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Teddy

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About Us Home Visits What are behavioural problems? Need Help? Previous Case Studies Dog Aggression Get in Touch Home

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When my cat Lassie was young, she had springs for legs. I've never seen a cat jump as quickly or with as much agility as she would, especially when it came to accessing canned cat food as we opened it on the counter. We took video of her doing this once because it became so ridiculous that it looked like there were three cats involved instead of one! Every time she was moved to the floor, she was back up within seconds, and not always from the same direction. In the video we have of her, she is back up on the counter eight times in 45 seconds, and that's with the time it took to remove her, spoon cat food from the can, and nudge her away several times. While this was pretty entertaining, it also quickly became a frustrating behavior. We could not get the food onto the plate, and she was one of three cats in the household, so the other two needed to eat, too!

The first step was to identify what the problem was for us and why we had failed so completely to change it up until this point. The problem behavior was that she kept appearing on the counter, so using the ABC model for behavior analysis, my "B" for "behavior" would be "cat on countertop." The antecedent, or what always preceded the behavior, was opening the can of cat food. So my "A" for "antecedent" was "opening the cat food can." And lastly, the consequence. Why was she continuing to act this way? From our perspective, we were making it difficult for her by removing her from the counter over and over again. However, from Lassie's perspective, this was clearly not a punishment. The behavior was not decreasing in frequency. If anything, it was being reinforced, because her tenacity and speed seemed to be increasing. So what was the maintaining consequence? I believe the "C" for "consequence" for this situation was the quick licks and nibbles she managed to swipe from the can every so often as she jumped up. She was being intermittently reinforced, and this trumped everything we had tried. To put it into the ABC contingency, this is what we were seeing:

My current prediction? This behavior would increase because she was gaining the tastes of food. It was being positively reinforced.

Alright, so now that we had identified the problem, what were we going to do about it? Well, you can just imagine the suggestions that came from friends and family: spray her with water, swat her off the counter, scare her with a loud noise, shut her out of the room. All of these may have worked, but almost all of them had something in common: they employ what is intended to be an aversive in order to punish (or reduce) the behavior. As someone who has worked with behavior extensively, I knew that that was not the first place I wanted to go. I also knew that while shutting her out of the room would be a good way to manipulate the setting, it was not going to be a good solution long term for our family, as it required a large effort each time, and I suspected she would begin to avoid being picked up around mealtimes knowing that she was going to be closed away. So I went the way that I was most comfortable, both ethically and logistically, and asked the question: If I don't want her to be on the countertop, what do I want her to do instead?

I had identified the problem behavior and what was maintaining it, and decided that I was most comfortable teaching Lassie an alternate and incompatible behavior to replace it. I decided that the alternate behavior in this situation was for her to be on the floor and then to make the criteria even clearer, I chose a "four feet on the mat" behavior. Since the reinforcer that had worked to develop the current behavior was tastes of the wet food, I selected this as my reinforcer for the new behavior as well. My new ABC looked like this:

In addition to this, I decided that if Lassie jumped up on the countertop or left the mat, I would use a food lure to bring her back to the mat. This allowed the procedure to be free of physical manipulation or potential aversives. Ideally, my reinforcement would be well-timed enough to limit the number of times I had to use a lure.

I chose two minutes as my time frame for each session, and during that time I videoed my interactions so I could count the number of reinforcers delivered during each session, and also add up the amount of time Lassie spent on her mat. The data would let me know if the intervention was working, as I would ideally see an increase in the amount of time Lassie spent on her mat, a decrease in the frequency of reinforcement, and a decrease in the number of times she left the mat each session.

First, let's orient you to the graph. On the vertical y-axis is seconds. Each session was two minutes, so it goes up to 120 seconds. On the horizontal x-axis is the "session number." We did a total of 23 sessions (two per day). There are two things charted on the graph. The first is the total number of seconds she spent on the mat (the diamonds); this number was cumulative. For example, if she spent 2 seconds on the mat twice and 30 seconds on the mat once, she would get a cumulative duration of 2 + 2 + 30 = 34 seconds (out of the total 120). The second thing that is charted is the average number of seconds she spent on the mat each time she returned to it (the triangles). This means that if during a two minute session she spent 2 seconds on the mat twice and 30 seconds on the mat once, she would get an average of (2 + 2 + 30)/3 = 11 seconds total. Ideally, both of these numbers would rise if the behavior plan was successful.

During the initial session, I did not reinforce for being on the mat at all and Lassie chose to spend no time there. When I introduced the reinforcement, her time on the mat increased with each successive session. The first session, she spent about 40 total seconds on the mat, the second session it was close to 70 seconds, and by the sixth session, she spent nearly the entire 120 seconds there. As you can see with the other data line on the graph, these were not necessarily consecutive seconds. With the initial session, she averaged just under 10 seconds per each "stay" on the mat. However, by the sixth session she spent nearly 40 seconds on the mat each time she was lured back. Things were going really well, so I decided to return to baseline to test whether it was the intervention that was working or something else.

During this return to no reinforcement for sitting on the mat, Lassie's behavior immediately regressed. While she did spend some time on the mat, as compared to the initial baseline when she spent no time on the mat for six sessions, she did not ever spend more than about 45 seconds there total out of the 120 seconds that were available each session. After five sessions, I returned to our training protocol.

The return to reinforcement for the mat behavior went well, and Lassie showed immediate improvement in her behavior. She again made it nearly the whole 120 seconds on the mat by the third session (though she did have to be lured back twice, hence the 40 seconds of duration for each stay on the mat). This change was maintained 22 days later when I checked in by taking video again.

At this point, I felt like the behavior was under control. As her owner, I didn't mind giving her a couple reinforcers during the time I was putting the food on the dish in order to keep her on the mat. This was a socially significant shift for me, and one I could live with long term. I will say that now, a couple of years later, the behavior is very solid. Lassie never jumps up on the counter during feeding time, and the reinforcer at this point is being allowed to lick the can. It turns out that from her perspective this is way better than food on a plate. Maybe that was the problem all along?

While data collection can be arduous at times, it makes a very big difference in how we are able to view successes and show them to clients.
Adria Karlsson is an applied behavior analyst and Certified Dog Behavior Consultant. She works primarily with dogs but also with the occasional bonus cat through her company, Dog Willing, in Cambridge, Massachusetts. You can reach her via her website, www.dogwillingma.com, or by email, adria@dogwillingma.com.

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Countering Counter-Surfing - The IAABC Journal - Summer 2016

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by Adria Karlsson When my cat Lassie was young, she had springs for legs. I've never seen a cat jump as quickly or with as much agility as she would, especially when it came to accessing canned cat food as we opened it on the counter.

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Please pick only one

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Unfortunately many horses have behavior problems - most often created by poor and inconsistent handling or physical abuse. Time and patience is required to correct these behavioral problems, and sometimes the problems cannot be correct and instead must be managed. Read about some horses with behavioral problems and how they were helped or managed.

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by Mitzi Summers
This title is meant to be taken lightly, except that as a traveling free-lance trainer and instructor, each new "case" does take on the sense of being an investigation. The past "record" of a horse is so important, but unless the human client has owned the horse for a very long time, the horse and his behavior hold all of the answers in how best to help him and his owner. The most important part of this on my part is that I have to take the time to listen to each horse as an individual, take nothing for granted, and remember that 98 per cent of the time if the horse is not doing what is asked of him it is because he does not understand, or is mentally, emotionally, or physically unable to do what he is being asked to do.
Raindance
I was called to a barn in Alabama where the main emphasis is hunting and trail rides. One of my regular clients is a teenage girl named Catherine. Catherine and her mother, who also rides, wanted to help a friend of theirs who recently purchased an Appaloosa mare named Raindance. They had observed the teenage owner being run away with on her, and also not being able to bridle her because she was so nervous about anyone around her ears. The mare was also described to me as "spooky". No one seemed to know the past history of Raindance, so the horse had to provide all the answers to her behavior.

For my first session with Raindance, Catherine was going to do the riding with the owner observing. Patti, the young owner, was afraid of her horse now, so I needed to demonstrate to her that nothing Raindance had done was "on purpose"; there was a reason for her behavior, and that she was not challenging Patti's authority or was stupid-two remarks that had unfortunately already been expressed. Catherine was a good rider with an independent seat, so her hands could be consistent and soft. She was also able to understand and follow directions well, so this was the best scenario.

I took the time to observe Raindance from the start of the lesson. Owners who are having behavioral problems often ask me if I want their horse all tacked up and ready to ride. If it is a new horse I always prefer to observe them right from the beginning, including catching them in the pasture, I never subtract this time from the lesson time.

Raindance was nervous in the crossties and quite insecure. Not faulting anyone, but she definitely had the air of "now what is going to happen to me?" I asked if she lunged, or knew any groundwork, and no one really knew as they had not owned her very long.

I massaged her for a bit, not looking at her directly. We took our time in tacking her up. I checked the saddle fit. We ended up using Catherine's saddle as it fit much better. They had used an elevator snaffle on her, the type with three rings, which is quite a severe bit. I explained that a horse will frequently run AWAY from pain in their mouth...that they do not always realize that if they slow down the pain will stop. If a rider begins to feel that he needs a more severe bit to control his horse, then the fault lies in the former training. The horse and reschooling of owner and horse is in order.

I used a simple French link snaffle on Raindance. When it was time to bridle her I did "ear work", not looking at her directly. I used the back of my hand to gently stroke her ears. She got much better. We used a treat just before I put the bridle on. Why not allow a horse who associates being bridled with pain to have positive reinforcement involved? As I slid in the snaffle I was able to feel her anxiety lessen.

Raindance changed as she came out of the barn. She raised her head high, her eyes became very hard, and she was holding her breath. I determined that she did not know how to lunge, so I just quietly started her on the basic exercises that end with the horse understanding basic groundwork. Because I had no expectations on how she should react-just observing and giving her praise when she stated to understand, Raindance very quickly started to chew and take a big breath and her eyes got soft.

After Catherine mounted I kept her on the lunge line for safety and to reassure both horse and rider. Raindance understood going around a large circle with a rider on her back and me as the grounds person so she received clear reinforcement. I NEVER lunge from the bit. I lunged from a regular halter, NOT a rope halter with knots.

Raindance was very sensitive to Catherine's leg, and when she used her hands just a little to establish contact, she reacted by quickening her tempo in walk or trot and raising her head. With quiet work she soon calmed, and so I felt secure in allowing them off the lunge line. We worked on getting Sundance to trust her hands and round, but it was evident that she started to digress. she got more and more upset, and I felt that it was probably from the bit. Catherine used her hands well, but any time she tried a half halt or a transition Raindance would throw her head up.

At one point when Sundance raised her head I could tell that she was starting to panic and that she was close to running away, so I quickly had Catherine dismount. I put a Bitless Bridle on Sundance. I use bits and teach people with bits, but sometimes because of past trauma, soreness in the horse's mouth, uneducated hands of the rider, or past or present abuse, they are just not suitable. A Bitless can be used as a diagnostic tool...it will tell you if that is the problem- the horse experiencing pain in his mouth.

Tying a horse's head down or his mouth shut because he throws his head up or opens his mouth is akin to your dentist hitting you on the head with a hammer instead of fixing your tooth. If you can remember the last bad tooth ache that you experienced-that you could think of nothing else, you can relate to a horse in similar pain or worse, and also being asked to carry a rider and perform mental and physical activities. It immediately makes clear why horses react the way they do.

I fit the Bitless on Raindance and from the ground stopped her and turned her. Horses almost always immediately understand whole head control, but I always take the time to make certain that the "wheels turn" in their heads and they understand. I then had Catherine mount and kept her on the lunge for a few minutes. The change was immediate! This sort of result, when the horse is immediately "happier", for whatever reason, is what makes my job so rewarding.

Everyone watching could see the change. Raindance lowered her head because there was relaxation in her body and she could use herself correctly. Her eyes were soft and she took deep breaths. Catherine was able to ride her in the large outdoor ring wherever she wanted and you could tell that they were both safe.

The owner will continue with the Bitless and work on her position and developing an independent hand, although whatever was done to Raindance was done before they owned her. She will be able to listen and get better because she will not be fearful of being in pain. Later if they want to try going back to a bit they can do so gradually, but I recommended to them that a skilled horse dentist or veterinarian check Raindance thoroughly for mouth trauma, bone spurs on the bars, and any back pain. They are also hiring a chiropractor to work on her.

It would have been easy to blame the horse-to look for an "easy fix". Possibly put a worse bit in her mouth, put draw reins on her, or tie her mouth shut. These would have been abusive methods, and would not have been the answer. The horse will tell you what he needs if you just take the time to observe and listen. Do not have a "I will get him before he gets me" confrontational attitude. We are caretakers of our horses, and we need to take the responsibility seriously, with equestrian tact and understanding.

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Mitzi Summers - Horse detective: Case Study # 2

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by Mitzi Summers This title is meant to be taken lightly, except that as a traveling free-lance trainer and instructor, each new "case" does take on the sense of being an investigation.

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Hart's Horsemanship: Horse training and equine behaviour training courses with horse trainer Ben Hart.

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Transform your equine training using the practical application of equine and human behaviour to create safe, ethical and sustainable horse training, tailor-made to your individual situation.

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Cat's Name: Blade

Breed: Domestic Shorthair

Sex: Neutered Male

Age: 7 months

Background: This kitten was presented at my practice for pouncing, biting, and scratching at both owners in the household. He was adopted through another veterinary clinic as a stray at 4 weeks of age. The pouncing and biting behavior began immediately after adoption, and was intensifying to the point of level 3 bites to the arms and feet of the owners.

History: Prior to adoption, the kitten was presented to the primary clinic semi-conscious after being hit in the head with a weed whacker. There were deep lacerations on the head; the left eye was enlarged, bloody, and bruised, and there were lacerations around the rectal area. All the wounds were treated; the kitten then lived at the veterinary clinic and was adopted by a family a week later. Two weeks after that, the left eye was removed due to unresponsive glaucoma from the injury and the kitten-called Blade-was neutered.

While at the clinic, the kitten was housed alone, not in a common area with other cats. The staff member who bottle-fed the kitten would play with him using their hands for pouncing and predatory play games.

Behavioral History: The kitten was brought in for an exam three months after adoption. He was extremely difficult for the veterinary staff to examine or touch at all, despite previously being calm for his exams.. The staff abandoned the exam for the day and sent home a calming supplement, Composure Pro. They were able to do a minimal exam and vaccinations a few days later. The kitten was started on the "Calm" diet by Royal Canin-which supplements tryptophan, milk-derived calming protein and B vitamins-about a month later. A month after this, the client called the primary care veterinarian complaining about the owner-directed aggression, and was referred to the veterinary behavior consultant.

The husband would play with the kitten with balls and toys on a string, and feed the kitten; he was rarely bitten or aggressed upon. The wife would walk around in a long gown that the kitten would pounce on, grab, and then bite her ankles. When the wife would sit by the kitten she would continually pet him until he would turn and bite her forearm and hands, puncturing the skin. The wife would become quite upset and this would increase the aggression towards her. The kitten would also suck on and lick blankets, and chew on drawer pulls and other items. There was no use of aversive punishers; isolating the kitten from the wife was the current solution to avoiding aggression. The family was at the point of considering rehoming, but the degree of aggression was so severe that they did not feel this was a responsible solution.

Behavior evaluation: This kitten has owner-directed aggression and handling aggression triggered by elevated sensitivity to touch, conditioning to grab and bite from play conditioning prior to adoption, lack of socialization to household noises and movement from the early age of weaning, and an absence of bite inhibition from lack of littermate play. His increased mouthing and chewing may be residual nursing behavior or a compulsive displacement behavior due to anxiety.

Consultation examination: Gabapentin 100mg was dosed 2 hours before the examination, with Feliway pheromone used in the carrier. A physical exam was performed with no physical restraint-any touch would elicit hissing but no struggle. Tuna was fed continuously for all parts of the physical exam, and the kitten ate throughout. Temperature was taken using an ear thermometer without obvious anxiety. Every time the veterinarian touched the kitten's body with a stethoscope, or even just a hand, the kitten would hiss and freeze. The kitten was very sensitive to movement and noise, but did not escalate past hissing. This was a marked reduction in aggression from the last exam at the primary care veterinarian.

Plan: The clients were instructed to continue on the "Calm" diet, adding 75 mg Zylkene milk-derived calming protein supplement and 50 mg gabapentin in the morning. One hour after the medications were given (in canned food) the kitten was allowed up in the common area. In the evening, the kitten was kept isolated in the basement. The husband was instructed to start three 15-minute daily play sessions, focusing on predatory play outlets using stuffed and feather toys. The kitten was also fitted with a harness and had outdoor time for play and walks with the husband. The wife was not agreeable to participate in the behavior modification plan. When the wife was around, the husband was to toss food and treats to direct the kitten away from the wife. When the wife would gesture, the husband would toss treats and call the kitten to him.

Second consultation: Two weeks later, the kitten was no longer grabbing onto the husband at all, and had stopped grabbing at the wife's feet. The wife still petted the kitten excessively and would not participate in the counter-conditioning sessions. The kitten was much less sensitive to touch or sound at the examination. I demonstrated how to use the tuna for counter-conditioning to touch, and instructed the husband to feed the kitten tuna whenever the wife was touching the kitten or gesturing in an animated way. I instructed to continue the "Calm" diet, gabapentin, and Zylkene supplement. I also sent the client home with a small food puzzle and instructed to use more food puzzles to move the chewing behavior onto more appropriate items.

After the consultation: Two weeks after the last consult, the kitten would ride in the husband's car on harness and leash, and calmly allow strangers to pet him all the way down the back. All biting had stopped on the husband, and the kitten was not pouncing on the wife or biting her. The kitten would hiss occasionally but did not escalate higher than that around the wife. The husband brought the kitten into the primary care veterinarian's office for a visit just on a harness, not in a carrier. The kitten allowed the staff to pet him, and remained calm even when a large dog came into the waiting area. This was a marked improvement in his level of anxious behavior from the last veterinary visit.

Conclusion: This kitten had multiple factors that affected how sensitive he was to touch. The traumatic head injury at 2 weeks old may have affected brain and sensory development, resulting in aggression. He was also conditioned to play with hands in a way that reinforced grabbing and biting. Early intervention before severe injury to the owners, as well as proper medication choice that addressed the physical signs of the behavior, were essential to improving this kitten's behavior in a short period of time. As time goes on it will be important to continually assess the kitten's level of touch and sound sensitivity, since scarring of brain tissue is still a possibility.
Sally J. Foote DVM, CABC-IAABC, UIUC CVM 1984 is a small animal general practitioner with a behavior practice in Tuscola, Illinois. She is the president-elect of the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior, an advisory board member to the Fear Free℠ Practice board, contributor to the Fear Free℠ certification program, and executive director of Cattledog Publishing-the legacy of Dr. Sophia Yin.

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Case Study: Blade - The IAABC Journal - Summer 2016

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Cat's Name: Blade Breed: Domestic Shorthair Sex: Neutered Male Age: 7 months Background: This kitten was presented at my practice for pouncing, biting, and scratching at both owners in the household. He was adopted through another veterinary clinic as a stray at 4 weeks of age.

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Case Information

Client name: Linda

Dog's name: Joe

Breed: Dutch Shepherd

Additional animals in household: 2 dogs

Background

The client is a friend of mine, and the attack happened to me during a training session. There were no prior incidents of aggression toward people.

Behavioral Complaints

Primary complaint or reason for visit: Touch to rear (just above tail) caused charge, multiple contact open- and closed-mouth bites. There was a total of five points of contact. The bites caused the following damage: bruising (upper/lower canine punches), two open-mouth bites to back, bruising to upper thigh (grab/release), and a scrape tear on forearm and elbow, also with bruising. There were no punctures, but clothing was torn.

Additional behavioral complaints: Currently, Linda is having issues with Joe door charging, barking at things and people passing by, barking at strangers coming into her grooming area, and Joe's inability to stop moving/pacing in the house unless he is crated.

History

Personal history: I have known Joe since he was a 13-week-old puppy. Joe is indifferent to people, generally not interested in interacting with humans other than his owner. His normal greeting is unusual-he jumps toward me (or anyone) with feet up, tags the person, flips around and returns to his handler. I have seen Joe on and off in classes over the past two years and have touched him and demonstrated skills with him. Joe is concerned about his environment, illustrated by vigilant scanning, restlessness, and occasional barking and lunging. He has been attacked three times by larger dogs. Until this incident, I was never concerned about Joe biting me, and our relationship history supported my comfort level with this dog.

General history: Linda imported Joe at 13 weeks from Holland, with the goal for this puppy to be her next working dog. Her prior working dogs were rescues, and she currently owns a Dutch shepherd who is a bed bug detection dog, but is reactive to other dogs. Her goals for this puppy were scent detection (bed bug and drug for private hire), ring sport, and dog sports.

Linda enrolled Joe in puppy class at 13 weeks. He was nervous in the environment: scanning, vigilant, and darting on the end of the leash. He growled and lunged at people or puppies anywhere near his area. Linda had trouble handling and touching Joe at home, and worked at desensitizing him for grooming at home following protocols she found on YouTube. Linda is a groomer and trainer, and successfully introduced Joe to play with her grooming clients. Joe completed his basic puppy classes, and Linda enrolled him in our advanced puppy class. She attended three classes before pulling Joe out of class on the advice of her local IPO club. Joe was introduced to bite work and Linda was advised to stop all obedience and control work until his bite work training was completed.

Linda stopped this training after four months due to lack of "hold" development on the dog, and dislike of the training methods. Over the next two years, Linda took many classes online and at different places with Joe, stopped ring sport, and worked on different types of skills. Linda's main focus continued to be on arousal games and "building drive" using flirt poles, toys, games, skill training with release to more arousal, and exercise.

Joe is unable to stop moving unless crated, and has very high exercise needs. Linda did meet with me a few times for help with Joe's general concern with the environment; we did some work on teaching relaxation in a crate and taught a "place" behavior. I encouraged Linda to come into some small classes (we have a 5,000 square foot facility) and work with Joe on watching and relaxing while people and dogs worked on the other side of the room. Linda joined a Rally-O class and Joe was successful at relaxing in his crate and working engagement with Linda in a small-group environment. Linda worked on focus and engagement (arousal with toys as reward to heighten "drive") with Joe in the training room, and sometimes worked on Rally skills. Linda is currently enrolled in a number of online classes.

Immediate history: At a herding lesson a few months ago, Joe was attacked by the instructor's border collie. When Linda was trying to separate the dogs, the instructor told her to grab and pull Joe's tail up and away from the other dogs to separate them. Linda discontinued the herding lessons, but continued to use the tail pulling technique at home when she had problems between Joe and her blind senior German shepherd dog. When Joe attacked me, Linda grabbed his tail and pulled him away. I asked her to grab his collar instead and put him in his crate. This was the first time I had seen the tail pull, and I asked her why she pulled his tail. Linda explained the above history.

Health history: Joe had an iliopsoas injury at 15 months. Recently, Joe had been roughly handled by a vet tech at an OFA clinic for X-rays (he was muzzled, and they flipped him and carried him into the X-ray room). At a recent vet visit, Joe backed the vet into the wall during the exam. The week prior to the event, Joe had been nipping at his own hind end. Linda emptied the anal glands, thinking this might be the issue. Joe was still occasionally looking at his back end and nipping at it while doing normal activity.

Precipitating events prior to attack, and details of the attack: Joe had recently been entered in an FCI show (conformation), and squirmed in discomfort when the judge was touching his rear end and testicles. At a training session, Linda asked if we could practice show stacking and touching Joe's body. Joe was in a standing position with Linda feeding treats. I started by walking around Joe. He was tense but accepting of my movement. I then added a light side touch. Joe continued to be tense but accepting of the touch and eating treats. I walked up and lightly touched Joe's rump above the tail, and he attacked me. When he came at me, I froze, disengaged eye contact, turned my back, and moved away. He muzzle punched my back and continued to grab and bite my back, side, and arm. When the disengagement on my part did not immediately lessen the attack, I used my arm to deflect and take the bites and called for Linda to grab Joe. Linda grabbed his tail and pulled him away. I directed her to grab his collar and crate him. After Joe was crated, Linda gave me the above history of events leading up to this attack. I asked her to have a full veterinary work up, as I was very concerned about an injury.

Vet report: Joe has a neurologic injury to his tail, with swelling around the base where the tail meets the back (right where I touched him). Joe is on gabapentin for two weeks. The vet advised Linda to keep him quiet while his tail is healing and to make a follow-up appointment in two weeks.

Linda's observations:

A few days after the incident, Linda sent this list of precipitating events she feels are relevant to Joe's response:
I've been watching Joe closely and revisiting his past to piece things together. I now understand the behavior I have, and have some thoughts on the behavior that I want. It took 2.5 days before I felt at ease with what happened (Joe biting Renee) and for Joe to act normally again (he also had soft stool for 2 days).
Facts:

1. Joe has no idea how to interact with other people. His default when he's able is to run at them, jump on them, and retreat.

2. Strangers never touch Joe, and when they do it's been painful/scary (vets and I think he was really taken by surprise by the judge at the show and possibly decided then that it wasn't going to happen again?).

3. His bank account is full for positive interactions with other dogs, so the few negative interactions were buffered.

4. His bank account is virtually empty for positive interactions with other humans, so any negative interaction is all he has to go by at this time.

5. For various reasons, I've rarely taken Joe on leash to different places where there are many people or leashed dogs, so I've started easing him into that.

This morning's leash walk gave me some good feedback on his level or reactivity with the world around him and reading his arousal levels.
Consult #1: Assessment

Linda and I met to discuss how behavior modification works, establish a baseline video of Joe in the world and how to move forward in a positive way for Joe. I asked Linda to commit to exclusively work with me for training during this process and to check with me before working with Joe out in the world. Linda had, since Joe was seen by the vet, been taking Joe to a local field and playing throw/run chase games with him for exercise, and also working on her online "focus and engagement" games in a local bus parking area. I asked her to stop these activities until Joe has received a clearance from her vet, as I was concerned about Joe's pain level and possible inadvertent connection of that pain with strange people in the environment. Linda has agreed and will use a treadmill and leash walks for exercise at least for the next two weeks.

Note about Linda: Linda loves to train and has been focusing only on "drive" and "engagement" games with Joe. She finds control work boring. I know Linda well, she is a friend, and I know Linda will not stop training Joe. My objective for Linda is to get her excited about training control and relaxation.

Suggestions:

1. I gave Linda a structured game to play at the field with Joe, which would limit his flipping in the air, jumping, charging, and chasing her (which is her preferred game). The new game is based on a field drill we use with retrievers, which involves holding a sit/stay while the retrieve object is thrown, sending for retrieve and returning to heel/holding the object until cued to release. My objective is to keep the rules clear for Linda and Joe, work on recall strength, developing impulse control (wait until sent), and keep the escalation (of body and mind) to a more thoughtful level (and try to keep the dog from hurting himself more).

2. Mat work: We also discussed working on a stationing behavior, "place," using Joe's mat to address his vigilant pacing behavior in the house, his bird chasing, and his barking and charging at passersby. Joe understands to go to a place. We added duration to the stay, clarifying send and release parameters for Linda, and Linda's homework was to watch for and reward the smallest signs of overall relaxed body posture while she worked on duration staying on the mat.

3. Linda will set up a quieter area for Joe to relax in his crate. His crate is currently in the middle of her work area. In the home, it is where her other dog can run by him and bark at passersby.

Consult #2

Leash walking: Linda feels Joe is finally starting to settle a little more on his leash walks and was comfortable meeting some road workers on their walk. He rubbed his face and body on the one man and the man scratched his head. (Trainer note: Yes, I cringed a little at this as I know his tail still hurts. I did not say anything about this choice, as I think it is important to allow Linda to trust her own reading of her dog and make choices she feels will work. The dog has met these men before and had no issue with them.) Linda noted that Joe seems okay with groups of people or one person standing or moving laterally, but if they are walking directly at him, he tenses up.

Mat work: Linda reported she has seen a huge difference in Joe's general agitation since working on his stationing behavior. He has started to choose to go to his mat and lie down at times. Linda is giving him things to chew on his mat when she is working at the computer, and Joe is staying in the location for longer periods of time. Linda is using a tether to support the location and keep Joe from running when her other dogs bark at things.

Moving the crate to a quieter area: The first day Linda moved Joe's crate she said he slept for four hours. She feels that he has not been able to actually relax prior to this change due to all of the environmental stimulation in her work and home spaces. She was surprised and felt relieved that Joe was able to actually nap during the day, something she felt he was unable to do prior to this change.

Session Work

Linda and I have two sessions planned for this week, two days apart. We discussed working on desensitization and counter-conditioning in the outside environment and with me, as I am currently a stressor for Joe.

I plan to start with a simple O pen Bar/Closed Bar¹ game, from Jean Donaldson's "Dogs Are From Neptune", to help offset my presence in the environment and give Linda a safe game that can be played at a distance from people. I considered these factors before setting up the game:

1. Joe will not always eat when he is out in the world or under stress.

2. We might not have enough distance with the small field and the narrow street.

3. There needs to be an exit plan for Linda to move Joe in case people or other things show up in our practice area.

4. We need alternative ways to encourage Joe to eat (he knows and likes using his nose and playing "find it" games). If Joe won't take food from Linda's hand, he might take food dropped in the grass.

The game: Open Bar/Closed Bar

The setup: Joe and Linda are in a small, open area of grass across from Linda's house. I am about 40 feet away, standing behind a truck out of view, and then stepping into view. Linda will feed Joe every time I come into view. We worked a few reps with me appearing on both sides of the truck. Joe was eating, so we added a few differing components to the game.

The plan:

1. Initially, feed Joe when I come into view: see person, then feed. Stop when I go out of view. If Joe won't eat, drop the food and cue his fun "find it" game.

2. If Joe is comfortable, I will lessen the distance. We are using cars as visual barriers.

3. Change the game to reward for tolerance of a person walking. If Joe is comfortable, reward for any relaxed behavior or general acceptance of the person in the environment. We started at 40 feet and played a little with distance decreasing. Our goal: note Joe's comfort distance.

The result: Linda quickly learned when to feed and stop feeding. Joe stayed relatively calm throughout the process, and was quickly comfortable with me walking by at 15-20 feet. I explained to Linda that side body and no eye contact are important for her "helper" if she recruits other people to play this game.

Suggestions:

1. Take the Open Bar/Closed Bar game on the road, but be mindful of the area she is working in. Scout and plan her strategy before she plays the game. Have at least two safe exit strategies and leave her truck open for emergency containment. All of her set-up and planning should be completed before bringing Joe out of the truck. I would prefer for more work to be done in her immediate environment, but for Linda this would be stifling, and I really want to help her succeed. This option, taking the game on road, is important for this person.

2. Place: I gave Linda a detailed list of exercises to continue working on the next phase of Joe's cued relaxation skills. The list includes separating the various parts of the "settle on your place" skill, including how to vary location, duration, and distance, with consideration for the speed of the learner and increasing intensity within the home environment. This skill is for household practice only, which is an important point for Linda, because she wants to move Joe into the world now!

Consult #3

Place and house notes: Regarding the change of crate location and practicing relaxing on his mat, Linda has been using a tether as a back-up due to the other dogs in the house. She reports all the dogs seem more relaxed since Joe has a location and functional behavior when she is working in the house or relaxing. She is beginning to fade the tether.

Session Work

Linda has been working on cued relaxation on the bed in the house. Linda has multiple goals for this behavior, including using "settle" (Linda's cue for "relax on your place" and "relax in a down next to me") in a variety of environments. In this session we decided to take the game on the road to practice the skill and give Linda different locations in which to work on the behavior.

The game: Place-settle next to Linda

The setup: We set up a chair in the small field across from Linda's house. This is an area known to Joe and, although the street is busy, he is comfortable in this location.

The plan:

1. Linda will initially feed Joe for holding the settle position while I walk by at a distance.

2. Linda will let Joe make choices in his behavior and reward any choices she feels are showing acclimation, relaxation, or checking in with her.

3. I will walk around Joe/Linda at about 40 feet and close that distance as long as Joe remains calm and relaxed.

4. I will move back out to the farther distance and add "looking at Joe" while I'm moving, as this is a stressor for him.

5. In one of the sessions, I will stay stationary at a comfortable distance for a short period of time (two to three minutes, depending on Joe's comfort level).

6. We will give Joe breaks three times during the session to sniff, mark, or do whatever he wants.

Total working time: half an hour, with five minutes of working, then five-minute breaks for Joe.

The result: As you will see on the video of this session, Joe acclimated quickly and was fine with me walking by and around at a distance of 40 feet without looking at him. We were able to decrease that distance to 25 feet very quickly. When we added me looking at Joe, he appeared very uncomfortable, displaying an increase in general body tension, rapid head movements, flicking of the eyes, and increased tension taking food, even with the distance increased to 40 feet. I stayed at 40 feet until he relaxed, and moved in about 4 feet total during the session. Joe was fine with a stationary person at 30 feet for the duration of three minutes. We did not add "person looks at Joe" to the duration portion of the exercise.

Suggestions

Linda was interested in taking this game on the road. We talked about using Joe's crate contained in Linda's SUV as his place, and her sitting with the crate door open, reinforcing any relaxed behaviors. We discussed having a tether attached in the crate for safety. I explained the importance of respecting Joe's distance tolerances by closing the crate door and stopping anyone from approaching the truck and looking directly at Joe. I suggested Linda accomplish this by stepping in the line of sight of the person and redirecting/distracting the person while guiding them away from Joe's crate.

Linda is excited to work on both games over the weekend and we will meet again next week.

Breakthroughs: Normally, Linda takes Joe with her in her truck wherever she goes. He is crated in the back and barks, snarls and bangs the crate whenever he sees people or things pass by the truck. This is "normal" behavior for Joe in the car.

While parking, Linda realized she was setting Joe up to practice this behavior by choosing to park in places where there was a high level of activity. She changed her parking choice to less traveled areas in the lot. She reports Joe is no longer barking continuously in the crate. Normally, when she comes out of a store, she would hear him barking; now there is silence and a happy, tail-wagging Joe when she gets in the car. Awesome, Linda!

Consult #4

Changes with crate location, and using the mat for relaxed downs are making a huge difference in the general dynamic within the household. There are fewer squabbles between dogs, and less agitation with Joe's time in the house.

Linda is happy with how the controlled retrieve games are working for Joe's exercise and reports that he loves the new game.

Session Work

We had two goals: increase Joe's tolerance for people walking by while Joe and Linda are out walking, and work on Joe's tolerance for people passing by when they are on trails (in a down/stay while people pass). Joe has been doing well with watching and tolerating people in the environment at a distance of 30 feet. Environmental stressors lessen his distance tolerance, and people looking directly at him is still an issue. Our plan does not include "looking at Joe" for this session. Our criteria change is distance while moving and stationary. We will work on "looking" in a later session.

The plan:

Distance game: Tolerating a person walking while Joe is walking with Linda. We started at 40 feet and decreased to 20 feet in this session. Linda's reward points were: checking in with her, non-response (choosing not to react, bark, etc.), or any relaxed behavior she felt comfortable rewarding.

Sit and wait by Linda while people walk by: Linda likes to hike with Joe and needs this skill when she is on trails and can't cross a street. We started at 30 feet and decreased distance to 10 feet. We ran into some difficulty with our environment as a large garbage truck was working on the street. Joe has issues with large trucks. We also noticed an interesting problem with Linda's reinforcement timing. This is marked on the video. We changed Joe's position relative to Linda and increased the distance. Once the timing was on track, we were able to decrease the distance to 10 feet.

Plan time: Initially, we were going to work for four minutes, then break, then four minutes of work, then another break. However, we had some environmental challenges and revised the plan as needed. Our total working time was 12 minutes with four three- to five-minute breaks.

The result: The challenges in this session were wonderful, as it showcased to Linda the need to adapt and change her plan on the fly! The timing issue was also great, as the video really captured a potential problem and enabled us to quickly change the consequence for the reactive display.

Suggestions

Continue to work on tolerance games in a variety of settings. Watch and evaluate reward timing when an outburst happens. We discussed a brief pause and reset before marking and rewarding calm, looking behavior to avoid creating a behavior response loop contingent on ill-timed food rewards.
This is part one of an ongoing case study. Renee Hall owns and operates Let's Speak Dog Training & Sports Center in Nazareth, PA. She is a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant and serves on the IAABC Board.
Photo Credit: Featured Image - By Teunie from nl, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1809203

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Case Study: Linda and Joe - The IAABC Journal - Summer 2016

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Client name: Linda Dog's name: Joe Breed: Dutch Shepherd Additional animals in household: 2 dogs The client is a friend of mine, and the attack happened to me during a training session. There were no prior incidents of aggression toward people.

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About Us Home Visits What are behavioural problems? Need Help? Previous Case Studies Dog Aggression Get in Touch Home

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About Us Home Visits What are behavioural problems? Need Help? Previous Case Studies Dog Aggression Get in Touch Home

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Lucy was and still is a very loving dog, but her antisocial behaviours soon began to let her down and generally, she became a real problem for me. Basically, Lucy didn't like anything that moved that wasn't under her control; dogs, cats and children and in addition she was proving to be extremely hyperactive.

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Unless we can see the world from a cat's perspective and get inside its mind - we can only guess what's truly going on during the wonderful 'mad half hour'. My two pedigree cats have made me laugh a time or two during madness spells. Especially when they collide.

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Daisy Mae, a 3 year old Golden Retriever (adopted from a rescue group at 6 months of age) was fearful and reactive to people - mainly men

Here is a brief excerpt from my evaluation file giving you some background on the owner and her dog.

Background: This includes a snapshot of how owners view their dogs - a critical part in the solution.

Katie's relationship with her 3 year old Golden Retriever, Daisy Mae, started off to be "a perfect love story" or so Katie thought. But her love affair with Daisy Mae, the perfect dog was about to go south when Katie met Brent, her soon-to-be fiancé.

Katie's previous Golden Retriever was a near perfect dog. Like most dog owners, Katie naturally set her expectations high for Daisy Mae based on the great dog she had before.

Daisy's issues had some fear issues: What Katie liked about Daisy was her sweet nature, even though she was a bit skittish around people, especially men. Katie didn't let that bother her thinking Daisy would eventually grow out of it.

An obedience training class proved useless: At six months of age Katie took Daisy to obedience training and quickly discovered that instead of helping Daisy get used to people, it actually made things worse because it was not a controlled environment - too many dogs and people too close.

Katie noticed Daisy seemed frightened of people approaching to pet and in fact, snapped at them before slinking away behind Katie. This was alarming to Katie so she quit her dog obedience class.

Daisy's lack of socialization worried Katie but the most troubling concern was Daisy's fear of people - especially men.

No structure for Daisy: Because of Katie's busy schedule and Daisy's picky eating habits, Katie began to leave Daisy's food bowl down all day while she was at work thinking she would eat when she got hungry.

Katie walked Daisy twice daily and the two of them usually relaxed on the couch watching television until bedtime. Like clockwork after the news it was a quick potty walk and return to the house for lights out and bedtime. Daisy slept with Katie and was usually the first in bed.

By the time Daisy was three, Katie and Daisy were pretty well bonded with lots of love and affection and very lite in the "structure and rules department."
Then Katie met Brent.
Daisy's fear hits home: Daisy was fearful of Brent even though Brent was kind, even-keeled and never raised his voice. Daisy began to react to Brent just like she reacted to people in obedience class. She would snap when he came close to her. Date night at Katie's was miserable. Daisy had to be crated or shut in the bedroom when Brent came over. Since Katie didn't like doing that she would meet Brent out at his car to avoid any confrontation between the two.

Katie and Brent finally got engaged but avoided the Daisy issue. Katie was worried that she might have to give up Daisy for a happy life with Brent. Their lifestyle was stressed and inconvenient. They couldn't function like a normal couple with a dog.

The events leading up to - and immediately following - Katie's call to me, put Katie on the hot seat almost having to make a "Brent-or-Daisy Mae" decision until they decided to give me a call.

Their call to me: I made sure they understood I wasn't coming into their home to fix their dog. My goal was to teach and guide them to a humane and successful resolution to their dog behavior problem.

I made sure they understood that many dog problems simply don't get resolved because the dog owner will not make the necessary changes to effect a positive change in their dog.

Some however do. Katie and Brent did. In fact, they did every single thing I recommended and, in time, it worked. They knew it would take time. Their wedding was one year away so they set that as their goal. It did take time. It took about 6 months.

The program that worked for them
(Keep in mind that this is an abbreviated version)

By this time Brent, Katie and Daisy had moved in together so it provided the perfect set up for them to get Daisy used to Brent. I recommended two things:

1. I recommended Katie slowly begin to distance herself from Daisy giving less and less social contact - even petting. With walking, Katie began to start the walks but then turn and go home and then let Brent do the walks by himself. Very hard for Katie to do but she did it.

2. Before Katie's disengagement from Daisy, I had Brent start off clicking/treating Daisy off and on throughout the evenings and weekends. He slowly became the only source of treats and interaction. Brent eventually took over Daisy's walking and then began feeding Daisy as well. When Daisy was comfortable with the feeding, Brent eventually put her on an earn-to-learn program (sit for everything) and began teaching her more dog obedience commands. Rules and structure was exactly what she needed.

Change is possible with many dogs with willing participants and a serious commitment to change. Role reversals like this (complete social distance from the original owner) where we diminished the value of Katie while building high value in Brent, works with many dogs.

I also find that some dog owners are not up to the task and find ways to compromise the program. They can't stand not to interact with their loving pet. It is a personal decision - live with the dog behavior problem or fix the problem so I'm not judging.

While Daisy needed a lot of gradual socialization to Brent and other core family members using desensitization techniques, much could be achieved in confidence building through obedience commands as well. They learned that with Brent in charge of Daisy's training and walking exercises, her progress accelerated more quickly.

Over time it did fix the relationship with Brent and Daisy. Katie couldn't be happier. With the proper skills to desensitize Daisy to people, Katie and Brent set that as a long range goal working with core family and friends first and then gradually increasing Daisy's circle of people she eventually liked.

Daisy is a lot less stressed now having rules and expectations in her life especially where love and affection is earned and balanced - along with everything else.

Reference article: http://www.petiquettedog.com/dog-behavior/loving-dog-truth-consequences/

Jim Burwell, Houston dog trainer for 25+ years, serving 8700+ clients, has a profound understanding of dog behavior and the many things, we as humans, do that influence that behavior - good or bad. Jim has the ability and the experience of mentoring and teaching dog trainers how to excel and grow their dog training talents and their business

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About JimJim Burwell's Petiquette is the most trusted name in dog training. Jim only uses positive reinforcement and our goal is to teach owners how to set their dog or puppy up to be successful in the home. The result is a relationship that is built on trust and respect and leads to lifelong love and happiness. Our specialties: dog behavior problems fixed, easy, fun puppy lessons, dog aggression, separation anxiety in dogs, barking, basic obedience, bossy dogs and more! You should be as comfortable with the trainer of your dog as you are with the teacher of your children. Accept no less than the best in training, handling and caring for your dog. I have been blessed with my success, which has led to high-profile dog training assignments, local and regional acclaim. I would like to present a sampling of my accomplishments and accolades as a professional dog trainer so you will be comfortable with my advice. In 2003 the Houston Chronicle's "Texas Magazine" published a cover story on me . The glowing, five-page article resulted in nearly 2,000 phone calls and approximately 750 emails that included requests for dog training, behavioral counseling and people-training! Many people wanted to learn the skill set of...

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Daisy Mae, a 3 year old Golden Retriever (adopted from a rescue group at 6 months of age) was fearful and reactive to people - mainly men Here is a brief excerpt from my evaluation file giving you some background on the owner and her dog.

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Recently a blog reader wrote in after one of her dogs snapped at her. The incident generated a lively conversation in the comment section, and I thought it was worth writing a post about it. So many of us have been in a similar situation that I thought it would be a valuable discussion for lots of dog owners. The reader (thank you TK!) graciously agreed to let the incident serve as a case study, and I am grateful to her for providing us a jumping off point for a good discussion about how to handle an aggression-related behavioral problem.

I'll describe the incident, but before I go any further I should be clear that I am summarizing for the sake of brevity. If the dog's owner was a client I would spend at least forty-five minutes interviewing her and working with the dogs (preferably in her home) before saying much of anything. Then we'd work together for several sessions until I was confident that things were going in the right direction and the owner had the resources she needed to continue. But here's the bottom line:

There are two adult humans and two young dogs in the house. I'm going to call the dogs Betty and Sheldon and the owner who wrote in TK. Both dogs are about 18 months of age, both are Border Collies crosses who are fixed, and get a good two hours of exercise and training every day. They play together well, although every once in a while Betty gets "moody," and looks at Sheldon with a cold, hard stare. Immediately afterward she will either snap out of it or Sheldon snaps at her and she exhibits appeasement behavior. Both dogs appear to be healthy and have no medical issues.

THE INCIDENT: The dogs and TK were returning home after having been away all weekend together. TK and Betty entered the house, and Betty turned and gave a hard stare to Sheldon, who was still outside. He stopped and stayed outside the door. TK began to get their food ready while Sheldon was still outside of the house, and Betty continued to stare intensely at Sheldon. TK tried to change Betty's behavior by standing between the dogs and perhaps moving her hand in front of Betty's face to distract her. That's when Betty snapped at her hand. Betty clearly made a choice to warn TK away rather than biting her, but having one's dog threaten you with the weapons in its mouth can still be shocking. It feels like a betrayal, not to mention being concerned that you might have been be injured. There's nothing like canine teeth to remind us that our skin is fragile stuff. Even though I am a biologist I only think of myself as being covered in "flesh" after a dog attempted to bite me.

NOW WHAT? The incident ended there, but what should TK do in the future? Here are some of my thoughts, but I encourage you to add in your own experience and thoughts about how best to handle this. (Or how you handled it and wish you hadn't... mistakes often teach us more than success, yes?)

FIRST, LOOK AT THE ENVIRONMENT & CONTEXT: I'd start by asking about the internal environment of the dog. Is it possible it's in pain? Old and losing it's eyesight? Old age is not relevant here, but both dogs are not quite adults, and adolescent dogs often change their behavior, even if they've been spayed or neutered (although there's nothing like a female about to go into heat to remind us why the word "bitch" is a dirty word). Both Betty and Sheldon are fixed and appear to be healthy, but it never hurts to confirm with your vet that the dogs really are fine.

At the same time, look carefully at the external environment and the context of the event. In this case, the dogs were coming back into the house after being away with the owner all weekend. I've seen numerous examples of what can only be described as "resource guarding" when dogs were away and came back home. My sweet and docile Lassie used to walk back into the house like an especially arrogant runway model if just she and I had been away together, and the other dogs had stayed home. It was as though she'd "copped an attitude" for a couple of days. That's a context that's always good to be aware of, I've seen it cause no end of problems. It never hurts in that case to let Sheldon in the house first for a few minutes, then bring Betty in later. Secondly, and equally importantly, it sounds as though the food was kept close to the door, so that entering the house also meant walking toward dinner itself, which set up even more resource guarding. I'd do what I could to move where the food is stored, although I know that isn't always possible.

DESCRIBE THE PROBLEM BEHAVIOR AND THE PREFERRED ALTERNATIVE: Obviously, the most serious problem behavior was that Betty snapped at TK's hand, but the initial problem was Betty's cold, hard stare toward Sheldon. I'd say both behaviors are the ones TK needs to change, and replace with something far more patient and polite. What if TK taught Betty that if she sits and waits while Sheldon gets food, she gets something just as good or better? The same for entering the house; what if Betty learns to love it when Sheldon comes in, because when he does she gets whatever it is she wants, whether it is food or access to TK?

"Patient and Polite" is the driving force of the booklet I wrote, Feeling Outnumbered, in which dogs learn that they don't get what they want by being pushy or competitive, but by being polite. Here, briefly, are some things I'd suggest for TK related to that:

TEACH NEW BEHAVIORS: Teach what I call "Belle of the Ball:" Once both dogs have good sit/stays, ask Betty to sit down beside you when you have a handful of treats. Ask husband (or friend) to bring Sheldon forward toward you (on leash if necessary) and stop long before Betty goes stiff and begins to stare. As Sheldon approaches, Betty gets treats while she sits beside you. As Sheldon moves backward, withdraw the treats. Rinse and repeat, gradually coming closer and closer over a series of sessions, but never going too far too fast. In other words, Betty learns that "Sheldon coming toward me, my owner and food means that I get the food, while Sheldon moving away means I don't get any. Eventually we want Betty to be thinking: "Sheldon.... Come Back!" Right now she is probably worried about losing what she wants because Sheldon is competition, but she could learn that the approach of Sheldon means even better things will happen. Oh boy.

Outside of the context of any competition, I'd also teach the following, being sure to spend lots of time with each dog by him or herself. It is so easy to try to work two dogs at the same time when they live with us and we are busy, but I believe (no data, just a belief) that is it critical to ensure that trust, communication and mutual respect flows between each one of us and each one of our dogs, rather than letting the world sort into "us" and "them." Of course this takes more time. . . aren't we glad that TK likes to train her dogs?

Get Back, or Back Up. This is one of my favorite cues, because you can use it in so many contexts-back up so I can open the door, back up because you are being pushy and I want to reinforce patience not pushiness, back up because it's a really fun trick, back up because what is in front of you might be dangerous, and/or: back up because you are starting to get that rude, "moody" look on your face and I want you to back up on your own so that I can keep you out of trouble. The key is to teach this as a fun trick when you and the dog are alone, using lots of positive reinforcement.

Lie Down and Stay. An oldie but a goodie, such a useful cue! I had a female who looked daggers at another female on occasion. When she did I'd say "Get Back" and then "Lie Down," all in a friendly, upbeat voice. I'd keep her there until her face softened, and then release her and off we'd go to do something fun, or at least, neutral. I am confident that this kept her and the other female out of some serious trouble. Misty was just hard-wired as the kind of dog who got very intense sometimes about her "stuff," and had to be managed on occasion.

New Tricks, like Spin, or Play Bow or High Five can be great ways to prevent or release tension. It's hard to look like an intimidating gang member when you're looking playful. Both of those movements are associated with play, and we know that postures can influence internal emotions, so I've used them to disperse tension if it appears. Also useful are simple phrases like "Wanna go on a walk?" or even "Okay!" Most dogs are classically conditioned to feel happy anticipation when they hear those words. Sometimes it helps to say "Stay" first to a dog who is tense, (using a low, quiet voice) and then "Okay!" in an upbeat tone. It's like fooling their limbic system into another state, from tense and on guard, to relaxed and happily excited.

DAMP DOWN AROUSAL: One key in situations like the one TK found herself in is to ask what level of emotionality you want in your dogs, and mimic it in your voice. If I'd been with Betty and Sheldon I would have kept my voice very quiet, perhaps even sing-song, in order to keep the tension from escalating. This is sometimes a lot easier to write about than to do (I speak from experience) but it is a skill well worth mastering.

LOVE THAT YOU CAN USE THEIR CRATES: Just last week I was tired and in a hurry. I don't remember what my adolescent dog, Maggie, did, but she was driving me beyond crazy. I had to stop and take a breath, and remember that I could put her in her crate for both our sakes. I knew perfectly well that I wasn't going to be able to be who I wanted to be at the moment, so I took a breath and said, "Maggie, crate up!" Problem not solved, but a bigger one prevented. Whew. Gotta love those crates sometimes.

Argh, so much more I want to say! But I've gone on too long, and it's your turn. Have you been in this situation? What have you found most useful? What have you tried that you now wish you hadn't? (Don't be shy, and remember that wonderful saying I heard years ago: "We train by regret". Decades ago, before I learned what I know now, I am sure that I would have done little but yell at Betty. Sigh.) I should add that there are some excellent suggestions for TK comments in the recent post, Subliminal.

MEANWHILE, not back on the farm: Jim is still holding down the fort, I fly home tomorrow after a lovely day in New Hampshire with a dear, family friend. I was lucky to catch the tail end of fall in New England. Sweet.

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Canine Aggression Case Study - Fall 2014

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Recently a blog reader wrote in after one of her dogs snapped at her. The incident generated a lively conversation in the comment section, and I thought it was worth writing a post about it. So many of us have been in a similar situation that I thought it would be a valuable discussion for lots of dog owners.

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Ben: An Aggressive Dog Case Study | Karen Pryor Clicker Training

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Ben had no threshold level. He would aggress at a dog two feet away as well as twenty feet away. He would react not only to the physical presence of dogs in the environment but also to things like dogs on TV, car doors opening, or the jingle of car keys.

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By Cesar Millan

Pit bull Emily was a classic red-zone case. She pulled her owner on walks. She growled and barked at passersby, especially those walking other dogs. Emily's owner would drag along after her and yell at her to be quiet. Not surprisingly, this tactic didn't work.

It is important to understand that red-zone dogs are usually frustrated animals. To control a powerful breed, you need to master the position of pack leader. The sheer size and strength of a pit bull, Mastiff, Cane Corso, Rottweiler, or any other large dog can quickly transform a frustrated and dominant animal into a serious threat. You must gain control of the situation before it escalates.

It was clear that Emily held the dominant position in my client's household. My first focus: training the owner! I explained to my client that he must become Emily's pack leader; set rules, boundaries, and limitations; understand the importance of recognizing the animal in the dog; and fulfill the dog as Nature intended her to be fulfilled.

Next I turned my attention to rehabilitating Emily. I suspected she wasn't receiving adequate exercise for her breed and energy level. This was probably the cause of a lot of Emily's frustration. Out came my rollerblades to give Emily a good, tiring workout.

Remember, in order to talk to the mind, you need to remove the energy from the body. Emily loved our fast tours through the neighborhood, and she easily kept up with me. She started to ignore distractions along the way and focus on where we were going. With her excess energy gone, I was able to get her to follow commands.

The results of our workouts helped Emily's owner recognize the importance of exercise in maintaining a dog's healthy state of mind. Most dogs require daily walks, but please don't think of exercise as one-amount-fits-all. Exercise needs vary depending on the dog's breed, energy level, and size.

Emily now receives ample exercise, and her owner has established himself as her pack leader. His calm-assertive leadership means Emily doesn't need to fill that unnatural role. Balance has returned to Emily's life, and she and her owner are the better for it.

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By Cesar Millan Pit bull Emily was a classic red-zone case. She pulled her owner on walks. She growled and barked at passersby, especially those walking other dogs. Emily's owner would drag along after her and yell at her to be quiet. Not surprisingly, this tactic didn't work.