People are often surprised to hear that we still work regularly on training with Abby. While I typically refer to the weekly class we take Abby to as puppy school, we regularly work with her on a wide variety of concepts aimed to shape various behaviors with her. Most people will typically joke that at this rate Abby should have a PhD.
But there's a reason I train my dog: I don't want to be that person.
You know the person I'm talking about. The person that in any situation shows complete disregard for either their dog, those around them, or both. They are the person who often utters such phrases as "Don't worry, they're friendly," or "They're a good dog but they don't listen," or they simply don't say anything at all while their dog is the poster child for continued education. I'll give you an example.
Today I needed to bring Abby to the vet. A few months ago she had a problem with an interdigital cyst between the toes on her back paw, and sure enough one flared up between the toes on her front paw. I am trying to take a proactive approach to Abby's vet appointments because I know that she gets nervous about them. Let's face it - Abby has had a series of not so fun appointments that have included UTI's, anal abscesses, and a tooth extraction. If this were me I'd need copious amounts of alcohol to face the exam room. On top of these appointments, our girlie has often had instances where over the top dogs have been right in her face. If vet visits are not well thought out they can be a recipe for disaster.
Since the TACT Seminar, I have decided that I need to take a proactive approach to the vet. With the first vet Abby would visit, we lucked out in one regard. Because Abby went there for routine checkups, daycare, grooming and training she truly never knew what was going to happen. I realized that I needed to take a similar approach with this vet because her generalization wasn't transferring in light of the more scary visits. First, I need to take her to the vet for all sorts of random things. Perhaps one day we will go there and Abby will just walk through, get a treat, and leave. Another day we will drive into the parking lot and Abby will be treated for walking around. Another day we may go in, get on the scale, and leave with treats. It's important that I mix these things up. Additionally, in the event that Abby does need to be seen I need to work with our vet to make these appointments less scary. Sometimes our vet runs late. Rather than subject Abby to being in a waiting area building her anxiety, I will go and check us in and she can wait in the car. When her exam room is ready they will wave to me and call us in.
This is what I did with Abby today and it worked out really well. Abby was very patient with the vet while he checked her toes and expressed her anal glands. At the end of the appointment Abby sat by the door waiting for it to open. I asked her to wait while I opened the door and I checked to be sure no dogs would bombard us as we left and Abby waited patiently until I gave the OK. She then was praised by the staff at the reception desk. However, there was a slight timing issue and her invoice was not ready when we approached the desk. I laid Abby's mat down while she waited so she could relax. It was at this point that I heard the lobby door open. I figured the best course of action was to move Abby from where she was and walk to the opposite side of the waiting area because inevitably this person might seek to leave via the same area we were standing in.
I gathered Abby's mat and focused her attention on me. It was at this point that the little dog that had come in had rounded the corner and went right up to Abby in a very forward way. I still had Abby's attention so she didn't notice at first that the other dog was coming. It was at this point that I literally stuck my leg in front of the incoming dog to block her. You could tell the other dog didn't expect it because she ran into my leg trying to get to Abby. The owner said at this point, "Oh, sorry, she's friendly." I replied, "She's not." With that Abby and I turned and walked to the other side of the room. Abby had her eyes on me the whole time and she sat proudly on the scale and worked on targeting my hand. Another stressed dog entered the waiting area and huffed and puffed while trying to pull towards Abby. My girl sat on the scale and looked from that dog to me as if to say, "Do you see that dog?"
This is why I train my dog.
Abby is sometimes friendly towards other dogs, but often hates when dogs are over the top in their greetings. She doesn't like aggressive face to face contact at first and sometimes prefers manners in approaching her. Now Abby did not show any signs of aggression or distress in the first dog ambushing her to say hi, but that doesn't matter. You should have eyes on your dog. You should know where they go and what they're doing. And you should ask me if your dog can greet mine and not be surprised or hurt when I say no. Because I have to be honest when I tell you that if your dog wants to greet mine in a vet's office it isn't going to happen. I have no idea if you are picking up food, seeking treatment for conjunctivitis, or are there for any myriad of reasons in which I would not want your dog to greet mine. It's a veterinarian's office, and in most instances you are not there just to say hi.
This is why I train my dog. So that she can go out into the world without being a menace, and in the face of uncomfortable situations look to me to fix them. So that she is not that dog who rounds the corner and ambushes other dogs or people who are reactive or fearful of her. So that I am not that person who shows no respect for others and causes panic to owners of reactive dogs. So that I am not that person who risks my dog's safety because she misreads a cue from another dog and is bitten.
Today was a day where I took great pride in the work we have done with her.
Showing posts with label fear reactivity. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fear reactivity. Show all posts
Friday, May 25, 2012
Wednesday, May 23, 2012
What do you mean you need to learn about tact?
There were a few people who first misunderstood when I told them I was going to a class on TACT. They took it to mean tact. And for better or worse there were people who weren't surprised when they thought that I was going to learn about the latter. Boy will they be disappointed!
Touch Associated Clicker Training (TACT) is a new protocol from Julie Robitaille that helps rehabilitate reactive, shy, and aggressive dogs using clicker training, learning theory and massage therapy. I first learned about the program when reading the Facebook page for Dogs In Need Of Space (DINOS). DINOS is a wonderful community I discovered a few months ago that allows people with reactive dogs to share stories, ask questions, and offer support to owners of reactive dogs. As soon as I saw that TACT was created by Emma Parson's teaching assistant, Julie, I was on board.
Admittedly I was nervous about going because I am not a professional dog trainer. And if I'm to be totally honest I didn't previously think of myself as a trainer either. Sure, I train Abby. But I had previously classified myself as her owner and did not necessarily think of myself as her trainer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that although there were professional trainers and recent Karen Pryor graduates, there were also fellow owners, vet technicians, and animal massage therapists to name a few. The idea behind TACT came from Julie's work in massaging canines. She had clients who would want her to work on their dogs but they were worried. Given the dog's reactivity the owner did not feel as if this was possible. What began as Julie asking them to still come to her booth so she could click and treat dogs for entering, looking at her, walking towards her, etc. transcended into protocols aimed at giving repetition and structure to the interaction reactive dogs had with strangers.
So much of this program seemed similar to the Protocols for Relaxation that Abby and I have used previously in the sense that you start with very small steps and build from there, increasing the difficulty as the dog is comfortable with it. Additionally the Relaxation Protocol has a very ritualized series of movements that you do while the dog is in a default down or default sit. TACT is very similar in how it builds the predictability of this protocol and later adds distance or challenges. But additionally what I liked about TACT was that it builds the idea of generalization and applying this to other environments and other strangers.
The seminar showed actual footage from private lessons between Julie and one particular dog, Finch. There were points of Finch's story that reminded me so much of Abby - the alarm barking at strangers and other dogs, hackles raised. There have been plenty of times where Abby has done this, even with people she sees regularly in our condo development. But then there are other times where Abby bounds happily over to people to greet them and give them hugs and kisses. Although Abby's reactivity seems relatively low these days which I credit in part to her not doing daycare anymore, it is something I am always mindful of. The seminar was great at explaining Displacement Behaviors and how to identify them and has given me some criteria for identifying when Abby is at or beyond threshold. Beyond that it has given me a series of protocols that we can work on, as well as some Foundation and Emergency Behaviors that we can use for situations where we see things that could trigger Abby to move past her threshold. It also left me feeling empowered and believing that Abby and I have a relationship where I am also her trainer and handler.
For those who are interested in checking out TACT but don't have the ability to attend a seminar, Julie has a comprehensive 5-disc set available for purchase on Clean Run. The DVDs are 5.5 hours long and walk you through an introduction to clicker training, the TACT protocol, and massage therapy techniques. I highly recommend them!
Touch Associated Clicker Training (TACT) is a new protocol from Julie Robitaille that helps rehabilitate reactive, shy, and aggressive dogs using clicker training, learning theory and massage therapy. I first learned about the program when reading the Facebook page for Dogs In Need Of Space (DINOS). DINOS is a wonderful community I discovered a few months ago that allows people with reactive dogs to share stories, ask questions, and offer support to owners of reactive dogs. As soon as I saw that TACT was created by Emma Parson's teaching assistant, Julie, I was on board.
Admittedly I was nervous about going because I am not a professional dog trainer. And if I'm to be totally honest I didn't previously think of myself as a trainer either. Sure, I train Abby. But I had previously classified myself as her owner and did not necessarily think of myself as her trainer. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that although there were professional trainers and recent Karen Pryor graduates, there were also fellow owners, vet technicians, and animal massage therapists to name a few. The idea behind TACT came from Julie's work in massaging canines. She had clients who would want her to work on their dogs but they were worried. Given the dog's reactivity the owner did not feel as if this was possible. What began as Julie asking them to still come to her booth so she could click and treat dogs for entering, looking at her, walking towards her, etc. transcended into protocols aimed at giving repetition and structure to the interaction reactive dogs had with strangers.
So much of this program seemed similar to the Protocols for Relaxation that Abby and I have used previously in the sense that you start with very small steps and build from there, increasing the difficulty as the dog is comfortable with it. Additionally the Relaxation Protocol has a very ritualized series of movements that you do while the dog is in a default down or default sit. TACT is very similar in how it builds the predictability of this protocol and later adds distance or challenges. But additionally what I liked about TACT was that it builds the idea of generalization and applying this to other environments and other strangers.
The seminar showed actual footage from private lessons between Julie and one particular dog, Finch. There were points of Finch's story that reminded me so much of Abby - the alarm barking at strangers and other dogs, hackles raised. There have been plenty of times where Abby has done this, even with people she sees regularly in our condo development. But then there are other times where Abby bounds happily over to people to greet them and give them hugs and kisses. Although Abby's reactivity seems relatively low these days which I credit in part to her not doing daycare anymore, it is something I am always mindful of. The seminar was great at explaining Displacement Behaviors and how to identify them and has given me some criteria for identifying when Abby is at or beyond threshold. Beyond that it has given me a series of protocols that we can work on, as well as some Foundation and Emergency Behaviors that we can use for situations where we see things that could trigger Abby to move past her threshold. It also left me feeling empowered and believing that Abby and I have a relationship where I am also her trainer and handler.
For those who are interested in checking out TACT but don't have the ability to attend a seminar, Julie has a comprehensive 5-disc set available for purchase on Clean Run. The DVDs are 5.5 hours long and walk you through an introduction to clicker training, the TACT protocol, and massage therapy techniques. I highly recommend them!
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Just when I thought I was out, they pull me back in
So Abby's progression with us has been really interesting to watch. We've gone from a girl who literally would be pulling me and bouncing towards any object that she saw, to now sometimes getting a bit mouthy with some dogs. It also has been a progression that has only recently occurred, and I'm really hoping that we'll be able to make some positive improvements for her so that she doesn't feel so overwhelmed and reactive.
As we had worked with Abby on her relaxation and general anxiety, we also tried to put her into daycare for a few reasons. Not only was it clear that she lacked all social graces, but we also were able to give our neighbors some relief from her all day barking. Daycare made a huge impression on Abby, and certainly helped with some of her anxiety. The days we did crate her very slowly began to go a little bit better, and inevitably we sent her to daycare to tire her out and also so that I wouldn't have to race home at lunch to let her out. She always seemed excited to go to daycare, and we were also excited to send her.
Last month my husband and I went on our long overdue honeymoon, and we sent Abby to stay with a petsitter. On her usual Thursday Abby went off to daycare, and when she came back the feedback was that she had a few little scuffles in daycare, at least one of which she caused. My immediate reaction was to be worried, but then I balanced it out with, "Well, she was in a new environment and she was out of her routine with my husband and I."
The same day that Abby had a great reaction to Caitlin the week after returning from vacation was twofold. On one hand I was excited by her reaction and interaction with Caitlin. However, there was something at the end of our interaction that did concern me. As I previously wrote she had played with Dexter and was having fun being rowdy, and she even let the little girl, Caitlin, throw a ball to her and went to sniff her. Towards the end of her interaction, one of our neighbors came home with his dog. He let his dog out of the car and the dog approached Abby. Now Abby has played with this dog in the past, although I sometimes limit their time because this dog plays a little rough from time to time. However, as the new dog approached Abby instantly got mouthy with him and started to bite at his mouth. She even made a sound as if she was hurt while biting him, yet he was very clearly not doing anything to her. I was shocked! I took Abby back, made our apologies, and went homeward bound.
Admittedly I was worried about sending her to daycare, but with it being month-end at work I wouldn't have been able to get home for lunch. So Abby went to daycare, and the feedback was positive: she had fun playing and romping and was a joy to have. Phew! Maybe those incidents were just flukes!
Nope.
The next week she met a new Boxer puppy in the neighborhood. She did not seem to like the immediate rear sniffing from the puppy, but she didn't get mouthy. Instead her tail dropped between her legs and she tried to scoot away. But then she would go right back to play wrestling and seemed to have fun. After a few minutes a newer puppy in the neighborhood, Cooper, approached. Abby has been very patient with Cooper in the past and has enjoyed playing with him. Although Abby is not a big dog, she sometimes is unsure with smaller dogs because she usually is the smallest dog in daycare. This day when Cooper approached, the Boxer puppy went to greet first. Abby watched without moving, her tail in a high arch over her back as is her normal posture when any dog approaches. Cooper was focused at first on the Boxer puppy, and after a minute turned his attention to Abby. Abby promptly bit him in the mouth. I pulled Abby back, apologized again (as I'm starting to get used to) and Cooper's mom continued Cooper on his walk.
The thing is that there are times throughout these weeks where Abby has great interactions with other dogs, and so it is just so hard to tell what is going on.
However, last week things came to a head. Abby went to daycare on Thursday and it did not go as well as it should. The wonderful thing about where Abby goes to daycare is that they write up blurbs about how the dogs did in daycare. I always enjoy reading these as I wait for Abby to be brought up from daycare. On this particular Thursday I did not enjoy reading this. It said that Abby likes to start scuffles in daycare and most of the other dogs ignore this, but today she started one with Zoe, a Boxer around Abby's age, and it escalated before the staff could intervene. Abby ended up with a scratch on her head, and later I found one on her leg.
My husband and I joke that our children have four legs, and as I waited for Abby to be brought up from daycare I felt my heart sink as I waited to see her and wondered how bad it was. My initial thoughts as I saw her were, "Oh my gosh, my poor girl, she has a scar!" In retrospect the cut really wasn't that bad. When Abby's mouthiness first started I talked with Jessica about it and she said that some dogs don't do well with daycare longterm, and perhaps I needed to consider removing her from it. My confirmation that this was the appropriate course of action was being mulled over in my head this Thursday. Part of me thought, "Well, this feedback seems to come on Thursdays. Maybe there are particular dogs that seem to spark Abby's reactivity." I realize now that the fact that there is reactivity at all means I need to work on it.
I brought Abby to class on Saturday and immediately became aware that we needed to work with our girl. We brought Abby inside to wait for the previous class to finish up. Abby was waiting on her mat, when a small dog came around the corner and instantly went up to Abby to give kisses. Abby was fine with this, and barked as the dog left as if she wanted the dog to stay to play. Then Abby made her way up to the working area and I put her mat down. She was sitting calmly until she heard Morgan, a Chocolate Lab. Morgan is high energy, and her in-your-face style in recent weeks has left Abby unsettled. Abby had actually tried to bite Morgan before, and I hadn't thought much of the incident largely because of Morgan's over the top nature. However, as soon as Abby heard Morgan approaching she was at attention and ready to defend... or attack, I'm not sure which. Morgan tried to approach and Abby instantly lunged. I got her back to her mat, but unfortunately the next dog to come in tried to sniff Abby and she again lunged. It was clear that daycare was completely off the table, and honestly I'm OK with that.
After class I spoke with Jess, and left armed with a book to begin to understand how to shape Abby's reactions and perceptions of other dogs. All dog interactions are off the table at this point, and frankly it makes it easier. As I began to really look at Abby this week, I had a bit of a revelation. When we first got Abby she was instantly reactive and barking, pulling, hopping, and lunging towards whatever she saw. However, as we worked with Abby on her reactivity, I began to take anything that didn't resemble that over-the-top reaction as a step in the right direction. It dawns on me now that while Abby doesn't bark, pull and hop in the presence of something to watch, she does have a reaction. She freezes. Her body is tense and her tail is arched high over her back. Nothing about that posture seems relaxed to me.
So at this point I have a lot of work to do with our girl. I swear just when I start to get one thing sort of figured out, she throws another challenge at me. But I know that she's in the best possible place for her to display these behaviors because I'm committed to understanding them and working with her.
As we had worked with Abby on her relaxation and general anxiety, we also tried to put her into daycare for a few reasons. Not only was it clear that she lacked all social graces, but we also were able to give our neighbors some relief from her all day barking. Daycare made a huge impression on Abby, and certainly helped with some of her anxiety. The days we did crate her very slowly began to go a little bit better, and inevitably we sent her to daycare to tire her out and also so that I wouldn't have to race home at lunch to let her out. She always seemed excited to go to daycare, and we were also excited to send her.
Last month my husband and I went on our long overdue honeymoon, and we sent Abby to stay with a petsitter. On her usual Thursday Abby went off to daycare, and when she came back the feedback was that she had a few little scuffles in daycare, at least one of which she caused. My immediate reaction was to be worried, but then I balanced it out with, "Well, she was in a new environment and she was out of her routine with my husband and I."
The same day that Abby had a great reaction to Caitlin the week after returning from vacation was twofold. On one hand I was excited by her reaction and interaction with Caitlin. However, there was something at the end of our interaction that did concern me. As I previously wrote she had played with Dexter and was having fun being rowdy, and she even let the little girl, Caitlin, throw a ball to her and went to sniff her. Towards the end of her interaction, one of our neighbors came home with his dog. He let his dog out of the car and the dog approached Abby. Now Abby has played with this dog in the past, although I sometimes limit their time because this dog plays a little rough from time to time. However, as the new dog approached Abby instantly got mouthy with him and started to bite at his mouth. She even made a sound as if she was hurt while biting him, yet he was very clearly not doing anything to her. I was shocked! I took Abby back, made our apologies, and went homeward bound.
Admittedly I was worried about sending her to daycare, but with it being month-end at work I wouldn't have been able to get home for lunch. So Abby went to daycare, and the feedback was positive: she had fun playing and romping and was a joy to have. Phew! Maybe those incidents were just flukes!
Nope.
The next week she met a new Boxer puppy in the neighborhood. She did not seem to like the immediate rear sniffing from the puppy, but she didn't get mouthy. Instead her tail dropped between her legs and she tried to scoot away. But then she would go right back to play wrestling and seemed to have fun. After a few minutes a newer puppy in the neighborhood, Cooper, approached. Abby has been very patient with Cooper in the past and has enjoyed playing with him. Although Abby is not a big dog, she sometimes is unsure with smaller dogs because she usually is the smallest dog in daycare. This day when Cooper approached, the Boxer puppy went to greet first. Abby watched without moving, her tail in a high arch over her back as is her normal posture when any dog approaches. Cooper was focused at first on the Boxer puppy, and after a minute turned his attention to Abby. Abby promptly bit him in the mouth. I pulled Abby back, apologized again (as I'm starting to get used to) and Cooper's mom continued Cooper on his walk.
The thing is that there are times throughout these weeks where Abby has great interactions with other dogs, and so it is just so hard to tell what is going on.
However, last week things came to a head. Abby went to daycare on Thursday and it did not go as well as it should. The wonderful thing about where Abby goes to daycare is that they write up blurbs about how the dogs did in daycare. I always enjoy reading these as I wait for Abby to be brought up from daycare. On this particular Thursday I did not enjoy reading this. It said that Abby likes to start scuffles in daycare and most of the other dogs ignore this, but today she started one with Zoe, a Boxer around Abby's age, and it escalated before the staff could intervene. Abby ended up with a scratch on her head, and later I found one on her leg.
My husband and I joke that our children have four legs, and as I waited for Abby to be brought up from daycare I felt my heart sink as I waited to see her and wondered how bad it was. My initial thoughts as I saw her were, "Oh my gosh, my poor girl, she has a scar!" In retrospect the cut really wasn't that bad. When Abby's mouthiness first started I talked with Jessica about it and she said that some dogs don't do well with daycare longterm, and perhaps I needed to consider removing her from it. My confirmation that this was the appropriate course of action was being mulled over in my head this Thursday. Part of me thought, "Well, this feedback seems to come on Thursdays. Maybe there are particular dogs that seem to spark Abby's reactivity." I realize now that the fact that there is reactivity at all means I need to work on it.
I brought Abby to class on Saturday and immediately became aware that we needed to work with our girl. We brought Abby inside to wait for the previous class to finish up. Abby was waiting on her mat, when a small dog came around the corner and instantly went up to Abby to give kisses. Abby was fine with this, and barked as the dog left as if she wanted the dog to stay to play. Then Abby made her way up to the working area and I put her mat down. She was sitting calmly until she heard Morgan, a Chocolate Lab. Morgan is high energy, and her in-your-face style in recent weeks has left Abby unsettled. Abby had actually tried to bite Morgan before, and I hadn't thought much of the incident largely because of Morgan's over the top nature. However, as soon as Abby heard Morgan approaching she was at attention and ready to defend... or attack, I'm not sure which. Morgan tried to approach and Abby instantly lunged. I got her back to her mat, but unfortunately the next dog to come in tried to sniff Abby and she again lunged. It was clear that daycare was completely off the table, and honestly I'm OK with that.
After class I spoke with Jess, and left armed with a book to begin to understand how to shape Abby's reactions and perceptions of other dogs. All dog interactions are off the table at this point, and frankly it makes it easier. As I began to really look at Abby this week, I had a bit of a revelation. When we first got Abby she was instantly reactive and barking, pulling, hopping, and lunging towards whatever she saw. However, as we worked with Abby on her reactivity, I began to take anything that didn't resemble that over-the-top reaction as a step in the right direction. It dawns on me now that while Abby doesn't bark, pull and hop in the presence of something to watch, she does have a reaction. She freezes. Her body is tense and her tail is arched high over her back. Nothing about that posture seems relaxed to me.
So at this point I have a lot of work to do with our girl. I swear just when I start to get one thing sort of figured out, she throws another challenge at me. But I know that she's in the best possible place for her to display these behaviors because I'm committed to understanding them and working with her.
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