The APDT Chronicle of the Dog Summer 2020 | Page 51

FEATURE | CAREGIVER, NOT ALPHA
I work with my dogs, or anyone else’s, I focus on making our relationship
based on cooperative care and trust. I want them to listen
to and work with me because they want to, instead of fearing the
consequences if they do not. Here are two different scenarios to better
illustrate my point.
In scenario number one, you go to work regularly and receive a paycheck.
You might even receive a holiday bonus as thanks for a job
well done throughout the year. The paycheck and recognition you
receive motivate you to continue doing your job while enjoying it in
the process. Think about it, would you even go to work if there was
not something in it for you? This is where I focus on when training
dogs on positive reinforcement.
In scenario number two, you are in prison and are instructed to mop
the floors. Knowing the consequences of not doing so could include
losing privileges, such as recreation time and commissary, you are more
likely to comply. However, compliance to avoid punishment is not necessarily
synonymous with happiness. This is where punishment trainers,
based on the outdated and disproven dominance theory, focus.
Humans Already Control Everything.
If you think about it, you tell your dog what, when, and where he
eats, when he can go outside, how long he stays outside, where he
sleeps, where he walks, who he is allowed to interact with, and so
much more. Why do we really need to further micromanage their
lives by immediately insisting that we will take their food bowl away
whenever we want just to show them how much control we have? They
already know.
You Are Not Being Submissive By “Letting Your Dog Win”
When He Growls.
For a dog that will growl when I approach an item he values, I back
away while saying to myself, “thank you for the warning.” He is not
trying to dominate me; he is simply expressing this item is special to
him. However, depending on the severity of the situation and those
involved, it is something that cannot continue to occur in our homes.
This is where the positive reinforcement-based behavior plan comes
into play.
We work together (he doesn’t work for me) to systematically change
his feelings about the scenario, and we go at his pace. At the end of
the training, the dog is excited for me to approach, and I do not have
any safety concerns about being there; whereas, in the past, I would
expect to be bitten. He understands that having a valued item taken
away can be a great thing to happen and that the majority of the time,
I’m not even going to take it…I will add to it.
The Cooperative and Trusting Relationship Between Myself
and My Adopted Dog, Jeter.
In his book “Aggressive Behavior in Dogs,” James O’Heare states
“By using social dominance as a basis for how we interpret our
companion animals' behavior or how we interact with our companion
animals, we conceptually frame the relationship in terms
of a relationship between adversaries” (O’Heare 143). That is the
opposite of what I want my relationship to be like.
Jeter had some behavior challenges to overcome when he was adopted.
Not only would he snap at my hands when I grabbed his feet
for nail trims, but he would growl if I tried to move him over in my
bed, cry when he was left alone, chase the cat, and bark non-stop at
strangers. He even growled at my husband the first time they met.
We overcame all of these challenges as a team.
As his caregiver, it is my responsibility to see that he feels comfortable
and safe with all the activities that we do. After all, it is my ethical
responsibility to “do no harm,” and that includes emotional harm.
You might not think that forcing a dog to have his nails trimmed
is emotionally harming him, but I disagree. His body language and
behavior tell me so. Moving him over in the bed? I wanted Jeter to
like when I came to bed rather than distrust the situation. I wanted
to build our trust through training, not break it down.
As we took baby steps through his training program, Jeter was rewarded
with special treats. While many are concerned they will reward
their dogs’ bad behaviors by giving them treats, it instead rewards
their compliance (and assists in changing their emotions) with
the process. For example, I would bring my hand near Jeter’s front
paw without touching it (while making sure that Jeter did not show
signs of discomfort), praise, take my hand away and give him a treat
As we continued to work together through his various behavior concerns,
his trust steadily grew. So much that I never had to train him
to move over when I wanted to get into bed. He chose to do it on
his own. What was in it for him by doing so? He received love and
attention from me.
Final Thoughts
I would like to end with one more quote by James O’Heare, “…the
concept of dominance poses a very significant risk of damaging the
social relationship between guardians and their dogs, particularly
where the relationship is already strained by a problematic behavior—the
usual context in which clients contact us. It is counterproductive
and could constitute a breach of our ethic to do no harm.”
(O’Heare 144). Stop doing what self-proclaimed experts on TV with
made-up terms for behavior tell you to do. Listen to what science says,
and just as importantly, listen to what your dog is telling you. He will
thank you for it.
Tori Ganino is a Certified Dog Behavior
Consultant through the IAABC, Certified
Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed
through the CCPDT, and a member of the
International Companion Animal Network
(ICAN). She owns Calling All Dogs located in
Batavia, New York, where she teaches group
classes and private lessons for obedience and behavior modification. You
can find out more about Tori from her website www.
CallingAllDogsNY.com
The APDT Chronicle of the Dog | Summer 2020 49