Go Say Hi!

One question I’m frequently asked is how should I handle my dog meeting a new person? Should the new person give my dog treats so they learn to love new people? Should I make my dog sit before meeting a new person? Whats the best way? For me the answer is “Go Say Hi”!

If a new person feeds your dog treats, you’ll be setting an expectation that new people will have treats. It makes sense on its face that pairing new people with food will help socialize your pup, but it also leads to the situation later on where your dog will run up to a new person expecting a treat. Usually people won’t carry dog treats around, so in response to your dog sitting in front of them, tail wagging, waiting for a treat, They may think “Oh what a friendly dog, I’ll lean down and pet you”. This might be fine for some, but a certain percentage of dogs will NOT like this. The abrupt invasion of personal space when they were expecting food may cause some dogs to lash out and bark or even lunge at the person for coming close to them. Fortunately theres another way.

When approaching a new person who wants to interact with your dog, stop and ask the person to hold out their hand with their palm facing your dog. With Fido in heel position (left side of the body) and focused on you, give the cue “Go Say Hi” and point towards the new friend.

At this point your dog will perform the “Touch” behavior with the new person, and TURN BACK TO THE OWNER FOR THE TREAT.

This reduces the amount of time your dog is in very close proximity to the new person, minimizing the chance your dog will get scared and have a bad experience.

This regains your control over your dogs attention immediately.

All around this method of meeting new people is the safest way to ensure positive experiences surrounding strangers, and creates a dog who won’t just run up to people who walk by them on the sidewalk.

Harnesses

Heres a scenario that demonstrate why I recommend attaching the leash to a harness instead of a collars. Collars should still be used, but for Identification and rabies tags instead.

An older yellow lab is rushed into the ICU being carried by frantic owners screaming “ HE CAN’T BREATHE!”

His tongue, a deep purple as He gasps for air, but in vain. His airway is completely closed.

With a swift injection of a sedative, and the skilled placement of a plastic tube passed his closed vocal folds, airflow is restored. His color returns within seconds, his heart rate normalizes, he can breathe again.

So, why did this happen!? How can this be prevented? It boils down to pressure on the neck. Controlling your dog by the neck means putting pressure on, and thus damaging, the recurrent laryngeal nerve. This nerve controls the airway which opens with each breath and closes with each swallow. Damaging this nerve means the airway can’t appropriately open. The good news is this damage is easily avoided by using a harness.

Default Behavior

Tsu's Default Behavior is "Place". It's the one behavior we've done more than any other. Her muscle memory is honed to react the instant she hears this word.

It's her Pavlov's Bell. 

"PLACE" 

Why? How? I'll tell you. 

A default behavior is the go-to behavior your dog will offer when they don't know what else to do. 

Because this behavior gives me the most control over her physical position, particularly when she's wearing a harness with handles. If she stands between my legs facing forward I can keep her out of harms way. Say we were on a hike, and I saw a black bear off in the distance but Tsu hadn't yet noticed said bear. This would be a good time to use "place" and walk in the opposite direction casually. 

How? Stand with your back to your dog with a high value treat ( deli meat)  in your hand. Look between your legs back at your dog and encourage them forward with generally nonsensical noises. When they walk between your legs proclaim "YES!" and deliver a SMALL portion of the treat to your dog. You don't want to give them the whole slab of boiled chicken, you just want to rip off a few shreds so you get the greatest number of repetitions from the quantity of reward you have on hand. 

After you've lured your dog into the place position and delivered the treat pull your hand with the treats up towards your chest and stand still and quiet for just a second. then say Yes! and deliver another treat. You've just rewarded them for performing the "Place" behavior for an extended duration. Do this over and over and over until without you making any noises your dog offers this behavior expecting a treat in return. 

Add the word Place in only after your dog reliable offers this behavior. 

Throw in variations like walking while in Place which is very convenient for navigating the unpredictable sidewalks of Philadelphia. Your dog should read you and respond without verbal cue to remain in Place no matter where I am. 

Do not use any form of punishment when teaching this behavior. This should be the safest of all zones.I don't condone punishment by physical trauma of any kind. Removing my attention or cutting a play session/walk short are all that are necessary. 

Redirection

Touch.  Place.  Focus.

The behaviors you teach are your tools to navigate a world with ubiquitous distractions. If your dog is having trouble focusing on you while in a new environment here are a few tools you can use. 

For a dog to shift their attention off of something intensely exciting two things are required. 

• A high enough value reward (or the reliable anticipation of one)

• Distance

• Re-direction behavior

Situation: Tsu and I are walking on a trail and a squirrel pops out in front of us. (Tsu has high prey drive, and thus the prospect of a squirrel chase gets her pupils dilated)

I will call Tsu away from the squirrel using the cue "Place" - this is her default cue (more on those later). In this context it is being used as a redirection behavior. 

Tsu won't turn away from the sight of a squirrel, unless:

1. She knows I have pieces of baked sweet potato (or later is patterned to expect that kind of reward when she hears the cue). Very high value reward.

2. There's enough distance from us to the squirrel that it is not an impending emergency

Touch = touch your nose to my palm.   (if my palm is in the opposite direction of the distraction, i can maintain pooch's focus and guide the dog out of view of the squirrel, other dog, car, stroller, bicyclist, cat, or curious gopher. If you teach your dog to walk whilst keeping their nose on your palm you can literally position them anywhere so they can't see what's bothering them)

Place = stand between my legs and look up at me. I love this behavior because of the degree of control I have over her physical position and proximity to myself.

Focus = Make eye contact with me. If you're looking at me, you're not looking at the pant-less squirrel (Tsu scared said pants off said squirrel) 

Communication

Dog training is a tricky subject to navigate. There's a wide spectrum of opinions ranging from the stringent competitor to the everyday sidewalk warrior. What we expect from our dogs will vary from person to person, and how we communicate with our individual animals is just as variable. My hope is that whoever you are, whether you agree or disagree with all or some of my techniques, that you take what you feel is useful to you, and leave what you don't. Lets get started. 

This article will discuss the finer points of the language I use to communicate with Tsunami. It does not delve into discussion about body language (which is a HUGE part of dog training, and which will be covered in detail in another article) 

Consistency is key and communication is everything. Pick the words you want to use for specific behaviors and stick to them.

To start you will need a:

• Prompt:   "Ready?"  Increase the likelihood that your dog will perform the behavior the first time you ask by pre-empting the cue ("sit") with a prompt. Ready? "Sit". A prompts basically means HEADS UP, I'm about to ask you to do something. Use a prompt to Initiate play to help define the span of time your dog is expected to engage with you intensely.  When you're finished, say "All done". 
• Reward marker:  For myself this is either a verbal "YES!" or a CLICKER. Both reward systems have their pro's and con's. The YES! is more convenient since one doesn't always have a clicker on them, but with a clicker you can be more precise and the sound is very distinct. Meaning it's more likely someone will say "Yes" around your dog on the street than for them to have a clicker. Therefore the power of the reward marker doesn't get diluted from experiencing the signal (YES! or CLICK) out of the context of a reward. 
• A Duration Marker:   "Goood" (usually spoken softly and drawn out). This marker is used to convey that you like what they're doing, and they should keep doing it. Very useful for stationary behaviors like "stay" or if you are trying to get your dog to not react to a strange person/thing, a softly spoken duration marker can be just enough to maintain their attention long enough to allow you to capitalize on a beneficial moment. (more on that later). I also frequently use it as part of my general affection post reward marker language. (good girl tsuzie, atta girl)

How often should you talk to your dog during a session? This will depend on your dog's energy level, and the specific behavior you are requesting.

When dog's get AMPED! we say they're "Up In Drive." 

Every dog has a metronome. The beats per minute changes as the tug gets pulled from the back pocket...Pupils dilate, and her focus narrows to a pinpoint beam of concentration. The whole world disappears... Ears prick and twitch... she waits with bated breath...

YES!

and like a coiled spring or angry rattlesnake...your broad headed chocolate lab or sleek GSD slams into the padded tug. Two seconds later the OUT is given (OUT by the way gets its own entire post) 

"Out - Place - Front - Heel - Down - Stay - Settle - Stand - Place - Front - Chipmunk - 1 - 2 - Paws UP"

"YES!" 

The interval between cues can be as short as a heart beat or as long as a whales heartbeat. 

If Tsu is in a down stay, and i'm working on Distance Obedience (Covered in the up coming "Advanced Obedience" post, the interval between cues will range > 10 seconds down to less than a second.

Bottom Line:  The more up in drive your dog is, the faster you can give cues and expect a reliable response.

Build your dogs drive by building your own engagement skills and developing their love for the toy. (or food)

How can one be more engaging to a dog? Check back frequently new posts including the "How to Capture a Puppy's Attention (and Keep It)" Post. 

NAILS

Cutting a dog's nails can be the bane of one's existence OR It could be another fun game you play with your pooch. 

Check out this video of the final goal of this process. In it I successfully trim Tsunami's nails and she excitedly pays attention and enthusiastically pushes me to trim the next nail so she can earn another treat! In this post i'll outline the entire process, soup to nuts, of taking a dog who doesn't like having their feet touched...to one who can't wait for you to cut the next nail.

Using a high value reward, and very incremental steps towards the ultimate goal, anyone can get their pup to be comfortable having his/her nails handled and eventually trimmed in the context of play. 

When I first got Tsu, she did NOT like having her feet touched. It was a journey, and a wonderful learning experience to teach her that the clippers don't mean pain.. they mean SWEET POTATO REWARDS!

I wrap a sweet potato in tin foil and bake it at 350 for about 30 minutes. When it's nice and soft i'll mix it with Tsu's kibble to turn a low value reward (kibble) into a high value reward (kibble + sweet potato)

Following are the steps I used to train Tsunami to let me cut her nails:

Paw: Now this behavior can be very easy to teach. Most dogs will naturally paw at you when they don't really know what you want. SO, either wait to capture that behavior by saying "YES!" when your dog offers you their paw, or if they aren't offering it, you can tap on their foot initially and they will usually lift up that paw. NOW. instead of JUST teaching the word paw, I would encourage you to pair a NUMBER (1, 2, 3, or 4) to each one of your dogs paws. This way you can be very specific with which paw you need when you are going to trim their nails. (i.e. Right front = 1 , Left front = 2, Right Rear = 3 Left Rear = 4 or whatever variation suits you best.)

In the following behavior chain sequence, when I say "paw" i'm referring to whichever paw you need.  say "1" if you want them to give you their right front paw and so on and so forth...

• Paw with 5 seconds duration
• Paw with 10 seconds duration
• Paw with 5 seconds duration (add a little foot massage in)
• Paw for 10 seconds duration (with a foot massage)
• Paw and isolate each nail individually  (on all feet, USE 1, 2, 3, or 4) 
• Paw, isolate nail, tap the outside of the nail with a CLOSED nail clipper.
• Build up to asking for paw (1, 2, 3, or 4), and tapping on each nail three times with the closed nail clipper 
• Paw, isolate nail, tap with nail clipper, position nail clipper over nail where you intend to cut (DO NOT CUT YET) just get a decent reward history (many repetitions of a marking a behavior (YES!) and delivering rewards)

FINALLY...

• Ask for Paw (1,2,3, or 4), isolate the nail, tap on it with the clipper, position the clipper at the VERY TIP (do NOT go for removing a lot of nail, just cut so you know you won't cut the quick (vessel in the nail), and CUT the nail. 

Anticipate that your dog will likely jump back in surprise at the sensation of cutting the nail for the first time. Give an exuberant "YES!" as you clip the nail and deliver a large # of rewards (10 or 12) one at a time, while varying the pitch of your voice enthusiastically, and moving AWAY from your dog while delivering the rewards to add movement and excitement to the reward process. 

Do this for each nail on each foot and you will have incorporated nail trimming into your daily play activity!

My best advice for this behavior is to go very slow, don't jump ahead. Make sure your dog is comfortable each step of the way and you'll be successful! If you find that your dog is NOT comfortable at one of the steps, move to whichever previous step they are comfortable with and proceed from there. 

GO FORTH AND HAVE FUN TRIMMING NAILS!!!!

Once again here's a video of the final goal. Funny enough Tsu is in heat during this video so she leans around to sniff herself when I cut the nails on her left rear foot (#3). ALSO this video was taken during my first year of Vet school, the small kitchen area that we're in was the amount of space I had available to me to play with Tsu when I wasn't at the Working Dog Center! Just goes to show that positive reinforcement behavior training, and a good game of tug can all be performed with a limited amount of space!

Video: Cutting Tsunami's Nails- 

ALTERNATIVELY since there are always multiple solutions to a problem...

Scratchboard training is a great option for dog's who really just can't get over having their feet handled. Check back for an upcoming post on Scratchboard Training!

Movement and Voice

The situation that follows is a common scene for me, and it illustrates how I perceive the moments in a training session to be grouped in a dog's mind:

"Ready Tsu? Place, Heel, Through..Good, Gooood, Good haha good, good, good, YES!"

• WOOHOO YEAH There you go Tsu! GOOD GIRL!

2 heart beat's of Silence and Stillness

"Alright, READY? "Place".. Goooood...Front...Gooood....Heel....Gooood heel, good heel, YES"

• WOOHOO YEAH THERE YOU GO! ATTA GIRL TSU!

Silence and Stillness.

"Ready Place, Go out, Tunnel, Down, Here, Down, YES!"

There is a separation between one behavior chain and another that is characterized by my body language, based on the pitch and intensity of my voice, and my movements or lack thereof. 

Voice

•  Softer when trying to maintain low energy (as in a Stay) or in general obedience when the behavior is not quite perfect, but you still want to give them the reward.
• Louder (without scaring the dog) can translate to higher value by making the game more exciting for the dog. Louder and higher pitch when the behavior is closer to perfect. 
• Pitch is also important to vary because it makes you more interesting and engaging rather than a monotone Joan. If you're uncomfortable making crazy noises in front of other people, get over it, and focus on the dog, because the dog will love it. You'll capture and maintain their attention. Put on your People Blinders.

Movement

• Move AWAY from your dog. Move AWAY from your dog. Move AWAY from your dog. It will draw them to you. Reward them when they come to you! If you're just starting MARK the moment they turn around to look at you and gently jog away with their treats delivering them at your side when they get to you. 
• If you run AT your dog when they have a toy, they will run AWAY from YOU, and there's a good chance you will have just started down the road of Toy Possession Issues. ie: The dreaded "Keep away." 

TUG part 1

YES.  This has to be one of my favorite topics to discuss. Don't get me started in person unless you want your ears talked right off your head. 

There's a game you can play with your dog that will let them release pent up energy appropriately, while engaging in bond strengthening vigorous activity combined with high intensity communication. For most people the game of tug is just holding on to the opposite end of the rope. It can, and should,  be much more.

Use the game of Tug in the house to burn off the energy of a hyperactive dog prior to a walk. So they don't drag you after every squirrel or smell, and you can have a fighting chance of capturing some attention from your dog out amongst the distractions. 

Use it on a rainy day when a walk is just out of the question. In my first Philadelphia apartment I had about 4 square feet of play space in a kitchen to work with. Just enough for a good game of tug. 

The OUT is another component to the game of tug. While playing one should give the "Out" cue about once every 5-6 seconds.

Teaching your dog to release an object from their mouth will pay dividends. As someone who has seen far too many foreign body surgeries on our loving companions, I beseech to all who read this to please, teach your dog the words "out" and "leave it". More on that in future posts.

Speaking of future posts this topic is massive. I gave an entire hour long lecture on it at Cornell's inaugural Behavior symposium in 2015. Future posts will include topics like teaching the out, a default "leave it", The how's and when's of using your voice, type/size of tug, Movement and Energy, and on and on.

Check back here regularly, and in the mean time.. here's a clip of Tsunami and I playing Tug