Category: Human-Canine Bond

You are the Best Person to Train Your Dog

 

Michael Baugh CDBC

A client once taught me a very tough lesson. She said, “I have a lot of people in my life telling me what I do wrong. I don’t need another one.” She was talking about me. The truth stung. But it helped me change the way I teach people with their dogs.

The truth I discovered is that most people get it right. With some gentle coaching, they train their dogs well. One of the great things about positive reinforcement training is there is room for mistakes. You’ll never shatter your dog emotionally with too many treats or too much praise. Even if you only train your dog “well enough,” it’s still good enough.

Here are some reminders for success.

Praise and treat. Be on the lookout for what your dog is doing right. Reinforce that. Some of us use a marker word or a click sound as a signal to our dog that a treat is on the way. Great. Practice that.

Set your dog up to succeed. Avoid triggers and distractions, especially in the early stages of training.

Keep a positive attitude. Remember, the stories you tell yourself about your dog have a way of coming true. Keep them upbeat. You and your dog are doing great.

Be your dog’s advocate. Don’t let anyone shame you, even your trainer. You are the very best person to train your dog. No one knows them better than you.

Dog training is all about the relationship. It is communication. Celebrate that, even while you are learning. You’re not doing it wrong. In fact, you are getting better every day.

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Houston, TX. He specializes in aggressive dog behavior.

Change (The Nature of Dog Behavior)

Michael Baugh CDBC CPDT-KSA

Our dogs’ behavior changes. That’s good news, and it is bad news. Behavior changes in ways we want it to. Think: training. Our dogs’ behavior changes in ways we don’t want it to as well. Think: why is he suddenly barking at visitors?

Our dogs are always learning from us, from others, and from their environment. Changing behavior is inevitable. It is part of nature, like gravity and the rising sun.

One of my favorite authors, Octavia Butler, wrote: “The only lasting truth is change. God is change.” (Parable of the Sower). That might not set well with some of my readers. So, think of it metaphorically. Change is the one constant, from animals to plants to the landscape itself. Everything changes. For believers, it would be hard to ignore the hand of God in all that. For nonbelievers, it is awe-inspiring nonetheless.

Change, specifically the promise of changing behavior, inspires my work with you and your dogs. Of course, change is frightening sometimes. (Why is this happening? It hasn’t happened before.) I choose to look at change with wonder. (Look at what is happening now. This is new. How cool.)

“All that you touch, you change. All that you change changes you.” That’s Octavia Butler, too. We influence change because we are part of this living world. We certainly influence changes in our dogs’ behavior. I see that every day in my work and in my own home. It’s a marvel if you think about it.

My dog Charlie is a champ at coming when called and he loves lying on his mat. He’s also taking on air travel, long road trips, and hikes up desert rocks (no small challenge for a three-legged dog).

On the surface, it looks like nothing more than cues and treats. That’s part of dog training, yes. But zoom out. Change begets change. The little ways we set up our dogs’ world can have huge positive effects. How can we change the settings we create for them? What slight changes can we make in our own behavior to make learning easier for our dogs? Where can we change things to ensure our dogs’ success?

Join me this new year in embracing change. Some of it is scary. I get it. Much of it, most certainly the behavior change work we do with our dogs, is waiting with joy and surprise. Teach. Love. Teach again. Love some more. Marvel at the change. Our dogs are changing. We, too, are changing.

“God is Change — Seed to tree, tree to forest; Rain to river, river to sea; Grubs to bees, bees to swarm. From one, many; from many, one; Forever uniting, growing, dissolving — forever changing. The universe is God’s self-portrait.” Octavia Butler.

 

Michael Baugh specializes in aggressive dog training in Houston, Texas.

Stress Crisis: Dogs and Humans Under Pressure

 

Michael Baugh CDBC CPDT-KSA

The biggest challenge in dog training these days is us.

We humans are stressed out. Life is coming at us (coming for us) from all directions. Work pressure is endemic. Social media is a constant mirror to our perceived inadequacies. It’s an election year.

This summer the U.S. Surgeon General actually issued a mental health advisory. Let’s not take that lightly. The Surgeon General reserves health advisories for big stuff, like warnings about smoking or AIDS. This advisory sounded the alarm about the mental health of parents. Forty-eight percent of parents say their stress is “completely overwhelming.” They’re worried about money, safety, their children’s future. And they’re worried about time. They’ve maxed out their schedules. They simply don’t have enough time in a day to do everything they need to do.

One of the more popular theories is that our brain’s evolution hasn’t been able to keep up with all of our technological advancements. We’ve made the world too complicated and fast-paced for our own good. That might be true.

We humans crave joy. I think more than that even; we crave peace. We just want some relief from the cacophony of daily life. So, we get a dog to help.

The trouble is (this is my opinion), our dog’s brain evolution hasn’t been able to keep up with all the changes either. Dogs evolved with us. Nature tied their lives inextricably to ours. The joke online these days is “I got a dog for my anxiety and ended up with a dog with anxiety.” It’s not funny, probably because the truth of the matter is so stark. We are under pressure and, inadvertently or otherwise, we put our dogs under a great deal of pressure, too. Dogs who traditionally hunted, guarded, or herded are now our surrogate children (or, worse, our mental health caretakers). Most do well. They walk tethered to us, wait patiently under tables at our favorite ice house, pass the hours with the mob at daycare.

Some, the ones I meet, succumb to the pressure. They growl, snarl, snap, and bite. We balk. Dogs are supposed to be good. We should know better, though. Dogs are doing the best they can, just like we are.

I can’t address the pressure we humans are under. At a minimum, we all need a good friend to talk to. We’d all probably do well with some therapy, or at least a nice group hug. But your dog’s stress, that I can help with.

Here are some ideas you can start today that take very little extra time out of your schedule. I think you’ll enjoy some of them, too.

Notice your dog. Observe. Watch what your dog does when they don’t know you’re looking. It’s fun. I think it’s fascinating and relaxing at the same time. It can also be downright entertaining.

Spend some quiet time with your dog together every day in physical contact, petting, or cuddling. It’s good for you. It’s good for your dog.

Play. This is how social animals bond. It’s how we can bond with our dog. Every human-dog pairing is different. My last dog played fetch. My current dog loves to play tug. Find the interactive game that works best for you and your dog.

Train. Don’t think of dog training as a chore. Think of it as a way of starting a dialogue with your dog. Communication helps us feel less isolated, more connected. I suspect it feels that way to our dogs as well.

There is good news. Again, this is my opinion. It might be true that our legacy brains (and those of our dogs) are struggling to keep up with the world we’ve created. It sure feels like that most days. But here’s what else is true: we humans are amazing learners. We adapt. Humans can tap into ancient wisdom for comfort and insight. We are rich in philosophy and faith. And, there’s more good news. Our dogs are amazing learners alongside us. We’ve co-evolved navigating change and learning together.

There’s hope for us, I think.

If the pressure feels like too much some days (every day?), that’s okay. I feel it. I think we’re normal. Reach out for help. Reach out to a friend, trusted clergy, a therapist. We are social creatures. Human existence was never meant to be a solo endeavor.

If you see your dog is having a hard time, well, that happens too. There’s help for both of y’all. I’m here for you. At the very least, I can connect you to help for your dog.

The romantic in me wants to shout out: “we can get through this together.” The truth is we are already, day by day. Evolution be damned. You, me, our dogs – we’ve got this.

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Houston, TX. He specializes in aggressive dog training.