Embark on a transformative journey with us as we shed light on the humane evolution of dog training. Say goodbye to the intimidation of shock collars and the myth of dominance, and welcome the era of positive reinforcement. This episode unveils the science-backed techniques that build trust and foster a stronger bond between you and your furry friend. My personal pivot from punitive to compassionate training illustrates an industry-wide reckoning with outdated methods, and I wholeheartedly apologize for any confusion caused by these archaic practices.
We tackle the perplexity of behavioral issues like excessive barking, not with punishment, but by understanding and addressing the root causes. Discover how to create a serene environment for both you and your dog by employing strategies that reward silence and promote mental stimulation. This approach not only respects your dog's emotional well-being but also establishes a foundation for lasting behavioral change. The art of dog training is redefined here, prioritizing the happiness and welfare of our canine companions over mere obedience.
As we wrap up, I extend an invitation to continue the conversation and learning through Dog Training Today. Your support through sharing, liking, and subscribing helps us reach more dog lovers keen on nurturing a trusting relationship with their pets. This episode is more than just a guide; it's a call to action for all dog owners to embrace the gentle power of positive reinforcement in their daily interactions with their beloved pets. Join me, Will Bangura, on this enlightening path, and experience the joy of coming home to a dog who is not just well-behaved but truly ecstatic to see you. Dog Training Today will Will Bangura, CAB-ICB, CBCC-KA, CPDT-KA, FFCP
If you need professional help please visit my Dog Behaviorist website.
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So, just for fun, the other day I did a Google search
for my local area for dogtrainers.
Basically, what I wanted toknow is, if I put in Google
behavior modification trainingfor dogs in and then I put the
name of my city, I wanted to seewhat would come up and there
(00:23):
were several that came up localdog trainers that said that they
offer behavior modification andthey use those words, behavior
modification.
So I got on their website andstarted to decipher what exactly
they offered with behaviormodification.
(00:43):
They offered with behaviormodification.
Most of them.
All they were doing waspunishing dogs.
Now, is that behaviormodification?
Well, not in modern dogtraining.
Not if you're followingevidence-based and science-based
training practices.
All that and more we're goingto unpack.
(01:05):
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA in his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000pets, helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura Answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willMangura.
(01:30):
I like to lick everybody whenthey come to my door.
I'll eat anything if it fallson the floor.
(01:51):
Now I've heard the rumors.
I think I better ask you.
I heard I might be a dog.
Won't somebody please tell meit ain't true?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well, I'll tell you what.
There's a lot worse things thatcould happen than becoming a
dog.
I'll tell you some of the timesI'm looking at you know what
I'm doing for my dog and I'mlike, hey, if there's
reincarnation I definitely wantto come back as a dog, but you
hope you got a good owner right.
And what about our furryfriends?
(02:26):
And what about the behaviorsthat we're trying to change in
our dogs?
I want to talk about thedifference between modern dog
training today and old, outdatedmethods when it comes to
behavior modification and also,hey, what is behavior
(02:47):
modification?
Because a lot of folks areconfused about what the real
process should be in terms ofmodifying behavior.
Now a lot is changing in thedog training world.
Now a lot is changing in thedog training world.
(03:34):
The big emphasis is on animalwelfare.
Your dog's emotional, your dogusing even low levels of shock
with an electronic collar.
I know the proponents of theshock collars are saying, hey,
it's just a tickle.
It's just a tingle, it's justto get their attention, it's
just a mild annoyance.
Well, maybe, but if you look atthe dogs the vast majority of
dogs when they're experiencingthat sensation of the shock
(03:57):
collar, they're showing stresssignals they're experiencing
pain.
They're experiencing a certainlevel of stress, anxiety and
fear.
Now can that shock collar shutdown the dog's behavior?
Yeah, it can it can.
But what's the cost?
(04:17):
What is the cost to therelationship that you are trying
to establish or maintain withyour dog If your dog begins to
fear you?
Because, trust me, they knowthe shock comes from you?
Or let's say you're using aprong collar and doing the old
(04:38):
yank and crank method with aleash.
Or maybe you're yelling at thedog, telling the dog no, a leash
.
Or maybe you're yelling at thedog, telling the dog no.
Or maybe you hired some crazyfranchise from Down Under and
they're telling you to yell bah,bah to your dog.
Yeah, that's bark busters.
I'll call them out by name.
(05:00):
Maybe somebody told you to rollup a towel and bonk the dog over
the head when they do somethingwrong.
Well, what if I told you noneof that is necessary and all
training that involvespunishment, all training that
involves creating any kind ofunpleasant stimulus for the dog.
(05:23):
Whether you're yelling no,whether you're giving a leash
correction, whether you'regiving a correction with an
electronic collar, whetheryou're throwing a can, a shaker
can, a noise can usingcompressed air, All of those
techniques are positivepunishment.
(05:43):
Now, when I say positive, Idon't mean good, I mean adding
something unpleasant.
So when we talk aboutpunishment, there's positive
punishment, there's negativepunishment.
Negative punishment you takeaway something the dog likes.
Positive punishment is likeshocking the dog when they get
in the trash, or yelling at thedog, or kneeing the dog in the
(06:04):
chest when they jump on you,none of which I advocate Now,
trust me, I've been doing thisfor over 35 years.
I have used all of thosemethods.
When I started training,everything was compulsion-based.
There was no positivereinforcement, but that was
based on a model that isoutdated.
(06:29):
It's based on studies andresearch that was done decades
and decades ago that today weknow with current research,
science and studies was wrong,and the animal behaviorists that
came up with this wholedominance model with dogs have
(06:52):
themselves said they were wrong.
Dr Meck that talked abouthierarchy and pack structure and
talked about dominance said Iwas wrong.
But the problem is is thatthose studies that were done
(07:13):
decades ago influenced how wetrain dogs?
If your belief system is thatthere is a hierarchy and a
strict pack structure and thatthe dogs are trying to be
dominant and one up each otherand dogs in general are dominant
(07:36):
towards other dogs and towardspeople and that behavior
problems is really a dominanceissue, that you do need to show
the dog.
Who's boss?
You need to dominate the dog.
You need to be alpha.
You need to be number one inthe hierarchy.
You need to be number one inthe pack structure.
(07:56):
You need to be the pack leader.
Now, how many times have youheard that you need to be alpha?
Now, how many times have youheard that you need to be alpha?
All of that's wrong.
All of it's based on mistakes,misinformation.
(08:21):
Now, I'm not here to say thatpunishment can't stop behaviors.
You create enough fear, painand intimidation.
You can shut down just aboutany dog and get them to stop
behaving that way, but a lot ofbehaviors, especially the more
severe behaviors, are likeaggression and leash reactivity
that can be rooted in anxietyand fear, because, you know, no
(08:46):
animal goes into fight or flightunless they perceive a threat.
Now, there doesn't have to be areal threat, but if they
perceive a threat, that meansthat they're experiencing fear
and anxiety.
So when you use punishment,shock the dog you know you're
out for a walk, the dog's beingreactive on the leash and maybe
you hired a trainer that is ashock collar, e-collar trainer,
(09:10):
remote collar trainer, whateverthey want to call it and they
put a collar on your dog gaveyou a remote for your hand and
they said hey, when you'rewalking and your dog starts to
focus on the other dogs, justtap that button on the collar,
Get the dog's attention.
Well, really what you're doingis you're shocking the dog,
creating pain, fear,intimidation to stop that
(09:32):
behavior and maybe maybe thatbehavior stops, but it's usually
just for a short while, becausethe real problem is not the
dog's reactivity and aggression,it's the underlying emotional
state, the fear and the anxietythat drives that behavior.
(09:53):
And when you use punishment,when you're shocking the dog or
when you're crank, yanking andcranking on the leash with a
prong collar, you're causingfear, pain and intimidation.
You're causing stress.
Well, if the underlying rootcause of that behavior is stress
and anxiety, how do we feeladding more anxiety and stress
(10:16):
by using punishment is going tohelp that in the long run?
First of all, like I said, youbegin to erode and destroy the
relationship and bond that youhave with your dog.
Number one.
You also create more anxiety,more fear, more stress and it's
like a pressure cooker.
(10:37):
The dog starts out anxious andnervous on the walk Maybe it's
afraid of people, Maybe it's gotissues with other dogs and it
becomes reactive on the leashand here you punish the dog and
the dog stops that outwardbehavior.
But inside, underneath the dogand its emotions, we've created
(11:00):
more stress, more anxiety, morefear.
But now the dog's also tooafraid to act out and display
those behaviors.
And maybe you think, hey, thisis great, Now I can finally take
my dog for a walk.
And every time we see anotherdog or person, my dog's not
(11:21):
going ballistic.
Well, let me tell you, you keepwalking your dog, you keep
presenting these triggersstrange people, strange dogs,
whatever it might be that yourdog might have, leash reactivity
or aggression towards.
It's like the dog's a pressurecooker now because they're
afraid to display that behavior.
(11:41):
They don't want to getcorrected.
But you've done nothing tochange your dog's underlying
emotional state.
You've done nothing to help thedog not be afraid.
You've done nothing to help thedog relax.
You've done nothing to helpwith that anxiety or stress.
You're just pushing through itand, like I said, it's like a
(12:03):
pressure cooker through it.
And, like I said, it's like apressure cooker.
That anxiety and stress doesn'tgo away when you correct the
outward behavior.
But we've got trainers outthere the vast majority of
trainers that are out theresaying, hey, I do behavior
modification and there arepeople with serious behavior
(12:24):
problems, like aggression andleash reactivity, looking for
somebody that is experienced andgood with behavior modification
because they need to modifythis behavior.
And I hear it all the time.
I'm so confused this is what Ihear from pet parents.
I'm so confused.
There's so many differingopinions you get online.
(12:48):
You read so many differentthings.
You talk to so many differenttrainers.
You don't know what to do.
You don't know what's right.
I want to take a quick second totalk to you about Calm Dogs.
Calm Dogs is a natural calmingaid that I spent five years
researching and developing.
That's right.
Calm Dogs is my creation.
I developed Calm Dogs for dogswith anxiety, fears, phobias,
(13:10):
reactivity and even aggression.
I created Calm Dogs to helpdogs that have noise
sensitivities, like a fear ofthunderstorms or fireworks.
Calm Dogs also works great fordogs with separation anxiety, a
fear of car rides and travel.
Calm Dogs even helps those dogswith a fear of vet visits or
grooming.
In fact, I'm so confident thatCalm Dogs will help your dog
(13:32):
that I make it absolutelyrisk-free.
Calm Dogs comes with a 100%money-back guarantee.
My promise to you is verysimple Calm Dogs works for your
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Go to calmdogscom ordoganxietycom to learn more
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(13:54):
at calmdogscom or doganxietycom.
There's so much confusion outthere out there.
Well, let me say this there'sonly craziness and confusion in
the dog training industry andI'm sorry I'll apologize for my
(14:14):
industry that it's bleeding overto you.
Because, guess what?
There's absolutely no confusionwhen it comes to the science.
There's absolutely no confusionor varying opinions and
different types of doing thingswhen it comes to science and
(14:35):
research.
And if you talk to trainersthat use science-based,
evidence-based methods that arecertified and listen, when
you're looking for a trainer,you need to make sure they're
certified.
But you can't just take theirword and say, oh yeah, I've got
(14:58):
a certification.
Well, what kind ofcertification and who certified
you and what did that allinvolve?
What was that certificationprocess about?
Look, there are very feworganizations that are out there
that do any kind of certifyingof dog trainers that are really
(15:24):
legitimate.
There's a few.
You've got the CertificationCouncil for Professional Dog
Trainers and they are the onlyindependent certifying body for
dog trainers and behaviorconsultants in this country, as
a matter of fact, maybe even inthe world, because they certify
(15:47):
trainers and behaviorconsultants all throughout the
world.
But the Certification Councilfor Professional Dog Trainers is
not like a fraternity.
It's not like an associationfor dog trainers.
It's not like an associationfor dog trainers.
There's the InternationalAssociation of Animal Behavior
(16:10):
Consultants and they certifybehavior consultants and
trainers, but the problem isthere's a big financial stake
for them.
There's a big financial stakefor them.
You pay to become a member andthey're also selling you,
(16:32):
constantly selling you trainingand education for dog trainers.
Now there's nothing wrong and agood trainer, a good behavior
consultant, a good behaviorist,is always going to continue
their education.
Behavior consultant, a goodbehaviorist, is always going to
continue their education andgood certifications require
(16:56):
continuing education.
That's part of it.
But are you married to themfinancially or are they married
to you wanting constant moneyfrom you?
Once you're certified with theCertification Council for
Professional Doctrine, yeah,you've got to pay to sit for the
exam for the certification, butafter that you don't pay them
(17:17):
more money.
You don't get your educationand training as a dog trainer
through that organization.
They're the only certifyingbody that is accredited and
independently accredited by thesame accreditation boards that
(17:43):
accredit the certificationbodies for doctors, that
accredit the certificationbodies for doctors, nurses,
veterinarians Again, theCertification Council for
Professional Dog Trainers.
They're the only independentcertifying body.
Now there are some greatbehavior consultants that are
members of the InternationalAssociation of Animal Behavior
(18:06):
Consultants, but they are not atruly independent certifying
body, just like everybody elsethat's out there and a lot of
these trainers that are saying,hey, I'm certified, they've got
a certificate, they took acourse, They've got a
certificate.
That doesn't mean they'recertified.
(18:27):
There's no regulation in thisindustry.
There's no requirements foreducation, no requirement for
certification, no requirementfor continuing education.
We're trying to change that butunfortunately my profession we
can't come together and agree onstandards of training.
(18:50):
Why?
Because you've got a lot oftrainers out there that want to
continue to use outdated methodsthat science has shown are not
as effective, are not asefficient and there can be
psychological fallout and damagefrom using aversive type
methods, aversive tools likeshock collars and prong collars
(19:13):
and anything really that causesanxiety, fear or stress for the
dog.
But the thing is is that if youdon't really dig in to
understanding the process andwhat's going on, you may think
it's just fine to do that.
I did for years, for decades, Iused prong collars, I used shock
(19:38):
collars, I used punishment.
I was a balanced trainer.
I also used rewards.
I mean, I started off back inthe 70s.
It was pure compulsion.
Everything was forcing the dogto do it, no positive
reinforcement.
Then my progression was tobecome a balanced trainer.
Oh, I'm using rewards.
I'm using food rewards, I'musing a marker training system.
(20:01):
I might be using a clicker, butI'm also using punishment and I
use shot collars, prong collars, as I continued to evolve, as I
continued my education becauseI never stopped, I always
continued my education from dayone.
When you do that and you startto realize, when there's
(20:28):
research study after researchstudy after research study
showing the dangers ofpunishment and how it's, here's
the bottom line.
I want you to hear this.
I want you to hear this, Pleasehear this Punishment, the use
(20:49):
of aversives, is unnecessary.
Now, having done both, havingused just positive reinforcement
and trust me, with positivereinforcement you can change any
behavior, you can stop anybehavior and it will improve the
(21:09):
relationship and trust thatyour pet has with you and your
dog will be happy and it won'thave the anxiety and the stress
and be just doing it out ofcompulsion.
But trainers that usepunishment become very lazy.
(21:29):
It's easy to push a button on aremote that shocks a dog.
It's easy to just crank hard ona leash with a prong collar to
stop behavior.
The problem is it's usuallytemporary and it causes anxiety
for the dog and most of thesebehaviors are rooted in anxiety.
And punishment will never workfor leash reactivity.
(21:52):
It'll never work for aggression, not long-term.
It only suppresses the outwardbehavior.
It will add more anxiety andstress to the dog and it's a
pressure cooker and eventuallythe dog snaps.
I come behind trainers usingthese methods of punishment
negative reinforcement where thedogs were great for a couple
(22:17):
months but then it all fellapart, and that's always the
case.
Oh, I'm sure there's a dog ortwo out there that it's not the
case.
Is the case?
Oh, I'm sure there's a dog ortwo out there that it's not the
case.
There's never a extreme on oneend or the other.
Can some dogs handle punishmentand be just fine?
Yeah, but if it's unnecessaryto hurt the dog, to cause
(22:50):
discomfort, why are you doing it?
I know why the trainers aredoing it they don't want to give
up their tools because theythink that they're being
successful and that they'regetting the job done very
quickly and easily because,again, it takes nothing to
punish a dog.
You could kick the dog, hit thedog, shock the dog, crank on a
(23:11):
leash.
What type of skill set does ittake to do that?
Modifying real behaviormodification?
Modern dog training is rooted inscience, focusing on the
psychology and the learningpatterns of dogs.
It's all about understandinghow dogs think, how they feel,
(23:35):
how they learn.
At the core of that approach,positive reinforcement, which
involves rewarding desiredbehaviors to encourage their
repetition, is what we focus on.
This method not onlystrengthens the bond between pet
parents and their dogs, butalso fosters a safe and an
(23:59):
enriching learning environment.
Unlike outdated methods thatoften lead to fear and stress.
Outdated methods that oftenlead to fear and stress, modern
training champions the mentaland emotional well-being of dogs
.
In contrast outdated trainingmethods, they are all about what
(24:21):
I was saying earlier.
They're all about being steepedin the dominance theory,
relying heavily on negativereinforcement, and positive
punishment occurs or addingsomething unpleasant in response
to an undesired behavior.
And the problem is thesemethods punishment, negative
(24:57):
reinforcement can create a lotof different problems including,
like I said, increased fear foryour dog aggression.
Said increased fear for yourdog, aggression, damaging the
bond between you and your dog.
I think it's absolutely crucialto recognize the risks that
those antiquated and outdatedtactics, techniques, methods,
(25:24):
training styles can causemethods training styles can
cause.
Now let's talk about some commonbehavior problems that you
would like to modify thatbehavior, For example, barking.
Well, first of all, and trustme, barking is the number one
complaint, the number onereported behavior problem in
(25:44):
dogs.
But barking, it's a natural dogbehavior.
But all of us know, hey, whenit becomes excessive it's a
problem.
But it's often misunderstoodand it's mishandled.
(26:32):
Modern training addresses theroot cause of barking such or
punishment, which can reallyexacerbate underlying issues.
So one of the things that wewould do is we would take a look
at what's the root cause of thebarking.
You know a lot of barking isboredom.
What's the root cause of thebarking?
You know a lot of barking isboredom.
Well, if we've got a dog that'sbored, we need to increase
mental and physical stimulation.
(26:52):
We need to employ someenrichment.
Deal with that boredom ratherthan shocking the dog, rather
than punishing the dog.
Boredom is a huge reason forbarking, Frustration, barking.
Maybe you put the dog outsidebecause you haven't taken the
(27:15):
time to teach it good manners inthe house.
The dog's out there bored andthey want to come in.
They see you in the housethrough the door.
They can't get the door openthemselves.
They're frustrated and they'rebarking.
How about deal with theoriginal problem.
Deal with the frustration.
What if the dog's territorial?
(27:37):
What if the dog believes thatstrangers walking by the house
are scary or dangerous and itneeds to bark to get them to go
away?
Well, rather than shocking thedog, rather than punishing the
dog, yelling at the dog, rollingup a towel, hitting the dog,
bonking, they call it over thehead, rather than creating a
(28:00):
shaker can with pennies or rocksin it and throwing that at the
dog or shaking it, rather thanusing a spray bottle to threaten
the dog, rather than you fillin the blank when it comes to
punishment, we deal with theunderlying root cause.
If it's boredom, we we createenrichment, create mental and
(28:21):
physical stimulation.
If it's frustration, why?
Why is a dog?
Is it barrier?
Frustration, that's a big deal.
Fear and anxiety.
So if we've got a dog that'sterritorial, I'm going to deal
with that fear and anxiety.
Why does the dog feel it's gotto protect everything?
Why does the dog think thateverybody walking by is a threat
(28:44):
, that everybody walking by is athreat.
Using modern training techniques, using positive reinforcement,
we can teach alternativebehaviors.
Through positive reinforcementwe can use counter-conditioning
and desensitization to changethe dog's underlying emotional
(29:06):
state.
So if the dog is territorialand it thinks that people
walking by are a threat, we canhave controlled stage setups
where we have helpers walking bythe house but we keep the dog
far enough, or that helperwalking by the house far enough
away from the dog, where thedog's underlying emotional state
(29:26):
is neutral and it sees thetrigger and we can start pairing
positive reinforcement with thepresent presenting the trigger.
You know, like giving the dogits favorite toy or a high value
food reward or beginning to doplay every time a stranger
appears.
Now, if you've tried it and yousay, hey, it doesn't work, Will
(29:47):
, or if a trainer told you, hey,it doesn't work, it does work.
I do it every day with peopleacross the globe and I'm not
even with them.
I'm doing it virtually online,like a Zoom meeting, and I'm
coaching and teaching people howto modify these big problem
behaviors like aggression andleash reactivity, without having
(30:11):
to punish the dog Because,again, I get calls every single
day, I get emails every singleday from people that have dogs
with these problems.
They've tried that and it wasonly a temporary fix.
Now they're looking forsomething else that's going to
work, and this is what's goingto work long term.
(30:31):
So you know the barking, howabout teaching the dog and
positively reinforcing quietbehavior?
You know, I could get the dogto bark with a stimulus that is
not too provocative.
Let's say, for example, ratherthan having somebody come
(30:54):
banging on the door, bang, bang,bang, bang, knock, knock, knock
, real loud, I have somebodygive a very quiet knock, or two
Knock knock, and the dog gives alittle woof, Maybe another woof
, little woof, Maybe anotherwoof woof, but not going crazy
as if somebody's knock, knock,knock, knock, knock, knock on
the door right.
So present that trigger, butpresent it where it's not so
(31:21):
intense.
Bring down that intensity.
So the dog gives a little bark.
Now you wait, you get quiet.
The dog doesn't keep barking.
When the dog's quiet, I'm goingto label that behavior of being
quiet.
I'm going to say quiet and I'mgoing to click and reward and
(31:44):
then I'm going to try to elicitthat barking again by giving
that light little knock and thedog gives a little bark.
I wait for the dog to stopbarking.
Then, when there is quiet, I goquiet and I click and reward,
and I do that over and over andthen I begin to increase the
intensity of the stimulus that'scausing the barking.
(32:08):
And I do the same thing when Iget quiet.
I label quiet and I click andreward and I make sure that my
rewards are the highest valuerewards they possibly can be.
That's motivating the dog.
Do we need to use food forever?
No, we don't.
If you know what you're doing,you can fade that out.
But we've got to motivate thedog to want to do the behavior.
(32:30):
Being quiet needs to be a lotmore valuable to your dog than
barking.
And when that happens and whenyou're consistent with it and I
think it's important to beproactive, proactive training
sessions to teach what quiet is,to positively reinforce quiet
(32:51):
Because, let's face it, dogs aregoing to bark.
That'd be like telling you hey,never talk again for the rest
of your life.
They're going to bark, they'regoing to communicate.
We don't want the excessivebarking.
We would love to be able, whenour dogs bark, to say quiet and
they shut up.
And it's done every single daythrough positive reinforcement,
(33:17):
without having to use punishment.
It might take a few extra steps, but it's going to be something
that has permanence andreliability.
It's going to be somethingwhere we're not causing fear,
stress and anxiety for the dogand we're not eroding your
relationship with the dog wherethe dog starts to distrust you
(33:38):
because you're inflicting fear,pain and intimidation.
Like I said, barking number onereported complaint by pet
parents.
Very, very easy to modify thatbehavior using positive
reinforcement and rewardingalternative behaviors like quiet
(34:00):
, teaching quiet and eventually,you know, putting that quiet
behavior on cue or command sothat you can then use it All
right.
Let's talk about anotherbehavior that pet parents get
frustrated with.
They want to modify it.
Nobody likes it.
And that's when dogs arejumping and listen.
(34:21):
Dogs are not jumping on peopleto be dominant.
That is a myth.
Jumping on people to bedominant that is a myth.
Dogs aren't dominant.
They might be unruly.
You know, just being a dog.
They don't know what your rulesare.
You haven't taken the time toteach them and you've probably
been positively reinforcing thejumping by touching the dog,
(34:46):
giving the dog attention whenthey jump.
That's what they want.
But what are some of the oldschool methods?
Yeah, shock them with the shockcollar, correct them with the
prong collar, use compressed airto scare them, bonk them over
(35:06):
the head with a rolled up towel,yell at them no, how about this
one?
This is taught all the time.
Knee the dog in the chest.
All of it is about causing fear, pain and intimidation.
None of it is about addressingthe root cause of the problem.
The dog's usually jumpingbecause they're excited, because
(35:29):
they want to be affectionate,because they want your attention
, because they want your love,praise and affection and boredom
.
Your dog wants your attention.
How about, rather than kneeingyour dog, rather than punishing
your dog, you begin to teachyour dog that when they come
(35:52):
running towards you or when youwalk in the door, when a
stranger comes over, they sitand as long as they're sitting,
they can get love, praise,affection, treats, toys, play.
Using positive reinforcement toteach a sit, which is called
(36:14):
differential reinforcement,teaching a different behavior
that, if the dog is committed to, that behavior would be
incompatible with the behavioryou don't want.
Your dog cannot be committed tositting and be jumping at the
same time.
It has to give up one behaviorfor the other.
So I've talked about this quitea bit.
(36:34):
I've used this example quite abit in previous podcasts about
teaching the sit being veryproactive and, little by little,
having your dog maintain thatsit while people come in the
house and over time, gradually,systematically, have those
people become more animated.
(36:54):
Right, Because the more excitedthings are, the more the dog's
going to jump.
The calmer things are, the lesslikely they're going to jump.
So, hey, when I'm firstteaching this to a dog, if I've
got a dog that jumps, I'mencouraging people.
Hey, when you walk in, walk inand freeze like a tree because
the dog's overexcited and that'spositive reinforcement.
(37:17):
Happy thoughts, happy feelings,wiggly butts when you get home,
right, and then what do you do?
You punish them and before longthey start getting nervous
about you.
Long they start getting nervousabout you.
(37:38):
So it's easy to deal withjumping by teaching an
alternative behavior.
They can't lay down, be lyingdown and jumping at the same
time.
So proactively, I begin workingon sitting.
Proactively, I work on walkingin the door, having them sit and
rewarding.
Walk in the door, sit, reward.
(38:01):
Walk in the door, sit, reward.
Walk in the door a little moreanimated.
Have the dog sit and reward.
Repeat that over and over andover again.
Increase the excitability andanimation, and only as quickly
and as fast as your dog canlearn and handle it.
Listen, if your dog can'tmaintain the sit, that just
means you've gone into too higha level.
(38:22):
Too intense distractions toosoon Dial back the intensity of
the excitability and thedistractions.
But you need to train the dogto sit when things are crazy and
you do that gradually andslowly as your dog can handle it
(38:42):
.
As your dog becomes successfulat one level of intensity of
distraction, then turn it up alittle.
Work this in differentlocations so that you can teach
your dog to focus and filter outdistractions.
Now I talked earlier about leashreactivity and aggression and
(39:05):
the most common thing fortrainers to do is punish that
behavior and, like I said, allit does is suppress the outward
behavior.
It actually increases more fear, anxiety and stress in the dog.
Modern training real behaviormodification today, 2024, does
(39:29):
not involve the use of punishingdogs with shock collars and
prong collars.
Does not involve yelling no atthe dog.
Does not involve any othertools or techniques that are
causing any level of discomfort,fear, pain or intimidation with
the dog.
It's all unnecessary.
(39:52):
It is confusing when you get outthere and I feel that I have to
keep talking about this becauseI keep running into people that
have dogs that have someserious problems and they're
dying for a solution.
Their dogs are suffering.
They're struggling with theirdogs.
You know, imagine you've got adog that's aggressive towards
(40:13):
strangers and you can never haveanybody over to the house.
Imagine you can't take the dogfor a walk without the dog going
crazy.
You become a hostage and youtry these other methods and you
think that you're having successbecause the dog stops that
behavior for a while, only tohave it come back a few months
(40:36):
later and now it's worse andyou're dying for a solution.
I get these calls every singleday and we are having incredible
success.
If you've got a dog that hasproblems like this and you can't
find somebody to help teach youhow to modify these behaviors
(40:59):
using positive reinforcement, goto my website,
dogbehavioristcom.
Fill out my contact form,Contact me.
I'm happy to work with you andteach you exactly how to modify
any behavior using positivereinforcement.
It can be done.
(41:21):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, thatmusic means we are just about
out of time.
I'm Will Bangura.
You've been listening to DogTraining today.
Do me a favor, please.
If you love what we do, give usa five-star review.
Hit that like button.
Please share this with yourfriends and families and also
please subscribe.
Hit that subscribe button sothat you never miss an episode
(41:45):
of dog training today.
Hey, and visit my website atdogbehavioristcom.
If you've got a problem withyour dog and you're looking for
help, you can get all the helpyou need at dogbehavioristcom.
I'm Will Bangora.
Have a great week.
Everybody, I'm out of here whenI come home, won't you just go
crazy?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
He never looks at me like he might hate me.
So, just for fun, the other day I did a Google search
for my local area for dogtrainers.
Basically, what I wanted toknow is, if I put in Google
behavior modification trainingfor dogs in and then I put the
name of my city, I wanted to seewhat would come up and there
(00:23):
were several that came up localdog trainers that said that they
offer behavior modification andthey use those words, behavior
modification.
So I got on their website andstarted to decipher what exactly
they offered with behaviormodification.
(00:43):
They offered with behaviormodification.
Most of them.
All they were doing waspunishing dogs.
Now, is that behaviormodification?
Well, not in modern dogtraining.
Not if you're followingevidence-based and science-based
training practices.
All that and more we're goingto unpack.
(01:05):
Don't go anywhere.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
Raised by wolves with canine DNA in his blood.
Having trained more than 24,000pets, helping you and your fur
babies thrive, live in studiowith Will Bangura Answering your
pet behavior and trainingquestions.
Ladies and gentlemen, pleasewelcome your host and favorite
pet behavior expert, willMangura.
(01:30):
I like to lick everybody whenthey come to my door.
I'll eat anything if it fallson the floor.
(01:51):
Now I've heard the rumors.
I think I better ask you.
I heard I might be a dog.
Won't somebody please tell meit ain't true?
Speaker 1 (02:05):
Well, I'll tell you what.
There's a lot worse things thatcould happen than becoming a
dog.
I'll tell you some of the timesI'm looking at you know what
I'm doing for my dog and I'mlike, hey, if there's
reincarnation I definitely wantto come back as a dog, but you
hope you got a good owner right.
And what about our furryfriends?
(02:26):
And what about the behaviorsthat we're trying to change in
our dogs?
I want to talk about thedifference between modern dog
training today and old, outdatedmethods when it comes to
behavior modification and also,hey, what is behavior
(02:47):
modification?
Because a lot of folks areconfused about what the real
process should be in terms ofmodifying behavior.
Now a lot is changing in thedog training world.
Now a lot is changing in thedog training world.
(03:34):
The big emphasis is on animalwelfare.
Your dog's emotional, your dogusing even low levels of shock
with an electronic collar.
I know the proponents of theshock collars are saying, hey,
it's just a tickle.
It's just a tingle, it's justto get their attention, it's
just a mild annoyance.
Well, maybe, but if you look atthe dogs the vast majority of
dogs when they're experiencingthat sensation of the shock
(03:57):
collar, they're showing stresssignals they're experiencing
pain.
They're experiencing a certainlevel of stress, anxiety and
fear.
Now can that shock collar shutdown the dog's behavior?
Yeah, it can it can.
But what's the cost?
(04:17):
What is the cost to therelationship that you are trying
to establish or maintain withyour dog If your dog begins to
fear you?
Because, trust me, they knowthe shock comes from you?
Or let's say you're using aprong collar and doing the old
(04:38):
yank and crank method with aleash.
Or maybe you're yelling at thedog, telling the dog no, a leash
.
Or maybe you're yelling at thedog, telling the dog no.
Or maybe you hired some crazyfranchise from Down Under and
they're telling you to yell bah,bah to your dog.
Yeah, that's bark busters.
I'll call them out by name.
(05:00):
Maybe somebody told you to rollup a towel and bonk the dog over
the head when they do somethingwrong.
Well, what if I told you noneof that is necessary and all
training that involvespunishment, all training that
involves creating any kind ofunpleasant stimulus for the dog.
(05:23):
Whether you're yelling no,whether you're giving a leash
correction, whether you'regiving a correction with an
electronic collar, whetheryou're throwing a can, a shaker
can, a noise can usingcompressed air, All of those
techniques are positivepunishment.
(05:43):
Now, when I say positive, Idon't mean good, I mean adding
something unpleasant.
So when we talk aboutpunishment, there's positive
punishment, there's negativepunishment.
Negative punishment you takeaway something the dog likes.
Positive punishment is likeshocking the dog when they get
in the trash, or yelling at thedog, or kneeing the dog in the
(06:04):
chest when they jump on you,none of which I advocate Now,
trust me, I've been doing thisfor over 35 years.
I have used all of thosemethods.
When I started training,everything was compulsion-based.
There was no positivereinforcement, but that was
based on a model that isoutdated.
(06:29):
It's based on studies andresearch that was done decades
and decades ago that today weknow with current research,
science and studies was wrong,and the animal behaviorists that
came up with this wholedominance model with dogs have
(06:52):
themselves said they were wrong.
Dr Meck that talked abouthierarchy and pack structure and
talked about dominance said Iwas wrong.
But the problem is is thatthose studies that were done
(07:13):
decades ago influenced how wetrain dogs?
If your belief system is thatthere is a hierarchy and a
strict pack structure and thatthe dogs are trying to be
dominant and one up each otherand dogs in general are dominant
(07:36):
towards other dogs and towardspeople and that behavior
problems is really a dominanceissue, that you do need to show
the dog.
Who's boss?
You need to dominate the dog.
You need to be alpha.
You need to be number one inthe hierarchy.
You need to be number one inthe pack structure.
(07:56):
You need to be the pack leader.
Now, how many times have youheard that you need to be alpha?
Now, how many times have youheard that you need to be alpha?
All of that's wrong.
All of it's based on mistakes,misinformation.
(08:21):
Now, I'm not here to say thatpunishment can't stop behaviors.
You create enough fear, painand intimidation.
You can shut down just aboutany dog and get them to stop
behaving that way, but a lot ofbehaviors, especially the more
severe behaviors, are likeaggression and leash reactivity
that can be rooted in anxietyand fear, because, you know, no
(08:46):
animal goes into fight or flightunless they perceive a threat.
Now, there doesn't have to be areal threat, but if they
perceive a threat, that meansthat they're experiencing fear
and anxiety.
So when you use punishment,shock the dog you know you're
out for a walk, the dog's beingreactive on the leash and maybe
you hired a trainer that is ashock collar, e-collar trainer,
(09:10):
remote collar trainer, whateverthey want to call it and they
put a collar on your dog gaveyou a remote for your hand and
they said hey, when you'rewalking and your dog starts to
focus on the other dogs, justtap that button on the collar,
Get the dog's attention.
Well, really what you're doingis you're shocking the dog,
creating pain, fear,intimidation to stop that
(09:32):
behavior and maybe maybe thatbehavior stops, but it's usually
just for a short while, becausethe real problem is not the
dog's reactivity and aggression,it's the underlying emotional
state, the fear and the anxietythat drives that behavior.
(09:53):
And when you use punishment,when you're shocking the dog or
when you're crank, yanking andcranking on the leash with a
prong collar, you're causingfear, pain and intimidation.
You're causing stress.
Well, if the underlying rootcause of that behavior is stress
and anxiety, how do we feeladding more anxiety and stress
(10:16):
by using punishment is going tohelp that in the long run?
First of all, like I said, youbegin to erode and destroy the
relationship and bond that youhave with your dog.
Number one.
You also create more anxiety,more fear, more stress and it's
like a pressure cooker.
(10:37):
The dog starts out anxious andnervous on the walk Maybe it's
afraid of people, Maybe it's gotissues with other dogs and it
becomes reactive on the leashand here you punish the dog and
the dog stops that outwardbehavior.
But inside, underneath the dogand its emotions, we've created
(11:00):
more stress, more anxiety, morefear.
But now the dog's also tooafraid to act out and display
those behaviors.
And maybe you think, hey, thisis great, Now I can finally take
my dog for a walk.
And every time we see anotherdog or person, my dog's not
(11:21):
going ballistic.
Well, let me tell you, you keepwalking your dog, you keep
presenting these triggersstrange people, strange dogs,
whatever it might be that yourdog might have, leash reactivity
or aggression towards.
It's like the dog's a pressurecooker now because they're
afraid to display that behavior.
(11:41):
They don't want to getcorrected.
But you've done nothing tochange your dog's underlying
emotional state.
You've done nothing to help thedog not be afraid.
You've done nothing to help thedog relax.
You've done nothing to helpwith that anxiety or stress.
You're just pushing through itand, like I said, it's like a
(12:03):
pressure cooker through it.
And, like I said, it's like apressure cooker.
That anxiety and stress doesn'tgo away when you correct the
outward behavior.
But we've got trainers outthere the vast majority of
trainers that are out theresaying, hey, I do behavior
modification and there arepeople with serious behavior
(12:24):
problems, like aggression andleash reactivity, looking for
somebody that is experienced andgood with behavior modification
because they need to modifythis behavior.
And I hear it all the time.
I'm so confused this is what Ihear from pet parents.
I'm so confused.
There's so many differingopinions you get online.
(12:48):
You read so many differentthings.
You talk to so many differenttrainers.
You don't know what to do.
You don't know what's right.
I want to take a quick second totalk to you about Calm Dogs.
Calm Dogs is a natural calmingaid that I spent five years
researching and developing.
That's right.
Calm Dogs is my creation.
I developed Calm Dogs for dogswith anxiety, fears, phobias,
(13:10):
reactivity and even aggression.
I created Calm Dogs to helpdogs that have noise
sensitivities, like a fear ofthunderstorms or fireworks.
Calm Dogs also works great fordogs with separation anxiety, a
fear of car rides and travel.
Calm Dogs even helps those dogswith a fear of vet visits or
grooming.
In fact, I'm so confident thatCalm Dogs will help your dog
(13:32):
that I make it absolutelyrisk-free.
Calm Dogs comes with a 100%money-back guarantee.
My promise to you is verysimple Calm Dogs works for your
dog, or it's free, Take the45-day Calm Dog Challenge.
Go to calmdogscom ordoganxietycom to learn more
about Calm Dogs and how it canhelp your dog today, Risk-free,
(13:54):
at calmdogscom or doganxietycom.
There's so much confusion outthere out there.
Well, let me say this there'sonly craziness and confusion in
the dog training industry andI'm sorry I'll apologize for my
(14:14):
industry that it's bleeding overto you.
Because, guess what?
There's absolutely no confusionwhen it comes to the science.
There's absolutely no confusionor varying opinions and
different types of doing thingswhen it comes to science and
(14:35):
research.
And if you talk to trainersthat use science-based,
evidence-based methods that arecertified and listen, when
you're looking for a trainer,you need to make sure they're
certified.
But you can't just take theirword and say, oh yeah, I've got
(14:58):
a certification.
Well, what kind ofcertification and who certified
you and what did that allinvolve?
What was that certificationprocess about?
Look, there are very feworganizations that are out there
that do any kind of certifyingof dog trainers that are really
(15:24):
legitimate.
There's a few.
You've got the CertificationCouncil for Professional Dog
Trainers and they are the onlyindependent certifying body for
dog trainers and behaviorconsultants in this country, as
a matter of fact, maybe even inthe world, because they certify
(15:47):
trainers and behaviorconsultants all throughout the
world.
But the Certification Councilfor Professional Dog Trainers is
not like a fraternity.
It's not like an associationfor dog trainers.
It's not like an associationfor dog trainers.
There's the InternationalAssociation of Animal Behavior
(16:10):
Consultants and they certifybehavior consultants and
trainers, but the problem isthere's a big financial stake
for them.
There's a big financial stakefor them.
You pay to become a member andthey're also selling you,
(16:32):
constantly selling you trainingand education for dog trainers.
Now there's nothing wrong and agood trainer, a good behavior
consultant, a good behaviorist,is always going to continue
their education.
Behavior consultant, a goodbehaviorist, is always going to
continue their education andgood certifications require
(16:56):
continuing education.
That's part of it.
But are you married to themfinancially or are they married
to you wanting constant moneyfrom you?
Once you're certified with theCertification Council for
Professional Doctrine, yeah,you've got to pay to sit for the
exam for the certification, butafter that you don't pay them
(17:17):
more money.
You don't get your educationand training as a dog trainer
through that organization.
They're the only certifyingbody that is accredited and
independently accredited by thesame accreditation boards that
(17:43):
accredit the certificationbodies for doctors, that
accredit the certificationbodies for doctors, nurses,
veterinarians Again, theCertification Council for
Professional Dog Trainers.
They're the only independentcertifying body.
Now there are some greatbehavior consultants that are
members of the InternationalAssociation of Animal Behavior
(18:06):
Consultants, but they are not atruly independent certifying
body, just like everybody elsethat's out there and a lot of
these trainers that are saying,hey, I'm certified, they've got
a certificate, they took acourse, They've got a
certificate.
That doesn't mean they'recertified.
(18:27):
There's no regulation in thisindustry.
There's no requirements foreducation, no requirement for
certification, no requirementfor continuing education.
We're trying to change that butunfortunately my profession we
can't come together and agree onstandards of training.
(18:50):
Why?
Because you've got a lot oftrainers out there that want to
continue to use outdated methodsthat science has shown are not
as effective, are not asefficient and there can be
psychological fallout and damagefrom using aversive type
methods, aversive tools likeshock collars and prong collars
(19:13):
and anything really that causesanxiety, fear or stress for the
dog.
But the thing is is that if youdon't really dig in to
understanding the process andwhat's going on, you may think
it's just fine to do that.
I did for years, for decades, Iused prong collars, I used shock
(19:38):
collars, I used punishment.
I was a balanced trainer.
I also used rewards.
I mean, I started off back inthe 70s.
It was pure compulsion.
Everything was forcing the dogto do it, no positive
reinforcement.
Then my progression was tobecome a balanced trainer.
Oh, I'm using rewards.
I'm using food rewards, I'musing a marker training system.
(20:01):
I might be using a clicker, butI'm also using punishment and I
use shot collars, prong collars, as I continued to evolve, as I
continued my education becauseI never stopped, I always
continued my education from dayone.
When you do that and you startto realize, when there's
(20:28):
research study after researchstudy after research study
showing the dangers ofpunishment and how it's, here's
the bottom line.
I want you to hear this.
I want you to hear this, Pleasehear this Punishment, the use
(20:49):
of aversives, is unnecessary.
Now, having done both, havingused just positive reinforcement
and trust me, with positivereinforcement you can change any
behavior, you can stop anybehavior and it will improve the
(21:09):
relationship and trust thatyour pet has with you and your
dog will be happy and it won'thave the anxiety and the stress
and be just doing it out ofcompulsion.
But trainers that usepunishment become very lazy.
(21:29):
It's easy to push a button on aremote that shocks a dog.
It's easy to just crank hard ona leash with a prong collar to
stop behavior.
The problem is it's usuallytemporary and it causes anxiety
for the dog and most of thesebehaviors are rooted in anxiety.
And punishment will never workfor leash reactivity.
(21:52):
It'll never work for aggression, not long-term.
It only suppresses the outwardbehavior.
It will add more anxiety andstress to the dog and it's a
pressure cooker and eventuallythe dog snaps.
I come behind trainers usingthese methods of punishment
negative reinforcement where thedogs were great for a couple
(22:17):
months but then it all fellapart, and that's always the
case.
Oh, I'm sure there's a dog ortwo out there that it's not the
case.
Is the case?
Oh, I'm sure there's a dog ortwo out there that it's not the
case.
There's never a extreme on oneend or the other.
Can some dogs handle punishmentand be just fine?
Yeah, but if it's unnecessaryto hurt the dog, to cause
(22:50):
discomfort, why are you doing it?
I know why the trainers aredoing it they don't want to give
up their tools because theythink that they're being
successful and that they'regetting the job done very
quickly and easily because,again, it takes nothing to
punish a dog.
You could kick the dog, hit thedog, shock the dog, crank on a
(23:11):
leash.
What type of skill set does ittake to do that?
Modifying real behaviormodification?
Modern dog training is rooted inscience, focusing on the
psychology and the learningpatterns of dogs.
It's all about understandinghow dogs think, how they feel,
(23:35):
how they learn.
At the core of that approach,positive reinforcement, which
involves rewarding desiredbehaviors to encourage their
repetition, is what we focus on.
This method not onlystrengthens the bond between pet
parents and their dogs, butalso fosters a safe and an
(23:59):
enriching learning environment.
Unlike outdated methods thatoften lead to fear and stress.
Outdated methods that oftenlead to fear and stress, modern
training champions the mentaland emotional well-being of dogs
.
In contrast outdated trainingmethods, they are all about what
(24:21):
I was saying earlier.
They're all about being steepedin the dominance theory,
relying heavily on negativereinforcement, and positive
punishment occurs or addingsomething unpleasant in response
to an undesired behavior.
And the problem is thesemethods punishment, negative
(24:57):
reinforcement can create a lotof different problems including,
like I said, increased fear foryour dog aggression.
Said increased fear for yourdog, aggression, damaging the
bond between you and your dog.
I think it's absolutely crucialto recognize the risks that
those antiquated and outdatedtactics, techniques, methods,
(25:24):
training styles can causemethods training styles can
cause.
Now let's talk about some commonbehavior problems that you
would like to modify thatbehavior, For example, barking.
Well, first of all, and trustme, barking is the number one
complaint, the number onereported behavior problem in
(25:44):
dogs.
But barking, it's a natural dogbehavior.
But all of us know, hey, whenit becomes excessive it's a
problem.
But it's often misunderstoodand it's mishandled.
(26:32):
Modern training addresses theroot cause of barking such or
punishment, which can reallyexacerbate underlying issues.
So one of the things that wewould do is we would take a look
at what's the root cause of thebarking.
You know a lot of barking isboredom.
What's the root cause of thebarking?
You know a lot of barking isboredom.
Well, if we've got a dog that'sbored, we need to increase
mental and physical stimulation.
(26:52):
We need to employ someenrichment.
Deal with that boredom ratherthan shocking the dog, rather
than punishing the dog.
Boredom is a huge reason forbarking, Frustration, barking.
Maybe you put the dog outsidebecause you haven't taken the
(27:15):
time to teach it good manners inthe house.
The dog's out there bored andthey want to come in.
They see you in the housethrough the door.
They can't get the door openthemselves.
They're frustrated and they'rebarking.
How about deal with theoriginal problem.
Deal with the frustration.
What if the dog's territorial?
(27:37):
What if the dog believes thatstrangers walking by the house
are scary or dangerous and itneeds to bark to get them to go
away?
Well, rather than shocking thedog, rather than punishing the
dog, yelling at the dog, rollingup a towel, hitting the dog,
bonking, they call it over thehead, rather than creating a
(28:00):
shaker can with pennies or rocksin it and throwing that at the
dog or shaking it, rather thanusing a spray bottle to threaten
the dog, rather than you fillin the blank when it comes to
punishment, we deal with theunderlying root cause.
If it's boredom, we we createenrichment, create mental and
(28:21):
physical stimulation.
If it's frustration, why?
Why is a dog?
Is it barrier?
Frustration, that's a big deal.
Fear and anxiety.
So if we've got a dog that'sterritorial, I'm going to deal
with that fear and anxiety.
Why does the dog feel it's gotto protect everything?
Why does the dog think thateverybody walking by is a threat
(28:44):
, that everybody walking by is athreat.
Using modern training techniques, using positive reinforcement,
we can teach alternativebehaviors.
Through positive reinforcementwe can use counter-conditioning
and desensitization to changethe dog's underlying emotional
(29:06):
state.
So if the dog is territorialand it thinks that people
walking by are a threat, we canhave controlled stage setups
where we have helpers walking bythe house but we keep the dog
far enough, or that helperwalking by the house far enough
away from the dog, where thedog's underlying emotional state
(29:26):
is neutral and it sees thetrigger and we can start pairing
positive reinforcement with thepresent presenting the trigger.
You know, like giving the dogits favorite toy or a high value
food reward or beginning to doplay every time a stranger
appears.
Now, if you've tried it and yousay, hey, it doesn't work, Will
(29:47):
, or if a trainer told you, hey,it doesn't work, it does work.
I do it every day with peopleacross the globe and I'm not
even with them.
I'm doing it virtually online,like a Zoom meeting, and I'm
coaching and teaching people howto modify these big problem
behaviors like aggression andleash reactivity, without having
(30:11):
to punish the dog Because,again, I get calls every single
day, I get emails every singleday from people that have dogs
with these problems.
They've tried that and it wasonly a temporary fix.
Now they're looking forsomething else that's going to
work, and this is what's goingto work long term.
(30:31):
So you know the barking, howabout teaching the dog and
positively reinforcing quietbehavior?
You know, I could get the dogto bark with a stimulus that is
not too provocative.
Let's say, for example, ratherthan having somebody come
(30:54):
banging on the door, bang, bang,bang, bang, knock, knock, knock
, real loud, I have somebodygive a very quiet knock, or two
Knock knock, and the dog gives alittle woof, Maybe another woof
, little woof, Maybe anotherwoof woof, but not going crazy
as if somebody's knock, knock,knock, knock, knock, knock on
the door right.
So present that trigger, butpresent it where it's not so
(31:21):
intense.
Bring down that intensity.
So the dog gives a little bark.
Now you wait, you get quiet.
The dog doesn't keep barking.
When the dog's quiet, I'm goingto label that behavior of being
quiet.
I'm going to say quiet and I'mgoing to click and reward and
(31:44):
then I'm going to try to elicitthat barking again by giving
that light little knock and thedog gives a little bark.
I wait for the dog to stopbarking.
Then, when there is quiet, I goquiet and I click and reward,
and I do that over and over andthen I begin to increase the
intensity of the stimulus that'scausing the barking.
(32:08):
And I do the same thing when Iget quiet.
I label quiet and I click andreward and I make sure that my
rewards are the highest valuerewards they possibly can be.
That's motivating the dog.
Do we need to use food forever?
No, we don't.
If you know what you're doing,you can fade that out.
But we've got to motivate thedog to want to do the behavior.
(32:30):
Being quiet needs to be a lotmore valuable to your dog than
barking.
And when that happens and whenyou're consistent with it and I
think it's important to beproactive, proactive training
sessions to teach what quiet is,to positively reinforce quiet
(32:51):
Because, let's face it, dogs aregoing to bark.
That'd be like telling you hey,never talk again for the rest
of your life.
They're going to bark, they'regoing to communicate.
We don't want the excessivebarking.
We would love to be able, whenour dogs bark, to say quiet and
they shut up.
And it's done every single daythrough positive reinforcement,
(33:17):
without having to use punishment.
It might take a few extra steps, but it's going to be something
that has permanence andreliability.
It's going to be somethingwhere we're not causing fear,
stress and anxiety for the dogand we're not eroding your
relationship with the dog wherethe dog starts to distrust you
(33:38):
because you're inflicting fear,pain and intimidation.
Like I said, barking number onereported complaint by pet
parents.
Very, very easy to modify thatbehavior using positive
reinforcement and rewardingalternative behaviors like quiet
(34:00):
, teaching quiet and eventually,you know, putting that quiet
behavior on cue or command sothat you can then use it All
right.
Let's talk about anotherbehavior that pet parents get
frustrated with.
They want to modify it.
Nobody likes it.
And that's when dogs arejumping and listen.
(34:21):
Dogs are not jumping on peopleto be dominant.
That is a myth.
Jumping on people to bedominant that is a myth.
Dogs aren't dominant.
They might be unruly.
You know, just being a dog.
They don't know what your rulesare.
You haven't taken the time toteach them and you've probably
been positively reinforcing thejumping by touching the dog,
(34:46):
giving the dog attention whenthey jump.
That's what they want.
But what are some of the oldschool methods?
Yeah, shock them with the shockcollar, correct them with the
prong collar, use compressed airto scare them, bonk them over
(35:06):
the head with a rolled up towel,yell at them no, how about this
one?
This is taught all the time.
Knee the dog in the chest.
All of it is about causing fear, pain and intimidation.
None of it is about addressingthe root cause of the problem.
The dog's usually jumpingbecause they're excited, because
(35:29):
they want to be affectionate,because they want your attention
, because they want your love,praise and affection and boredom
.
Your dog wants your attention.
How about, rather than kneeingyour dog, rather than punishing
your dog, you begin to teachyour dog that when they come
(35:52):
running towards you or when youwalk in the door, when a
stranger comes over, they sitand as long as they're sitting,
they can get love, praise,affection, treats, toys, play.
Using positive reinforcement toteach a sit, which is called
(36:14):
differential reinforcement,teaching a different behavior
that, if the dog is committed to, that behavior would be
incompatible with the behavioryou don't want.
Your dog cannot be committed tositting and be jumping at the
same time.
It has to give up one behaviorfor the other.
So I've talked about this quitea bit.
(36:34):
I've used this example quite abit in previous podcasts about
teaching the sit being veryproactive and, little by little,
having your dog maintain thatsit while people come in the
house and over time, gradually,systematically, have those
people become more animated.
(36:54):
Right, Because the more excitedthings are, the more the dog's
going to jump.
The calmer things are, the lesslikely they're going to jump.
So, hey, when I'm firstteaching this to a dog, if I've
got a dog that jumps, I'mencouraging people.
Hey, when you walk in, walk inand freeze like a tree because
the dog's overexcited and that'spositive reinforcement.
(37:17):
Happy thoughts, happy feelings,wiggly butts when you get home,
right, and then what do you do?
You punish them and before longthey start getting nervous
about you.
Long they start getting nervousabout you.
(37:38):
So it's easy to deal withjumping by teaching an
alternative behavior.
They can't lay down, be lyingdown and jumping at the same
time.
So proactively, I begin workingon sitting.
Proactively, I work on walkingin the door, having them sit and
rewarding.
Walk in the door, sit, reward.
(38:01):
Walk in the door, sit, reward.
Walk in the door a little moreanimated.
Have the dog sit and reward.
Repeat that over and over andover again.
Increase the excitability andanimation, and only as quickly
and as fast as your dog canlearn and handle it.
Listen, if your dog can'tmaintain the sit, that just
means you've gone into too higha level.
(38:22):
Too intense distractions toosoon Dial back the intensity of
the excitability and thedistractions.
But you need to train the dogto sit when things are crazy and
you do that gradually andslowly as your dog can handle it
(38:42):
.
As your dog becomes successfulat one level of intensity of
distraction, then turn it up alittle.
Work this in differentlocations so that you can teach
your dog to focus and filter outdistractions.
Now I talked earlier about leashreactivity and aggression and
(39:05):
the most common thing fortrainers to do is punish that
behavior and, like I said, allit does is suppress the outward
behavior.
It actually increases more fear, anxiety and stress in the dog.
Modern training real behaviormodification today, 2024, does
(39:29):
not involve the use of punishingdogs with shock collars and
prong collars.
Does not involve yelling no atthe dog.
Does not involve any othertools or techniques that are
causing any level of discomfort,fear, pain or intimidation with
the dog.
It's all unnecessary.
(39:52):
It is confusing when you get outthere and I feel that I have to
keep talking about this becauseI keep running into people that
have dogs that have someserious problems and they're
dying for a solution.
Their dogs are suffering.
They're struggling with theirdogs.
You know, imagine you've got adog that's aggressive towards
(40:13):
strangers and you can never haveanybody over to the house.
Imagine you can't take the dogfor a walk without the dog going
crazy.
You become a hostage and youtry these other methods and you
think that you're having successbecause the dog stops that
behavior for a while, only tohave it come back a few months
(40:36):
later and now it's worse andyou're dying for a solution.
I get these calls every singleday and we are having incredible
success.
If you've got a dog that hasproblems like this and you can't
find somebody to help teach youhow to modify these behaviors
(40:59):
using positive reinforcement, goto my website,
dogbehavioristcom.
Fill out my contact form,Contact me.
I'm happy to work with you andteach you exactly how to modify
any behavior using positivereinforcement.
It can be done.
(41:21):
Well, ladies and gentlemen, thatmusic means we are just about
out of time.
I'm Will Bangura.
You've been listening to DogTraining today.
Do me a favor, please.
If you love what we do, give usa five-star review.
Hit that like button.
Please share this with yourfriends and families and also
please subscribe.
Hit that subscribe button sothat you never miss an episode
(41:45):
of dog training today.
Hey, and visit my website atdogbehavioristcom.
If you've got a problem withyour dog and you're looking for
help, you can get all the helpyou need at dogbehavioristcom.
I'm Will Bangora.
Have a great week.
Everybody, I'm out of here whenI come home, won't you just go
crazy?
Speaker 2 (42:06):
He never looks at me like he might hate me.
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