Protect Your Dog Training Investment

 

Michael Baugh CDBC CPTD-KSA

I like metaphors and analogies when I’m teaching folks about dog behavior change. Comparisons to money are my favorite since humans find it so reinforcing.

Here’s an example. Let’s says we have a dog who barks and charges at new people coming into his home. Every time we follow a predictable training protocol for introducing him to new people it’s like putting money in the bank. Behavior analyst Susan Friedman calls it her “trust account.” We are making an investment in building trust. On the flip side, every time we allow a person to set our dog off it’s like taking out a huge withdrawal from the account. The dog barks and charges and we lose part of our investment. The idea, of course, is to get rich earning lots of trust. Too many mishaps and we go broke, no more trust.

Just like with a financial investment, sometimes the best thing we can do with our dog training investment is to let it mature long-term on its own. Let’s look at that same dog who barks and charges at new people. We’ve put in a minimal effort with training. We have a good greeting protocol in place and the dog is actually getting comfortable with some of our friends. The returns on our training investment can build exponentially just by letting things be.  Here are some specific strategies for building compound interest on your training efforts:

  • Allow for zero uncontrolled greetings (e.g. person just walks in). That alone will build trust and confidence. Think of it as passive income on your investment.
  • Put more training in the account. Run controlled meetings that are easy. You don’t have to invest huge amounts of effort, just a little bit here and there adds up.
  • Don’t mess with your investment. We don’t want to withdrawal what we’ve put in for something that promises quick gains. We can lose everything that way and none of us wants to go broke or have to start over where we began.

Think for a moment how rich we’d all be if we started young. Puppies are prime training investment opportunities. That doesn’t mean you shouldn’t start with the dog you have now – you should. But, keep the puppy thing in mind. There’s nothing like a dog whose learned behavioral flexibility from day one. That kind of investment will pay dividends for a lifetime.

 

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

Three Reasons to Not Get a Puppy

 

Michael Baugh CDBC, CPDT-KSA

These actually do not just apply to puppies. They are things to consider before getting a new dog, regardless of age. Also, these are just my top three. There are certainly other considerations to keep in mind when you’re thinking about adding a dog to your life.

3. A new puppy takes more effort than you might expect. Even if you have raised dogs before, chances are you’ve forgotten how much work a puppy (or new dog) can be. There is training, of course. At a minimum you need to teach the dog where to poop and pee. That’s sometimes a challenge. There are also canine behavior issues that might crop up. New dogs require social interaction. You’ll need to have a petsitter, dog walker, and boarding care for when you are away. Don’t forget bedding, baby gates, food bowls, toys and all the other supplies that come with having a dog. It’s a lot. Your life might be different now than when you had new dogs before. Do you have the time and energy now that you did then? Can you make this work?

2. Puppies are expensive. Just the initial costs to get started could be one to two thousand dollars. I think that’s conservative and it doesn’t include breeder or adoption fees. Then we have to consider the annual costs of training, vet care, and food. Puppies have a bunch of initial vaccinations. They also eat stuff they shouldn’t and otherwise get sick pretty frequently in that first year. Senior pet care can be significantly expensive. Can you fit a new puppy or dog in to your budget?

1. Your existing dog may not want a new puppy. This might seem like a no-brainer, but I see it a lot. If you have a dog who you know does not like other dogs then do not get a puppy (or adopt an adult dog). You already know this is not going to work out. Don’t expect your existing dog to suddenly change and accept a new housemate. He won’t. Similarly, if you have a senior dog (nine years plus in most breeds), then do not get a new puppy. Puppies are rambunctious and annoying to older dogs. It’s just not fair to ask your long-time companion dog to take on that extra burden in their golden years. I see lots of cases I which the addition of a puppy or new dog is simply a disaster because it’s just not right for the existing dog. Have you thought all this through thoroughly?

You might be thinking Michael this isn’t very nice. You’re normally so kind and patient. I get it. And, maybe you do have all the time, energy, and resources available to you. Maybe you don’t have another dog. Perhaps you have a young dog already who is socially savvy and has lots of experience with other dogs. Awesome! Then, go for it. There are plenty of dogs who need homes and it sounds like yours might be a good match.

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog behavior in Houston, TX.

Dog Behavior – What I Learned from Animals on The Galápagos Islands

Michael Baugh CDBC CPDT-KSA

On about the 5th day of our trip it occurred to me that The Galápagos Islands are one of the few places on earth where everything is still as it should be. There are very few humans. We fish there, but not too much. Birds and large mammals, like the sea lions, are mostly safe from us. We haven’t crowded the animals out or paved everything over. There are a few towns and two small airports. There are small ports and motorized boats. Still, in most ways the animal inhabitants of The Galápagos live as they have for hundreds of years.

What happens when animals live with relatively few pressures from human beings? This is my opinion as a matter of experience. They thrive. This appears in their physical and reproductive health. It also shows in their behavioral health. Because of strict conservation laws, humans are not allowed to hunt or harass animals on the islands. As a result, many are very trusting of us – friendly, in fact. Curious juvenile sea lions routinely approached us on the beach and in the water. Penguins swam up to us and around us, sometimes within inches. Iguanas tolerated our clumsy trodding over them. Birds flew and landed nearby. Giant tortoises plodded along with nary a notice. These are animals under absolutely no pressure from humans. I daresay they are better for it – happier.

It got me thinking about our dogs. The hard truth is we put our dogs under a lot of pressure. Even the Belgian Malinois at The Galápagos airport on Baltra is under pressure. Say on a leash. Stay in a crate. Climb the luggage and sniff for contraband. Meanwhile back in Houston we insist our dogs answer our every command. Stay alone for hours on end. Move at our pace on walks. Meet who we want them to meet when we want it, including other dogs. All the while remain friendly. Never express an emotion unless it’s one of the ones we like. Behave this way in public, in crowds, wearing a harness and a leash and silly clothes.

What if we just let our dogs be dogs? Would that be enough for us? Aren’t they already enough? What if our influence on them was light and kind? What if they got a fraction of the empathy and respect we were required to show the sea lions on the beaches of The Galápagos? Our dogs are noble animals. They are not toys. They are not Disney characters. They’ve evolved with us. They are uniquely suited to live with us. But, our life with them is not all about us. This isn’t all about us.

Human beings, Homo Sapiens, have walked the earth for about 300-thousand years. Only in the past 500 or so years did we really start to spread. Whalers stumbled upon The Galápagos in the early 1500’s. The industrial revolution started just 200 years ago. Two hundred years is very recent compared to 300-thousand. I’ve often said to clients that we humans have already won the evolutionary race. We inhabit every bit of the earth. For better or worse, we’ve won.

I stood on a beach no one had walked on since the last high tide. I could see stingrays and eagle rays in the surf. Bright orange crabs clung to the lava rocks. A green sea turtle crawled out of the water. Giant frigate birds, broad-winged but barely 2-pounds in weight, floated above. This is where everything is still as it should be,  I thought. It wasn’t that long ago that the whole planet was like this, 400 years ago, 500. What happened? When did we decide it was all ours and only ours?

For many of us, our dogs are our only real connection to the natural world. That’s a lot of responsibility for one species. It’s even more responsibility for us. I’m in the business of helping people teach their dogs. But I wonder. What could we learn from our dogs, or from the squirrel, or the cardinal, or the possum, those fragments of the wild that remain? What could they teach us about ourselves?

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Houston, TX. He specializes in behavior related to fear including aggressive behavior.