The Sedona School of Dog Training: Learning from Nature

Michael Baugh CDBC

In Sedona, Arizona, we keep the lights low at night. It’s a community decision, an ordinance: dim our light so we can better see the heavens. It is one of the beautiful ways people live here, a gift to ourselves and our non-human neighbors.

Fewer than ten thousand people live in Sedona. More than three million visit every year. We answer to the call of coyotes, to the dry, rusty sand and the afternoon monsoons, to the prickly pears and the soothing calm of towering sandstone. We come to find ourselves, only to find that we are part of something much bigger. The natural world, that which we cannot bend to our egos, welcomes us, teaches us flexibility of will, sharpness of mind, and softness of spirit. We learn to dim our own light so that we can better see.

Nature taught us positive reinforcement dog training. Living things seek safety, nourishment, opportunities to grow, and to reproduce. Their environment, all the living things and natural forces around them, guides their choices and reinforces their best decisions. We didn’t invent that. We harnessed it. Positive reinforcement dog training involves adjusting our dog’s environment so that they learn which behavior earns the things they seek. We use food in training. It’s a natural driver.

National forest surrounds Sedona on all sides. Our homes nestle in nature. We see the beauty and sometimes the horror: a broken deer’s leg from a coyote kill, plants gone dormant from drought. Flooding. Fire. Nature, as they say, is cruel. We don’t have to be.

Even our decisions have natural consequences. We succeed. We falter. Animals win and eat and reproduce. Animals fail and suffer and die. Wrong behavior choices can be punishing. The definition of punishment is a consequence that reduces the likelihood of a behavior in the future (assuming the animal survives). Nature provides consequences. Some consequences reinforce behavior. Others suppress it. Some are benign. Some are fatal. Reinforcement teaches the animal novel solutions, which behavior to choose again and to perfect.

If there were a “Sedona School” of dog training, a way of thinking about how humans interact with and teach dogs, its foundation would be positive reinforcement training. We learned how to build and sustain desired behaviors from nature. Celebrate that. Because we’ve also learned that punishment belongs to nature. In our hands it is inelegant at best and, more often, it is dangerous. Punishment in dog training damages dogs and ruins our relationship with them. Positive reinforcement dog training builds bonds and teaches solutions.

Humanity’s misguided sense of exceptionalism drove us to bend nature to our will. Too many times we’ve simply broken it. People still talk about breaking a dog with a choke or a shock. Our ego shines while nature fades in its shadow.

The Sedona School would align with nature. We learn about and from our dogs as we teach them. We see nature’s elegance, its guiding forces, how it drives success in all its creatures. Nature isn’t something that’s out there. It’s in here. Nature is in our bodies and our growing minds, and in our blossoming spirits. Come to Sedona, look out your window, visit the national forest, and the vibrant desert. But don’t forget to turn to your side, to the dog at your feet or on the sofa next to you. Right there. That’s the natural world in your own home.

Michael Baugh Teaches dog training in Sedona, AZ and online everywhere. He specializes in aggressive dog training. 

What is positive reinforcement dog training?

Positive reinforcement dog training teaches dogs which behaviors work by making desirable behaviors worthwhile. Instead of using pain, fear, or intimidation to suppress unwanted behavior, we arrange the environment so that the behaviors we want  become more likely. In Sedona, that approach fits naturally with learning to live responsibly alongside our dogs, our neighbors, wildlife, and the desert environment we all share.

Training Your Dog to be Calm and His Emotional Regulation

 

Michael Baugh CDBC

It is okay to teach your dog to lie down on cue, to experience calm behavior, and to just chill out. Training a relaxed body posture is not contrary to supporting your dog’s emotional regulation. It’s part of it. Your training isn’t a replacement for considering your dog’s overall well-being. It’s an essential element of that well-being.

Some folks bristle at training a down-stay as an alternative behavior to our dog’s barking, lunging, or biting. They have a point. A vigilant, aroused dog lying down is not the same as a dog who has learned to handle life’s stressors with grace and poise. Teaching lie down for relaxation and calm, however, is an important part of our overall plan.

Our dogs’ emotional well-being requires a lot of elements, just as our own emotional health does.

  • Great medical care to prevent and treat illness and pain.
  • Excellent nutrition.
  • Movement and exercise appropriate for our dog’s stage of life.
  • Social interaction with preferred humans and non-humans (our dogs get to choose who they like).
  • Enjoyable and enriching activities: play, sniffing, exploring, engaging with toys, and chewing (look for what interests your dog).
  • Sleep (dogs sleep upwards of 14 hours a day).
  • Learning, including learning how to be chill (even in situations that used to be angst-provoking).

I had to learn how to meditate. It’s not just something I practice; it is a practice. Meditation is not my complete mental health and wellness plan. It is part of my plan. You may practice breathing or yoga. Some folks soak in a Jacuzzi and let their minds fall silent. The goal is the same. Only the approach is different.

I lift weights and hike. You might play a sport and do Pilates.

Dinner parties and deep conversations are my thing. Someone else may prefer dancing or book clubs for their social time.

I read. You may prefer taking classes or listening to podcasts.

Sleep seems to be universal.

But there are still more variations on the theme of emotional regulation and mental health wellness than there are rigid rules. I like to think of it as a series of daily decisions I make for my dog’s benefit (and for myself, too). Our dogs learning emotional regulation, our teaching of it, supporting it, nurturing it — these are continuous choices we make every day. Keep at it. Strive to get better. See how it feels, how your dog seems to change, to blossom.

And.

Make room for bad days. Life is hard. I don’t have to tell you that. Offer yourself a little grace even as you strive for poise. Give your dog a little forgiveness as well. As another trainer reminded me, puppies get zoomies. Our dogs’ best choices are not always what we’d hoped for. They get overtired, irritated, and angry. Me too, honey. Me too.

Emotions are essential to our emotional well-being. Our dogs get to have feelings. We get to have feelings. No one wants a cold, little automaton. That’s not why we have dogs. We love our dogs because they are real. They are goofy and flawed. We want all that for them, and from them. We also want our dogs to bounce back from those big highs and the hard lows. Being silly is fun, but extreme emotional ups and downs can also feel like crap.

Emotional self-regulation. Mental health. Wellness and well-being. Aren’t we really just trying to say we want our dogs to be happy? Don’t we really just want to be happy with our dogs?

How about we go for that? Happy dog. Happy human. As many days as we can.

And if you want to teach your dog to lie down and relax, go for that too. A lot goes into being happy. Don’t miss any of it.

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Sedona AZ, Houston TX, and online everywhere. He specializes in aggressive dog training.

Resolving Dog Reactivity by Teaching “This Way”

Michael Baugh CDBC

What are we trying to teach dogs who bark and lunge at other dogs, people, bikes, or cars on walks?

We call them “reactive dogs.” But what are we trying to replace that reactivity with?

Not simply the absence of barking. We want a dog who calmly follows our lead.

This Way

Let’s teach our dog to follow us when we cue, “This way.”

Say, “this way.” Turn 90 degrees off the path without pulling on the leash. Encourage your dog to follow. Praise warmly, then scatter three to five treats on the ground.

Practice “this way” several times during every walk, even when you don’t see other dogs or anything else that typically causes your dog to react.

We are teaching our dog that when something concerning appears, following us is safe and rewarding. Rather than barking and lunging, your dog learns to stay calm, follow you, and create distance.

I recommend turning at a right angle, either left or right, and moving off the path as far as you need. Sometimes that means walking up a neighbor’s driveway or sidewalk for a few moments. That’s okay. Your goal is to create enough distance for your dog to remain calm.

This way → increase distance → praise → scatter treats.

Under Threshold

When we actually encounter a trigger on a walk, such as another dog, our goal is to move before the barking and lunging begin. We call this working under threshold.

If I notice a trigger, I watch to see whether my dog has noticed it too. There is usually a brief moment after your dog sees the trigger but before emotion spills over into barking and lunging. That’s your opportunity.

Your dog sees the other dog. → “This way” → Move off the path, praise, and scatter treats.

Having practiced “this way” many times during ordinary walks, your dog will be much more likely to respond when it really matters.

Beyond Avoidance

Some people worry this is avoidance. It isn’t.

Your dog has seen the trigger. He knows it’s there. Instead of barking and lunging, he’s learning another response. He sees the trigger, follows you, earns reinforcement, and remains under threshold.

Over time, as your dog has many successful repetitions, he will naturally become comfortable at shorter distances from the things that once caused him to react. Walks become calmer, easier, and more enjoyable for both of you.

We’re not just trying to stop barking and lunging. We are teaching our dogs what to do instead.

 

Michael Baugh CDBC teaches dog training in Sedona, Arizona, Houston, Texas, and online everywhere. He specializes in aggressive dog training.