Understanding Your Dog’s Personality

When a dog becomes fearful, they must adopt a coping strategy. This coping strategy will be something that makes them feel better. There is an unlimited number of things that a dog can do.

Some are common, such as barking and lunging, whereas others are just weird, such as chasing nothing. With concept training, we need to consider what we DO want instead of what we DON’T want. When fear is involved, we want calmness and no reaction.

In 2013, Tom Mitchell conducted a study, which looked at what happened when puppies were introduced to other dogs – first before the age of 6 months, and then the behaviour towards dogs after 6 months of age.

One set of dogs that were taught to be happy to see other dogs and play and interact with them; while another set of dogs were taught solely to ignore other dogs and see them as a non-event.

Unsurprisingly, the first set of dogs, when they were older than 6 months, reacted to other dogs when passing on the street, in the park etc, whereas the second set of dogs were happy to just pass by.

Due to this, we teach that no reaction is the best reaction, and socialisation around other dogs does not necessarily mean interaction with other dogs.

But how do we grow this in our dogs? Well, we look at Concept Emotions… read on!

What Are Concept Emotions

Concepts are the starting point and the basis for a dog to make a decision, good or bad. There are 12 main concepts that we look to grow in our dogs that make them well-behaved and balanced dogs.

The first is Optimism. An optimistic dog will think that everything is good, respond positively and have a really good outlook on life. Anytime they come across something novel, they will think its cool and not react. The opposite can be said about pessimistic dogs, as often they have a lack of confidence, react to novelty and are more difficult to train.

Children especially can be very novel to our dogs; these tiny people, walking on all fours, making weird noises, are very confusing for dogs. If a pessimistic dog hasn’t seen one before, it can react. Pessimism in dogs is a natural instinct; in the wild they needed to be wary of strange noises and movement in case there were predators around. Now that dogs are kept as pets, they are slowly becoming more optimistic animals.

Luckily, we can change a dog from a pessimist to an optimist and also increase optimism in a dog.

The next concept is Generalisation. This means that a dog will do the same thing where ever they are when asked, or react in the same way to similar circumstances in different surroundings. For example, we want our dogs to be able to come back to us when asked, not just in the house, but also away from other dogs and people in the park.

Generalisation without optimism isn’t always a good thing though. If a dog is scared of another dog – say a black and tan poodle that once barked in his face – a good generaliser would then be scared of all black and tan dogs, in all areas. However, if a bad generaliser had the same experience, then they could only be scared of that specific black and tan poodle, in the same place in the park at the same time of day.

Next we have Arousal. Arousal is an inherent personality trait; however we can still harness our dogs arousal. Ideally, we would like to train our dogs arousal to become like a well-used light switch, easy to switch from high arousal to low arousal. As mentioned previously, high arousal + anxiety = fear response, and this is something that we would like to avoid.

Tolerance of Frustration is often a difficult concept for young puppies to learn; they often can’t understand why they can’t have what they want, when they want it. Luckily, dogs are hard workers, and when something doesn’t happen that they have worked for, they will work harder to get that reward! Frustration can also cause a reaction, such as when a dog wants to see another dog but can’t due to being on the lead. A reaction can happen that will look exactly like a fear response.

Flexibility is a very important concept, when it comes to training behaviours in our dogs. Flexibility is what allows our dogs to learn new things, or try new behaviours that are different from something they have done in that environment before.

We also have:

• Focus
• Impulse Control
• Susceptibility to Reward
• Proximity
• Independance
• Resiliance
• Grit (Determination to reach a goal despite distractions….GRRRR)

But we will explain these in more detail later on.

Rewarding good choices

So why, oh why, do I keep on saying this? It must be important, RIGHT?

It’s up right up there with: “What do you wnt your dog to do?”.

But WHY?

Well it’s as much about YOU as it is your dog.

You see, your dog is making choices all day – whether or not you are rewarding them – so grab this opportunity to enhance the choices you like, and want to see them doing more often!

Rewarding good choices with appropriate rewards will definitely make your dog more likely to make that choice in the future but it’s also about YOU!!!!

The more you start to look for opportunities to reward your dog for good choices, the more you will come to see that their struggles really are only a tiny – albeit important – part of their day.

This will make you feel better, more positive and optimistic.

Your Relationship Bank Account with your dog will get so much fuller, and you will be much more likely to be in the right place to start to turn your dog’s struggles into strengths!

SO GO ON – start rewarding those great choices!

Ditch The Routine

Dogs are born predicting – from where the milk comes from, to where the next walk will be! The prediction of excitement for some dogs can be as good as the event itself!

Your dogs will naturally want to find predictors and find creative ways to predict things. Wherever and whenever you can, DON’T let this happen! Try to mix it up as much as possible – don’t be predictable!

Over-arousal can happen from predicting the event / fear from predicting a negative event. Dogs who have less predictable schedules are much happier in their everyday life. They are flexible!

So how can you make your dog more flexible? Well, you could change the way you:

• FEED: (scatter feeding, kong, bone, etc). Interactive feeding is the way forward!
• EXERCISE: mix up the exercise/training routine!
• LEAVE: change the way you leave the house if leaving the dog by himself

All of the above increases flexibility – being able to think outside the box is super key to creating a happy and easily adjustable dog!

Ditching the routine can be far less stressful for the dog – actually it’s the humans that can find it hard!

Your dog will for sure be happier and more content as long as you can stick with it. The more you do it, the easier it becomes – just wait for the benefits to come flooding in!

The joy of calm

A calm dog is a happy dog. When I say to people I board a lot of spaniels, they always say wow they are crazy aren’t they? Sure they have their mad spaniel moments on walks but in the house you can train them to be calm just by using the calmness protocol.

Why is calmness important?

When a dog gets excited or stressed, they release adrenaline and cortisol (stress hormone) and with a lot of this present they become more reactive to triggers e.g. much more likely to react to the noise of a car going past, or a knock at the door.

When a dog is calm it allows for all these levels to drop right back down, and here is the thing it can take 72 hours after a stressful or exciting event for them to do this.

So how do we teach that off switch?

Through rest. Lots of the dogs in the photos are on raised beds but you can use crates, pens or specific rooms to promote calmness. Dogs need around 12 to 14 hours sleep a day, and puppies need 18-20 hours.

Through passive calming activities. By this, I mean through filled Kongs, meaty bones, puzzle feeders, scent games, scatter feeding and lots more. When a dog chews, it releases the pleasure hormone serotonin, which makes it feel good and content. We release the same when we eat chocolate – that’s why it’s so addictive!

The calmness protocol

Whenever your dog is calm feed them. Try and time that feeding of the treats with external distractions such as noise of people outside. Then they have a positive calm association with these distractions.

Teach settle on cue

To do this, I often shape the behaviour with a clicker on a blanket or mat. I simply put the blanket on the floor and click and treat them for any interaction with the object… which initially be as simple as them looking in its direction. I then build this up until I have a dog choosing to lie down on the blanket. When the dog understands the behaviour, I add a cue to it, then I can take that blanket out with me to the pub etc as it’s a visual cue for calm behaviour.

Reward calmness

When your dog is calm, so that they have chosen to sit or lie down, then very slowly and calmly reward them for this behaviour with a treat. The dog will learn that calm behaviour gets rewarded and do more of it.

Don’t try and calm them down with lots of exercise and ball throwing. Of course they need exercise, but lots of it and lots of time with the ball releases lots of adrenaline which usually makes the dog pretty high. Instead try and hide the ball and let your dog find it; with this they have to use their brain which is a lot more tiring. Think at school were you more tired after a PE lesson where you were running around? or a study session in the library?

Reward nothing

Someone walks past your house and your dog does not react… reward it!

A dog barks down the street and your dog does not react… reward it!

Feed slowly and calmly. Remember the more you reward the things you like the more your dog will.

Enjoy the calmness but appreciate a little craziness also without that it would not be as fun!

How Do Our Dogs Feel?

Our dogs’ arousal plays a huge part in how they feel, but what is arousal?

Well, arousal is defined as the degree to which the brain is active. Kind of like a light bulb, as it wakes up, the light gets brighter. However, with a light bulb, eventually that light will pop if it gets to bright, this is similar with our dogs, if they become over aroused then we get reactivity, good or bad.

The chart shows how our dogs feel can be affected by arousal; with a low-aroused dog that sees or hears something they are not sure of, this will create anxiety or worry. However if they are in a high aroused state, then this will become fear and that is when we get reactivity.

Reactivity can either be in a happy state or a fearful state. However both of the behaviours can look exactly the same; whether that is jumping up and nipping, or lunging and barking.

When a reaction occurs from our dogs, they can do an endless list of things, such as chase, bite, bark, lunge, run, jump up or even just freeze. Calm dogs, however, might just glance over, then look away and carry on; quite often you won’t even notice any response at all.

We want to be able to help our dogs control their state of arousal, so if they do get over aroused, or even react, then they can come back down to calmness.

Secrets of happy dog walks – our Top Ten (ish!)

It’s up to you to make sure that your dog has a happy time out on walks. Not all dogs are friendly, and not all dogs want to play.

Puppies and adolescents especially need you to watch out for them so they have positive experiences with other dogs Predict and Protect!

1. Keep your dog in sight and watch him carefully. He should look relaxed and happy. If he’s tense, there’s probably a good reason
2. Be aware: watch other dogs and owners. (Yes, this means turning off your mobile phone/earphones.)
3. Follow your gut instincts; if in doubt about another dog approaching, turn and leave at speed!
4. Train a great recall, so you can get your dog out of trouble if need be. Don’t be afraid to use treats with your own dog, but don’t give them to others
5. Avoid meetings and greetings with other dogs on a tight lead. If someone else puts their dog on a lead, it’s polite to do the same, or avoid them completely
6. Avoid large groups of unknown dogs – they can be intimidating for your dog
7. Avoid flashpoints which might cause tension; picnics, kids playing games, runners, dogs that are playing with toys or are chasing each other
8. Keep entrances and exits clear – a narrow area can be difficult for dogs to manoeuvre safely – they like to keep space between them
9. Keep moving. Most trouble between dogs occurs when owners are static
10. If your dog comes to you for help when out on a walk, help it! A dog that comes to its owner and goes behind them or jumps up is probably asking you to get it out of there…
11. Be honest about your own dog’s behaviour – seek help if you need it

Letting Dogs Meet: The Three Second Rule

As a dog owner, I’m sure you have been in the situation where your dog had to meet another dog he didn’t know.  If you haven’t yet, you will.

Whether you’re having a friend and their dog over for a BBQ or you happen to run across a new dog on a hike, there are some fundamental things you should do and be aware of, to properly manage dog greetings. Remember, just because your dog may typically be happy-go-lucky, doesn’t mean that all dogs are easy to get along with and it doesn’t guarantee that the chemistry will be good between your dog and the new dog right from the start. If you happen to stumble across a dog out in the world, and you don’t feel comfortable with having your dog meet him, that’s ok. You can politely excuse yourself from the  greeting by saying that your dog is in training and you need to keep him focused.

Know your dog. If your dog has a history of biting or aggression, your situation is beyond the scope of this blog. Consult a dog training professional to help your dog with hisparticular needs.

Before you let your dogs meet, both owners need to agree to let the dogs engage. When I say agree, I mean be comfortable with. Don’t allow yourself to be talked into a meeting you don’t feel good about and don’t try to convince someone else if they don’t seem at ease with the idea. It’s a perfectly reasonable question to ask the other owner if their dog is dog friendly.  If you are both comfortable with allowing the two dogs to meet, you should make sure everyone is calm (humans and dogs) and do so with a loose leash. Be sure to have an exit strategy. Don’t allow their leashes to become a tangled mess potentially locking you in a game of Leash Twister Madness.

The Three Second Rule: 

• Three seconds is the maximum amount of time the initial greeting should last. When I say three seconds, it’s one alligator, two alligator, three and walk away. Number three does not get an alligator. I’ve seen it time and again where dogs lose it on the third alligator. Now, if there’s barking or growling that happens before that, walk away sooner. We don’t want it to escalate.
• When you’re walking away after number three, give the dogs a second to forget about one another. Once both dogs have been distracted, you can bring them back for another meeting assuming the first one went well.
• Keep your eyes peeled and be fully present. (Don’t be texting while a dog meeting is taking place.)
• Eye to eye greetings are a recipe for disaster. If there is a stare down going on, don’t allow them to meet.
• Tails tell a tale. If tails are stiff, tucked or only the tip is wagging like a rattle snake, this is a sign that you either need to disengage before the three seconds are up or really watch closely for those initial three seconds.
• If one dog is positioning his head over the top of the other dog’s head, walk away.
• If their jaws are tight and they’re not breathing, walk away.
• What you want is a relaxed posture with loose wagging tails and relaxed jaws.
• It is common and good for dogs to sniff each other’s butts. Believe me, they think that our hand-shaking ritual is weird too. That being said, even if the initial greeting is good, the three second rule still applies for the one out the gate.
• Last but not least, the three second rule is particularly important for the first greeting, but a very good practice for all dog greetings, even for dogs that already know each other. Give them their three seconds, walk away and if all goes well, take it from there. There will most likely come a time when you can eliminate the three second rule but it’s always a good idea to work up to it.

Facilitating a proper greeting lays the foundation for your dog to have strong relationships not only with other dogs, but with you, their owner, as well. It is another opportunity for your dog to know that you’ve got things under control which builds trust.

Socializing with dogs and people helps to keep them balanced and fulfilled, so by no means do I want to discourage you from having your dog acquire new playmates. All I ask is that you set yourself up for success by having your eyes wide open and your attention on the dog.

As with any of these tips, if you have questions or are nervous, get a professional involved. It’s always better to be safe than sorry.

Puppy biting and barking

It is very common to play bite and nip… your puppy is NORMAL. Sometimes they bark and bounce to instigate play or any attention, and sometimes worse! For some dogs, any attention is good attention; they really just want to be noticed whether it’s for good or bad reasons. They really aren’t at all fussed; they will potentially take either!

When your dog wants to play, or get you to pay them attention and you want them to settle, have a toy, a chew, a stuffed Kong or an activity nearby and to hand to redirect their attention away from you and from thinking about you. This can be part of their daily food ration and it will allow you and them a healthy activity and that breathing space that you need! Ensure that you deliver the distraction in a very low key manner – remember we want to start growing CALMNESS with our dogs and pups when they are young as possible, and we want to rehearse the room and the energy to work with the environment.

Frozen Kongs or chews can also be good, knowing that your young dog may have a sore mouth. This may be the answer and this could even give them a super good chance to soothe their gums. This could even be part of why they are biting in the first place so cooling teething opportunities are great strategies for settling them at a young age.

Calming strokes and massage can also help to calm excited puppies; if they are barking in their crate due to over-excitement, cover it over with a blanket or similar. Crate covers are easily accessed and very very useful in terms of helping to be a super useful additional training tool. Have a crate or puppy pen or quiet space always available for your puppy, if he or she does need some settle time away from the action. This is super, super normal! It doesn’t need to be a punishing place – it needs to be a place to settle, a calm space, a relaxing space and a space where your puppy can settle.

With puppies and dogs in general always try to have an answer, a strategy (like the crate cover) or a solution to help you through your struggles. As with all training, always ensure that you have met all of your dog’s needs first; for example make sure they have had adequate toilet breaks, water and food and stimulation.

Play games with your puppy throughout the day, to put the great energy they have to good use. They can learn key skills through the art of play, fun and games.

Tips on toilet training dogs for puppies of any age

Puppy pads are confusing for dogs so don’t use them unless you have no other alternative.

Back to basics works for any age of dog, rescue or change to environment/home move apartment living etc.

Make sure you clean any soiled areas with a non-bio washing powder solution and as always never react to a dog doing mistakes.

• Keep your puppy in ONE room mostly occupied by all the family that way you can supervise your puppy at all times.
• Agree on a word for toilet and praise when puppy does the deed
• Take out on a lead to a place you want it to use as as a toilet area. Create a area with less distraction? Gravel patch?, encourage other surfaces on lead walks too and any weather

Puppies don’t come with a note book with toilet training from mum. A good breeder will have started the process, however due to a different environments and lots of different distractions they will forget quickly, time and patience and working as a family will help your puppy.

• Do above after puppy after they have slept, eaten and played
• Look for clues from puppy, circling for poop time and sniffing for wee.
• Pick up mess as soon as you can to prevent puppy eating poop.
• Praise praise  praise

Reasons why  I say on a lead is you can guide puppy to a area, puppy noses will find other things to switch their mind off,

Letting them off out a door left to their own devices will

1. Take the dog much longer to do it’s buisness
2. You won’t be there to praise
3. You can’t be sure if he’s even done anything
4. He can poop and wee where ever he wants – who wants poop all over your garden especially if you have children playing in same area?

Big Tip

You can keep a mental or written diary of when you feed and toilet puppy etc as a pattern will soon emerge and time goes on when your puppy will toilet. Then you will be able to know when to take your dog out.