Stone City Canine Coach

Merry Christmas from the Stone City Canine crew! We hope that you have a very safe, happy and healthy holidays! ... #kingstonpets #kingstoncanada #kingston_on #kingston_ontario #kingstonontario #ygkbiz #ygklove #lovekingston #ygkdogs #ygk #gananoque #southfrontenac #loyalisttownship #bathontario #amherstviewontario #ygklocal #ygkpets #kingstondogtraining #queensuniversity #forcefreedogtraining #trainwithoutpain

Naughty, nice or natural? Grrr! As I'm sure you've guessed by now, growling is NOT naughty. It's natural! Dogs can't verbally tell us when they are uncomfortable with a situation (obviously) so they use both body language and vocalizations in order to communicate with us.... Since we know that all behaviour serves a function, we need to look at WHY the dog is growling. In some cases a growl can be playful! A dog that growls when playing with other dogs or playing tug may be ok. My own dog grumble-growls when she's very happy and excited. It's important to pay attention to body language and play signals to determine the function. If however they are fearful of someone approaching to take away a beloved toy/food, or perhaps they don't like a specific body part touched and they are worried an approaching person may reach toward them, a growl is a warning. If a dog is growling because they are uncomfortable or stressed, correcting them, removing the resource hastily or forcing them to be handled or to stay in a situation runs the risk of making the behaviour worse. Dogs often start by communicating with their body, then if that fails, they go to a growl then a snap and up to an actual bite ( see aggression ladder on slide 2). If we teach them that we are going to ignore or that it is unsafe to display the behaviours on the lower steps, in the future they may just skip over and go straight for the snap or bite. If you have dog that is growling, don't punish or force them. Speak with a certified force-free trainer to help determine the function and set up a plan to work through it humanely and ethically.

Holding the dog accountable is a phrase that you might hear in some circles, but is it fair to do that? Here’s the thing: Dogs do what work for them and avoid... things that causes them fear or pain. The word accountability suggests that the dog should know when he has done something wrong, when really, dogs are amoral and don’t actually know right from wrong. The word accountability also suggests that the dog knows what is asked of him, but is just not doing it because he’s defiant/stubborn and therefore needs to be held accountable and be forced to do what is asked or punished/corrected. When in actual fact, there are many other reasons why a dog may not do something you asked. The other big problem with the word accountability in this context is that it affects our mindset and how we approach training and interactions with our dogs. If we keep thinking I need to hold my dog accountable for doing xyz to spite/annoy me. or My dog knows how to do this! He’s just not doing it because he’s defiant and stubborn., then our natural reaction is to use punishment/corrections to try to stop our dogs doing something we don’t like or force them into doing something we want. But if we think, I can only hold myself accountable for my dog’s behaviour then we can do so much more and never resort to punishing or correcting our dogs. How can I change things in the environment to make it easier for my dog to learn? How can I motivate my dog to want to engage with me and learn? How can I teach my dog to do what I’d like instead and be more motivated to do that? How can I help my dog feel safe enough to learn? How can I break what I want down in smaller, easier pieces so that my dog can learn more easily and quickly? Is my dog too tired to do this? Is my dog experiencing pain and physically does not feel comfortable doing this and how can I get him help? I actually find it so much more freeing when I hold myself accountable rather than pin it on my dog, because the opportunities of what I can try and do with him just open right up. And if we can find ways to train without pain, fear, and corrections, why wouldn’t we? See more

Naughty, nice or natural - the other end of the leash part 2! Positive reinforcement as a training method! Over the years, we have been taught, especially by certain mainstream television shows that in order to have a well-behaved dog, you need to be the "pack leader" and if your dog does something you don't like, you should correct them. If they are fearful, you should just expose them to the thing they are afraid of and flood them until they shut down. This can be in t...he form of weird tch! noises, poking them, choking them, putting aversives tools that dig into their neck or even zapping them with a shock. The good news is: you don't have to use ANY of those techniques - ever! With proper management and training using positive reinforcement (R+) of desired behaviours, we can tackle just about anything*. (*Disclaimer: if you have a particularly aggressive, fearful or hyperaroused dog, you may also need to talk about medication with your veterinarian. Just as some humans need medication in addition to therapy, some dogs need medication plus training. There's no shame in that!). R+ techniques build up the human-animal bond, create more confident and enthusiastic learners and best of all, it's backed by scientific research! Huzzah!! In fact, TWO studies published in 2020 (to add to many previous years' studies) have confirmed that using R+ is the best, most effective method. R+ mixed with corrections can still create stress and anxiety for the dogs, setting you back in training in the long run. In both of these studies, dogs who were trained using only R+ were not only less stressed but also performed BETTER than the dogs who had aversives only or aversives combined with R+. Verdict: Avoiding corrections/forceful methods and instead using management, developing handler skill and positive reinforcement puts you on the nice list! If you have an issue you need help working through, contact me or you can find a reputable trainer close to you by looking at the animal trainers listed with the @CCPDT, @iaabcbehavior, @petprofessionalguild, @apdt_official.

Naughty, nice or natural? "I'm in a store and I'm singing! I'm in a store and I'm siiiinngiiinnnggg!" - Buddy the Elf Barking at the mail person (or other delivery service) - naughty, nice or natural?... Hopefully by now you're starting to see the pattern here - of course barking is natural! Barking is a means of communication for our dogs. But all behaviour has a function. They aren't just barking to be annoying. Are they barking to alert you? Are they nervous about the stranger approaching the house? Maybe they're excited and frustrated that they can't get out to chase the neighbourhood cat that comes to poop on your lawn everyday. Can it be a bit of a nuisance when it's prolonged or when you're trying to speak/hear someone in a Zoom meeting? Sure it can. But if your dog is reacting to something outside, whether it be the delivery person or a heckin' tree rat , we also don't need to add fuel to it by also barking back (read: yelling). Additionally I would highly caution against using startling them to stop (think penny can, spray bottle, or tossing a bean bag) as this can increase their fear if they are a fearful barker. All this does is let them know that it's not safe to bark around you - and as you can guess by now, I'm not about taking away from the relationship bank. So what do we do? Block access to the window where they are barking - close the blinds or put a piece of furniture in the way. Put a note outside asking your delivery person not to ring the doorbell. If it's noise they are barking at, try playing some music to help mask the outside sounds. Make sure they get adequate exercise, rest and enrichment throughout the day so they aren't fixating out the window for their entertainment. If you're in a Zoom meeting, keep your dog close by on a mat where they can relax and provide an enrichment toy that keeps them busy. Have a treat jar or toys ready if they do alert to something and you need to positively interrupt (I SAID NO YELLING ) and redirect them to a chew toy or snufflemat. Check out Kiki Yablon's "thank you" barking protocol (linked in comments) and practice it BEFORE you need it. Management training = nice list.

As part of my continuing education and professional development, I have joined The Mentorship Collective, led by Bravo Dog Training. One of my fellow colleagues has put together this great blog post that's definitely worth a read: https://www.jennifermalawey.com//someone-s-going-to-get-bi