which is involved in emotions such as anger, fear and freezing.

Appetitive Stimulus: A reinforcing stimulus, something the pet finds positively reinforcing.

Please note the pet, not the trainer determines what is positively reinforcing. A reinforcer is only a reinforcer in relation to a specific behavior, in a specific context and with a particular individual.

From: A Lexicon of Practical Terms for Pet Trainers & Behavior Consultants: The language you need to know!

By DogNostics Career Center. Available from: bit.ly/DogNosticsLexicon

30

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

For the FIRST Time in the US! A Two-Day Event in Florida October 12 - 13, 2019

Craig Ogilvie, creator of the hugely successful ‘Interactive Play System’ program.

uild The Association for Force-Free Pet Professionals

CCommunication, ommunication, IInteraction, nteraction, AArousal rousal & PProblematic roblematic BBehaviors ehaviors – A PPractical ractical Guide to to Understanding, Understanding, Implementing and Overcoming Overcoming CEUS: PP PPAB=12, AB=12, CCPDT CCPDT (pending), IAABC (pending) W Working ork ing Spots & A Auditor uditor Spots A Available vailable The The DogSmith T Training raining C Center enter & C eer Center, C Tampa, FL DogNostics Career Tampa, Register Now

PetProfessionalGuild.com/Event-3053427

canine

Addressing Aggression, the Force-Free Way

In this first of a four-part article, Diane Garrod discusses canine aggression and reactivity,

showcasing video examples to highlight two dogs’ progress as they move through a

T

behavior change program

here is a big question that periodically comes up in dog-specific social media. It asks: “Why don’t force free trainers show more ‘before’ videos of their cases.” More often than not, the answer is found to be that force-free trainers do not set up a dog to react, or aggress, or provide any opportunity whatsoever to rehearse any undesired behavior. A useful workaround here is to ask if the client is able to video any behaviors they are concerned about and sign a release, so the material can be used publicly to help others with similar issues. This would allow a trainer to avoid setting up the dog and keep associations positive from the beginning, yet still have a “before” example to evaluate progress. Making more “before” videos available publicly could then be one way to substantiate a behavior issue and show how it is worked through to a results-oriented outcome using force-free methods.

When behavior consultants look to address aggression or reactivity, they put the pieces together systematically so the behavior can not only be managed and prevented, but diminished, decreased and often extinguished. I see aggression cases daily in my practice, and, for me, the myth that “challenging” dogs cannot be rehabilitated using force-free methods is dispelled repeatedly. Force-free methods are based on science and there is a growing body of data to support them (see The Case for Scientifically-Informed, Kind Practices on pp.18-26).

Case One: Before and After

Pointer mix Christopher came to his guardian in a transport to be a laboratory test subject. A classic rescue, their eyes met and they both knew it was meant to be. Christopher’s case involved a systematic behavior change program for a dog-reactive male to include acclimation, one dog at a time, outdoors, at home, on the road, and in reactive dog classes using desensitization and counterconditioning in various contexts.

Christopher lived in his forever home until he passed away peacefully in Arlington, Washington.

Photo © Diane Garrod

Functionally, aggression may be defined as a threat or attack behavior that works to achieve access to a stimulus, or to escape or avoid a stimulus

In the video RD #2 - Outdoors - teacher dog, we can see Christopher is nervous and reactive to dogs and sounds. Once a reaction occurs, redirecting him is key. In my opinion, working through the known triggers, such as this dog’s fence and leash reactivity, social deficits etc., is more important than any “before” video. In Christopher’s case, it was necessary to move back several steps to increase distance and decrease duration. The video Reactive dog class AFTER shows what Christopher eventually accomplished, confidently and systematically. His guardian said he was “more tuned into us in low-distraction environments. Even when he reacts the time he’s ‘out of his mind’ is less.”

Defining Aggression

Aggressive behavior is a normal survival strategy in the face of perceived or real threats; when a client talks about aggression, what they see might be very different to a clinical definition or expert evaluation of the actual behavior

32

Photo © Diane Garrod

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

What do aggression and reactivity actually look like? How do we define aggression? According to DogNostics Career Center (2018): “Aggressive behaviors are the onset of a coercive or destructive process, and threat.

Aggressive operants are growling, snarling, snapping and lunges or bites. Aggressive behaviors are operant behaviors and are reinforced through their consequences. Pets learn that by using aggressive behaviors they can access pleasant stimulus or avoid or escape aversive stimulus.”

We might say, then, that, structurally, aggressive behavior in dogs usually refers to snarling, growling, lunging, snapping and/or biting.

Functionally, aggression is a threat or attack behavior that works to achieve access to a stimulus, or to escape or avoid a stimulus. It is a normal survival strategy in the face of perceived or real threats and this is why the words "cure" or "fix" are not viable descriptions.

Reactivity is by no means necessarily an intent to do harm; the dog who hides shivering behind her owner or the dog who lashes out with growling and lunging are both experiencing the same emotion of fear. Both have the same choices that we would have for dealing with it: fight, flight, or freeze.

As professionals, it is important to first understand what we are seeing in any individual dog by completing a thorough functional assessment and to fashion a behavior modification program to get to a results-oriented conclusion for each dog and his owner. How we talk about a serious problem is important to striking a balance between sugar-coating a really challenging issue or making it sound worse than it is. For me, providing “before” video would seem to be more a marketing focus than a need to get to results.

To complicate the terminology, we also have the word reactivity.

The term reactivity, or reactive, is not always clearly understood by pet guardians or the general public. For instance, if you were to shout, "Please don’t approach, my dog is reactive," people might not know what you were talking about. According to iSpeakDog (2018): “Reactivity means, quite simply, that the dog reacts to another dog, a person, or an object. Essentially, something or someone triggers the dog to do things like bark, growl, and lunge — which can look like the dog is being aggressive. But that's not always the case. Sometimes the dog is distressed and reacts out of fear, and other times, the dog is perfectly fine and has no inclination to attack the trigger.”

Reactivity is by no means necessarily an intent to do harm; the dog who hides shivering behind her owner or the dog who lashes out with growling and lunging are both experiencing the same emotion of fear.

Both have the same choices that we would have for dealing with it: fight, flight, or freeze. The reaction would not be displayed in the first place if the dog were more confident in how to handle a situation.

Case Two: Before and After

Rescue dog Duncan was not handling people or other dogs very well. He had a bite history of eight people before I was called in. His fears all involved dealing with social space violations (human or dog), as well as objects. All of this needed to be worked on to achieve results. The videos 007 and 008 of Duncan “before” clearly show a dog who is fearful in that situation. I don’t think a video of Duncan biting someone would have been in any way appropriate or needed to be able to understand his behavior; both videos more than adequately give us a baseline of behavior before modification. No doubt after viewing his body language signals, it is clear if Duncan were confronted, he might bite. The “after” video, 006, shows Duncan after eight training sessions and two confident transformations classes. He is now able not only to have doggy friends, but to see strange dogs without worry. Since then, he has started to feel safe around people too. He still lives in his forever home and goes everywhere with his family.

Labels

It is important to note that when a client talks of aggression, what they see might be very different to a clinical definition or expert evaluation of the actual behavior, and this is why we conduct a functional assessment.

This refers to “the behavior analytical approach to explaining, describing and controlling behavior. The behavior analytical approach does not rely on guesswork, trial and error tactics or anecdotal recommendations, but systematically identifies the functional relationship the behavior has with the environment. When these relationships have been identified, then efficient and effective solutions can be developed. The

canine

intended final product of the functional assessment is a contingency statement that the [behavior consultant] has confidence in. The contingency statement details in simple terms the antecedents, behaviors and consequences in measurable terms.” (DogNostics Career Center, 2018).

As professionals, we must be aware of labeling. A “before” video allows us to see a dog’s behavior before he started working through his specific issues, but may also tempt us to label the dog with terms that reflect a more human perspective. A client might ask you, “Does my dog have territorial aggression, or is he protecting me?” but I prefer to look at the challenging or undesired behavior the dog must overcome and start from there. n

References

DogNostics Career Center. (2018). A Practical Lexicon for Pet Trainers & Behavior Consultants! The Language You Need to Know. (n.p.): Authors Garrod, D. (2014, October 3). RD #2 - Outdoors - teacher dog [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2Tv5xzM Garrod, D. (2018, November 1). Reactive dog class AFTER [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2PHrygg Garrod, D. (2013, February 7). 007 [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2PFB1oy Garrod, D. (2013, February 7). 008 [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2S5ZFLQ Garrod, D. (2013, February 8). 006 [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2Tv60C2 iSpeakDog. (2018). Dog Reactivity. Available at: bit.ly/2Kj3ydB

Diane Garrod BSc PCT-A CA1 FF1 is the owner of Canine Transformations (caninetlc.com) based in Langley, Washington, where she conducts Treibball workshops, classes and private consults, specializing in canine aggression and reactivity.

'R \RX ZDQW WR ZRUN DV DQ $QLPDO +\GURWKHUDSLVW" *(7 48$/,),(' 72 :25. $6 $1 $1,0$/ +<'527+(5$3,67

you have a love and passion for animals and their wellbeing, and some experience/ If Ifhandling you have a love and passion for animals and their or working with animals, this could be a great new career for you. There is a great deal ofand flexibility in a Canine Hydrotherapy career. You could working wellbeing, some experience/handling orbegin working in a company or set up your own business. Depending on your client base, your hours with animals, this could be a great new career for you! are likely to be very flexible and can be managed on a full-time or part-time basis.

What is is Animal Hydrotherapy?: Hydrotherapists hydrotherapy techniques There a great deal ofAnimal flexibility in auseCanine to help animals with rehabilitation needs to recover from injury or as part of pain Hydrotherapy career. You could begin working in a management or even as a type of exercise for animals with mobility issues. An company or setsession up your own business.

Depending Animal Hydrotherapy is commonly required as a form of rehabilitation or major surgery.

Vets will refer animals a registered onfollowing yourinjury, client base, your hours aretolikely to animal be very hydrotherapist, who will review their case before creating a suitable course of flexible can be a full-time or parttreatment.and Hydrotherapy is a managed fantastic way toon gradually improve the strength and conditioning following surgery, or an injury, as it is low-impact. time basis.

Animal Jobs is an Animal low impact form ofDirect exercise, there is aapproved lower risk of injury.

It is also a great stress-busting activity,training which can help improve and overall will circulation and reduce Hydrotherapy centre assist you joint and muscle pain. every step of the way.The theory elements of To work as a registered Animal Hydrotherapist, you must successfully complete these courses includes subjects such as; the the ABC Awards Level 3 Diploma course in Hydrotherapy for Small Animals. management conditions hydrotherapy, Animal Jobs Direct of is anmedical approved Animal Hydrotherapy in training centre and will assist animal you every step of the way.anatomy The theory elements these courses includes small first aid, and ofphysiology for subjects such as; the management of medical conditions in hydrotherapy, small small and& physiology water management. animalanimals, first aid, anatomy for small animals and water management.

Hydrotherapy can also be used to help animals that need to lose weight. As it is a

Oxfordshire or Newcastle.

Animal Jobs Direct works in partnership with Woozelbears Hydrotherapy to offer regulated Our Animal Hydrotherapy courses are also available to international students as the assessments can be donequalifications by video link. animal hydrotherapy available to When you have completed Our one of these regulated qualifications, you can seek study worldwide!

Animal Hydrotherapy employment as an Animal Hydrotherapist (register with our Job Board for the courses are also available to international latest vacancies, or contact Animal Hydrotherapy centres near where you live students asOrthe assessments can beHydrotherapy done business! with your CV). alternatively, set up your own Animal us on 0208 6269646 or visit our website for more information. byContact video link.

The practical training for the Level 3 courses can be undertaken either in

For information Forfurther further information contactus us contact 0208 onon+44 (0)6269 208646 6269 646

ZZZ DQLPDO MRE FR XN BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

33

interview

A Better Dog-Human Understanding

Susan Nilson speaks to canine behavior researcher Marco Adda about the study he authored in conjunction with Eötvös Loránd University to examine and compare

M

behavior and personality traits in the companion and free-ranging dogs of Bali arco Adda is a freelance dog behavior consultant, independent researcher, dog-human facilitator (or dog trainer if you prefer), animal advocate, and educator who is passionate about all things canine. He describes himself as a “globetrotter who moves through different continents” but is now considering settling in one place to set up his own canine center offering several programs of education, training, research, animal assisted intervention, and community activities around dogs, humans and other animals.

In 2012, Adda initiated preliminary observations of Bali street dogs (BSD). The observations proved “novel and exciting,” he says, so, in 2014, he brought them to the attention of Prof. Ádám Miklósi and Enikő Kubinyi at the Department of Ethology, Eötvös Loránd University, in Budapest, Hungary. Together with Luca Corrieri (also from the university’s ethology department), a study was developed with further observations and questionnaire collection planned and carried out over the next few years. Owners and caretakers filled out a validated personality questionnaire for 75 adult dogs; caretakers observed and occasionally fed the free-ranging dogs for at least two years before filling out the questionnaires. “The results were intriguing,” says Adda. “Free-ranging dogs in Bali may not be as wild as they appear. The research reveals that living in human homes affects the personality of some Bali dogs, making them more excitable in comparison to free-ranging dogs.”

The Context

BARKS: Why Bali? How easy/difficult is it to find free-ranging populations of dogs to study?

Marco Adda: Free-ranging dogs are importantly present in many places around the world, including Indonesia, India, Mexico, Romania, Russia, and Italy among others. However, Bali dogs represent a unique canine population, for it has remained isolated due to its geographical condition. That makes this dog population unique. Most well-known dog breeds (such as Golden retrievers or German shepherds) are the result of relatively recent and deliberate human selection. Conversely, the Bali dogs have not been deliberately selected by humans in this way and have roamed the island for at least 3,300 years. That makes them a unique canine population that deserves both attention and protection.

Moreover, the number of free-ranging Bali dogs in the last 10 years has dropped about 90 percent, from some 800,000 in 2008 to some 150,000 in 2018. All of that makes of Bali dogs exciting to study from a genetic, behavioral and ecological perspective.

During those hours when they are very active, dogs move around and may come cross other groups or dogs. Their typical behavior is very cautious, yet calm and respectful of each other.

They apply many strategies to avoid conflict.

34

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Photo © Marco Adda

Independent canine behavior researcher Marco Adda found that free-ranging dogs in Bali may not be as wild as they appear

BARKS: Would you say the BSD has a symbiotic relationship with the human residents of Bali or do the two exist independently of one another? If the former, what benefits does each provide the other? In relation to this, can you discuss further the BSD’s tendency towards guarding? What sort of area/territory do they cover and are they tolerant of “intruders”?

MA: Bali dogs have been historically valued as guard dogs. They are very alert and smart, and early warners. Although some individuals move a lot, Bali dogs cover a small free-ranging area, for they tend to associate with a house, a household or a village consistently based on what was observed with other free-ranging/village dogs populations.

The interaction of free-ranging Bali dogs with the local human community is ambivalent. There are two extremes; namely, nowadays some Balinese treat dogs in a very similar way to how dogs are treated in a typical “western” house. Conversely, some locals consider Bali dogs pests and keep them away from their households. In between those two extremes there are other approaches. For example, locals may be tolerant over dogs and let them free-roam around their houses, sometimes throwing leftovers at them and feeding them. This human behavior is typically reciprocated by free-ranging dogs being very good at guarding the house. They bark and alert people if someone unfamiliar comes around. This results in a mutual exchange of support between human and dogs, as it was in the early domestication of canines.

BARKS: For those BSDs who find themselves adopted and kept as pet dogs, how well do they adapt?

MA: Bali dogs are known to be very adaptable and resilient. They are

interview

We may assume that a free-ranging dog lives unhappily without a human family. In some instances, this may be the case. But we also need to remember that free-ranging dogs have a lot of freedom that dogs living as companions, say pets, do not necessarily have. used to coping with continuous and various solicitations while they live free-range on the streets and the beaches of Bali. Plus, they easily adapt to new living conditions, as in the case of a house, when they happen to be adopted and restricted.

The Study

BARKS: Can you discuss the conclusions in the study that the free-ranging dogs were less active, excitable and aggressive towards other dogs/animals than pet dogs, and speculate on the reasons for this?

MA: It seems that Bali dogs, shifting from a free-ranging lifestyle to a pet-restricted lifestyle, become more excitable and in some cases more aggressive. At the core of such a shift, there is the new environment.

Namely, the house and the people or other animals present in their new family. Another essential component may be the lack of exposure to other free-ranging dogs, as it would be on the street. This latter element may translate into a lower exposure to social communication with conspecifics.

Graphic © Burmesedays, Peter Fitzgerald & Marco Adda

Map of Bali showing the research areas for the study

BARKS: Can you summarize the study’s findings in terms of aggression – how did the two groups of dogs differ regarding aggressive behavior towards other dogs and towards humans (familiar vs unfamiliar)? Which group of dogs was more active and why? Which group of dogs were found to be more excitable?

MA: Observations first and analyses later revealed that Bali dogs living as human companions, that is, restricted in a typical domestic setting (house, fenced backyard, etc.), are more active, excitable, and aggressive towards animals, and are also more inclined to chase animals or hu-

A sample of the dogs who participated in the study comparing behavior and personality traits in the companion and free-ranging dogs of Bali

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Photos © Marco Adda

35

interview

mans than Bali dogs that live free-ranging. Looking closer, we see that females were found to be more excitable and fearful of people. In other words, being restricted within a household could potentially make freeranging Bali dogs more reactive than those dogs living free-ranging.

Thus, these results raise some important considerations. We may assume that a free-ranging dog lives unhappily without a human family. In some instances, this may be the case. But we also need to remember that free-ranging dogs have a lot of freedom that dogs living as companions, say pets, do not necessarily have. Free-ranging dogs have the privilege of deciding their daily actions and habits and displaying behaviors according to their personalities. Their sociality, and in some cases sexual conduct, are not, or are just minimally, conditioned by humans.

BARKS: How was aggressive behavior broken down within the groups (e.g. male vs. female, young vs. old etc.)? What are the reasons for this, in your opinion? If aggressive behavior was observed, what were the contexts? How were conflicts resolved? Do the free-ranging dogs fight or do they settle their differences in other ways (appeasement, affiliation, withdrawal etc.)?

MA: Bali dogs display a huge array of behaviors. Because they are very adaptable and exposed to other free-ranging dogs, they also have great and well-developed communication skills, which allow good interaction among all the free-ranging dogs. They typically do not fight, unless there is a critical reason involved, as may happen during the mating period or during street feeding that some organizations or individuals occasionally carry out.

BARKS: Why do you think females were found to be more fearful (in both groups)?

MA: Preliminary observations suggested that females may also be more aggressive than males with dogs of the same gender. That can be the counterpart of female fearfulness. However, this aspect would deserve further investigation.

BARKS: Which group of dogs was more playful and why? What differences were noted between the two groups based on the type of play and duration of play?

MA: The play is not a specific aspect we have investigated in this study, and it is unquestionably something we’d like to examine for it reveals essential aspects of dogs behavior. (See video Free-Ranging Bali Dogs Playing – Ed.) BARKS: In what contexts was the dogs’ behavior observed? How was this broken down within the groups (e.g. male vs. female, young vs. old)? What are the reasons for this, in your opinion?

MA: Dogs were observed in two contexts. Free-roaming dogs were observed in streets and beaches, and pet dogs were observed in the houses where they live. Information about age and gender, among others, were collected for each dog. In the stage of statistical analysis, all the information has been organized and analyzed according to the models chosen for the study.

BARKS: Were the free-ranging dogs friendly? Were they responsive to humans? To training? Did they seek out human attention/petting or did they prefer to keep their distance?

MA: Every dog has an individual response to humans, to other dogs and situations. Bali dogs are typically affable or tolerant of other dogs and people. That applies particularly in those areas where not just the local human community lives, but is also present in an international commu36

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Photo © Marco Adda

Free-ranging Bali dogs play on the beach: the dogs have the privilege of choosing their daily actions and displaying behaviors according to their personalities

nity of residents or tourists. Conversely, in more remote areas, with fewer people in general and fewer expats, Bali dogs have been observed to behave more cautiously, discretely, and with a lower degree of interaction and confidence with humans.

Responses to human presence were personal for every dog. Thus, some dogs were more social with humans, some dogs less. However, none of the dogs showed aggression towards the people involved in the study, not the free-ranging nor the pets.

BARKS: In general, do you consider that the free-ranging dogs were at ease with each other and enjoyed each other’s company, or was it more a case of they were tolerant of each other, or even stressed in the presence of other dogs, or certain individuals? Do specific individuals form bonds/friendships?

MA: Free-ranging Bali dogs bond typically in groups of two or three individuals, although sometimes we can observe lone dogs or groups of up to five-six dogs. Within their group, dogs get along peacefully and as a family. Some moments of tension may occur due to resource guarding.

Some growling may present, but rarely that has been observed to escalate, for every dog seems to be aware of their social status within a group.

During those hours when they are very active, dogs move around and may come cross other groups or dogs. Their typical behavior is very cautious, yet calm and respectful of each other. They apply many strategies to avoid conflict. For example, they slow their pace, turning the head and moving slowly when a new conspecific approaches and allowing others to sniff their scent. That was typically observed for different groups of dogs meeting around buffer zones, namely, zones that now "belong" to those dogs. In case of some dogs approaching the gate/area of a house to which one or some free-ranging dogs associate, then the situation may become agitated. The dogs living around that house/area may respond more energetically to the presence of the stranger dog/s, and consistently engage in the guarding skills mentioned above. In general, though, dogs tolerate each other, or, in some cases, they bond with new individuals and shift into playing. During those interactions, dogs may bark or growl too, but that typically remains a warning and doesn't turn into a threat.

The essential aspect to highlight here is that dogs are continuously exposed to each other, are free to apply all the needed strategies to avoid conflict, and ultimately tolerate each other, socialize or even play.

In other words, they can freely express all the array of natural behavior

that allows optimal communication among them. That is what pet-companion Bali dogs may lack, due to their more restricted life and reduced exposure to other dogs and the environment. That could be a significant cause of their increased reactivity and aggressive towards certain stimuli, as we have shown in our study. Moreover, pet-companion Bali dogs are conditioned by the presence of their humans when they interact with other dogs. That, to some degree, may also be seen (case by case) as a possible cause of increased reactivity in pet-companion Bali dogs towards other dogs.

BARKS: How do the free-ranging dogs spend their time over a, say, 24hour period? How does this differ from the pet dogs in the study?

MA: Free-ranging dogs are most active at dusk and sunset. Their busy time last about two hours for each of these periods. In those moments they roam around their area, scavenge, interact with some people, or play with their conspecifics. The rest of the day, consistently with the hot tropical weather, they tend to rest and search for shade. Occasionally they are active during hot hours too. At night they may roam a bit around, but, generally, they are resting. In some periods, though, they become very intense at night. That occurs cyclically.

Other Considerations

BARKS: What sort of groupings did the free-ranging dogs adhere to?

Were there specific groups and if so, what was the breakdown of the groups? If not, and the groupings were more fluid, can you describe a little bit about the interactions between different dogs or groups? What effect does being adopted have on their welfare and behavior, in your opinion, based on what you observed?

MA: It is essential to point out here that in the case of free-ranging dogs, adoption does not necessarily mean restriction. Indeed, often it is not the case. A dog can be adopted by a person or by a few people and maintain his/her free-ranging status. That is typical in contexts such as India and Bali among others. In that case, we speak of a non-restricted (and free-ranging) pet (or companion), where "pet" indicates the dog has been adopted, but "free-ranging" indicated the dog is not restricted to the house of a person.

That said, the answer to the initial question depends on two main aspects, namely, in which condition a dog was before being adopted, and which perspective we want to use to look at things. Let's make the case of a dog that is in poor condition, not well-fed, injured, non-vaccinated, and under some sort of threat; that dog would receive an immediate and essential benefit from being adopted. That from an animal

interview

Free-ranging dogs have the privilege of deciding their daily actions and habits and displaying behaviors according to their personalities. Their sociality, and in some cases sexual conduct, are not, or are just minimally, conditioned by humans. welfare perspective represents a significant improvement. Conversely, in the case of a free-ranging dog that is in optimal condition, and is entirely and well-integrated in his/her natural setting, is well-fed, likely vaccinated already, and maybe also associates with some houses and people; for this dog to be adopted it may be a benefit, but to be restricted is not, for the dog will lose the natural setting where he/she is used to roaming. That may have a substantial effect on his/her behavior and, in this sense, decreases the dog's welfare.

BARKS: How do the findings from this study compare to those of other free-ranging dog populations (e.g. Pangalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s study of free-ranging dogs in India)?

MA: This study offers another piece of the puzzle in understanding dogs in their natural lifestyle and is complementary to those other (not so many) studies targeting free-ranging dogs. Additionally, this seems to be the first study aimed at examining the personality of free-ranging dogs.

The point is that it is very hard to study the personality and behavior of dogs in a context so mutable as the streets and beaches. Thus, our study offers an exceptional opportunity to investigate and understand dog behavior and human-dog interaction in such a specific and natural context.

BARKS: Were the dogs in the study all intact? What about the dogs that had been adopted, is it the practice in Bali to spay/neuter pet dogs? In other words, was there a difference between the two groups and, if so, what impact might that have had on behavior? I am thinking about research (Duffy & Serpell; Farhoody & Zink) into the behavioral effects of spaying/neutering that suggests spayed/neutered dogs display an increase in aggressive and fearful behavior as well as anxiety and excitability compared to intact dogs.

MA: The majority of dogs involved in the study were spayed/neutered, including 12 out of 15 free-ranging Bali dogs, and 36 out of 60 companion Bali dogs. The activity of animal welfare organizations and individuals explains the high number of neutered free-ranging dogs. In the domestic context, expats adopting Bali dogs commonly practice spaying/neutering of their dogs. Our study does not target specifically the effect of neutering on the behavior of dogs, and more data should be collected to investigate this specific regard.

This question touches a sensitive topic, though. It relates on the one hand to an animal welfare perspective, that is, limiting uncontrolled pregnancies. On the other hand, it links to a conservation issue, that is, reducing pregnancies also affects the preservation of Bali dogs. Additionally, in Bali, it appears to be the predominant belief that the practice of spaying/neutering can be used as a means to prevent or treat behavior problems. Observations of Bali dogs do not align with these beGraphic Š PLOS One/doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0197354 liefs, however, for dogs appear to be Graph showing comparisons between the behavior of companion and free-ranging dogs in Bali BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

37

interview

less reactive in their intact and free-ranging status, consistently with what we found in our study. Also, unfavorable health effects of gonadectomy are known. Thus, other means of preventing unwanted breeding for Bali dogs should be explored, and the practice of spaying/neutering dogs to address behavior should be reviewed. For all of these reasons and, in particular in Bali, spaying/neutering remains a controversial practice and a topic that needs further consideration.

BARKS: What would you say are the most significant findings from this study and how can we, as professional canine trainers and behavior consultants, apply this to our knowledge of and dealings with dogs in general?

MA: As professionals, we need to deal with both dogs and people. We are facilitators. I believe our mission is to improve the relationships of dogs and humans in many different cultural and geographic contexts, and under so many different conditions. This study helps further in understanding that the environment, i.e. both the place and the behavior of people, may affect dogs’ personalities. Thus, as professionals, and in addition to what we do already to help dogs understand humans (i.e. traditional dog training), we may want to increase our efforts in assisting humans to recognize and be aware of their own human behaviors.

For it is by adjusting human behavior that we can better influence dogs’ behavior and improve the whole relationship. n

Study Article Reference

Corrieri, L., Adda, M., Miklósi, Á., & Kubinyi, E. (2018). Companion and free-ranging Bali dogs: Environmental links with personality traits in an endemic dog population of South East Asia. PLOS ONE 13 (6) e0197354. Available at: bit.ly/2FB95gO

Acknowledgement: Marco Adda would like to thank all the dog “owners” and caretakers who participated in the study by filling in the questionnaires and providing relevant information about companion and free-ranging Bali dogs.

Resources

Adda, M. (2018, June 10). Free-Ranging Bali Dogs Playing 6AM.XX.SEPT2015 (IMG 3021) [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/BaliDogs Adda, Marco: marcoadda.com Duffy, D.L., & Serpell, J.A. (2006). Non-reproductive effects of spaying and neutering on behavior in dogs. Proceedings of the Third International Symposium on Non-surgical Contraceptive Methods for Pet Population Control. Available at: bit.ly/2DR5kSW Farhoody, P., & Zink, M.C. (2010). Behavioral and Physical Effects of Spaying and Neutering Domestic Dogs (Canis familiaris). Masters thesis submitted to and accepted by Hunter College. Available at: bit.ly/2FBr3zG Kay, N. (2016). The Street Dogs of Ecuador. Available at: bit.ly/2DC8sks Pangal, Sindhoor - Lives of Streeties: livesofstreeties.com

Susan Nilson BA (Hons) DipCABT PCBC-A is editor of BARKS from the Guild (barksfromtheguild.com) and a Reuters-trained journalist who studied feline behavior under the tutelage of Prof. Peter Neville at the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) in the U.K. She completed her diploma in companion animal behavior and training with COAPE in 2005. Based in Los Angeles, California for the last six years, she saw feline and canine behavior cases on an ad hoc basis, assisted START Rescue (startrescue.org) with behavior assessments, and was a volunteer behavior consultant and clicker trainer at the Linda Blair Worldheart Foundation (lindablairworldheart.org), one of the largest pit bull rescues in the U.S. She is currently based in Finland.

pet care

Room for Improvement

In the third part of this four-part article addressing the lack of regulation in the pet care and

services industry, Frania Shelley-Grielen details her experiences of day cares and groomers

I

when scouting for intern sites for pet care technician students n the second part of this article (see Understanding Animals, BARKS from the Guild, November 2018, pp.50-51), I discussed education for pet care technician students and will now report directly on my observations and experiences of corresponding internship sites in New York City, specifically doggy day cares and grooming facilities.

According to my field visits, the dogs in the day cares that I saw is typically kept there all day. Some facilities kennel the dogs for a portion of the day to give them a break from being on the communal floor or to feed them. The dogs are often not walked unless the owner has requested it and paid for the additional service and if the staff can provide it. For the dog that is house trained, not being walked may be highly stressful given that they have been trained not to relieve themselves indoors. Add to that the stress of, when a dog does break down and relieves himself, it may only be cleaned up when a worker realizes. With a lot of dogs in a room, this is not as easy as you might think. This is where I would see all those instances of coprophagia I mentioned in Part Two of this article. I also saw staff, especially if they had an audience, react with something akin to disgust and chide the dog who had no choice but to go on the floor.

I also observed that cleaning was not always appropriate (see Health and Hygiene, BARKS from the Guild, November 2018, pp.52-53).

Undiluted bleach was often poured full strength (in the mistaken belief that this would dissuade the dogs from eliminating), resulting in irritation of breathing passages for humans and pets and even burns for the dogs, who had no protection from direct contact with the floor.

The music I heard in many of the pet care sites I visited was for the benefit of workers who seemed to prefer rap, hip hop or hard rock.

Studies, however, show that classical music played around animals can be soothing and enriching and that the discordant tones of rap, hip hop or heavy metal can be highly stressful.

According to Graham, Wells and Hepper (2002), dogs spent more time “resting and less time standing when classical music was played than when any of the other stimuli were played. Exposure to heavy metal music encouraged dogs to spend significantly more of their time barking than did other types of auditory stimulation.” And results of a study by Kogan, Schoenfeld-Tacher and Simon (2012) suggest that “classical music leads to kenneled dogs spending more time sleeping and less time vocalizing than when exposed to other music types or no music.

Heavy metal music, compared with other music types, appears to increase body shaking, a behavior suggestive of nervousness.”

On one of my visits I did hear classical music at a day care and re-

According to Graham, Wells and Hepper (2002), dogs spent more time “resting and less time standing when classical music was played than when any of the other stimuli were played.

Exposure to heavy metal music encouraged dogs to spend significantly more of their time barking than did other types of auditory stimulation.”

40

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

© Can Stock Photo/andykazie

Dog parks and day cares usually offer two separate areas for dogs, one for big dogs and one for small dogs, but partitioning open areas according to both size and play style might be more appropriate

marked on it to the manager in charge. He told me that he liked the music, and yes, he did notice the dogs were calmer with it on.

Stressful Environment

Dog parks and day cares usually offer two separate areas for dogs, one for big dogs and one for small dogs. The best use of space, although not often seen, is, in my opinion, to partition the open area both according to size and play style. To accomplish this would mean four distinct spaces for: 1) Big dogs that play hard, 2) Big dogs that play soft, 3) Small dogs that play hard, and 4) Small dogs that play soft. Four spaces may be an ideal but two is most typical with the space for small dogs the more seriously compressed space of the two. Not having enough space for different dogs in a closed environment over an extended period introduces a unique set of pressures, many of which the dogs themselves may not be able to cope with, especially when people try to get involved.

When dogs are resolving arguments in too small spaces or are being reprimanded repeatedly, it can be problematic. The layouts of many of the urban day cares I saw are compressed indoor spaces with corners and no exits to offer retreat. For the hopefully well-meaning, but not always informed worker (who has been taught on site to tell a dog what not to do and not what they would like the dog to do instead), overcorrection and punishment after the fact are common interventions — if they can see them at all to intervene. Workers simply cannot watch every dog in their care. Day cares operate with multiple dogs and minimal staff and it was not unusual to see one individual working with up to 30 dogs. I witnessed dogs being yelled at, sprayed with water bottles, scruffed, rolled over, tied to walls or placed in extended isolation (“time

pet care

Pets are best served by their owners developing a critical eye. Ask to see every part of the facility, find out how many handlers are on the floor, where the manager is, and what methods are used to control dogs. Ask about toys and how dogs are entertained. Ask the trainer what books they have read on dog training, which ones are they reading now, what trainers do they like, and how they handle challenging dogs. Ask about webcams in a grooming salon. outâ&#x20AC;?) in response to behaviors such as barking, jumping, mounting or what workers believed was inappropriate play behavior. (See also Raising the Red Flag, BARKS from the Guild, November 2016, pp. 45-47.)

Meanwhile, pets in the grooming salons I saw were anything but pampered. They would often be tethered to a metal stand and forced to stand on a table for an extended period of time. Their limbs and bodies were manipulated without their consent. They were stuck in cages, tied to bathing tubs, and dried with forced air driers affixed to the cage they were placed in. And then there are the dreaded nail trims. If a dogâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s feet have not been handled properly in the past, if prior nail trims have cut into the quick, or simply that the dog has not been conditioned to enjoy nail trims, they can be a torment (see When Slowly Is Faster, BARKS from the Guild, May 2017, pp.27-29 to learn more about training nail trims force-free).

More than half of the work of a pet groomer is in the handling of the pet to remain still and compliant for ministrations on the table. Advances in low stress restraint and handling practices may not yet have been wholeheartedly adopted by the grooming industry but I am happy to say I have seen a significant number of gentle and compassionate groomers working in the field who are more responsive to the welfare of the dogs on their tables (see Grooming Restraints, BARKS from the Guild, July 2016, pp.38-39). These were the groomers I tried to work with in the pet care technician program. Many sites welcomed our students as interns and valued the knowledge they brought. Some sites welcomed the opportunity to learn about body language and behavior as well.

Teaching Moments

At the day care sites where I witnessed force and other punishments, I would try to address the situation with supervisors as tactfully as possible and turn it into a teaching moment, but the response was often that they felt such methods were the most effective and/or that they â&#x20AC;&#x153;didnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have time for behavior.â&#x20AC;?

Students who listened to my lectures in class and in the field on how to do the right things with dogs would return from an internship at a dog day care, grooming facility, or, at times, a shelter, and tell me that many of the things I had taught them not to do were, well, being done.

My best response was to lead a forum where we could openly discuss what we had seen, why it was happening, what alternatives would be the best ones, and how else did they think we could best address any behavior that was problematic for a facility. Meanwhile, well-meaning pet owners paying for services believe what they are told at front desks and read on websites. They may not realize that their dog may be thrilled to see them at the end of the day simply due to an intense relief that the day at doggy care is over.

Pets are best served by their owners developing a critical eye. Ask to see every part of the facility, find out how many handlers are on the floor, where the manager is, and what methods are used to control dogs. Ask about toys and how dogs are entertained. Ask the trainer what books they have read on dog training, which ones are they reading now, what

9 * 9 *

UÂ&#x2013;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; PÂ&#x2C6;ÂťsžsĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;¹ ÂŤĂ&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Ă?

UžsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A; 8

Ă&#x153;ÂťÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;

Ă&#x201A; s ¤¹Â&#x2019;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;ÂŞÂ&#x2C6; ž¹Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6; ž¹Â&#x2018;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2DC;¹s¤ Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2DC;¹s¤ Ă&#x2C6;žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žážá Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2C6; ¹¤Ă? Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2019; & ss¤Ă&#x2014;sĂ?Ă&#x201A; ¤Ă&#x2014;sĂ? s Ă&#x201A; Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;žÂ&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; ¤Â&#x2C6;sž ÂąÂ&#x2018; Ă&#x2014;sĂ&#x201A; Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;ÂťsžsĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;¹ sÂŤĂ&#x153;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Ă? Ă?ÂŤĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;¤¤ & ¹ª¤Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; ¹ª ¤Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E;Â&#x201E; 8s¤ ¤Â&#x2C6;ÂŤs Ă&#x201A; Â&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018; Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC; sĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2DC;¹ ž¹Â&#x2019;žsÂŞ ž¹Â&#x2019;Â&#x2019;žsÂŞ Â&#x2018;Â&#x2018;¹ž ¹ž Â&#x201E; Â&#x2019; Â&#x201E;ÂąÂ&#x2019; Ă&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6;žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A;Ăź žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A;Ăź Â&#x2DC;ÂŤ 8s¤Â&#x2C6;ÂŤs Â&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC; sĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;¹ 9 Ă&#x2014;á Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6; Ă?ÂŤÂ&#x2DC;½Ă?Â&#x2C6; ¤Ă? sĂ&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A; sžÂ&#x2C6; ÂŞĂ? Â&#x2018;sĂ&#x2013;Âą ¹žÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;á Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;á ÂąĂ&#x2014;á 9ÂąĂ&#x2014;á Ă?ÂŤÂ&#x2DC;½Ă?Â&#x2C6;¤Ă? Â&#x2018;sĂ&#x201A; Â&#x2DC;ÂŤsĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2019; Â&#x2018;sĂ&#x2013;¹žÂ&#x2DC;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;á ~~Â&#x2C6; sĂ?Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2C6; sĂ?Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;

& Â&#x2013;sĂ&#x2013;Â&#x2C6; Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2013;Â&#x2C6; ¹Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x201E;Â&#x2C6;ÂŤ Â&#x2C6; Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A;Ă? Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A;Ăź Ă? Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A;Ăź

sÂŤÂ&#x201E; Ă&#x201A;¢Â&#x2DC;¤¤ Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x2C6; žÂ&#x2C6;s¤Â&#x2DC;âÂ&#x2C6;

¹Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x201E;Â&#x2C6;ÂŤ Â&#x2C6; Ă&#x2C6;Âą

7LIIDQ\ /RYHOO &3'7 &6$7 7L 7 LIIIIDQ\ /RYH YHOO H O &3'7 7 &6$ 6$7

3 3 !

3 3 !

2Q RXU ZHEVLWH \RX OO ILQG D YDULHW\ 2Q RXU Z ZH HEVLWH E H \RX OO IILLQG D YDULHW\\ RI RI VXSSRUW RSWLRQV VVXSSRUW RSWLRQV

Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;¤Â&#x2018; Âťs Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; ÂąĂ?žĂ&#x201A;Â&#x2C6; Â&#x2018;¹ž Â&#x201E;ÂąÂ&#x2019; ?¤Â&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;á Ă&#x201A;Â&#x2C6;¤Â&#x2018; Â&#x201E;ÂąÂ&#x2019; 8 Â&#x2019;Ă?sžÂ&#x201E;Â&#x2DC;sÂŤĂ&#x201A; 8 Ă&#x2C6;žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A;

žž¹Â&#x2019;žsÂŞ ¹Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;¹Ă&#x201A; Â&#x2019;Ă? sžÂ&#x201E;Â&#x2DC;sÂŤĂ&#x201A; UžsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2019; ž¹Â&#x2019;žsÂŞ Â&#x2018;¹ž Â&#x2019;Ă?sžÂ&#x201E;Â&#x2DC;sÂŤĂ&#x201A; Â&#x2DC; P U Â&#x2DC;ÂŤĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;žÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6;Â&#x201E; Â&#x2DC;ÂŤ Ă&#x2014;¹ž¢Â&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2019; Ă&#x2014;Â&#x2DC;Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2013; s P U

Â&#x2C6;žĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;Â&#x2018;Â&#x2DC; sĂ&#x2C6;Â&#x2C6; Iž¹Â&#x2019;žsÂŞ Â&#x2018;¹ž Â&#x201E;ÂąÂ&#x2019; Ă&#x2C6;žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A; Ă&#x2C6;žsÂ&#x2DC;ÂŤÂ&#x2C6;žĂ&#x201A; Ă&#x2C6;Âą ~Â&#x2C6; ¹ªÂ&#x2C6; P UĂ&#x201A;

¤¹Â&#x2019;Ă&#x201A;á Ă&#x2C6;Â&#x2DC;ÂťĂ&#x201A;á žÂ&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;ÂąĂ?ž Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A; 8 8 Ă&#x201A;Ă? Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x201A; Ă&#x201A;Ă&#x2C6;¹žÂ&#x2DC;Â&#x2C6;Ă&#x201A; BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

41

pet care

Human-Dog Ratio

© Can Stock Photo/photography33

Dogs that are house trained may find it stressful if they are not walked during their stay at day care given that they have been trained not to relieve themselves indoors; if/when it happens, staff need to be vigilant and implement appropriate cleaning protocols

trainers do they like, and how they handle challenging dogs. Ask about webcams in a grooming salon. Watch the webcams at the day cares and note how many dogs and handlers you see and what each is doing. Install one at home if a pet sitter enters your house while you are away.

When we do hear of what should not be happening in the industry, it is not necessarily the everyday, but the horrendous incidents that get media attention, e.g. the death of a dog by strangling during a nail trim in San Mateo, California (CBS SF Bay Area, 2016), a dog fatally mauled at a dog day care in Florida (Newby, 2017), multiple summer time deaths from heat stroke in a Florida grooming van (Birch, 2016), 23 dogs dying after being left overnight without cooling or ventilation in an Arizona boarding facility (Mitchell, 2016), abuses such as placing shock collars on dogs without owner knowledge at a Chicago day care to stop barking (Ludwig, 2017), or a dog baked to death at a day care after falling unnoticed under a kiddie pool in South Carolina (Jacobs, 2016). After a covert video exposed a trainer at a Long Island, New York day care repeatedly jabbing a rod into a crated dog to stop him from growling was publicized (among other abusive practices at the site), New York State introduced legislation in late 2016 for licensing requirements for dog trainers (Kaminsky, 2016). Whether it passes remains to be seen. Meanwhile, it is business as usual unless we keep working to educate. (See also The Dark Side of Dog Training and Pet Care, BARKS from the Guild, March 2018, pp.14-21).

The

Looking for Something?

Local laws on animal care businesses mainly address physical facilities: cage sizes, separation according to numbers and gender, and, in my opinion, fall short on staffing concerns. Some states do not regulate facilities at all and leave regulations to municipalities. California only enacted pet facilities legislation in 2016, but is unique in calling for “enrichment” for pets, even if it did not define what exactly enrichment should look like. (California Legislative Information, 2016). Colorado’s Pet Animal Care and Facilities Act is one of the more progressive regulations in setting a ratio of handlers to pets: “There must be at least one human supervisor for every 15 dogs commingled within each common area. If more than 15 dogs are commingled in a common area, then the supervisor-dog ratio becomes: 2-15 dogs - one supervisor; 16-30 dogs two supervisors; 31-45 dogs - three supervisors; 45-60 dogs - four supervisors. No more than 60 dogs may be commingled in any enclosure or common area at any time.” (Colorado Department of Agriculture, 2018, pp.58-59).

I am personally unaware of the rationale to explain how a ratio of one person to 15 dogs has been arrived at to be a safe formula for people or pets. For me, the logistics of handling this many dogs at once remain scary, especially considering the dynamics of 60 different dogs in one space even with four individuals in attendance. The real question remains, how many dogs can one individual realistically watch at the same time?

In New York City, there is no set ratio of handlers to dogs but there is a mandated training course for individuals working in pet care facilities. This three-day course administered by the city’s Health Department reviews sanitation, space requirements, pet care and animal handling.

While every staff member working at a facility is not required to take the course, one staff member who has taken the course is required to be on the site at all times – not with the animals, but present at the location. This may mean a site manager working at the front desk or in the office has a degree of training while staff members working with the dogs has no formal training at all. n Frania Shelley-Grielen is a New York City-based professional animal behavior consultant, dog trainer and educator who holds a Master’s in animal behavior from Hunter College, New York City, and a Master’s in urban planning from New York University. She is a licensed pet care technician instructor, a registered therapy dog handler, and a certified Doggone Safe bite safety instructor, and specializes in behavior modification work and training with cats, dogs and birds and humane management for urban wildlife. She is also the author of Cats and Dogs; Living with and Looking at Companion Animals from their Point of View and founded AnimalBehaviorist.us (animalbehaviorist.us) in 2009 to share her work. She has also taught the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’ (ASPCA) fundamentals of dog care course for the Houlton Institute in San Francisco, California where she is on the zoology faculty. She has worked on research projects at the Wildlife Conservation Society, the American Museum of Natural History and the ASPCA in New York City.

Categories include: olds les, h ly t n e canine / feline / equine / piscine / pocket pets / curr ,400 ar tic 2 , r s murine / avian / behavior / training / business / t e s ov podca trends / PPG news / book reviews / studies,nd videos ! blogs a growing daily member profiles / opinion and is

petprofessionalguild.com/Guild-Archives

42

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

pet care References

Birch, J. (2016, May 11). 3 dogs die at Miramar groomer, pet owner demands answers. Local 10 ABC News. Available at: bit.ly/2PZcxG1 California Legislative Information. (2016). SB-945 Pet boarding facilities. Available at: bit.ly/2qRQ1AN CBS SF Bay Area. (2016, November 22). Pet Dachshund Owners Sue PetSmart After Dog Dies During Grooming. Available at: cbsloc.al/2RUgXLF Colorado Department of Agriculture. (2018). Pet Animal Care Facilities Act. Available at: bit.ly/2zW2Myl Graham, L., Wells, D.L., & Hepper, P.G. (2002, November). The influence of auditory stimulation on the behaviour of dogs housed in a rescue shelter. Animal Welfare 11 (4) 385-393. Available at: bit.ly/2DGXefh Jacobs, H. (2016, May 3). Owner claims pet ’baked’ at doggy daycare, no laws regulating S.C. facilities. Live5News. Available at: bit.ly/2DrlscN Kaminsky, T. (2016, December 19). Kaminsky unveils dog licensing legislation. The New York State Senate, New York State Senator Todd Kaminsky. Available at: bit.ly/2mWLPxU Kogan, L. R., Schoenfeld-Tacher, R., & Simon, A.A. (2012). Behavioral effects of auditory stimulation on kenneled dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research (7) 5 268–275. Available at: bit.ly/2FCUxgT Ludwig, H. (2017, March 23). Dog Day Care Put A Shock Collar on My Dog Without Permission, Owner Says. DNA Info Chicago. Available at: bit.ly/2qP8UnV Mitchell, G. (2016, July 1). Green Acre kennel owners accept plea deal in deaths of 23 dogs in Gilbert area. AZ Central. Available at: bit.ly/2zaEi4Q

Newby, J. (2017, November 30). Woman wants justice after dog mauled at Gulf Breeze boarder. Pensacola News Journal. Available at: bit.ly/2Fs7h9Q

Resources

Bowen-Vaccare, L. (2017, March). Meeting the Standard. BARKS from the Guild (23) 41-43. Available at: bit.ly/2n3ynaz Bowen-Vaccare, L. (2017, May). Best Practices. BARKS from the Guild (24) 44-45. Available at: bit.ly/2q7w9v3 Bowen-Vaccare, L. (2018, November). Health and Hygiene. BARKS from the Guild (33) 52-53. Available at: bit.ly/2A15SRt Martiya, M. (2016, July). Grooming Restraints. BARKS from the Guild (19) 38-39. Available at: bit.ly/2FqC6vE Pet Professional Guild. (2016). Open Letter to Veterinarians on Referrals to Training and Behavior Professionals. Available at: bit.ly/2KcMK84 Pet Professional Guild Member Directory: petprofessionalguild .com/Zip-Code-Search Shelley-Grielen, F. (2018, September). Behind the Scenes. BARKS from the Guild (32) 44-46. Available at: bit.ly/2RVDojC Shelley-Grielen, F. (2018, November). Understanding Animals. BARKS from the Guild (33) 50-51. Available at: bit.ly/2PtHi6x Sherwin, N. (2016, September). The Right Environment. BARKS from the Guild (20) 39-41. Available at: bit.ly/2FqCbQ0 Sherwin, N. (2016, November). Raising the Red Flag. BARKS from the Guild (21) 45-47. Available at: bit.ly/2ze4TxL Steinker, A. (2018, March). The Dark Side of Dog Training and Pet Care.

BARKS from the Guild (29) 14-21. Available at: bit.ly/2DpV82D Walker, A. (2017, May). When Slowly Is Faster. BARKS from the Guild (24) 27-29. Available at: bit.ly/2gZEUR6

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

43

pet care

Keeping Dogs Safe

Lauri Bowen-Vaccare continues her series on industry health and safety standards for dog

boarding and day care facilities by addressing recommended procedures for handling

I

illness or injuries to resident dogs

n this article, I will set out my recommended protocols when dealing with dogs in boarding or day care who become ill or get injured in some way, as well as how to contain the spread of disease.

Illnesses and Injuries

• Regular body checks should be performed throughout the dog’s visit, and staff will make note of scratches, bumps, etc.

• Staff will immediately contact a dog’s owner should their dog become ill or is injured beyond the scope of what might be expected in a dog who participates in group play. Dogs will get the occasional scrape, bruise, or a rare twisted ankle (that can bear weight after an hour or so of rest), but all other injuries must be immediately reported to the owners. o Staff should ask the owners if they would like the dog to see the vet. o If staff believe a visit to the vet is warranted, even if they were unable to reach the owners, they are to leave a message for the owners, briefly explaining what happened and inform them that they are taking the dog the vet. They should let the owner know which veterinary clinic they are taking the dog to and leave the phone number of the manager in charge during the shift when the injury occurred. o If the owner’s personal vet is too far from the facility, or cannot see the dog, staff will inform the owner of the veterinary clinic they are taking their dog to. o The dog’s owner may or may not be responsible for mileage, and this will vary from facility to facility, although most to do not charge for this service if it is necessary. o Injuries that are severe enough to warrant veterinary attention should be extremely rare. Regular occurrence of these types of injuries is an indicator that the facility may be neglectful and/or

© Can Stock Photo/Byelikova

Boarding and day care staff should contact a dog’s owners should they notice any changes in his general behavior

44

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

lacks the necessary competency with which to properly run a dog boarding/day care facility. s Dogs who sustain injuries that are directly related to staff neglect or incompetency © Can Stock Photo/praisaeng If a dog needs to see a vet while in boarding or day care, should be the facility should let the owner know which clinic they are the financial retaking the dog to and provide them with the phone number sponsibility of of the manager in charge when the injury occurred the facility. Examples include, but may not be limited to: injuries during or following an escape from the facility, death or theft of the dog following an escape from the facility, injuries or death caused by collars or other equipment, injuries sustained or death due to physical mishandling, injuries sustained or death due to grooming accidents, injuries sustained or death due to improper/punitive training methods, broken bones, injuries sustained or death by other dogs who should not have been allowed to mingle with others, illness or death as a result of ingestion of rodent poison or other item or substance that should not be kept in an area to which dogs have access, etc. The cause of many, if not most, of these injuries can often be determined by a veterinarian. s Veterinarians and other professionals who work with animals in the community and who notice a disproportionately high amount of injuries and/or illnesses originating from a facility will often advise their clients against using the facility. s Veterinarians who notice a disproportionately high amount of injuries and/or illnesses originating from a facility will inform the facility of the problem as soon as they recognize a pattern.

• Staff are to contact owners should their dog’s general behavior change (i.e. change in eating, drinking, potty habits, energy level, interest in play, sudden on-set of aggression, etc.). o If this dog has been participating in group play, he should be kept separate for his safety as well as that of the other dogs, and so staff can better monitor him.

• Staff are not qualified to alter a dog’s medication or supplements in any way. If there is a question about dose, etc., staff are to speak directly with the dog’s owner, or the dog’s vet if they are unable to reach the owner. o Staff should make written note in the dog's file that they spoke with the owner and/or their veterinarian regarding the dog's medication, and what was discussed.

• If the dog’s owner does not send enough medication for their dog, and staff have to purchase more, the owner may be responsible for

When an animal care facility discovers they have more than a couple of cases of illness occurring at their facility, regardless of where or how they believe the animals acquired it, proper industry standard protocol is to close immediately, meaning the building is to be emptied of animals as quickly as possible and remain empty until they are certain there is no more risk of spreading disease. mileage in addition to the cost of the medication. This will vary from facility to facility, although most to do not charge for this service if it is necessary.

Preventing Spread of Disease

â&#x20AC;˘ Should a viral, bacterial, fungal or paraintestinal infection begin to affect guests, staff is to notify all area vets and their clients (including those who are not currently residing at the facility) as soon as they realize that more than a few dogs have contracted it. The following is a basic protocol that all animal care facilities should follow to prevent further spread of disease amongst their clients and/or out into the community: o When an animal care facility discovers they have more than a couple of cases of illness occurring at their facility, regardless of where or how they believe the animals acquired it, proper industry standard protocol is to close immediately, meaning the building is to be emptied of animals as quickly as possible and remain empty until they are certain there is no more risk of spreading disease. o Owners of every animal in the facility at the time are to be called and informed of the situation. If possible, owners should immediately pick up their pets. If that is not possible, they are to arrange for someone to do so for them. Owners of animals who are scheduled to be dropped off for at least the next three days (and sometimes up to 21 or more days) are to be called and informed that they cannot bring their animals as the facility is experiencing a period of contagious illness. o Area vets must be informed, immediately, that the facility is experiencing an outbreak of illness. o During this time, appropriate cleaning protocols must be drastically enhanced. Serious cleaning with appropriate boarding facility-/veterinary-specific/hospital-grade solutions must be applied daily (often several times a day), all year long, as should weekly sanitizing (at the very least). Kennels must also be sanitized between each animal who uses them, even if that means the same kennel is sanitized twice in one day. These protocols are to be increased during the time the building is closed and emptied of animals. (See also Health and Hygiene, BARKS from the Guild, November 2018, pp. 52-53). o Allowing animals to remain in the building in this situation, no matter what methods are being tried to stop the spread of the illness, may put their health in serious jeopardy. Waiting a few weeks or months to close after an illness outbreak to clean is irresponsible and potentially dangerous for the entire community since the animals already visiting said facility have now had time to go out into the community and spread the illness. If animals still reside in the building during the time the facility is closed for extra cleaning and sanitization, they are at high risk for contracting and spreading further disease. Many diseases can be picked up by animals who have never been to the facility in question, just because they are airborne. They can come home on clothes, and be transferred to pets from their owners, etc. Some of these diseases also affect other species including cats and wildlife. It is

pet care

possible for zoonotic diseases to develop and spread if proper cleaning protocols are not carried out on a daily basis. â&#x20AC;˘ A breakout of illness at a facility should be extremely rare. If other facilities in the area, and the community in general, are not experiencing similar breakouts, the facility should be held responsible for any veterinary attention for dogs who become ill, or die, as a result of their neglect, for as long as necessary. Veterinarians in the area will be able to pinpoint if and when an animal care facility is experiencing a disproportionately high amount of diseases being reported by clients, and will usually advise their own clients to refrain from using that particular facility. Boarding and day care facilities which experience outbreaks of illness, while others do not, may be allowing too many animals on the property at once, may not be following industry standard cleaning procedures, and may also remain open during this time rather than closing for an appropriate amount to clean and make sure the risk of disease has decreased to normal levels. n

Resources

Bowen-Vaccare, L. (2018, November). Health and Hygiene. BARKS from the Guild (33) 52-53. Available at: bit.ly/2A15SRt Lauri Bowen-Vaccare ABCDT is the owner of Warren, Kentuckybased Believe In Dog, LLC (believeindog.weebly.com) and is an honors graduate of Animal Behavior College, with a specialty in training shelter dogs. Her focus is on the dog-human team, and she specializes in reactivity, resource guarding, fearful and timid dogs, bringing outside dogs in, and outside pet dogs. She also advises and assists trainers who want to cross over to force-free training.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

45

feline

Calm Vet Visits

Victoria Blais discusses how to avoid fear, anxiety and stress when taking reluctant,

distressed felines to the veterinarian

L

Photo © Clever Cats Livonia

Photo © Clever Cats Livonia

Haddie had developed a fear of going to the veterinarian after having surgery, but working with her and providing tuna juice during handling at home and during veterinary visits contributes to lower levels of fear, anxiety and stress

Haddie's open carrier is a familiar location where she allows handling and her blood to be drawn. Veterinarian Dr. Kelly Flannigan and author Victoria Blais use considerate approach, gentle control, touch gradient, and food distraction for a successful exam and blood draw

et me set the scene. I was visiting a veterinarian I had never seen before, and had a rather sick feeling in my stomach when I was encouraged to put on protective leather gloves to hold my highly anxious cat, Haddie. My normally sweet, affectionate girl had flattened ears, a stiffened body and dilated pupils, and was leaning away from the doctor. Reading her body language, I knew we should stop, but reasoned to myself, “This vet specializes in felines and knows what is best.”

As the vet approached Haddie, whose tail was thrashing, a loud guttural, fearful sound emerged from her drawn back lips. Then, like lightning, her opened mouth lunged toward the veterinarian’s hand. “We need to stop,” the veterinarian conceded. I’m sure there are quite a few cat owners who might be able to relate to an experience like this.

You may wonder how Haddie had developed such fear of going to the veterinarian. Let me start by saying that over the 30 years of owning cats, I have always greatly appreciated my veterinarians’ knowledge and compassion. Unfortunately, however, after one particular surgery, Haddie was no longer able to tolerate vet visits. Her fear, anxiety, and stress (FAS) would manifest in hissing and batting behaviors, motivating vet techs to scruff and immobilize her forcibly, which frightened her even

more. Disturbed by her distress, I longed for calm vet visits. But how could we accomplish that?

In my case, it was the pioneers in low stress handling who planted the seeds of my learning in how to make vet visits comfortable for Haddie, including Dr. Sophia Yin’s Low Stress Handling of Cats and Dogs, and The American Association of Feline Practitioners’ (AAFP) Cat Friendly Practice® series. At the 2015 Clicker Expo in Dearborn, Michigan, I learned about the joys of desensitizing and counterconditioning dogs to vet visits and grooming. Then, Laura Monaco Torelli’s Ready… Set…for Groomer and Vet! seminar and workshop taught me skills that I could apply to training my cats. I was all set.

From Marilyn Krieger’s Naughty No More, I had already taught my cats to enjoy touching a target stick and “go to mat,” but I had never done this at the veterinary hospital. As my cats were now having fun going from their carrier to their training mat, touching a target stick, and gobbling down a delicious reinforcing reward, after doing this in various rooms in our home, we moved the show to a beautiful park, grandma’s house, in the car at the vet clinic parking lot, lobby, and empty exam room. Lastly, an agreeable vet tech helped me with various towel wraps and holds. The clinic staff probably thought I was a bit odd, nevertheless they humored me. But my cats still had high FAS during exams. What was missing?

For cats, less really is more. This means less noise, less handling, less restraint, fewer loud voices, fewer odors, fewer bright colors, and fewer lights.

46

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Physical and Emotional Wellbeing

Fear FreeTM was the answer. I heard about it at the AAFP’s conference in Washington DC, in 2016. Immediately, I became a Fear Free certified

feline

Clicker Training for Cats

Targeting: Nose targeting is one of the easiest behaviors to teach a cat, and it is done exactly the same way you would teach it to a dog or any other animal. The target can be used to direct the cat to jump up (or down) from something and to do fun tricks. Cats use their noses to check out any newly presented object and you can use a tongue depressor, a chopstick, your finger or a target stick. Just like training a dog, you can simply use the object, or if necessary rub some yummy food on it…As your cat gets the hang of touching his nose to the target, you can begin to move it a bit so he has to move around to reach it.

Go to Place: Training a cat to go to a specific place tells him what to do in specific situations and can be used to resolve many behavior issues, including counter surfing, door dashing, aggression toward other animals, attention-seeking behaviors, and begging. The goal is to cue the cat to go to a safe place and stay there instead of engaging in the undesirable behavior. In addition to the “go to place” cue, you will need a release cue to tell the cat when it is okay to leave the “place.”

The first step is to identify the problem behavior and where it tends

to occur. Decide whether a stationary item, like a chair or cat perch, would be an appropriate place for the cat to go or a more portable option would be best, for instance, a placemat or small bath mat, a cat bed, or even a cat carrier. Using a portable place can be especially handy in some situations, since the item can be brought out wherever the cat happens to be. If using a mat or other item on hard flooring, make sure it won’t slide when the cat steps on it.

Begin by either shaping (click-treat any movement toward the mat, progressing to sniffing the mat, putting one paw on the mat, then all four paws, and then staying on the mat) or using a lure or nose target.

Sprinkle food on the mat or use nose targeting to lead the cat to put all four paws on the mat and then shape “stay.” If using a food lure or nose target, fade them quickly. Deliver reinforcers away from the mat to give the cat additional opportunities to perform the behavior. Train in an environment with minimal distractions and kneel on the floor with the cat to start, and then increase distance, distraction, and duration.

- Paula Garber & Francine Miller (2017)

© Can Stock Photo/taden

© Can Stock Photo/NomadSoul1

Cats can be trained to do many things, including to target, station, and have a positive emotional association with their carrier, and respond well to clicker training

professional, loving how the initiative considers an animal’s emotional and physical wellbeing to be of equal importance during veterinary care.

“Just get the procedure done!” while forcing a petrified animal to submit is considered obsolete. Instead, a considerate approach, gentle control, touch gradient, and anti-anxiety medications when necessary are key to keeping an animal’s FAS low.

For cats, less really is more. This means less noise, less handling, less restraint, fewer loud voices, fewer odors, fewer bright colors, and fewer lights. When I arrive for at the veterinarian’s office for an appointment, I call from the parking lot, so we can directly enter the cat-only exam room. Next, we take five to 10 minutes to acclimate, accompanied by low volume relaxing instrumental music, soft exam surfaces, pheromones, and choices. We have the choice of treats or toys, to explore or to retreat, to be examined outside or inside the carrier, or perhaps on the owner’s lap. We also read the animal’s body language to determine level of FAS and score it on a scale of zero to five. This is vital

for success. It guides staff in knowing when to move forward with the exam, when to take a break, or if FAS is high, when to perform only what is medically needed during that visit, when to give pharmaceuticals, and when to stop. Keeping an emotional medical record helps staff know the animal’s preferences. In my opinion, these are merely a few highlights of the Fear Free™ program.

Helping our clients’ pets experience low stress veterinary care starts in the home. To start with, it is incredibly helpful if cats have a positive association with their carrier. Remind owners to leave the carrier out all the time in a low traffic location, placing a soft towel or fleece blanket and random treats inside. When the cat rubs against the carrier, depositing pheromones, later detection of these can be calming. Developing fun tricks such as touch a target stick or stethoscope, go to mat, or sit on cue work towards improving the owner-cat bond as well as giving the cat something familiar to do during the vet visit. Fun no-exam vet visits are encouraged. I bring along my cat’s favorite rewards and train-

BARKS from the Guild

SUBMIT A CASE STUDY OR MEMBER PROFILE FOR PUBLICATION IN

If you’d like to share your experiences and be featured in BARKS, here are our easy-to-fill-out templates...

Member Profiles: bit.ly/2y9plS1 Case Studies: petprofessionalguild.com /CaseStudyTemplate

All you have to do is fill them in, send them to us and we’ll do the rest!

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

47

feline

ing mat. You can also help the cat have a positive conditioned emotional response to moving onto a weighing scale, veterinary handling, vaccinations, and a blood draw using systematic desensitization and counterconditioning. Familiar situations and scents equal lower stress. (See Clicker Training for Cats, BARKS from the Guild, November 2017, pp.1623 for an explanation of techniques in greater detail and also box on page 47).

Finally, then, what about Haddie? I cried tears of joy during her most recent exam because there was no hissing, batting, or biting. What an enormous relief for her, for me, and for the veterinary staff (see video, Haddie’s Fear Free Vet Visit). n

*An earlier version of this article was first published on BARKS Blog, July 5, 2018.

Victoria Blais opened Clever Cats Livonia LLC (clevercatslivonia.com) to assist owners solve feline behavior issues, including the need for fear-free nail trims. She has a Bachelor’s in medical technology which provides her with the medical foundation to understanding diseases, and she applies this knowledge to helping cats be happy and healthy through behavior modification, environmental enrichment, and improving the human-cat bond. She was the first feline behavior and training specialist in Michigan with Fear Free Professional certification level 3 and Better Vet Visits certification (Karen Pryor Academy). When volunteering at The Michigan Humane Society, Berman Center, she incorporates clicker training and enrichment to build confidence in cats to help them woo their future adopter.

www.petdogambassador.com 48

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

As the vet approached Haddie, whose tail was thrashing, a loud guttural, fearful sound emerged from her drawn back lips. Then like lightning, her opened mouth lunged toward the veterinarian’s hand. “We need to stop,” the veterinarian conceded.

Resources

American Association of Feline Practitioners. (n.d.). Feline Friendly Handling During Veterinary Visits. Available at: bit.ly/2QICOFM Clever Cats Livonia. (2018, June 7). Haddie’s Fear Free Vet Visit [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2FlLS1X Fear Free, LLC: fearfreepets.com Garber, P., & Miller, F. (2017, November). Clicker Training for Cats, BARKS from the Guild (27) 16-23. Available at: bit.ly/2moXtRD Krieger, M. (2011). Naughty No More: Change Unwanted Behaviors through Positive Reinforcement. East Petersburg, PA: Companion House Books Martin, D. (2017). The Veterinary Technician’s Role in Implementing Fear Free. Today’s Veterinary Nurse. Available at: bit.ly/2zcTcr8 Snowdon, C.T., Teie, D., & Savage, M. (2015). Cats prefer species-appropriate music. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 166 106–111. Available at: bit.ly/2QChQZ0 Torelli, L. M. (2012, June). How Trainers Make a Difference: Ready…

Set…for Groomers and Vet! Available at: bit.ly/2qKWldn Yin, S. (2009). Low Stress Handling, Restraint and Behavior Modification of Cats and Dogs. Davis, CA: CattleDog Publishing

behavior

What Does “Happy” Look Like?

Lara Joseph examines the prevalence of abnormal repetitive behaviors in captive exotics

A

and the importance of providing alternative, individualized outlets for natural behaviors

pplying behavior analysis with of which can become health issues – exotics is my area of specialty, such as mutilation and other self-inand shaping more complex jurious behaviors (SIBs). Just as with decision-making skills and empowerother behaviors, the longer they ening these animals through choice is gage, the stronger they get, and the my passion. Over the years I have longer it will take to change them. seen numerous exotics displaying The scary part is once an animal repetitive behaviors such as rocking, learns them, they will revert to swaying, over preening, eating inedithem if, for any reason, the positive ble objects, excessive contact calling, reinforcers in a trained alternative swimming in repetitive patterns, and behavior cease. Being able to recogmore. These are behaviors I see regnize the small antecedents is essenularly in the world of companion tial so we know what they look like parrots, companion exotics, zoos, before they become well-practiced. and wildlife rehabilitation centers.

Note that not all ARBs are unIn the video, Abnormal repetitive healthy. Some can be mild forms of behavior of a ring-tailed lemur, we stress relief. Many ARBs, can see that the animal appears to however, are more severe resort to the circling/jumping behavthan this, with physical and ior as a lack of being able to get to also mental implications, something. The placement of the and these are the focus of hands on the same cage bar each this article. time is a clear indication it has been When an uneducated well-practiced. In a second video, observer cannot identify Abnormal repetitive behavior with a the reinforcer, it is not unMoluccan Cockatoo, we see 20-yearcommon to hear an ARB old Rocky, who came to my training described as “functionless,” Photo © Dawn Graham center with this particular abnormal in addition to many other Goffins cockatoo Peanut was self-mutilating at the age of 5 years (inset); a training and repetitive behavior (ARB) over 12 common labels. If you are Photo © Dawn Graham behavior modification plan incorporating diet years ago. We can tell that the bereading this, you probably and enrichment was put in place, with enormous havior is very well practiced due to agree with me in saying improvements seen a year later (main photo) the consistent, slight sway of the that all behavior serves a head before each flip. Each flip is accompanied by the same scream. We purpose. If the action happens, maintains, or increases, it is serving a purhave several behavior modification plans in place, yet the behavior conpose for the animal. The key is finding that purpose. If we can do that, we tinues – although it isn't nearly as strong now as it was 12 years ago when can then begin to shape other actions to take their place. Many of these it would continue for three continuous hours. These days, it doesn't hapsubtle behaviors are just that, i.e. subtle and they do not seem to cause pen as often. When it does, it lasts about 10 seconds and we no longer any physical or mental harm. see it every day as we used to. (For more on Rocky, see photo on p.50 and I think it’s fair to say that most animals in our care have their choices A Cry for Attention, BARKS from the Guild, October 2014, pp.52-54.) restricted to some degree. For example, we have to limit options for their safety. Our companion cats and dogs are often confined to the four walls ARBs can either be subtle or very obvious. The untrained eye may not of our homes and the fences in our backyards. Exotics, both in the home see them, or if it does, understand their implications. Many ARBs are also and in educational organizations, are often restricted to cages within four subtle antecedents for a progression into more obvious behaviors, some walls. Many of them are undomesticated animals that have naturally Exotics, both in the home and in educational evolved to navigate miles of land or fly vast distances. These are animals organizations, are often restricted to cages within whose daily, fundamental challenges are restricted in our care. Lack of four walls. Many are undomesticated animals that choice is a primary reason why ARBs are so common in bears, primates, have naturally evolved to navigate miles of land and parrots. These are animals that are always on the move in the wild. or fly vast distances. These are animals whose Providing that amount of space in managed care is hard, though, and, quite frankly, unlikely to happen. In my opinion and experience, this is the daily, fundamental challenges are restricted in main reason ARBs are so prevalent in companion and educational exotic our care. Lack of choice is why ARBs are so animals. Other forms of stress can come from lack of space, being housed common in bears, primates, and parrots. with socially incompatible species, poor health, inappropriate diet, temperatures, and more.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

49

behavior

Photo Š Lara Joseph

Moluccan cockatoo Rocky came to author Lara Joseph with many behavioral issues, one of which was an ear-piercing scream which occurred once every four seconds and lasted for hours at a time. Joseph took a few different approaches in changing the screaming behavior, including teaching him how to forage; here, he is foraging from a foot toy

I care for and train many exotics but, unfortunately, I cannot provide hundreds of miles for them to roam or fly. I find that when we restrict one natural behavior, we had better be sure we provide an outlet for that behavior in another form. If we don't, another will replace it, and it's not likely to be one we consider to be desirable, much less in the best interest of the animal in the long run. How, though, does a migrating vulture who, in the wild, would fly hundreds of miles, expend anything close to that same energy in captivity?

Individualized Enrichment

The first thing to point out is that, having observed many, many exotic or wild animal enclosures, I often find a lack of enrichment. What is more concerning is the lack of individualized enrichment. Many of these animals are reared and raised in captivity, some with their parents and others without. This form of rearing gives immediate rise to behavior concerns due to being imprinted and/or not knowing how to interact with their environment, but focus on the individual is often not addressed due to lack of time or education. Providing an animal with the enrichment, such as branches, browse, streams, rocks, and dens, he would find in his natural environment is not enough. These are just objects. What is lacking here are the problem-solving challenges animals in the wild encounter every day. What purpose does a stream serve for an Asian fishing cat if it has no fish, or fish that have no opportunity to escape? The cat can quickly capture the fish, then what does he do with the 233â &#x201E;4 remaining hours in the day? Where are the opportunities to dive and hunt underwa-

I find that when we restrict one natural behavior, we had better be sure we provide an outlet for that behavior in another form. If we don't, another will replace it, and it's not likely to be one we consider to be desirable, much less in the best interest of the animal in the long run.

How, though, does a migrating vulture who, in the wild, would fly hundreds of miles, expend that energy in captivity?

50

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

ter? Simply put, where's the challenge? Many captive enclosures lack opportunities for animals to learn new things and exercise their brains by figuring out and completing tasks.

In the wild, animals are focused on breeding, rearing their young, hunting, avoiding predators, socializing, roaming, or migrating in herds or flocks. Their bodies have evolved over hundreds of thousands of years to withstand long durations without food, hibernation, drastically changing temperatures, and humidity, as well as elaborate respiratory systems to support their energy levels and behaviors that have evolved to communicate with conspecifics. In managed care, often breeding is restricted or under human control and selection. Rearing of young is monitored before the young are moved to new enclosures. But it is social complexity that is probably the hardest to manage. There just isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t the space available to safely provide this. Also, with companion situations, exotics are often housed singly. It doesn't surprise me in the slightest that ARBs are abundant. The more concerning cases of all are the animals that do not interact with their environment. These are the ones that sit staring out from a window and showing environmental disconnect.

I am not pointing fingers here. My goal is to educate on how we can do better. We certainly have much room to improve. At my training center, I have several species that are housed singly for safety purposes. I do encourage them to interact with each other vocally or visually through cage bars and I will also reinforce them with my attention for engaging with each other (if my attention is a reinforcer, which it often is with the social exotics). If the time has been taken to understand behaviors via body language accurately, I will try to let them interact physically with space, supervision, and training. Many times, these animals come to me as imprints on humans who do not know how to interact with their species.

With a new animal, I implement a training and behavior modification plan immediately by observing what he will interact with inside and outside his enclosure. From there, I consistently shape engagement with me, items in his enclosure, and other animals. I also incorporate steadily increasing levels of complexity in enrichment, socialization, and training. This approach requires balance, as it does with domestic animals too. One of the typical behavior concerns to be aware of with social, exotic animals housed singly is the relationship they form with their trainer through positive reinforcement training. This complex form of enrichment can easily lead to separation distress and anxiety, so takes consistent management and a balancing act. The importance lies in enrichment, primarily foraging.

With enrichment in the form of foraging, I include goals, intermittent schedules of reinforcement, offering choice and learning opportunities through the manipulation of objects, the shaping of gradual increases in complexities, and the ability to control or increase focus through incorporating these challenges. With all of these, I begin seeing animals engaging with their environment and exploring their enclosures in search of the next task.

Frustration is abundant in animals who do not have opportunities to solve tasks. This is often in the form of the enclosure itself whereby the animal sees things he wants but is not able to attain. In addition, animals do not usually have access to engage with people or other animals. Again, this is a source of frustration and it can fine tune ARBs in minute behaviors such as the same vocalizations in contact calls, touching the cage bars in the same spot while flipping, or bouncing or rocking from side to side.

Most of these situations can be modified through training and foraging, however.

Meanwhile, organizations and individuals that do understand the importance of foraging but do not have an understanding of shaping, often provide enrichment that is too complex for any individual animal, resulting in the animal initially engaging but then giving up. Situations like this can lead to the keepers saying they have tried but that it doesn't work.

Providing enrichment that is too complex for an animal can lead to a shift in behavior issues or reinforce current behavior issues related to stress.

Studies show that animals actively interacting with environmental en-

behavior

richment are associated with increased welfare, positive emotional states, satisfaction, and enjoyment (Meehan & Mench, 2007). Animals lovers like to see happy animals, which in turn leads me to ask, "Do people know what ‘happy’ looks like with animals in their care?" Education is key.

When we know better, we do better. n

References

Meehan, C.L., & Mench, J.A. (2007). The challenge of challenge: Can problem solving opportunities enhance animal welfare? Applied Animal Behavior Science (102) 3-4 246-261. Available at: bit.ly/2zjoFYU The Animal Behavior Center. (2018, November 20). Abnormal repetitive behavior of a ring-tailed lemur [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2S5rHa8 The Animal Behavior Center. (2018, November 20). Abnormal repetitive behavior with a Moluccan Cockatoo [Video File]. Available at: bit.ly/2QctXip

Resources

Joseph, L. (2014). A Cry for Attention. BARKS from the Guild (9) 52-54.

Available at: bit.ly/2Bq0ZDv Lara Joseph is a professional animal behavior consultant and trainer and owner of Sylvania, Ohio-based The Animal Behavior Center LLC (theanimalbehaviorcenter.com), an international, educational center focusing on teaching people how to work with animals using positive reinforcement and approaches in applied behavior analysis. She also sits on the advisory board for All Species Consulting, The Indonesian Parrot Project, and is director of animal training for Nature’s Nursery, a wildlife rehabilitation center in Whitehouse, Ohio. She is the founder of several animal organizations for animal welfare, and is currently working on coauthoring a number of international manuals of animal behavior and training. She is also a published author, writes regularly for several periodicals, and is a guest lecturer in zoo biology; animal nutrition, behavior and diagnostics taught by Dr. Jason Crean at St. Xavier University, Chicago, Illinois.

Become Your Community’s Dog Bite Safety Expert Keeping K eeping futur futuree generations generrations atio ations safe safe

Dog Bite Safety Educator

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

51

consulting

Standing Up for Animals

Kathie Gregory discusses the importance of finding your voice when advocating

A

for your animals and engaging with industry-related professionals s pet owners and pet professionals, we are the voice both for our own animals and for those we see in practice. We are the ones that can stand up for them, speak on their behalf, look out for their welfare, and make sure they are treated with kindness and compassion. It may sound easy, but even simple situations can make it quite difficult at times. For example, there are many differences of opinion on all aspects of how to care for, feed, exercise, and keep healthy the animals we live with, as well as on training, teaching, handling, and interacting. There are also differences in how people view animals, from seeing them as tools to do a job, disposable when they are unable to continue, through to equals they share their lives with and interact with as they would another person. There is so much contradictory information out there, and while there are often two definite sides to an issue, there are usually several more aspects that do not receive as much recognition as the main ones.

Personality and outlook influence how we perceive things. Our core beliefs are at play all the time. They influence our perspective and give rise to automatic thoughts that just pop into our head without us actively thinking. They guide our reactions, forming the basis of our emotional, physiological and behavioral response. The relationship between what we think and how we act is so important for understanding ourselves and self-development. If we don't change how we think, we cannot change how we act. However, this is not easy as how we think is rooted in our core beliefs. These develop through our lives in response to how we are brought up, the experiences we have, how others act towards us, what they say about us, and how we perceive ourselves. They form our sense of self, what we are capable of, and what we cannot do.

Our insecurities and doubts, confidence or lack of confidence, all go towards our self-worth and how we see and compare ourselves to others.

Perspective vs. Truth

Now, here is the most important thing about your core beliefs. Your brain thinks they are the only truth, and an accurate assessment of you.

And here's the most important thing you need to know: your core beliefs are not necessarily the truth, nor accurate. They are only the perspective of what you have been led to believe as you have gone through life. And what you believe is not always the same as the truth.

For example, the child that is told they are not good enough and will not get anywhere in life may have a core belief that they will not succeed. This is not truth, rather, it is someone's perception, but it can become a core belief in the child's mind, and the mind thinks this is the truth. The other side of this scenario is the child who has been encouraged to try, who is told not to give up and that they can achieve their goals. Their core belief is likely to be one of self-confidence and trust in

...we may feel pressure to conform, to follow the crowd, and do what others do. This can be particularly difficult to ignore in social situations such as keeping your horse at a yard, or taking your dog to training class if the way of doing things does not fit with how you do things.

52

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Š Can Stock Photo/Virgonira

Personality and outlook influence how we perceive things with our core beliefs at play all the time, influencing our perspective

their own abilities where they automatically think they can do something and are going to reach their goals.

These are two simplified examples of opposite states of mind. Core beliefs may come from childhood experiences and may become part of our personality that becomes amplified. Some people are naturally confident despite what life throws at them, some are not. Experiences later in life may change or cause us to develop core beliefs.

Focusing on the insecure example, this can leave us unable to stand up for our animals, feeling that we have no voice and no choice. Firstly, we may feel pressure to conform, to follow the crowd, and do what others do. This can be particularly difficult to ignore in social situations such as keeping your horse at a yard, or taking your dog to training class if the way of doing things does not fit with how you do things. When you do something differently it can be seen as challenging the accepted way, or as challenging an individual, putting them out of their comfort zone, and they may respond defensively with derision, anger, or ignore you.

We may also feel pressure from the other professionals we engage with or rely on, such as vets and trainers, for management, health, and the activities we do with our animal. In my experience, we are more likely to feel insecure in the presence of other professionals when we do not conform to their accepted ways. This is fine when we are handling our own animal and can take the time when things do not go to plan, but when a professional is present, we may worry that things will go wrong, that we won't be able to get things back on track quickly enough for the limited time available, and we might feel like the professional will think we don't know what we are doing, and are incompetent. We

may feel that our approach is wrong, that we are misguided, and that can make us feel like we have no voice and no choice but to go along with someone else's way of doing things.

As I stated in an earlier article: “People such as the vet and the farrier need to get the job done in a timely manner. They do not have a lot of time, and waiting for as long as it takes for your horse to respond is not always viable; something we are well aware of. But knowing this creates a problem because we think our horse must do what is needed immediately. We are now in a state of anxiety, and sometimes embarrassment at the thought of not being good enough to achieve what is asked. It also undermines our confidence as, if we do not get the result we need, we think it will reinforce the other person's perception that what we are doing is not effective. We have set ourselves up with performance anxiety before the vet or farrier even arrives! But if you ask, both vet and farrier are usually more than happy to give your horse time to settle, we are often the ones who feel we must not take up their time, and have everything ready in an instant.” (see Performance Anxiety, BARKS from the Guild, November 2016, pp. 54-56).

Here are some of the thoughts that can run through your head, making you feel like you are on the wrong path, that you won't be able to achieve results or be successful, and will have to give up and go along with what everyone else does: • Feeling afraid to speak up, thinking you are stupid and uninformed.

• Thinking you will be criticized and judged.

• Worried about how you come across, what you say and do.

• You have to be perfect to prove yourself.

• People think you are no good and don't know what you are doing.

• You think you must know everything to be listened to and considered intelligent.

• Worrying you have missed something important and got it wrong.

• You think you are wrong and it's only a matter of time before someone tells you.

These thoughts are fears and insecurities, they are not the truth.

However, overcoming them is not as easy as just deciding to ignore them and be positive as they are a reflection of your core beliefs.

Also, as I wrote earlier, they can have an effect on our interactions with our animals: “This state of mind affects how we interact with our horse, and the decisions we make at the time. The result of feeling this way changes our tone of voice and body language. Our horse will be aware of these changes. If we feel anxious it does not always cause the horse to worry, but he is more likely to do so when coupled with the other elements of the situation. We find ourselves asking the horse to

BARKS from the Guild

consulting

© Can Stock Photo/Callipso88

Pet professionals may at times feel pressure to conform, but it is important to advocate both for their own animals and those they see in practice, to look out for their welfare, and make sure they are treated with kindness and compassion

do something different, use a new word for a familiar movement, or try to get him to respond immediately, asking again if he does not. This obviously has an impact on the horse, putting him in a situation he cannot handle, which causes him to feel anxious and unsure of what to do. He is now much less able to do what we ask, feels less confident, and also suffers from performance anxiety. That, in turn, makes us feel less confident. We then compound our feelings by thinking we have failed, and our abilities are lacking. Some people even think that perhaps force-free is not possible, and they will have to go back to traditional methods as they lack the support they need to feel confident in what they are doing.” (Gregory, 2016).

Changing core beliefs takes time. Challenging them challenges your sense of self, so we start the process of changing how we see ourselves and how we feel about ourselves by looking at our actions. Why do we do what we do? We are protecting ourselves from what we think will happen if we don't do what we do. For example, we may keep quiet because we think we will be criticized and judged. But we don't know if this will happen and we can't predict what the person we are talking to will say.

Putting strategies in place to change this involves both thought and action: #1. Assess Your Automatic Thoughts: Examine all the possible outcomes there may be to whatever is causing you concern. We always

BARKS from the Guild is the 64-page bi-monthly pet industry trade magazine published by the Pet Professional Guild, available to Pet Professional Guild Australia members, supporters and the general public online (and in print, by monthly subscription).

Widely read by pet industry professionals and pet owners alike, BARKS covers a vast range of topics encompassing animal behavior, pet care, training, education, industry trends, business AND MUCH MORE! If you would like to reach your target audience, BARKS is the perfect vehicle to achieve that goal.

To contribute an article, please contact the editor, Susan Nilson: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com To advertise, please contact Kelly Fahey: Kelly@petprofessionalguild.com BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

53

consulting

tend to imagine the worst possible outcome as the one that will actually happen, but how likely is that? No more likely than the best possible outcome. The most likely outcome is somewhere in the middle, and that is not as bad as imagining the worst. Now you have thought about this, how accurate are your thoughts? #2. Think about Where Your Thoughts Come from: Can you look back and see how you might have got to this perception? Are there times when you did not have this thought, or when things went better than you expected? However you feel, you have achieved things, but the mind tends to remember the times when you didn't quite get there, so thinking about what you have done helps to give the mind balance. #3. Read about Other Peopleâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Experiences: You are not going to have an immediate epiphany, but reading how others have overcome problems will start to change your perspective. Take time to ask yourself, is this the only way or can I see that there are other ways of perceiving a situation? Think about whether you could try a small step to change how you feel.

Now you have started analyzing and thinking about ways to make changes, it is time to do something. This is the difficult bit. However, there are some things you can put in place to help: #1. Choose the People You Have around You Carefully: This is really important for your overall self-esteem. If you choose friends and acquaintances that share your values and outlook you will be reinforced and encouraged in your views, actions and how you want your relationship to be with the animals you live and work. You need people that can understand and support you as you make changes. #2. Don't Keep Going Back to People that Undermine You: If you find you are always left feeling down, misunderstood, or insecure, then you need to think about whether a particular relationship is healthy for you. These feelings can make you anxious around that person and unable to speak from your perspective. This can lead you to think you are wrong. You may question the validity of what you are doing, and that undermines any confidence you may have and your ability to reach your goals. #3. Choose Those You Work with Carefully: Before making a decision as to who to work with, such as vets and trainers, find out more about them. Ask others how they find a particular professional. Ask for an initial consultation to see how that person is with your animal. You need to be able to tell or show people how you want your animal to be handled, and for that you need someone that has an open mind and is able to adjust. Finding people with the same outlook as you or willing to do things the way you prefer makes it so much easier. #4. Have Someone with You for Support: It is often the first few times someone works with your animal that you find the most difficult.

You may be more anxious and insecure, and thus more likely to keep quiet than stand up for what you want. Having someone with you at these times gives you support, and also means your companion could open the conversation if you feel too insecure to do it yourself. n

References

Gregory, K. (2016, November). Performance Anxiety. BARKS from the Guild (21) 54-56. Available at: bit.ly/2OGs6xL Kathie Gregory is a qualified animal behavior consultant, presenter and author who specializes in advanced cognition and emotional intelligence. Passionate about raising standards and awareness in how we teach and work with animals, she has developed Freewill TeachingTM (freewillteaching.com), a concept that provides the framework for animals to enjoy life without compromising their own free will.

Her time is divided between working with clients, mentoring, and writing. Her first book, A Tale of Two Horses: a passion for free-will teaching, was published in 2015, and she is currently writing her second book about bringing up a puppy using freewill teaching.

54

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Giving Dogs Choices

consulting

I

Stephanie Peters discusses her work with families to ensure they receive the appropriate,

humane education to foster communication and to strengthen the dog-human bond t was therapy visit with my rescue dog Marmalade that initially inspired me to pursue a career involving both dogs and kids. I have 15 years’ experience working with children, which was the perfect preparation for me to apply my knowledge of development and learning theory to the enrichment and education of our canine friends. I am one of only two certified behavior consultants in the state of Iowa, and the only dog professional in the state who is also a certified humane education specialist. Fittingly, one of my specialties involves helping parents create a more harmonious household through training for their dogs and humane education for their kids.

As force-free professionals are already aware, taking an adversarial approach with children and alienating parents does not improve the lives of the dogs we wish to help. Children must be allies in the training process; their enthusiastic participation is a key component of the consistency that dogs need to be successful in a busy household.

Many of the parents who invite me into their homes are swimming in a sea of misinformation, just trying to stay above water. They may have been told, or read on the internet, erroneously of course, that when their dog mouths or jumps on or steals food from their children, he is trying to “dominate” them. They may even have been told, again erroneously, that the dog must view children as superiors, not subordinates, and that the parents have caused the disruption in the hierarchy by not being a strong enough “pack leader.”

Says Miller (2018): “…[T]he very presumption that our dogs would even consider we humans to be members of their canine pack is simply ludicrous. They know how impossibly inept we are, for the most part, at reading, understanding and responding appropriately to the subtleties of canine body language. We are equally inept, if not even more so, at trying to mimic those subtleties. Any attempts on our part to somehow insert ourselves into their social structure and communicate meaningfully with them in this manner are simply doomed to failure. It’s about time we gave up trying to be dogs in a dog pack and accepted that we are humans co-existing with another species – and that we’re most successful doing so when we co-exist peacefully.”

Many parents certainly need better education and resources. I usually start my educational packages with a heavy dose of myth busting. I thoroughly debunk the idea that the dog is trying to “boss around” the children or vie for some superior place in the family hierarchy and share reputable sources of information on kids and dogs, such as A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog! by Niki Tudge, the Family Paws Parent Education website, the Doggone Safe website, and the books by trainer and behavior consultant Colleen Pelar of Living with Kids and Dogs.

One of my clients, Lisa, came to me when her pup Frito bit her son Huston on the chin. She was understandably concerned. As a single parent with an incredibly demanding work schedule, she had more than enough on her plate. She could have returned Frito to the rescue organization he came from a year and a half ago. Instead of punishing him or panicking though, she wasted no time in seeking resources that would help her balance both dog ownership and parenthood. Nevertheless, she was essentially shamed by some for placing equal emphasis on the behavioral needs of her dog and the welfare of her child.

As part of her training package with me, Lisa learned to accurately

Photo © Ben Sandness Photography

Stephanie Peters (right) ensures her clients have the appropriate resources and that children in the home are allies in the dog training process

read canine body language and avoid applying moral constructs to a dog’s behavior. Lisa says Huston “can now verbalize how Frito is feeling by looking at his body language,” and will “call him, whistle to him, or encourage him” instead of “pulling on the leash or grabbing his collar.”

Huston loves practicing targeting activities with Frito. He uses the Doggone Safe “Be a Tree” pose to “settle his own body if the dog is riled up by his leaping or hopping.” Huston practices management by picking up his own items to prevent Frito from getting hold of them. He also knows how to trade for a treat when Frito “has something he shouldn’t, versus chasing him” and pulling the object out of his mouth, which can cause or exacerbate resource guarding. Now Frito is “doing a good job of dropping things when Huston approaches.”

Another of my clients had been advised by the breeder that her young son should roughhouse with their large-breed puppy in order to expend the puppy’s energy and promote bonding. But a dog cannot comprehend that when a boy shoves his hand into the dog’s mouth in play it is considered acceptable to mouth at the hand, but that the same mouthing should cease when the boy is reading a book, getting dressed, or eating an after school snack. By the same token, a kindergartener doesn’t automatically know how to get a dog to leave him alone when persistent jumping and mouthing becomes annoying, or even a little scary.

Choosing Compassion

A well-intentioned neighbor gave another of my clients a set of DVDs by a well-known reality TV dog trainer to help her train Rosie, her tiny cavalier puppy. Lori and her three daughters watched segments of several episodes and felt uneasy. They knew there must be a less forceful and more compassionate way to train their young pup, and gave me a call at the recommendation of their veterinarian. During their training package, daughters Sofie, Izzy, and Hanna were invested and engaged every BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

55

consulting

Many of the parents who invite me into their homes are swimming in a sea of misinformation, just trying to stay above water. They may have been told, or read on the internet, erroneously of course, that when their dog mouths or jumps on or steals food from their children, he is trying to “dominate” them.

© Can Stock Photo/4774344sean

Teaching children and their parents to read canine body language, interact appropriately with the family dog, and to avoid the application of moral constructs to a dog’s behavior are key components of author Stephanie Peters’ client training package

step of the way, and were particularly astute at observing dog body language. Lori says that her girls “really enjoy capturing—they love to click and treat her for being polite. It resonated with all of us that it’s much more fun to show Rosie what she’s doing right rather than get upset for what she’s doing wrong!”

Some of my clients start from scratch having never engaged in training for their dog, some must repair damage done by force-based methods, and others sign up for a package with me in order to further reinforce the relationship-based approach they have always taken.

Cassie is the proud momma of four children and three Labradors, as well as an in-home day care provider for kids of all ages. Rather than let the children chase after the dogs, she always lets “the dog approach the

3 Ways to Show the World What You Stand for...

Become a Proud Accredited Professional!

The ONLY psychometrically developed certification for professionals who believe there is NO PLACE for shock, choke, prong, fear or intimidation in canine training and behavior practices.

LS: E V E L 3 NT NOBW CONSULTA EHAVIOR INER NAL TRA PROFESSIO N TECHNICIA TRAINING

56

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

kid—when a dog approaches a child they are saying ‘I’m okay with you touching me and giving me a nice slow pet.’” Cassie previously refused to use shock when it was recommended to her, and instead feels that “positive reinforcement teaches kids and dogs to be proud of the things they have learned to do,” and helps them to “all work together to live in each other’s world.”

Cassie involves all the kids in the training and care of her three dogs, teaching them to cue a variety of behaviors like sit, stay, back up, lay down, and kennel up. She is emphatic that closely involving kids in the training process demonstrates that “the child and dog have respect for one another.” Some parents may interpret a child crawling into a dog’s crate or sitting in the dog’s bed as a cute photo op, but Cassie teaches the children “that the dog beds are just for the dogs, and if the dogs are laying on their beds to let them be. They need to have a safe space where they can rest, knowing that no child will mess with them.”

Getting all the children in the household on board is crucial. During my graduate studies in theater education, developing intrinsic motivation in children was esteemed above all forms of extrinsic motivation, which was seen as debasing the teacher-child relationship by reducing it to bribery. I felt that I must have previously misapplied or overused extrinsic motivators in my own teaching. Worrying that I was copping out by offering kids cookies or juice boxes for a job well done, for a number of years I attempted to do away with extrinsic motivators. Sound famil-

consulting

iar to eschewing food in dog training, in favor of reliance on verbal praise alone to reward our dogs’ “innate desire” to “please” us? I have since found a middle ground, wherein children can be motivated to change their own behavior by the possibility of earning a tangible reward, without dangling said reward in front of them continually.

Positive Interactions

umes about the power of positive reinforcement. Parents welcome a dog into their home as a playmate and partner for their children. By pairing positive reinforcement techniques with humane education, we can help parents strengthen the bond between their children and their dog. n

In order to enable children to be more successful around their dog, which in turn helps the dog to be more successful around his children, I have created a “Paw Point” system. Rather than admonishing kids to “stop” doing this or “quit” doing that, Paw Points use TAGteach principles to remind kids of the behaviors they can do to help their dog feel calm and safe. Parents use a Paw Point Chart to track their children’s progress with weekly goals like petting with an “Open, Gentle Hand,” to use “Walking Feet Near Rover,” or to “Let Rover Choose” when to be petted. The concise TAG point becomes a catchy mantra that reminds children of the goal behavior. At the next week’s session, the child earns a green, yellow, or red mark, for awesome interaction with the dog, needs improvement, or did not consistently follow instructions respectively. If children earn mostly green marks by the end of their dog’s training package, they get to choose a small item from my prize box. It’s amazing what a little motivation to earn a plastic bracelet can do.

Positive reinforcement trainers believe in giving dogs choices. We know that dogs love working for rewards because they understand that by changing their own behavior they can affect their environment. Dogs trained with relationship-based methods can gain an incredible amount of confidence and self-control. This exact same approach holds true for kids. When kids are given tools like Doggone Safe’s “Be a Tree” protocol, they understand that their own choices affect their dog’s behavior. As a family-friendly trainer, I pride myself on using techniques that are effective, fun, and safe for the whole family to use. Kids as young as 3 years of age can start to help clicker train their dog, and that alone speaks vol-

References

Miller, P. (2018). Danger! Dominance Theory! Why Every Mention of “Alpha Dogs” or “Dominant Dogs” is Dangerous to All Dogs. Available at: dogbizsuccess.com/danger-dominance-theory

Resources

Doggone Safe: doggonesafe.com Doggone Safe “Be A Tree”: doggonesafe.com/Be-A-Tree Family Paws Parent Education: familypaws.com Living with Kids and Dogs/Colleen Pelar: livingwithkidsanddogs.com TAGteach International: tagteach.com Tudge, N. (2017). A Kids’ Comprehensive Guide to Speaking Dog! (n.p.): Author

Stephanie Peters is a KPA-CTP and CPDT-KA certified trainer and an ACDBC certified behavior consultant, who provides private, in-home pet training with specializations in behavior modification, adopted dogs, and family-friendly services via her practice, Plucky Paws (pluckypaws.com) in Ames, Iowa. As a certified humane education specialist with 15 years teaching experience, she uses the arts to teach children about important topics like responsible pet ownership, dog bite prevention, and companion animal welfare, which is one of her passions. She also volunteers with adoptable dogs at the Animal Rescue League of Iowa and the PAWS program at the Iowa Correctional Institution for Women. She maintains strong ties to Best Friends Animal Sanctuary in Kanab, Utah, where she completed an internship in Dogtown, is a member of several prominent professional organizations, and is involved in ongoing education.

Redstone Media Group, in partnership with the Pet Professional Guild (PPG), is delighted to announce that all PPG members are now eligible for 50% OFF ($12 for six issues) a oneyear subscription to Animal Wellness or Equine Wellness magazines.

“We all want our dogs to enjoy a long healthy life,” says Animal Wellness Publisher Tim Hockley, and Animal Wellness magazine is the #1 publication devoted to this cause. Learn about the vital four pillars to wellness, discover the secrets to longevity, revitalize your bond and learn from the world’s leading natural health experts.

Your subscription code can be picked up in the member area of the PPG website, PetProfessionalGuild.com/benefitinformation.

Please be sure to log in first.

For people who are serious about their dogs!

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

57

business

Protecting Your Business

David Pearsall of PPG corporate sponsor Business Insurers of the Carolinas highlights the

importance of maintaining general liability insurance and ensuring you have coverage

T

for personal property and animals in your care, custody or control

he one insurance policy all pet service professionals should maintain is a general liability insurance policy – preferably one designed for trainers – that includes care, custody, or control coverage. General liability insurance is defined as a form of insurance which protects the insured client from claims arising out of bodily injury or property damage to a third party. This means that it protects those insured against claims which a third party might bring against them for bodily injury, property damage, personal or advertising injury, or medical payments. The following is a breakdown of each of the limits of liability common to a commercial general liability policy, along with examples of how they apply to a professional dog trainer (please note these limits are pretty standard in the insurance industry, regardless of which insurance company you are insured with): • $2,000,000 General Aggregate • $1,000,000 Products/Completed Operations • $1,000,000 Personal & Advertising Injury • $1,000,000 Each Occurrence • $100,000 Fire Legal Liability • $5,000 Medical Payments

General Aggregate: The $2,000,000 General Aggregate is the total amount of coverage you have for the year for third party claims (Bodily Injury or Property Damage to a third party).

Products/Completed Operations: The $1,000,000 Products/Completed Operations limit has two parts. The Products section is meant to cover a tangible product. As a dog trainer, your product is the service or training you offer. The second part is covering the service or “operation” you have rendered to your client when the job is complete. An example of a completed operations claim would be as follows: You are contracted to train and pet sit a dog for several days while family is on vacation. Unfortunately you got the weeks mixed up on your calendar and failed to show up. As a result the dog suffers from dehydration and chews up the clients furnishings. Since you failed to show you would be negligent and thereby responsible for the injuries to the pet and the contents of the home.

Personal & Advertising Injury: The $1,000,000 Personal & Advertising Injury limit covers personal injury or advertising injury you cause to another person or company. Some examples of personal injury are false arrest, wrongful eviction, or written material that slanders a person or organization or violates a person’s right of privacy. Examples of advertis-

...most general liability policies contain exclusions for personal property in the insured’s care, custody, or control. However…dogs are considered personal property under the law.

Without including this coverage under your general liability policy, you simply have no insurance for the dogs in your care.

58

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

© Can Stock Photo/taviphoto

Vet expense claims can range from $1,000 to $25,000 for dogs injured in a trainer’s care, highlighting the importance of coverage for personal property and, thus, any animals in your care, custody or control

ing injury would be oral or written publication of material that slanders a person or organization or discredits a person or organization’s products or services. Although claims of this nature very rarely occur to a dog trainer, an example of a claim covered under this limit would be as follows: Trainer A comes up with an advertising slogan that already belongs to Trainer B. Although Trainer A did not know that the slogan was in existence, it confused a number of Trainer B’s clients, and subsequently hurt Trainer B’s reputation in the area. Trainer B brings suit against Trainer A for damages.

Each Occurrence: The $1,000,000 Each Occurrence limit is the most applicable limit to a dog training business. It covers you for up to $1,000,000 (or the limit listed on your policy) for any occurrence in which you are found to be legally obligated to pay (by the adjuster or a court of law) for bodily injury or property damage of a third party. An example of a claim where this coverage applies: You are training a client’s very hyper puppy in a group class. The hyper puppy gets away from you and jumps up and knocks over another person/observer in the class, who subsequently falls down and breaks his/her wrist. A second example would be as follows: You are working with a dog in a public place such as a park, and the dog gets away from you and subsequently attacks another dog. And a third example: You are working with a dog with aggression issues in the client’s backyard. The neighbor comes through the gate unannounced and is subsequently bitten. All of the above are examples of claims that have occurred to insured trainers over the years! And in all, the injured party was entitled to compensation under the trainer’s policy for their injuries. Please keep in mind that the insurance company does defend you (outside the limit listed) and is only obligated to pay those sums that you are legally obligated to pay.

Fire Legal Liability: The $100,000 Fire Legal Liability limit, also known as Tenant Legal Liability or Damages to Premises Rented to you, covers you

against fire damage or legal liability that arises in or out of the space you rent. For example, you rent a space in a retail strip mall to hold your training classes. One night, you leave a coffee pot on and it subsequently causes fire to your rented space and the adjacent retail establishments. Since you would be negligent for causing the fire to the adjacent building, it would be covered under the each occurrence limit; the rented space that you occupied would be covered under the fire legal limit of $100,000.

Medical Payments: The $5,000 Medical Payments is a separate limit of liability used by the insurance company to pay small medical claims regardless of fault. An example of this would be if one of your clients in a training class were to slip and fall, and severely sprain their ankle. The client alleges it is due to slippery surface, so you turn the claim into your insurance company. The client is not looking to sue you, but would like to have his/her medical bills taken care of, as this did occur on your premises while they were in your class. This claim would be paid out of the $5,000 medical payments limit. Should your client then decide to file suit (in which case he/she ceases to be a friend/client), then the claim would be covered under the each occurrence limit above.

Personal Property: Unfortunately, most general liability policies contain exclusions for personal property in the insured’s care, custody, or control. And for many types of businesses this would be okay. However, for the professional dog trainer, (or pet sitter, dog walker or boarding facility), it is perhaps the most significant exposure of all. This is because dogs are considered personal property under the law. Without including this coverage under your general liability policy, you simply have no insurance for the dogs in your care. Fortunately there are insurance companies that will remove the exclusion by endorsement. In doing so, they provide coverage for personal property and animals in your care, custody or control and extend this coverage wherever you go to train, and

business

at all points in between, even in your vehicle.

Again, this coverage is perhaps the most important aspect of a dog trainer’s liability insurance. The reason for this is that these types of claims typically occur much more frequently than do the large dog bite claims to a third party. In fact, these types of claims account for 80 percent of the claims turned in. Over the years we have seen a significant increase in vet bills. These vet expense claims can range from $1,000 to $25,000 for dogs injured in a trainer’s care. Here is a sample list of some of the more recent claims that have occurred and been covered under the care, custody or control coverage limit: • During a training session, a client’s dog swallowed a toy and required surgery. Total Paid $2,936.

• Training class ended and puppy was placed back in play group.

In play group puppy suffered a broken leg from other puppies jumping up and down on him. Total Paid $5,633.

• Dog escaped from trainer’s facility and was found a few days later, deceased. Total Paid $9,000.

• During training class dog jumped really high, lost footing and hit head hard on the ground. Total Paid $1,764. n

If you have additional insurance questions or concerns or want to know more about your individual state requirements, please feel free to contact David Pearsall: dp@business-insurers.com.

See also ad on this page, below.

David Pearsall is a certified insurance counselor (CIC) and co-owner of Business Insurers of the Carolinas (business-insurers.com), a multiline commercial insurance agency specializing in insurance for pet service professionals since 1992. He has headed up association liability and bonding programs for national pet care service associations for over 20 years, including PPG. He is a licensed insurance agent in all 50 states and has held the CIC designation since 2002.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

59

business

Ask the Experts: How to Address Competition

Veronica Boutelle of dog*biz responds to pet professionals’ questions on all things

business and marketing

Q: Dear dog*biz, I’ve had new competition move into my area in the last year or two and I’m definitely not getting as many new inquiries as I used to.

I’m not sure what to do. I’m feeling really worried and discouraged.

I’m also frustrated because I was the first +R trainer in my area and have been here so long. The new trainers are also +R, so that’s good, but I have way more experience. What can I do?

- Anonymous in MO

I

’m sorry to hear about this new challenge. These kinds of landscape changes can be frustrating and dispiriting for sure. The good news, as you point out, is that your new colleagues are +R, and as part of a larger picture of growth in our industry, this is something to celebrate.

Still, what to do about the health of your business, and about your long-standing position in your community? The first step is to take a deep breath, shake off, and then resolve to come at this situation as an opportunity instead of a challenge. We’ve seen many dog*biz clients turn similar challenges into robust periods of growth and I’d love to see you do the same. Here are some ideas:

Those who view and interact with fellow local trainers as colleagues instead of competitors simply do better.

Rekindle your marketing relationships. When you’re the only game in town, it’s easy to take referrals from vets, pet supply stores, shelters, and other dog pros for granted. The new trainers in your area are less likely to do so, so make sure you step in to solidify these partnerships. You can offer lunch and learns, provide fresh lobby materials, create or revamp behavioral wellness folders and tip sheets, stop by with an unexpected pizza lunch on their busiest day, invite fellow dog pros out for coffee, etc. The point is to be actively present and engaged and, wherever possible, helpful.

Getting Creative

Get creative with your marketing. If you haven’t had to do a lot of marketing in the past, or you’ve let it lapse, it’s time to put some new energy here. And because you’ve got so much experience and expertise, use that to help your marketing stand out. Provide tip sheets instead of boring fliers, distribute a print newsletter throughout your community anywhere people might need a good read while waiting for a service, send your current and past clients a regular email newsletter to get yourself back in front of people and keep in touch, ask the local library or shelter to host some community talks, etc.

Form relationships with your new colleagues. One thing we’ve noticed

WRITE FOR PPG!

We are always on the lookout for interesting features, member profiles, case studies and training tips to feature in BARKS from the Guild and on the BARKS Blog. If you’d like to join the growing band of member contributors, please get in touch.

60

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

over our years supporting +R dog pros is this: Those who view and interact with fellow local trainers as colleagues instead of competitors simply do better. You mentioned your © Can Stock Photo/cynoclub experience; most likely the new trainers in Competition can be an your area would appreciate your guidopportunity rather than ance. And that means they know who to a challenge for pet refer more advanced cases to. You may professionals find also that they adjust their services to be more complementary to yours. Over time you may find occasion to band together on marketing projects, creating more clients for everyone.

And if nothing else, these relationships will take the stress out of sharing your location with other trainers—and may enhance your enjoyment of your work, too. After all, most trainers find working in a local vacuum to be one of the downsides of training. A local group of training colleagues (who perhaps over time even become close friends) can take the loneliness out of training. So call the newbies up, welcome them to town, invite them for coffee or a dog walk, and see what happens.

This change in your local scene doesn’t have to spell doom for your business. If you grab the opportunity, it can actually spark a renaissance. I hope you do, and I’d love to hear how it goes—do reach out to let us know! n

Do you have a question for the business experts at dog*biz?

Submit your question for consideration to: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com Learn how

can help your business:

www.dogbizsuccess.com

Veronica Boutelle MA Ed CTC is founder and co-president of dog*biz (dogbizsuccess.com), and author of How to Run Your Dog Business and co-author of Minding Your Dog Business. dog*biz offers professionally-designed positive reinforcement dog training class curricula, including Open-Enrollment Puppy, Open-Enrollment Basic Manners, and short Topics classes built for retention.

BARKS BARKS from the Guild blog Email: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com

Planting the Seed

profile

In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Alicia Obando of

A

Pitter Patter Parenting in Chicago, Illinois

licia Obando came to animal behavior and training via family therapy and politics, and now runs her own business that focuses on helping families live harmoniously with their pets.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now?

A: In 1989, I received my Master’s in counseling psychology with a focus on children and adolescents and practiced as a child and family therapist for seven years. I then left the field to go and work in politics for 11 years, hoping to bring about positive change for families and communities. During this time I had begun volunteering at an animal shelter and became very involved in Chicago's animal welfare community. I left politics in 2007 to follow my passion for helping animals. I worked at Chicago's oldest and largest animal shelter for two years and at the city’s largest veterinary ER and specialty center for five years. I have also participated in hundreds of hours of pet care education.

In 2012, I founded the non-profit organization, Pets Are Like Family. We are an all-volunteer-run outfit that helps pet parents with limited resources take care of their pets. As the head of this organization, I have been educating pet parents one-on-one in a classroom setting and at community events. Over the years, I have counseled hundreds of families regarding child care and pet care. In 2015, I created my company, Pitter Patter Parenting, to bring together my love of working with families and pets. My mission is to help families manage kids and pets, to encourage safe and healthy relationships, while honoring the bond that people have with their pets. I offer coaching to families on selecting and integrating a new pet into the home; classes for kids and expectant parents on safe interactions with dogs; pet loss counseling and support groups; and dog walks, pet visits and small dog boarding.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets.

A: I have three dogs and five cats, all rescues. I have a Yorkie and a toy poodle that are both 14 years old and a new Yorkie mix that is 5 years old. I really like small dogs, even though dogs of all sizes can be awesome dogs. My cats vary in ages from 3-12 years. I started doing TNR work 10 years ago which led to me taking in most of these cats. All my pets get along just fine and are used to the comings and goings of foster pets and boarding dogs.

Q: Why did you become a dog trainer or pet care provider?

Photo © Alicia Obando

Alicia Obando with her toy poodle, Tina, at a fundraiser for her non-profit organization, Pets Are Like Family

lieve that punishment may serve a short term goal, but leads to negative long term consequences, most importantly negatively affecting the bond that you have with your pet/child.

Q: Are you a crossover trainer or have you always been a force-free trainer?

A: I have always advocated and practiced force free training/education.

Q: What do you consider to be your area of expertise?

A: Client education (children and parents).

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: I have worked with many pet families through shelter, veterinary and rescue organizations and saw the need for increased education to help keep dogs safely in their homes.

A: Teaching kids about dog care and safety and watching them practice with my toy poodle how to safely approach a dog and how to care for a dog. They get such a kick out of it and I feel good that I am planting positive pet care seeds in their little minds.

A: It's the only way I was taught. It is also how I have taught parents/child care providers to work with children. In both cases, I be-

A: My goal is for families to be able to understand their dog's behavior and respect his boundaries and sensitivities. When I see the lightbulb go off in the parents, showing that they now understand their dog in a way

Q: What drives you to be a force-free professional and why is it important to you?

Q: What reward do you get out of a day's training?

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

61

profile they hadn't thought of before, I feel I have succeeded in helping everyone get along better.

Q: Who has most influenced your career and how?

A: Debbie Bickford and Kiki Yablon are wonderful force free dog trainers in Chicago who I have used professionally and have also become friends with. They are intelligent and well-educated trainers who know the ins and outs of dog training very well. I have also been influenced on the business side of things by Jamie Migdal who runs Fetch Find, a Chicagobased outfit that assists with staff training and business solutions for the pet industry, and has been a great entrepreneurial role model.

Q: What are some of your favorite positive reinforcement techniques for the most commonly encountered client-dog problems?

“When I see the lightbulb go off in the parents, showing that they now understand their dog in a way they hadn't thought of before, I feel I have succeeded in helping everyone get along better.”

- Alicia Obando Q: What awards or competition placements have you and your dog(s) achieved using force-free methods?

A: I don't compete with my dogs.

Q: What advice would you give to a new trainer starting out?

A: Success Stations from Family Paws (familypaws.com/what-is-a -success-station), which involve the use of tethering, gating and crating to have your dog included in the family activities that involve small children in a safe way. Of course, one needs to make sure these management methods have been trained in a way that makes the dog comfortable with them. Also, utilizing mental stimulation/puzzle toys for dogs who suffer from mild to moderate separation anxiety.

A: Learn all you can about dog behavior and communication. Study how dogs learn and why they do what they do. Get the education – there is so much more to it than just teaching a dog how to sit.

A: I taught a class to a group of kids at a school for kids with special needs and they were finding it a little hard to focus. They were running around and not really listening to much of what I had to say, but when it was time for them to interact with my toy poodle, their eyes lit up and they couldn't wait to have their turn walking her or grooming her. It was a little chaotic but wonderful.

Pitter Patter Parenting (pitterpatterparenting.com) is located in Chicago, Illinois, USA.

Q: What is the funniest or craziest situation you have been in with a pet and their owner?

Pet Professional Guild has partnered with BarkBox to provide all members with a 20% discount.

* Order a monthly box of dog goodies for your canine friend! * Special rates available for gifts for dog friends * A portion of proceeds from each box will go to help dogs in need The promocode can be found in the Member Area of the PPG website: PetProfessionalGuild.com /benefitinformation www.barkbox.com 62

BARKS from the Guild/January 2019

Q: How has PPG helped you to become a more complete trainer?

A: I just joined PPG and look forward to taking advantage of all the educational options to help me help my families. n

To be featured in the BARKS Profile section, please complete this form: bit.ly/2y9plS1

“ Fa Fame(US) me(US) and and I love love our our BrilliantK9 BrilliantK9 Harness!

Harness!

This T his harness harness keeps keeps her her safe safe and and comfortable comfo ortable getting getting in in and and out out of of the the ring ring plus plus it’s it’s very easy to put on and take off.”

- Jessica JJessiica Ajoux Ajjjoux

F nd Find Fi nd out ou out wh why hy tthe he To Topp Per Performance fo for orrmance Dogs Proudly PProud roudllly y Wear W Weaar BrilliantK9 • Design Design • Allows Allows reduce reduce • Handm Handm

Use cou Use coupon coupon code code PPG PPG for ffor your your 15% 1 5% me member member discount! discount! www.BrillliantK9.com www www.BrillliantK9 .Bri .com