When working with a behaviourist you are not just getting a dog trainer who can teach you how to do a new behaviour you should also be getting someone who can delve into their Rolodex type mind to come up with solutions for more complex issues as well as the more simple ones. Each scenario should be approached with the hierarchy of humane procedures.
This is a slightly simplified version of what goes on, but this is the general idea for why we ask you to fill in a list of very specific questions on our behaviour history question forms. A lot of information can be gleaned from the dogs breed age and sexual status (neutered or not) and medical history but we are also looking for the following things in every case:
1. Is the dog healthy? I’ve heard different numbers but over half of aggression cases are medical issues according to the experts. Get a general physical done and some tests. Seemingly average looking complaints (such as compacted anal glands, pain, intestinal issues or females in season) can cause obscure behaviours which may not need any behavioural intervention at all just management and veterinary intervention.
Is the dog being fed enough & a quality food? Just because we use food doesn’t mean we want them starving. Also is the dog eating everything and anything and still not putting on weight ? (This last one can be true for dogs with specific forms of diabetes so again not behavioural but medical rule outs are needed as standard). We are not in cohoots with the vet and we are not trying to get you to pay out for the vets when not needed , we ask because about fifty percent of the time there IS a medical underlying issue that has gone unnoticed and knowing these things can speed up your training experience if we need to do that as well.
Are they getting enough mental and physical exercise? More confidence training, more engagement with family members #BeMoreFun and more stimulating walks (dependent on the dogs age personality and ability) more enrichment activities will likely solve lesser problems in the first instance -solve those first, always.
If the dog is excitable how can we introduce more calming activities ? ( just as we need to be exciting to train a young dog recall we also have to note that that same method won’t help us when training calmer behaviours).
2. Can we change the environment so it’s not an issue? Management is always our next port of call so that whilst the dog is learning we manage them safely whilst they learn an alternative – this management can then be phased out over time when the dog has become more “trustworthy” For example we might phase out the use of a crate over time when toilet training or mouthing has subsided and upgrade the dog to having more space over time, not as a privilege but because growing dogs need more space and it’s up to us to train them or give them stimulation so they can be trusted in their new space.
Does this lead reactive dog need to be on lead or can he enjoy enrichment in other ways that doesnt involve being tied to a person or for safety reasons, a food resource guarding dog must ALWAYS be given space and left alone when eating to prevent escalation before we can start to train and educate owners on what the risks are and how to manage this scenario.
3. Next up- Positive reinforcement training. Pick something the dog already does that we like and reinforce it. Even better choose something simple that is incompatible with the issue (got a dog that jumps up? Train a default sit or settle on a mat and repeat repeat repeat- Dog isn’t eating food? Go back to step one. All dogs are motivated by food it’s usually the environment is too stimulating for them to WANT to take the food in that instance (be it negatively – anxiety or positively – excitable behaviours).
The dog normally eats but isn’t now? Change the environment. We are probably flooding them which means they are too over aroused to think clearly – reinforcing calmer behaviours regularly helps here or at a distance too. Going back to basics even if it’s for a refresher in an older dog who is out of practice will help everyone get on the same page.
4. Like mentioned above we would then look at reinforcing alternate behaviors. Jumping isn’t reinforced but standing is. Pulling isn’t reinforced but walking near handler is and this is done with good timing, clear hand signals (no need for man handling in any case) with good frequency (don’t be stingy with reinforcement) and with good mechanics (delivery of the treat matters, can the dog see its reinforcement , are you reinforcing after the dog does something ie: in the case of counter conditioning – don’t be tempted to put your hand in your pocket too soon😅) and all of this is done with lots of repetition – you get what you put in and the simpler the approach the better as it helps owners stick at the training too😉
Lastly If you have done these things and they aren’t working, it’s time to call in someone else because we missed something. It’s not time to use aversives. There is lots and lots of science to back up this claim (a simple google scholar or science direct search is all that is required) these days and the top behaviourists should be aiming to work collectively with knowledgeable vets who also hold a specialism in veterinary behaviour (unfortunately these are few and far between at the moment and their case loads have months and months waiting lists) – again another topic for another day.
Your trainer or behaviourist should not be trying to “muddle on” if they don’t know how to progress when a dogs behaviour has plateaued they should be asking for a second opinion or help with the task or if it’s a complicated case should be happy to refer on.
So as you can see there are no quick fixes even for relatively simple issues and when you ask for a response to your very unique or specific question you can start to see why it might be problematic for me to generalise to “every dog that does A needs to be trained to do B”
We can give you an educated guess based on what we’ve seen before and what science has proven the probability of it to be true but every dog is an individual with learned history and specific breeding and upbringing so they may have learned things even us as owners are unaware of.
So I hope the takeaway here is that your qualified experienced dog trainers and behaviourists are doing all of this puzzle solving in the background and trying to come up with a manageable, easily digestible plan that you can implement at home without lots of supervision .
When we hear “I’ve tried this XYZ and been to lots of different trainers” regardless of methods it’s not really a dog trainer issue at this point it’s the individuals ability to go at the dogs pace , not expect a quick fix and putting in the repetitions with GOOD technique to get a dog to the point it’s issues are “resolved” and whether a dogs issues are truly solved or rehabilitated is also a topic for another day.
Keep up the good work and keep training the best you can and stayed informed 👍
Love from your friendly neighbourhood dog trainer ❤️xx
Ps if you enjoyed this article feel free to check my previous article on The Puppy Blues & Why it’s Totally Normal
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