Timid Arwin began her training with calm sheep, which was important due to her shy nature. Over time, Arwin became confident and readily faced down argumentative animals. The herding training gave Arwin more confidence in other interactions where she was originally insecure. I’ ve seen agility training have a similar impact.
I’ ve observed trainers marking a mistake with the word“ no.” Some dogs are fine with this, but others may not be. I knew of a dog who lowered his tail and ears when the trainer corrected a missed weave with a“ no.” The second time“ no” was used to mark that mistake, the dog ran off the course. Although this dog was very bold when it came to misbehaviors, correction of those misbehaviors deteriorated his security with the dog handler.
Another kind of dog I learned about from Rick was what he called a“ hard dog.” Rick described a“ hard dog” as one who has a very hard time taking any directions from a dog handler, making me wonder if Rick was thinking hardheaded when he came up with the term. Ironically, these dogs can often find owner affection reinforcing, to the point where they may become demanding for attention when it is withdrawn. However, when it came to compliance, these kinds of dogs may find people frustrating and as something in their way. The challenge is to teach and motivate the dogs to follow the handlers’ guidance.
I’ ve seen“ hard dog” issues in a variety of breeds. For example, livestock guardian dogs. These dogs are bred to work independently. They are also bred to persist in getting their way with predators, even fighting to the death if needed. Without training the dog to accept guidance from a dog owner, the dog will not follow commands. Many people inaccurately label the
dog as alpha or dominant, and punishment is often used to solve issues. I have found that the key to this kind of behavior is to understand the dog finds his work very intrinsically motivating. I often find that coupling an intrinsic motivator with the Premack Principle brings compliance.
Rick agrees that“ hard dogs” will resist force when it comes to compliance, leaving punishment or threats likely to fail. With“ hard dogs,” if you push on them or try and force compliance, too often they will push back and the dog trainer ends up in a power struggle. And in the case of livestock guardian dogs, they are bred to try to win in a power struggle at all costs.
What Rick found worked with these dogs was to control the reward. For herding dogs, the reward was getting to work the livestock, which is often an intrinsic reward for the dog. Rick would take away the herding opportunity until the dog earned it back with compliance.
Some people believe that punishment is warranted when seeking to change unwanted behaviors, citing outdated studies portraying roles of alpha and dominance in wolf packs. A newer study by senior research scientist David Mech revealed that infighting within a pack for dominance didn’ t happen. However, the beating given to this livestock guarding dog to correct unwanted behaviors resulted in the dog learning to show submissive behavior to appease the owner.
Learning dog training is a never-ending process, and sometimes it is the trainer who needs the training. I’ m always on the lookout for techniques from other trainers, but those techniques need to be effective, welfare-friendly and be ones that work with the dog’ s individual needs, personality, and learning tendencies. I often do a Google search and look at what rescues have to say about
Appeasement behaviors do not signal a dog will change the unwanted behavior.
22 Better Training Through Education Photo: Peggy Swager