(And why balanced training is really what Dogs with bad behaviour need)
In our EXTENSIVE experience in this field, we understand that majority of issues around aggression are borne out of FEAR and UNCERTAINTY.
Many make the mistake of confusing DISCIPLINE with CONTROL… Instead, we must TEACH Dogs the difference between APPROPRIATE and INAPPROPRIATE behaviours.
As highly trained Dog owners and Trainers, we reinforce the importance of BOUNDARIES and STRUCTURE.
This results in boosting confidence, and behavioural awareness.
Remember that the goal is to build a healthy relationship with your Canine, making being a Dog owner a far more rewarding experience and ensuring that your Dog has THE BEST LIFE!
At Perth K9 Coach, we’re committed to helping you understand Dog behaviour:
- WHY is your Dog is behaving this way?
- WHAT can we do to help them?
- WHEN should we address this behaviour?
- WHERE should we address the behaviour? and
- HOW?!
We’ve provided a simple guide for you below.
DOES POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT WORK FOR DOGS?
The answer is that POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT is critically important…We all respond well to positivity… and constant negativity will never work!
However, there must be BALANCE.
“What we REWARD we will see more of…”
Hence REWARDING A NEGATIVE BEHAVIOUR ie aggression, is NOT going to teach a Dog that this behaviour is INAPPROPRIATE…
DOES POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT WORK FOR TRAINING AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOURS?
Rarely! In our extensive experience, AGGRESSION is almost always borne out of FEAR.
REWARDING this behaviour (FEAR), will REINFORCE this negative behaviour…
“What Doesn’t Get Better, Gets Worse”
and, sadly we have worked with many hundreds of people that discovered this the hard way…
- TAILORING A SOLUTION is so important. Every Dog is different – there is no one-size-fits-all approach!
- RESOLVING these behaviours is a PROCESS… It can not be resolved overnight, but we do see RAPID change with ongoing positive outcomes.
- Consistence and Persistence are KEY!
WHAT IS DOG AGGRESSION
There’s a common misconception that aggressive behaviour involves an ‘attack’, bite or other physical response, however nothing could be further from the truth – hence the initial ‘symptoms’ are often overlooked.
There are ALWAYS early indicators, that if addressed APPROPRIATLEY will prevent an escalation to aggressive responses.
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOURS can manifest in both verbal and physical indicators.
Early and common indicators include but are not limited to:
FEAR BASED BEHAVIOURS:
- Possessiveness over items ie food, toys etc
- General ‘fearfulness’ – often seen in new environments
- Poor eye contact (your Dog is uncomfortable locking eyes with you)
- Crouching/hiding/crawling away from something/someone
- Flinching when you reach out to touch them
- A reluctance to ‘go with you’ ie into a building, car, room or outdoors… we have seen Dogs too scared to step down from the grass onto the road, scared of stepping onto grass and even of a brightly lit area!
This may escalate to:
Snapping:
- At someone if they get too close
- If you try to take something away from them
- If you get in their space
This is a ‘warning’ and if you back away the Dog ‘wins’… One day when you don’t respond as they ‘demand’ the behaviours escalate, and this is when it may become physical (lunging, biting etc).
This is usually when we are called – however it would have been far better for you and your Dog had we got involved sooner… Look out for the symptoms
** NOTE: In our extensive experience, FEAR and that fear being rewarded over time, is the MAJOR FACTOR (99.9%) involved in AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOURS.
It is not always immediately obvious so often not picked up on quickly enough, or, we try to rectify with cuddles etc – which REWARDS the behaviour – encouraging them towards an escalation.
WHAT CAN CAUSE THIS BEHAVIOUR?
Aggression, is a symptom, emanating from a ‘problem’.
It is almost always a case of a Dog not understanding his place’ (position) in the environment he is living in. He/she does what they want at home, hence they will take those same behaviours out into the world… They don’t like something or someone and they will take matters into their own hands…
We understand that identifying the aggression source can be challenging… for further information, get in touch with our experts!
WHAT IS ‘POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT’ TRAINING?
Positive Reinforcement, by definition, is a rewards-based approach… This is how we TEACH a Dog what we want them to do, how to respond – by REWARDING the behaviour.
We can NOT prevent a behaviour by rewarding it.
POSITIVE behaviours result in a reward. However, we first need to teach the Dog the difference between APPROPRIATE (Positive) and INAPPROPRIATE (Negative) behaviours.
THIS IS DONE VIA TRAINING!
DOES POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT WORK?
Positive Reinforcement is used and results in the training and encouraging of DESIRED BEHAVIOURS. We use POSITIVITY to train a Dog to recall, sit, stand, lie down etc…
DOGS BEHAVING BADLY
Dogs behaving aggressively are difficult Dogs to be around…
In our (extensive) experience, it can be resolved.
It WILL NOT happen overnight, however approaching the problem methodically with consistence and persistence results in good outcomes.
There are many factors involved – temperament, age, and even breed may be a factor, but there is always a good outcome.
As follows a brief overview:
- We Must Progress Slowly
- Dogs behaving aggressively are Dogs who are not in a good state of mind.
- They are responding to a trigger which results in stress – and they will respond in the only way they know how.
- We must TEACH them an alternate way of responding
- We will move your Dog through different ‘levels’ – gradually increasing the intensity of those triggers (our Group Walks are brilliant for this!).
- We provide you with a plan to help you through this process as well as ongoing (unlimited) support!
- Positive Responses
- CHANGE doesn’t happen overnight.
- THE PROCESS aims to eliminate aggressive responses by helping your Dog to understand that this is not an acceptable response.
- It is important to remain calm while training, and this also won’t come easy and is a process of developing your confidence!
- OBEDIENCE TRAINING is a critical inclusion! Again, our ongoing Group Obedience classes provide the opportunity to continue your training at your own pace
- FOCUS (also known as a check in – your Dog checks in for instruction) is extremely helpful and teaches your Dog to stay ‘focussed’ on you – and that they can rely (trust) on you!
- USING REWARDS
- IMPORTANT!: When is Dog is triggered into a fearful response (often called aggression), the first thing that happens is that their digestive tract shuts down in preparation for the ‘Fight or Flight’ response. This results in them not being able to take a food reward. This does not mean that they don’t WANT it… it means they CAN’T take it!
- This is commonly misconstrued. “My Dog wouldn’t even take food and he normally loves food!”. It’s not that he WOULDN’T… He COULDN’T’
- What you want to work towards is a “Conditioned Emotional Response” meaning that you’ll teach them to associate a previously perceived negative situation with a more positive one.
- When your Dog is stressed encountering another Dog, you can help them towards a calmer and eventually, no response.
- Over time, your Dog will understand that the outcome of these behaviours is not at all rewarding. They’ll associate good behaviour with getting what they really want. This is when you achieve ‘desensitisation’ (when a calm rather than an aggressive response is their default.)
TAKING A BALANCED APPROACH TO TRAINING
A BALANCED approach to training Dogs training is KEY!.
It’s important that while training should be wellbeing-centric, we must teach a Dog the difference between APPROPRIATE and INAPPROPRIATE.
It’s HOW that is conducted that is critical!
- NOTHING we do should cause fear, discomfort or pain.
- Our Dog must TRUST us – and that trust will build over time.
- Be careful to not REWARD INAPPROPRIATE BEHAVIOUR ie:
- Your Dog has barked/launched at another Dog.
- This means that he/she wants that Dog to go away (it does not mean that they want to ‘play.’)
- We remove our Dog or pull out a treat in an attempt to distract him/her (that won’t work!)
- You have just rewarded him by removing him from a fearful environment. He does not understand that YOU fixed the problem by removing him (or the other Dog was removed) – all he knows is that he kicked off and the Dog went away… Problem solved. As a result, he/she just learned how to ‘fix’ the problem and will continue to behave this way – and get better and better at it. Until you stop rewarding it!
- In this scenario, you’ll find that not only will the aggressive behaviour not stop, and he will continue to behave this way, the Dog doesn’t understand that what they have done is inappropriate.
- SURVIVAL is all he/she is interested in!
‘IF WE DON’T TEACH THEM, HOW WILL THEY KNOW!?’
PROVIDING PERSONALISED ADVICE
At Perth K9 Coach, we believe in working WITH you.
We will align our goals with yours, ensuring that you get the help, advice and ONGOING SUPPORT (at no additional cost) as and when you need it.
Once we have a tailored a plan for you and your Dog/s, you can stay in touch and we can continue to provide advice and support to keep you progressing in a positive direction – with a HAPPY DOG who is thriving.
We understand that INAPPROPRIATE behaviour from your Dog can be tough! We are here to guide, assist and support you as you cultivate a more productive bond – day by day.
You can turn to our experts for support every step of the way.
Are you ready to start TRAINING with your Dog to guide him to better responses in his/her day-to-day encounters?
Make a booking or call us on 0430 507 733 to get started.
