Redirection Tease Play…

…is one of the techniques I’ve developed, to help rehabilitate dogs with confidence problems and other noise, dog or people phobias.  This method allows me to directly interact with them in a language they understand, at the same time, desensitize them from their fears.  In the dog world, there is no such thing as comforting, it actually…

If you would like the rest of the blog, along with a link to a video showing you how to use “Redirection Tease Play” on your dog. Use the comment form below and tell me a little about your dog and their behavior situation.

Opposition Reflex

In the dog training world, “Opposition Reflex” is a term used to describe why a puppy first resists the tension of the leash by stopping or pulling away.  When tension is applied, a dog’s predatory instinct of fight, freeze or flight kicks in.  Many people don’t realize dogs have this reflex or they believe a dog stops or pulls out of spite or challenge. It was discovered by Ivan Pavlov (1849-1936) and is discussed in many books since,  including a 1996 book by Jean Donaldson, “The Culture Clash” AMAZON BOOKS .  To see opposition reflex in action, just put a leash on your cat. That’s opposition reflex! The more “wild” or the more predators an animal has, the stronger the reflex will be. Thankfully, dog’s have been domesticated and puppies are fast learners. Through conditioning, patience and trust, this reflex diminishes.

People make the mistake initially when getting a new puppy by placing it on the ground and following it around. Once the puppy can tolerate the collar and leash, the owner then allows the puppy to pull in the direction they want. As the puppy grows and gains more pulling strength, most owners make the mistake of putting these harnesses (that you see on sled dogs), along with a tightly held leash or retractable leash, allowing opposition reflex and the pulling behavior to really kick into gear.

Opposition reflex may play a role initially, but the reason dogs continue to pull as adolescents, is  1) the owner has condition them to lead the way  2) They’re greatly being rewarded for doing so  3) Dogs have been conditioned the harder they pull, the more distance, smells and exercise they get, even if it means choking themselves in the process, and 4) The owners never showed them, in a language they understand, how to walk on a loose leash.

Leash pulling can be counter conditioned at any age by hiring your local reward / science based – dog trainer.

The earlier you get started, the better.

Feel free to comment below, If you subscribe with just your email, you will be notified when I post new things.

Happy Holiday’s

Hello Subscribers,

On June 24th of this year (my birthday), I started this blog site.  So far I’ve published 51 blogs or posts and every month more people are visiting the site, so I must be doing something right.  I’ve also had many people (maybe you?) make comments about the stories I write, over 100 comments so far.  I’m not really sure if that’s good or bad, but to me any comment is great! I’m glad and hope people are learning things from this site, because I need people to read what I write, then translate it to their pets.  Together we can make their lives easier and in turn ours.

I feel like the flight attendant when they say “Thank you for flying with us, I know you have many other choices of airlines”. But really “Thanks” for reading what I spend time writing.  I have many more stories and training tips in me, plus I have some exciting things happening early next year and I hope you’ll stick around. Give your pet a hug for me..

Happy Holidays to you and your loved one’s.

Cheers,

Robert

Top Ten Excuses

Nobody wants to face reality or they’re being too politically correct.  Quite often I hear people making excuses as to “Why” their child (I mean dog) doesn’t behave or listen to them like they should.  I hear things like: They’re too tired, too distracted, not in the mood, I didn’t exercise them enough, etc. When the real reason is,  a) They never took the time to teach them  b) They don’t know exactly how to teach them or how dogs learn  c) They keep doing the wrong things without seeking professional help d) They treat them like a human baby  e) They’re afraid of scaring them emotionally by challenging them and their intelligence.

Excuses I hear from dog owners:

Too tired

Too distracted

They only listen when I have a treat

They’re a rescue dog; they’ve had a tough life

They didn’t get their exercise today

I guess they don’t feel like it

They must smell something

My dog is too young or too old (set in their ways)

He’s mad at me?

He’s trying to be Pack Leader or dominating me?  This is my favorite, from the perspective of an animal behaviorist, this is equivalent to:  Say you’re helping your child study for a test and you ask your child a question and they don’t know the answer; they must be dominating you.

Do I hear more excuses down here in Australia vs. in the States?  Well, I’ve only been here a year and I do hear excuses but in the States is where I’ve heard most of them.  This blog was kind of directed at the people of Australia because almost all dogs in this area are being walked on harnesses and of course pulling the owners everywhere.  I believe the owners don’t realize the true potential or intelligence of dogs and just make yet another excuse that dog’s pull on leash because they’re dogs.  To me, it’s a waste of a dogs mind, talent and well-being.

Smart, Not Perfect

I posted a blog on the TOP TEN SMARTEST BREEDS and if you think I’m giving you a green light to own one of the breeds, you’d be wrong.  Just because they were tested by professionals and shown they have higher train-ability IQ’s than other breeds, doesn’t automatically make them a good family pet.  As a mater of fact, some of these so called “smart breeds” can be far from the perfect pet, for the unprepared owner.

The dog in the # 5 spot: Labrador retriever is the breed that goes through my training course the most.  People complain they’re like clown’s in a dog’s suit; stealing food, mouthing body parts, really hyper, jumping and banging into kids, chewing and grabbing at everything, jumping on strangers and other dogs. The breed frustrates them when they don’t listen or behave around people.

The dog in the # 9 spot Rottweiler: Has the strongest jaw pressure of any breed and are very vocal dogs that occasionally growl at their owners. People are intimidated by them so they tend to get what they want.  The Rottweiler is in the working breed group and because of it’s mastiff line, can be a good, maybe too good guard dog, intimidating people & dogs.

The dog in the # 3 spot the German shepherd: Is responsible for more bites to humans than any other breed. The breed is a very protective and can make a good guard dog or a bad one when biting friends and family. It’s a hard working dog in the Herding group, so many complaints are about how their dog likes to chase moving things:  kids, cars, small dogs etc… Many small dogs are bitten my German Shepherds.

The dog in the # 2 spot, the poodle: Owners complain the small poodles are difficult to housebreak and they have excessive barking problems and won’t shut up! (Their words, not mine) The standard size poodle owners complain about pulling and lunging on leash at anybody or for no apparent reason.

The dog in the #10 spot Australian Cattle dog: Is in the herding group, so you guest it, likes to heard, chase jump and nip at family members.. They get bored very easily and require lots of room and a job, if they don’t have one, they take it out on anything that isn’t nailed down.

With that said,  it’s not the breed’s fault owners are having trouble! First, they probably got the dog for the wrong reasons?  i.e. train-ability, looks, a friend has one, they grew up with one, or they have a backyard > DON\’T GET A DOG.  Or they probably don’t know how dogs think or learn, or the importance of early socialization and education. Regardless of what we know about the intelligence of the different breeds, all dogs are still predatory animals that come “Hard wired”  with traits the unsuspecting owner won’t like. And when this happens, the dog get’s the worst of it.

If your dog has a specific breed trait or behavioral issue you’d like to change, please use the comment form below