Puppy Dog Tales - The First Few Days

Little Boy is progressing well - and he has a new friend to cuddle!  

He is happy to go to his crate and be confined when necessary as he gets a Kong toy with a few pieces of kibble to keep him distracted as I leave.  He spends a happy few minutes rolling the Kong around the crate to get the kibble out then eating it.  The crate is covered with old towels so it is dark and draught-free, like a little den, and he can feel secure.  He is a clean pup and when confined alone he toilets mainly on the newspaper.   He performs on cue outside when given the command to Go Toilet and by watching him carefully inside, I can normally catch him and rush him outside.  He has a funny little walk when he needs to poo and he rushes around, nose stuck to the ground, circling, until he finds the perfect spot so that is always a useful sign for me to act quickly. If he remembers when playing, he will rush off to his newspaper to toilet, but he is usually too engrossed in his game to remember.

His training is going well, he knows his name, how to make eye contact, Go Toilet, Come, responds well to Leave and is learning Stand.  He is also learning by watching the bigger dogs that calm behaviour is rewarded rather than the hysterical, excited jumping up of puppies.  Jumping up to demand food or attention may be endearing in a little pup, but is extremely irritating in a full grown dog so we are not encouraging it and instead reward the instant he sits calmly and looks at my face. 

My main problem a the moment is trying to prevent Little Girl from hurting him accidentally.  They play a lot - she brings him toys and plays tug-of war, or lets him climb all over her, or they wrestle and play chases.  However she is also young (2 years old) so she can get over-excited very easily and starts charging about or play-biting him so he could easily be badly hurt.  Also all dogs need to learn self-control.  

We have all seen toddlers in supermarkets having a tantrum because they want a sweet or a toy and Mum has refused.  A very similar thing happens with dogs and puppies when they become over-excited and they start charging about, crashing into people or furniture, perhaps barking or nipping.   As with jumping up, this can be endearing in a little pup if no damage is done, and if children are involved they will probably find it great fun, playing chases with the pup, the children squealing and the puppy barking hysterically.   However, allowing this to happen without moderation is laying down trouble for the future as the pup is learning that out-of-control behaviour is acceptable and indeed fun!  However, when the dog is larger or fully grown it will still display these behaviours and that is when owners realise that the behaviour is no longer acceptable and that they have a problem dog.

Owners and their children should most certainly play with their pup - it is necessary for the pup's development and strengthens the bond between dog and owner. However, the owner is the leader in the relationship and must moderate the behaviour of the pup and those it is interacting with (be they adults, children, dogs or other pets) to ensure that play remains fun but if the pup does start to lose control and act hysterically that it is encouraged to calm down and play more quietly.  By gently restraining it and not allowing it to continue to play and telling it quietly to calm down, then allowing it to continue playing once it is calmer you are teaching it to manage frustration (at being denied play) and learn self-control.  It will learn that the appropriate behaviour to allow it to gain access to play is calm and happy and that if it doesn't moderate its own behaviour through self-control then play may be withdrawn.  If adults or children react to hysterical, out-of-control behaviour in a pup by squealing, laughing at it, chasing or egging on the behaviour (there are many videos online of owners doing this!) then the pup will see this attention as a reward and be encouraged to repeat the behaviour. 

It is easier to lay down boundaries and stop your pup from demonstrating unacceptable behaviours at this age so think carefully - do you really want your pup doing this when s/he is fully grown?   If the answer is NO then stop it now!

Is your Pup Really a Wolf in Dog's Clothing?

There are numerous variations on the theme of dog training, many based on misconceptions around wolf behaviour.  A study in the 1990’s by Dr. David Mech of the University of Minnesota concluded that much of what was widely believed about wolf packs was mistaken, but it was these misunderstandings that had underpinned the dominance hierarchy / alpha leader version of dog training.  Dr Mech studied natural wolf packs in the wild for over 12 years and attributes many of the misconceptions to observations of unnatural packs of unrelated wolves in captivity.  He identified that the natural wolf pack is typically a family, with a breeding pair of adult wolves and their offspring and the terms "alpha" or "dominant" are less appropriate than "parent."  A wolf pack should be seen as a family unit which serves to raise the young, with the adult parents guiding the activities of the group before the young disperse to pair up with other dispersed wolves and form a breeding pair and a pack of their own.  To ensure their survival, canines have developed body language and behaviours that have a calming effect so the animals can co-operatively hunt for prey, raise their young, and resolve conflicts without violence.  

Although dogs are not wolves, they are pack animals and they want someone to take charge.  They want to be led by a calm, even tempered leader; someone who will deal with whatever situation arises with confidence, and communicate to them that they are safe and secure – a parent figure rather than a tyrant figure.  A handler taking on the role as pack leader has to communicate that they are in control, are the source of the dog’s food, are in control of the space in which it lives and the resources it wants to access, and help the dog understand those actions that constitute acceptable behaviour through positive obedience training and building a close, trusting relationship with their dog.

Dogs learn very quickly and from an early age – both from each other and from humans.  Puppies can learn behaviours quickly by following examples set by experienced dogs.   Studies have also shown that dogs engaged in play with other dogs change their behaviour depending on the attention-state of their partner.  Play signals were only sent when the dog was holding the attention of its partner. If the partner was distracted, the dog instead engaged in attention-getting behaviour before sending a play signal.  Similarly in a training environment handlers have to secure the attention of their dog before giving it an instruction.

To train any animal the behaviour of the animal must be understood.   A bond between trainer and animal must be developed so that the responses of each become predictable.  The animal needs to learn that the trainer will respond predictably when the dog offers certain behaviours, i.e. the trainer will offer rewards.  Similarly the trainer learns that reinforcing the desired response makes the response more likely to be repeated in the future.   One of the aims of dog training classes is to train the handlers to be predictable so that the dog realises that responding in a certain way has a desirable outcome.

Reinforcement is a reward for desired behaviour and gives the trainer a means of managing the behaviour of the animal as whenever a particular activity is reinforced, the chances of that activity being repeated are increased. To be effective, a reinforcement must be given almost simultaneously with the desired behaviour (and certainly never before).  A reinforcement can be a food reward, a verbal reward (praise), a physical touch (stroke, tickle etc) or even a game (throwing a ball etc).

Inducement training can also be used to shape and reinforce a behaviour that at first approximates the desired goal behaviour.  Through further selective reinforcement and shaping, the dog's behaviour eventually meets the handler's requirements.  Psychologists identify this process as a form of operant  conditioning.  The inducement can be in the form of a favourite toy, or a treat.  When the dog responds with the desired behaviour, the behaviour is then reinforced by verbal praise.

So to summarise:

·         The handler has to understand what a dog is – a pack animal that wants to live in a co-operative family unit with a firm but fair pack leader who makes the dog feel safe and secure. 

·         Owners should remember that dogs are not wolves, and breed personalities have been shaped by selective breeding during domestication.

·         Dogs learn quickly, from both other dogs and humans, and through selective breeding have acquired the ability to interpret subtle social cues from their handlers.

·         Dogs need to be trained using positive reinforcement methods, and handlers must understand that they need to demonstrate predictable behaviour to the dog so that the dog realises that behaving in a certain way has a desirable outcome in the form of a reward.