Topic #4
THE HUMAN END OF THE LEASH
Week Three Lessons: impulse control - leave it - stay - LLW-the plate game

Review: Continue to stress the importance of the verbal marker "YES!"

Week three exercises - Doggy Zen & Leave-it are the best exercises for perfecting the timing of the verbal marker and showing students how to back chain and build a behavior in small increments in a single session.

Get the food out of the lure hand!
Clean hand signals without luring. Students will continue to reward on a 1:1 ratio for new things, but as behaviors are put on cue and the dog gains confidence and reliability, handlers need to start thinking about jackpots, running the dog through a string of varied commands with "fine dining" rewards in between sequences of behaviors. It's a balance between keeping them generous while preventing them from becoming reliant on the food lure.

THREE positions - a triangle. Most of the students will have only practiced sit and down - thus they will report "when I cue the sit, he lays down." Most students probably do one stand for every eight sits or downs. Any transition involving a stand position will be weaker than a sit to a down or a down to a sit - not because the stand is harder, but because they didn't practice it! Note this to them! It is glaringly obvious but they won't realize it unless you point it out!

What IS praise to the dog?
Nothing -at first- just excited noise that probably makes his tail wag. It becomes a secondary reinforcer once it is paired with a primary reinforcer. It then becomes part of the dog's motivation to succeed, to work through frustration. It becomes as important as the primary reinforcer over time.

As the dog assumes the desired position, mark "yes" THEN pair the "woo-hoo YAY" celebration and petting with the food delivery. The verbal marker and celebration should be clearly separate: the reward FOLLOWS the behavior - the marker designates the part of the behavior that earned the reward. If you are careful to separate the marker and the delivery, getting the food out of the lure hand will be easier.

Praise is not an accurate behavior marker. Discourage your students from saying:
"Good Come"- "Good Down"- "Good Quiet"- "Good Leave It"!
Saying "good sit" as you deliver a food reward doesn't help attach the cue word "sit" to the behavior -it's too late in the sequence for the dog to make an association. In fact, it will SLOW the establishment of the word as a cue as the dog is hearing the verbal diarrhea with no actual association to the word - creating learned irrelevance. It is unbelievably difficult to train the relevance back in. In order for the association to be made, the cue word "sit" must happen right BEFORE the dog sees a recognized handsignal or lure, so the dog will see that one predicts the other. Even if the dog understands that the position he is in follows the word "sit" - saying "good sit" still is merely redundant, weakening the cue - he can't sit "more" than he already is. Eat your asparagus - good asparagus!

Follow-up answers from week 2 - when to NOT use specific tools/techniques.

Observable behavior is a symptom - treat the source!

When you wrote up your personality descriptions based on their profile scores, you made different judgements and recommendations - even though the behavior symptoms that all of the dog owners complained about were the SAME! In a class situation, all the students are listening to your advice about stopping barking - and all the dogs are barking - but the solution isn't the same for all of them.

Apply the right tool to the right situation. Applying a temporary interruption (binaca, squirt bottle, even a GL) may give short term relief from the immediate class disruption problem - but it will not affect the situation long term unless you address the source of the stress that is causing the behavior and teach the dog an alternate behavior to replace it. Until you replace it with a desireable behavior and/or a less stressed state of mind, the problem behavior will not go away.

There is a huge difference between interrupting a behavior, and correcting it. When a behavior is effectively corrected (made right), it is not just punished, so the animal tends to not do it as much in the future. It is not just interrupted, so that it could not go to completion so the dog can't self-reinforce. It is explored, examined, defined, and rehearsed until the dog consistently acts in the desired way whenever he encounters a specfic stimuli in the future.

When to NOT use specific tools/techniques: Enforcing a down by standing on the leash of a shy or frightened dog can be traumatic, make it feel even more vulnerable and force the dog into a panic. Binaca, water, citronella can make an overwhelming situation even MORE overwhelming - or more frustrating. Use sparingly - remember there are people in the room who should NOT use a tool who are watching and learning by example and telling their neighbors how well whatever you did worked.

The wrong "solution" may make matters worse. Confrontational tactics in an already deteriorating relationship can push a dog into using aggression to counter the 'attack' by his owner. Anything "applied" to stop a behavior is positive punishment and can trigger a defensive (fight or flight) response - a dog who doesn't respect its handler who is barking at another dog may redirect his frustrations onto the handler who tries to "correct" the barking with a blast of binaca. Punishment often causes a general reduction in all behavior - good or bad. A traumatic event during a fear imprint period can stay with a dog for life.

Management is an effective classroom strategy, but it's not a training technique. Barracading a dog away in another room to keep him quiet doesn't help him learn to cope with being in a room full of dogs. It's a good temporary step to keep him from escalating, from practicing the wrong behavior and help him calm down, but you must have a plan beyond it.

If the human isn't adept or comfortable applying the tool, it isn't going to work. Tools have to be right for the human and the dog.

Is this something they can or should apply at home? Or is it just to shut the dog up in class? Even if it works in class, what will happen when they go home? Will the kids try to imitate it and get bitten? There is almost always some fall-out from punishment. Will the dog owner be able to have the timing/technique necessary to be successful? Will they over-use or under-use the technique?

Remember the rules of punishment: it must be big, immediate, it must work the first time and not need to be repeated. It is always neutral - never done in anger. If a student is packing binaca and a holster full of bitter apple days and weeks later, daring their dog to make them use it, it isn't working!

For ALL of the above reasons, it is better, safer and more effective to focus on teaching an appropriate alternative behavior than it is to get caught up putting out fires all over the room using corrective techniques.

THE HUMAN END OF THE LEASH
Communication - keeping it positive & relevant - working at the student's level and learning style.

As the philosopher Epictetus said almost 2,000 years ago: "The thing that upsets people is not what happens but what they think it means."

We teach them how and tell them why. We introduce a foundation block of skills that makes it easier for them to reach the next level. Each student comes to class with their own set of goals and expectations. If we meet their expectations and help them achieve their individual goals, we will be successful instructors.

Meet their needs. The majority of students just want better communication with their pets and basic manners. Some are there to "fix" a specific problem behavior. A few are there for the social aspect of the class environment - they're just there to have fun with their dogs. On rare occasions there might be a student whose goal is competition - most just want their dog to be an enjoyable part of the family. Our students are young, old, disabled, families with kids, singles and couples of a variety of orientations. For this reason, every class will be similar, but no two classes will ever be exactly the same. The students' needs and goals will dictate how you prioritize each week's lessons. This is especially true of the advanced classes. Listen to student comments and questions. Read their profiles. What are their personal reasons for registering for your class?

Raising criteria is essential to keep both humans and dogs challenged, motivated and interested. It is what makes training fun and creates pride in the accomplishment. But, if you push too far too fast, they will soon flounder and become discouraged and lose interest in the process. (Dogs wander off and sniff, handlers feel like failures, inadequate, or look for someone or something to blame besides themselves.) Critiquing may be internalized as scolding or judging. Dogs and humans shut down if they don't feel they are succeeding. Focus on successes, no matter how small, and help the student see the progress they have made, help them envision how far they could go, and inspire them to get there. Inspired students do their homework!

Explain why. A certain exercise may be vitally important to their progress, but they may not understand why or how your suggestion will benefit their situation or how it will help them accomplish their goals. They won't practice their lessons if they don't understand why it applies to them.

Are they doing good, but not "good enough?" If your goal is perfection and theirs is to just have fun, your priorities will clash. Our primary goal as instructors is to develop a cooperative working relationship between dogs and handlers - give them the tools they need to understand and train their dogs. Where they take it from there is up to them. The beaming student who is so proud the dog finally sat FAST may not be worried about where it sat at that moment. Be sure to stop and celebrate the progress before you identify the next goal.

Catch them doing something right. Make a sincere effort to praise each student at least once for something well done during each class. Let those who "get it" be great examples for the other students and give them a chance to show off their successes. Conversely, don't put the ones who are floundering on the spot. The last thing a frustrated student wants is to have their ‘failure' noticed by the other students. Concentrate on what they are doing right, guide them in small steps, and the behavior you'd like to eliminate will extinguish without needing to point out what they are doing "wrong."

Remember that private attention can make them feel "special" or the opposite - singled out because they are a problem. Be aware that embarrassed humans often feel like they have the "worst" dog in the room, or that they are bothering the instructor or the rest of the class. Feeling like the other students are noticing their dog's bad behavior or their poor handling is probably one of the biggest reasons people drop out, give up, don't get the help they need, and give up their dogs.

Instruct and guide - COACH your students!
Replace "no, he's not straight - get his butt in" with "that was nice and fast, let's try it again. This time, keep your shoulders straight, take one step forward and as you do, place your food hand here -and draw it forward -and up" (model for the student) THERE! Perfect. See how straight he is? Good job!" And bear in mind as you coach your students, in the bigger scheme of things, a crooked sit doesn't make owners give their dogs up for adoption. A deteriorating relationship does. It absolutely doesn't matter to the beginning student that his dog is perfectly straight in "heel position" or took an extra step forward on the stand - he's happy the dog got up at all!

Progress is number one in importance to ALL students - perfection is also an attainable goal IF it is a priority for the individual and if they are committed to training to that level. When a student is really doing their homework and it shows, praise them in front of the group - not just to publicly reinforce them, and also good for the other students to see that time well spent in working with their dogs really does pay off. It's easy for them to say "well, of course the instructor's dog is 'perfect' - they are professionals." It's important for them to see a fellow student's progress and hear how that student fit practice into their busy lives. Know what their personal goals are and celebrate when they reach them!

"Perfect Practice makes Perfect Performance" - Gary Wilkes.
The important part of teaching "perfection" is to clarify for the student the need to be aware of what he thinks he's teaching and what the dog is actually learning and give the dog a clear expectation so he doesn't have to guess: does the dog think the command "stand" means stand up and hold still - or leave a sit and walk around? Is the dog ping-ponging around the behavior hoping to get it right - with no idea what "right" might be? Don't just show them what the exercise looks like when its finished, explain how to get there, why it's important in living more successfully with their dog. You've taught them how to train - have you made suggestions for how, when and where to practice? Give them ideas to fit practicing the specific behavior into their busy lives.

How is the lesson relevant to the student?
If it's just nitpicking position, ask the student the question, "does it matter to you that he's swung out a little?" And if it doesn't matter to them, fine! Their answer to the question might very well be, "should it matter?"

Attach relevance:

• "when he swings out like that, he might sit on someone's foot in a crowded elevator" (assuming their interest is pet therapy in a big, busy hospital) or better "you'll want him sitting close beside you while you wait to cross a busy street so he won't hop off the curb into traffic" or
• "a judge will mark you off a ½ point" (assuming they are interested in competition) or
• "if he learns to really focus on where you want his rear end, he'll have less time to think about what else is going on in the world - it can help build the attention you are trying to get." or
• "when he scoots back like that, you have to turn to look at him, so it will be harder to get the eye contact you need to keep him focused on you instead of the world around him" or "if he gets in the habit of backing up to sit, you will have to loom/step to take hold of his collar - this will make it really difficult to catch him"
• covers all the bases: "it is easier for the dog to understand a specific place than a fuzzy one - be specific in what your criteria is so he can understand exactly what you want."

Human learning styles

Auditory, visual, kinesthetic - cover all the bases.

Auditory learners get the most from what you describe to them in words.
Visual learners get the most from live demos and pictures.
Kinesthetic learners learn by feel - they learn by doing - walk them through it (wax on, wax off!)

Teach:

• Tell them what you are going to teach them
• show them
• have them do it themselves
• tell them what you taught them

Here is a great bunch of info on Human Learning Styles that I have collected from various sources.

Explain and illustrate concepts. Teach specific exercises. Explain what the dog is learning.

Break lessons down in steps. "Feed" your students no more than 3 steps at a time. More than that they cannot grasp and will get lost. ("What do I do next?") Explain it Step 1 ... Step 2 ... Step 3. Demo with a dog, or have your assistant demo, while you explain it so the visual learners can see it. Then let them do it. Say the steps outloud AS they try it. Then take a break, let it soak in while you explain and show steps 4 & 5 and then put it together.

KIDS IN CLASS

We pride ourselves in being a kid-friendly, whole family training school. Parents choose DITR for the very reason that they view the dog as a family member and want their children to be part of their dogs' training. Do encourage all family members to take turns, for children to handle and work with the dogs and help the parents learn to coach their children effectively. Redirect parental or sibling nagging. Point out to the whole class those who are doing a good job and why. Reinforce modeling and guiding. In some cases the child may be the primary trainer and the parent is the coach. Be supportive of these folks as they have the double duty of being parent AND dog trainer! Some kids are awesome coaches for their parents, reminding mom & dad what to do!

Inappropriate kids in class are a challenge for the instructor, a distraction for other students and a safety hazard. They should never be unsupervised - direct parental involvement is necessary. Children who are not involved in the dog's training should be waiting their turn quietly. (Review the Kids in the Classroom handout in the folder.) Interrupt and redirect - "let's let mom teach him first and when we are sure he understands it, we'll give you a turn." Be specific - not just "please don't bug the dogs", but "I need you to sit right here until it is your turn and your job is to give your mom treats when she needs more."

Are they bored? Put them to work! Kids are great at collecting cones and putting away hoops and passing out handouts, boxes, treats. In advanced classes I use them as distractions on stays and recalls. Many of our students don't have kids of their own. Being around kids in class can be a great social benefit for a great many of our dog students. Be sure to poll the class before you use them as a distraction "is anyone's dog uncomfortable around children?" and then give the kids specific directions. Keep it simple. "Follow me and do what I do." Coach as you go.

Some tips for making it a safe & successful situation:

• If the dog outweighs the child, have the parent hold the leash while the child does the training.
• The child does need to learn to handle the leash and the dog needs to see it in the child's hands. Some dogs will attend to the parent instead of the child if the parent takes the leash - in the case of kids who can't physically control the dog, two leads can solve this issue. The parent stands behind the dog holding one leash, the child holds his own leash, the treats and gives the commands.
• On leashwork exercises, have the parent "tag along" behind the child, but remind them that coaching doesn't mean doing the work for the child. The dog should ONLY hear commands from the one doing the training - if the parent can't let go of control and is confusing the dog by "over helping" you may have to occasionally step in - "let's see how you're doing, Johnny, can I follow you through the course this time?"
• Even very young children can be amazing handlers - be creative in your approach (have them sit on the parent's lap and the parent model the signals for them, with their palm under the child's.) I wish I had a video of the 4 year old boy who ran a malamute pup through its paces - his 'sit' handsignal was way above his head!

Week three lessons:

Eye contact/Attention: It started with the name game - now we add doggy zen / biscuit down / waiting for permission: attention-eye contact on door control for verbal marker "yes" (release to go through door is reward) > leave-it - looking at handler instead of temptations on the ground.

Impulse control - Stay & Leave-it:

Leave-it - Doggy Zen in hand > teaches leadership, control of resource, patience, impulse control, eye contact, timing of verbal marker "yes", criterion shift, setting the dog up to succeed, and the concept of an unemotional no-reward marker a opposed to a correction. Bonus- improved bite inhibition, behavior around food. Mine, not yours. Work to earn. (See page 49 in handbook)

Sit/down stay > teach progression - time first, distance later. Teaches how to raise criteria (distractions) in order to set dog up to succeed, not test to fail. Hand signal "stay" - lift foot (furthest from dog) move leg/shift weight/take step/take full step. Give signal, pivot front-pivot back. Step right and left/ two steps right and left/ quarter way around dog/ half way around dog/ teach dog to hold position while step behind/ circle dog/ make circle bigger/ increase distance: walk away one step, two steps, three steps (return without pausing) add pause at one step - increase length of pause > increase steps and length of pause > add distractions > change picture/environment. Hop/skip/jump/run around dog > strangers > strangers with dogs > cats > squirrels > above at a distance > out of sight. Release and ignore-not release and cheer. Good stuff happens DURING stay.

Sit stay at door > "when you see the dog WAITING FOR PERMISSION you may give permission. If he moves before you give permission, interrupt with ah-ah - body block, dog must go back and try again." Teaches release word / door control / safety / leadership / impulse control. Practice at doors, stairs, car doors, dinner dish. Teach body block (soccer goalie style) to keep dog from getting through door before given the release. See handout in folder "Permission-the ultimate pack leader tool" Sit-freeze, Sit for petting > Meet and greet / go say hi, return to handler / circle pass the dog for sit for petting / massage / handling all body parts / relaxing and deferring. Use verbal marker "yes" for appropriate choices and impulse control.

Sit for petting. Practice having dog sit while handler (not stranger) reaches toward dog's head, mark "yes" for stillness, lack of wiggling, licking, mouthing, etc. Increase activity, invasiveness, silliness as dog is able to withstand distraction (remains still and sitting.) Withhold reward/attention if dog leaves sit position. Add people dog knows well, then strangers. If person approaches and dog gets up, person turns away/withdraws.

Leash work, progressing from the leave-it foundation:

Plate game - LLW (Loose Leash Walking) toward a distraction.
Teaches incremental training, back chaining, self control, concept of adding steps and building on success:

Leave-it - treats on a plate: Starts with leave-it (doggy zen/eye contact) > sit stay leave-it at plate (plate on floor, reward dog for loosening leash - mark "yes"! for settle back / eye contact -just like doggy zen)

Plate game: approach plate from one step back > then two > etc. When dog can approach and sit without lunging into plate from 4-5 steps away, go all the way to fence and approach plate. If dog pulls, go back to starting line. At home, set plates out on sidewalk and walk from plate to plate, stopping to sit at each plate and deliver treat. Pulling causes loss of proximity to plate, slack leash gains access. Challenge - leash laid across open palm, if handler has to close hand, must go back to starting line. (Keeps owner from tightening leash and makes them very aware of how much they rely on the leash.) For overly-friendly lab types, use a person instead of a plate and petting as the resulting reward for self control instead of food. (Slack Leash to the Goal Line - see page 57 in handbook)

Leave-it with off limits items brought from home > builds on doggy zen - teaches "leave-it" as unemotional no-reward marker - a cue for "come away from a distraction and look at me." Teaches timing of verbal marker "yes" as dog turns away from item > eye contact on "leave-it" cue. Teaches leash pop correction at minimal level - concept of interrupt / redirect and recognizing and acknowledging dog's choices and intent by watching body language. When he's "about to" not after he's committed to acting or already grabbed the item.

Loose magnet heeling w/attention
Close the food in your hand so it's not visible, position the hand up by your shoulder to encourage the dog to look toward your face. Mark the position every step or two. Say "yes!" and bring the food directly to her so the food delivery happens right where her nose was supposed to be so she doesn't wrap around in front of you. Criteria to watch for and mark are: position, eye contact and steady gait. If she looks away and looks back, "yes!", sniffs and looks up "yes!", is bouncing and gives two steps of a nice walk or trot "yes!" Gradually you can move your hand to a more relaxed position at your waist or in your coat pocket, only moving it to deliver the reward after you have marked a specific behavior with a "yes!" Lastly, no food in the hand at all - mark the behavior and THEN reach for the food in your pocket or treat tote - or run to a dish on the side lines.

Loose magnet/ Brenda back-away for pulling/ approach and greet - call away. The handlers line up along the fenceline and additional family members stand on the sidewalk facing them. They approach (LLW), sit, say hello, call dogs and run back.

Weave cones, circle, turns, changes of direction, change of speed. One step, sit. Loose leash approach, meet/greet/call-away. Using cones and hoops for leashwork patterns.