How is my Greyhound Different to Other Dogs?

The simple answer is that they probably have more in common with other breeds of dog than differences.  Especially when it comes to behaviour.

Physiologically there are differences between Greyhounds and the domestic dog.  Your vet should be well aware of their differences and can explain them to you. From a behavioural point of view, they are pretty much the same as other dogs.

So why do people perceive them as different?  I can only suggest some theories based on my experience living with and working with greyhounds in domestic environments, and I believe it all stems from these two main issues –  so here goes:

BSL – Breed Specific Legislation

Possibly the oldest form of breed specific legislation is attached to greyhounds, this varies from state to state and country to country, check the laws with your local council but in general, greyhounds are required to be muzzled in public unless they have received an exemption and kept on lead at all times that they are in public here in Victoria, Australia.

Greyhound owners will recount stories of being asked if their dog is vicious because it is wearing a muzzle, as well as being questioned when dogs are legally without a muzzle.  Greyhounds pose no greater threat to the public or other dogs than general domestic breeds.

Many organisations are working to change the current legislation surrounding domestic greyhounds – you can read more about the work being done here – https://www.parliament.vic.gov.au/images/stories/committees/SCEI/Dogs_Inquiry/Subs/Submission_36_-_Greyhound_Equality_Society.pdf

Upbringing    

At present, Greyhounds are bred to “work” (run).  There are some parts of the racing industry that is worried about early domestic socialisation affecting a dog’s desire to run competitively.  This is not true, but changing people’s views takes time.  Domestic socialisation is also logistically difficult when you have many dogs to look after.  It is still important though and should be encouraged.

Many Greyhounds are cared for in a kennel or rearing yard environment with regular exercise, shelter and food for the first 12m of their lives, as well as living with other Greyhounds.  After this they are taken to a trainer for racing training.  Their exposure to normal dog life is limited quite often.

Due to deficits in their early socialisation periods, when Greyhounds are introduced to domestic life after 12m they can become easily overwhelmed while their brains learn about things like shiny floors, toileting outside, stairs, trams and trains, other breeds of dogs, family life and often living independently.   This can cause an increase in displacement (stress) behaviours.

So – if you have welcomed a greyhound into your family or are planning to do so, here are some tips:

  • Find out as much as you can about your Greyhound’s history. If you need to call in a Canine Educator, then having as much background as possible is always helpful. Here are some questions to ask:
    • Wh s/he receive any domestic socialisation
    • What were my dog’s experiences of the world between 16 weeks and 12 months?
    • Are you aware of any incidents with other dogs or people?
    • Has my dog ever lived on its own?
    • Where did my dog sleep?
    • What sort of transition did my dog have before coming into domestic life? Was there foster care? – Can I have a copy of the foster carer’s report?
    • What sort of exercise is my dog currently used to?
  • Connect with fellow dog and Greyhound lovers in your area. They are an invaluable source of information for day to day advice, and an amazing community to connect with for dog walks and outings.
  • Start small. Especially if your greyhound is new to domestic life, don’t take your on outings that are too far outside his or her physical or mental fitness level.
  • Remember that walking is mentally and physically tiring for your dog, start out on short walks with low distraction and follow your dog’s lead – many greyhounds are fine to keep going. But if you start with shorter outings, then it is easy to increase the D’s. Duration, distance, distraction.
  • Find out what your dog has been eating and how much, slow transitions to new food are always advised.

In my experience with Greyhounds these are the two main contributing issues to Greyhounds who have trouble adjusting to domestic life; the public bias due to the BSL,  and the lack of early domestic socialisation experiences.  Most greyhounds just need a little extra support and their guardians little extra education to learn to read their dog’s body language cues and, with time and patience, they adjust beautifully to domestic life.

We also need to educate the racing industry about the importance of early domestic socialisation.  I believe that there are many trainers out there who would be saddened to hear that missing such a simple step in their pups’ lives can impact on their ability to adjust to domestic life.

If you would like more  tips about adopting a greyhound, I have written a flyer which is available on my website, here:  http://formaldogs.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2017/07/FormalDogs-GreyhoundAdoption.pdf

To book a Greyhound training session (with complimentary follow up for those in the Melbourne area) please click on the link below and I will be in touch as soon as possible.

  • Training sessions are available Thursday – Saturday.
  • I am also available for education and training seminars for small and large groups.
  • If you are a racing trainer or breeder and would like to know more about how you can help your pups have an easier transition to domestic life after racing please also contact me.

http://formaldogs.com.au/contact-us/

Oh, and if you do decide to adopt a Greyhound.  Welcome to the community, they are the most amazing dogs!

Ruth

 

Your Dog is not it’s Behaviour

One of the many things I learnt back when I studied and worked in early childhood education and behaviour, was the theory that behaviour is not personality. More commonly summed up as “it is not the child you don’t like, it is the child’s behaviour”.  This philosophy serves me well as a Canine Educator.

When I am told that a well meaning friend, family member or dog professional has labelled a dog as ‘bad’ or being ‘naughty’. I try to remind people that those labels are not their dog’s personality. It means that their dog just needs some help and support to fit into our society.

I see many new clients who are concerned about fully detailing the problem they are experiencing with their dog’s behaviour due to emotive labels.  Despite undesired behaviours, my clients still love their dog and value their contribution as part of the family.  They want help to help their dog overcome its problem behaviours.  Or getting back to the original statement –  “it is not your dog you don’t like, it is your dog’s behaviour”.

Most people love their dogs regardless of behaviour.

Dog behaviour can be good or bad, desired or undesired, typical or atypical, funny or frustrating.  I work with people to help modify, manage or extinguish behaviours that we don’t want in our homes and societies. All the while encouraging behaviours that we do like.

So here it is:

Your dog’s personality is not the sum of its behaviours.

A dog’s personality is something that develops over time and is separate to behaviour.

A dog’s personality is something to work with in order to enhance behavioural modification and rehabilitation techniques.

Good Canine Educators want to enhance and harness your dog’s personality traits to help with behavioural modification, not turn your dog into a robot.

We have a responsibility to teach our dogs how to live in our society, while also showing respect for your dog’s ‘dog-ness’. He or she still needs to be allowed to behave like a dog.

Remember: we are the ones who domesticated dogs – and they allowed us to do so; we are in this together.  Teamwork is important.

The goal of a good canine educator is to help you understand your dog. Increase desired behaviours, decrease undesired behaviours and create a bond of trust, understanding and mutual respect for each other’s different needs and wants in life.  When assessing a dog I always start from a position of unconditional positive regard.

Labelling a dog as a behaviour simply labels the dog. It is little practical use when you are wanting to modify or rehabilitate behavioural concerns.

If your dog has behaviours that concern you and you are not sure what to do here’s my advice:

  1. Stop for a moment.
  2. Give your dog a scratch under the chin or a tummy rub.
  3. Tell your dog what a good dog she or he is, then;
  4. Seek help from an experienced and non judgmental canine educator who you feel understands you, your dog, and your lifestyle.

Formal Dogs offers in home consultations to help you and your dog work together on having a happy and harmonious life together. To enquire about how we can help you to help your dog contact us here.  Or on 0438 423 230

 

Loose Leash Walking

Everybody wants it.  Aside from contacting me for behavioural help, this is typically the first thin

double leash dog training
dog leash

g people tell me they want when they enquire about general dog training.  “I want my dog to walk nicely on a lead”

So, here are some of my thoughts on loose leash walking, I’ll try and keep it simple.

  • Your dog is not born knowing how to walk in a straight line on a leash, and unless it has been taught previously, you will need to teach your dog how.
  • Like any skill your dog needs to learn, walking appropriately on a lead is a quite advanced skill. If your furry companion is not willing to listen to you in the house, then I think it would be a fair guess to say that they won’t listen when you step out the front door.
  • Appropriate training equipment is essential.  Well made equipment is better for you and your dog. You can choose between training halters, flat collars, martingale collars and balance harnesses.  Talk to your trainer about what is best for you and your dog and the style of training you are doing.  I love Black Dog equipment – you can check them out here http://www.blackdog.net.au.  An Australian company making high quality dog equipment.
  • Having clear expectations and boundaries for your walk before you leave the house is important.  Know what the rules are before you put the leash on your dog.  (ie: No weaving, no rushing other dogs, no dragging you across the road to say hi to the other dog).. It is hard to teach your dog what you expect if you do not know yourself.
  • Also, please don’t expect loose leash walking to happen all at once.  Remember when you taught your dog to sit?  Start small and with little to no distraction and build your way up to longer walks and higher distraction

Walking nicely on a lead is about mutual respect, this aspect reflects on the relationship between you and your dog.  If you ever feel like you are being walked by your dog, rather than going out for a walk together, a change in mindset can often help.  A walk is something that you and your dog can do together and is an opportunity to enhance the bond between you and your canine companion.

Another thing to consider; dogs have 4 legs.  They naturally walk faster than most humans, so of course they are probably going to move faster than us, this is where mutual respect is so important, your dog has to be willing to wait for us slow two legged creatures that they are attached to, and, we have to be willing to enrich their walks in other ways than increased pace.

And, thoughts are great, but practical is always better, so here are some tips.

  • Leash training starts in the home and as you walk out your door.
  • If your dog is dragging you out the front door STOP, and practise walking nicely to the front door, then progress to the front yard, and then when you have got that, progress a little further.
  • Be exciting. Think of why your dog is pulling. Is it because the world is WAY more exciting than you?
  • Talk and interact happily with your dog, praise and reward excitedly when your dog chooses to check in with you by making eye contact.(I believe that this should be something your dog chooses to do naturally, and not something that  should be taught to happen on command – yes, controversial, I know) You should be proud when your dog is making a choice to connect with you. Eye contact is important across the species divide.
  • Shorten your lead. If your pooch is pulling you down the street, you will be amazed what a difference a short lead can make.  As they start to walk calmly, let the lead get longer.  Out in front is not a problem in my opinion, but you will have more control if you start with a shorter lead.
  • Be consistent.  Understand what your goals are for your walks before you go on them. Your dog will understand much better if you have clear goals in mind and a training plan for the walk.
  • You may be walking your dog to help dispel some of their energy.  Active training requires mental and physical energy, so you may not get as far as usual on your walks, but if you are communicating clearly with your dog the whole time then your dog should be happily tired on your return home.

I hope these tips can be of some help to you all struggling with walking your dogs, and remember, if you need some 1:1 help, Formal Dogs trainers are available to come to you and show you some skills to get you and your canine companion walking together as a team.  You can get in touch by clicking here.

Happy Walkies!

Ruth.

Wedding Season!

Spring is around the corner and with that comes WEDDING SEASON!!!  All the wedding professionals are gearing up for the busy season, and that includes us.  We are looking forward to accompanying more dogs than ever to weddings this season and are still taking bookings for 2017 and 2018

If you or someone you know has been talking about having their dog at their wedding, why not get in touch with us to arrange a complimentary consultation.  Or give Ruth a call on 0438 423 230 for a friendly chat about how we can help.

We also offer gift certificates and are always thrilled when a couple’s friends and family get together to help the couple have their beloved pet as part of their wedding.

Do not call me BALANCED!

Sometime ago, I read an article by a Dr Haug entitled The truth about positive reinforcement” and to start with what she said made a lot of sense, positive reinforcement is an integral part of using operant conditioning to train and teach dogs, I was happily reading away, and then I got to the bit about balanced trainers –  “trainers who still use techniques that involve corrections, or, to give them their accurate scientific label – positive punishments “.

Personally, I don’t like labels, I’ve blogged about that before here.

So, here is what she wrote: (and I quote directly from the article)

“What Positive Reinforcement trainers do avoid is using positive punishment”  –

– I agree, mentally I went “yup, that’s what positive reinformement trainers do, cool”

and then she continued:

hitting, yelling, correcting the dog with a collar, holding the dog down on its back or side, or grabbing the dog by the scruff, etc.  Research over the past several years has shown that dogs trained with such punishment are more likely to misbehave and more likely to show aggression toward their owners.2-4 These interventions are unnecessary, detrimental, and dangerous”. Yup. – who wants to be physically aggressive towards their dog?

And then she goes on to say that balanced trainers should be avoided because of these training methods.  I just wanted to yell STOP (actually, the word I yelled started with F, and rhymes with “duck off”)

In 15 years of training dogs (12 professionally) these are not techniques that I use or condone.  Even as a ‘balanced’ trainer.  Which apparently is the current term for any professional using positive punishments (or corrections) these days.

Anyone who has worked with me will hear me say repeatedly, “don’t get mad at your dog, it is ineffective, and will probably only raise your blood pressure.”

Using all the areas of operant conditioning (positive and negative reinforcement and punishment) is not about being aggressive or violent or physically intimidating with your dog.  It is about using operant conditioning to help your dog learn right from wrong.

So here is what I do do, I apply a training system that has been used and developed for over 20 years here in Victoria, Australia, (The Alpha Canine Group) it has trainers all around the world using it as well as here in Australia, and is currently being used for animal assisted therapy programs. The founders of the system had decades of experience before they developed this system, so they know their stuff.

Personally, I use the system’s principles to work with people and their dogs in their home environment rather than through group or weekly classes.

The system teaches us to use praise and rewards to train our dogs using positive reinforcement (typically praise and pats and love), and condition them to a positive (good dog, followed by a pat, cuddle, play) and a negative (‘no’ and apply a known consequence) A consequence should never be given in anger and it should certainly not ever be violent.

If you are mad at your dog, please go and take a breather.

If you are frustrated or concerned by your dog’s behaviour, please call your dog behaviour specialist to discuss the issues and arrange a consultation.  You can contact me here.

Your dog is trying to live its life in our human world and we need to understand how difficult that must be as well as provide clear and consistent feedback.

Good dog trainers and behaviourists understand that without contrast you have nothing useful to work with.

The positive reinforcement is what does the hard work.  Without it, why would your dog want to work with you?

If you are going to use a training method that uses both positive and negative punishment and reinforcement, make sure there is not just a balance, but that the positives outweigh the negatives at about 5:1. Ensure you have clear and consistent rules and guidelines in your home and out and about, and if your dog is frustrating you with his or her behaviour, find a trainer/behaviourist who you feel understands you and your dog and their needs, and is willing to work with you both and provide support for during and after the initial learning process.

There are no quick fixes in dog training, but an effective learning environment should see change in a short period of time.

Now, back to this article where Dr  Haug goes on to say ˜More importantly, for a dog that is accustomed to being told when it does something right, the absence of feedback actually tells the dog when it has done something wrong!

This also got me a bit frustrated. I am pretty sure that dogs don’t like being ignored, ignoring a dog is often used as a negative punishment. (if you have turned your back and walked away from a dog that has jumped on you, you have used a negative punishment).

I’m sure no one, dogs included, like being ignored. Let’s take inappropriate digging behaviours for example, you are out in your garden and you see your dog digging a hole.

Instead of ignoring the behaviour and allowing it to continue, why not step in and show your dog what is right and wrong using your marker and known consequence and contrast it with  praise and rewards for appropriate behaviour. You and your dog can get back on with hanging out together in the back yard.

If you are teaching your dog effectively, the digging behaviours should decrease and eliminate.

If you are confused about the difference between reinforcement and punishment, you can youtube “operant conditioning”  and find many many explanations, but here is a basic:

A reinforcement is anything that is done with the intent of increasing a behaviour and a punishment is anything that is done with the intent of decreasing a behaviour.Positive means something that is applied to the dog and Negative means something that is taken away.

So, after all that, I think I will stick with calling myself an Independent Dog Trainer/Behaviourist.

Always train with kindness and unconditional positive regard, and if you need help, or have questions, please click here to send an email contact,  or call us on 0438 423 230

 

Ruth.

Stop the Victim Blaming

Stop the Victim Blaming

    Have you ever looked on social media at someone who is seeking help for reactivity (aka: aggression) with their dog to other people?

I have, and so often the comments come in hard and fast and they are often variations on “the person must have done something wrong to the dog” or “the person must have bad energy” and last week I thought to myself “why are we victim blaming the people who are getting growled/lunged/snapped at?” especially when the dog’s guardian states that no harm or risk was present for the dog and there was no obvious reason for it.

Before anyone gets bent out of shape, I am a big believer that all dog behaviour has a reason behind it and that dogs aren’t inherently bad or wrong, but it is possible that the dog (or even your dog) is just not behaving in accordance with human society’s rules. Which brings up the next thing “but it’s a dog” – my response to this is “yes, but we have made them a human responsibility, therefore it is our job to show them the way to appropriate behaviour” and the pounds/shelters/rescue organisations are full of dogs that aren’t compliant with our human society’s rules.

It usually a case of showing the dog’s family how to reteach the dog to behave appropriately while still having regard and respect for their ‘dog-ness’. This takes patience, time, effort and often guidance from a canine behaviour expert, I believe that in most instances, a dog’s behaviour can be managed appropriately or modified to better fit in with society’s expectations.

What should I do?

If a dog is being reactive or aggressive, how about instead of blaming the person or the dog, have your behavioural expert assess the behaviour to help identify the cause of the behaviour, and work to help you and your dog through his or her interactions appropriately, and work together with you to show you how to become part of the solution in creating a happy family dog.

Click here if you want help to problem solve dog reactivity issues.