Tag: aggressive dog training

Dog Training – How We Show Up Matters

Michael Baugh CDBC

Let’s think about how we begin our dog training sessions. Are we scrambling around looking for that plastic bag of treats? Are we distracted by our phones, our spouses, our kids? Maybe we’re just caught up in our own heads, thinking about other stuff.

It is a disservice to both our dogs and ourselves to show up like a maniac on the run. Be honest, we wouldn’t tolerate that level of inattention from our dogs. We should do better.

And yes, I get it. We live in a fast-paced, everything all at once world. Life is hard. Things are changing, getting worse, rarely better. It’s a lot. Sometimes it’s too much.

That’s all the more reason to give yourself (and your dog) a nice, thoughtful time to learn together. Take a moment. Think it through. You deserve something good right now.

Here’s how I like to approach a structured training session with my dog.

Begin with wonder. You’ve heard me say this before. Our dogs are fantastic creatures. They are intelligent, emotional, athletic, and social. Begin training in awe of that. This is a sacred moment.

Come prepared. Have a proper treat bag — a fabric one that you can wear or attach to your clothing. Use healthful food. If you are training with props (e.g., a mat), have them neatly set to the side.

Be curious. Ask questions? Is now the right time to train? How does my dog look? Is he hungry, tired, excited? Should we burn off energy with active training? Do we need to play or take a walk first because we want to train relaxation? Your curiosity is a sign of awareness and your open mind.

Arrive. Take a few deep breaths. Let your shoulders drop. Smile. Look at your dog. We are here right now. Be present and joyful and relaxed. This is what our dog deserves: our full intelligence, our sharp attention, and our kind guidance.

Training is a conversation with a dear friend who will never speak a word to us. Consider that for a moment. Dog training is not a menu of commands. It’s not a list of problems to solve. It is a connection. Training is how we communicate with our dogs.

This is a gift — these morsels of time in a day or a week or a life that sometimes feels like it’s devouring us. How wonderful that we’ve set this time aside to teach and learn with our dog. How do we approach such a gift if not with humility and sincere joy? Show up. Time is slipping away. Show up like you wish everything else would stop and this one moment would last forever.

 

Michael Baugh specializes in aggressive dog training in Sedona, Arizona and Houston.

Jealousy and Dog on Dog Aggression

Michael Baugh CDBC

Jealousy is a complex cluster of emotions: anger, fear, uncertainty, and insecurity. If you ask a jealous person what they are feeling, they might have a hard time telling you because they aren’t sure themselves. There’s too much to unpack.

So, what about our dogs? Well, they can’t talk at all. Most of us can tell when a dog is angry. We can see fearful behavior. There are even visible signs of uncertainly and insecurity. Is that jealousy? I think the label is a hard fit for dogs. And I’m not a fan of labels in the first place.

Behavior, in this case dog behavior, is all about verbs. That dog lunged. One dog bit the other. My dog tucked his tail and lowered his head. We observe behavior, identify when it occurs, and then work to change it. Feelings change when behavior changes. We know that for a fact. Is my dog jealous? I don’t know. Regardless, let’s teach him a new pattern of behavior and hope that he feels better.

Most dog fights start over food or food-relate objects. I’ve seen it in street dogs around the world. My dog has guarded treats and bones. Hundreds of clients’ dogs have clashed this way. It’s commonly called resource guarding.

Resource guarding can spread. A dog might aggress toward a housemate dog over a prized sleeping spot, a crate, or a sofa. One’s dog might guard a caregiver and not let another dog approach. Some dogs become sensitive to another dog approaching their own personal space, no matter where they are.

After two dogs have fought a few times, there is a chance they will become so agitated that they fight on sight. The history becomes thick with anger and pain. They simply don’t like each other.

These cases are hard to resolve, not impossible.

Keep the dogs separate unless in a controlled training exposure. We want to protect them from their own unacceptable behavior. When they fight again, they just get better at fighting. It’s up to us to prevent fights at all costs.

Teach calm behavior. A dog who is physically relaxed (example: lying comfortably on a mat) is less likely to behave aggressively.

Safely expose the dogs to each other at a distance while reinforcing relaxed behavior. Progress incrementally.

This is a very abbreviated description of the process. Work with a qualified trainer to do it correctly and to get support along the way. The process is straightforward, but it is certainly not easy. Get help.

Do I think dogs get jealous? Gosh, that’s a hard one. I really focus on the more basic emotions that are linked to observable behavior. Keep it simple.

If using the word jealousy plays a role, maybe it is this. We humans can all relate to feeling threatened. We may fear that another person is going to take what is ours (money, status, a lover). It’s an unsettling feeling. We may become angry. It’s likely we will feel some enmity toward that person. When we share our feelings with a friend, they may say, “You’re jealous.” It’s possible that defining our dog’s behaviors as jealousy opens the door to empathy. We get it. We’ve felt that terror, that confusion, that rage.

Here we stand on common ground with our dog. “You’re having some big complicated feelings, dog. I’ve had those, too. Let me help you.” If a flimsy label (jealousy) leads to empathy, I’m all for it. Stand tall on that common ground. Step up and help you dog, because you know how awful it feels and how unnecessary that behavior is. Who better than you to help? You understand. You’re smart. And you got this.

 

Michael Baugh teaches dog training in Arizona and Texas. He specializes in aggressive dog training. 

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.