All Aboard for (a good) PK!

I only just finished up my PK classes a few weeks ago and the new ones are supposed to start in a week or so but no registrations!  I still hear from folks that they are told by their vets that they should keep their puppy away from other dogs until after they’ve had all their shots.  Some people are even told to keep the puppy indoors until that rabies shot.  This saddens me because I know that those puppies are not getting off to the best start in their lives with their humans.  They are very possibly a bundle of fears and behavior problems in the making.  Let’s add insult to injury… I know one vet that told my client she still had to wait a week after the last shot before taking her pup outside.  That pup, and a large-breed at that, spent 9 full weeks inside a small 3-room apartment before her first venture outside at the age of 17 weeks!  and to this day, 4 years later, she jumps at every sound and cringes when cars pass.

 

So what happens after that “magical” last set of shots?  People run their pups outdoors, to various houses, down busy streets, to the dog park and (finally) into group classes.  Not only is the puppy often overwhelmed and unable to cope, the human has no idea what s/he is doing and usually makes matters worse by forcing the puppy into situations s/he is simply not ready to handle and with absolutely no coping skills!

 

Of course, waiting until after the pup is 16 weeks (about the time the last shots are administered) does not guarantee a poorly adjusted dog but in my long experience that is very often the result.  On the other hand, a Puppy Kindergarten does not guarantee a balanced, well-adjusted dog.  Some PKs are, in my opinion, very poorly run and can actually do more harm than good.  I’ve seen some PKs and puppy playtimes in some of the big box stores and I know I am seeing future behavior modification clients.

 

There is a common misconception that socialization means throwing everything and anything at the puppy to get him “used to it” – yikes!  Well, I’m not a fan of snakes (sorry, I know, they are just another animal but they give me the creeps) and throwing me into a room full of them is NOT going to get me used to snakes.  Au contraire!  More likely, my fear and aversion will be increased.  Yet I see this done to puppies all the time and, sadly, by the very folks that doggie parents trust to guide and teach them how to raise their puppies – their “trainer.”  That’s right – “trainer”, not trainer.  Anyone can call herself a trainer, there is no regulation in the industry – ah but once again, I digress.  Let’s stick a pin in that bugaboo for another day J

 

On to the PK/PP (no, not pee pee, Puppy Playtime).  So what have I seen/heard?  I am so very glad you asked.  (Yes, I sometimes hear you in my head)  Puppies are left to fend for themselves in a play situation they are not prepared to handle in the name of socialization.  A fearful or shy puppy will not learn socialization when thrown in with a school-yard bully.  And, yes, there are pups that behave much like that school-yard bully you remember from the old days.  Those pups may not steal the shy pup’s milk money but they can, however unintentionally and unwittingly, steal a shy/fearful pup’s ability to gain confidence and to learn to interact with other pups.  Don’t believe the “trainer” that tells you to leave your pup to fend for himself or that providing comfort and reassurance and SAFETY will feed or reinforce the fear.  OMD how that expression annoys me!  Sorry, these folks don't understand learning and behavior and have no business training you or your pup.

 

A good PK will gently and gradually introduce your pup to sights, sounds, people and other pups in a manner that is not threatening or intimidating.  A good PK will let your pup move at his/her own pace and provide safety and security.  The shy or fearful pup is NEVER forced into any interaction.  That pup is permitted to find a safe corner or behind a gate from which to watch the other, more outgoing puppies play.  Perhaps that puppy’s human will be feeding treats or gently petting as the puppy watches.  The other puppies will be prevented from overwhelming that pup.  In my experience, in time that puppy’s natural curiosity and desire for social contact will emerge and s/he will make attempts to interact.  This is a crucial time for the pup and a good PK trainer will seek to make the interaction safe and gentle, perhaps with one other pup of similar disposition or with an older pup or dog that is gentle with shy puppies.

 

Another aspect of a good PK is introduction of many different people, again, never forcing a puppy to interact.  The people may wear hats, wigs, glasses, uniforms and carry strange objects.  Sound and object habituation is another important part of a PK.  But, where’s the training?  Shouldn’t a puppy be trained in a PK class?  Yes… and no.  Much of that depends on the age of the puppies in a PK class.  If the PK class is a socialization class designed for puppies as young as 8 weeks, then socialization and play should be the focus with only what I call “foundation” training as part of the curriculum.  Foundation behaviors that can pave the way for better, easier and faster basic training when the time is right.  Name response, choose me, hand-targeting, sit, call out of play, red light/green light (lol – no, not quite the game you remember but my own version of a foundation game with your pup.)  If the PK class is for older pups – over 14 weeks, then that is really more of a basic class since the window for the critical socialization period has already ended.  We have so little time to do what we can in that critical window.  A good PK can give your pup a huge advantage in life.  Don’t hesitate to find one and enroll your pup as early as possible.   As per the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior - “Behavioral issues, not infectious diseases, are the number one cause of death for dogs under three years of age.” 

 

So, all aboard for a good PK and, please, let’s get our vets on board too!  Education is key and, for more information, check out the AVSAB Position Statement on Puppy Socialization.  If you are interested in seeing a good PK curriculum (WARNING, shameless self-promotion coming,) check out the Smarty Paws course outline for PK class for a program that starts your pup off on the right paw!  J

 

Now you KNOW!

 

Happy Tails J

Fallout – Real Risk or Rhetoric?

I can’t believe how long it has taken me to get back into a routine after hurricane Sandy.  Don’t get me wrong, I was one of the very fortunate ones on Long Island with no damage and losing power for only a couple of days.  Wish I could say the same for most of my family and many of my friends.  I am amazed at the resiliency and positivity of the people I know that were affected – truly in awe of some of them.  

 

With that, moving on to the business of dogs and all things dogs…Warning, it’s a long one.  Guess I’m making up for lost time J

 

I hear it over and over again from the “positive” training camp that punishment = fallout.  I also hear over and over from the traditional camp that fallout = “possie” rhetoric.  For every example of fallout from punishment there is an equal and opposite claim of “BS”.  So what’s the truth?  Truth being subjective, this is strictly my truth.

I firmly believe that positive punishment (adding an aversive) carries a very real risk of fallout.  That’s it, the smart thing to do is end the post here.  But, let’s be real, it’s me and oh how I love to ramble…

 

First, let me say that punishment does NOT guarantee fallout.  Behavior is not math so 1+2 does not always mean 3.  I’ve seen punishment work without fallout.  That said, I’ve also seen fallout first-hand and still see it regularly.  In my experience, it is a fact.  So, I am very careful about employing punishments and, when I do, I attempt to use only negative punishment (removing a positive reinforcer).  But, I never say never. There may be an appropriate time, place, situation and method of positive punishment that I may feel is necessary at some point.  I’m not a “humaniac” that is so closed-minded that I throw science out the window in the name of the fantasy that is known as “purely positive”.  Let’s face it, there is no such thing as “purely positive” – even the simple act of refusing to reinforce a behavior is a form of punishment.  Then of course, there is the latest buzz phrase “error less training” more on that another time but suffice it to say, that while ideals are great, they are all too often unattainable.

That said, I do believe that training can and should be accomplished  and behavior can and should be modified in a force-free way.  Why would I use a shock/prong/spray collar, a squirt in the face or a scary noise to suppress a behavior when I can first try to remove the trigger that causes the behavior or teach the dog an alternate and/or incompatible behavior AND remove the reinforcement for the problem behavior, thus allowing the dog to figure out that the behavior he likes but that I don’t is just not worth it AND a different behavior (one I DO like) is more rewarding?  Why wouldn’t I do it the more positive way?  Well, I would and do but I know why others don’t…

Because it takes more time.  Because it takes more effort.  Because it takes more thought than simply yelling, squirting, jerking or shocking the dog. Because humans (I’m convinced) are inherently punitive.  But if the punishers would just look beyond the momentary cessation of unwanted behavior, they would see that those punishments often don’t work, especially in the long-term.  If they did, one would not need to punish the same behavior over and over and over again.  Dogs are very bright and, when taught properly, learn very quickly.  If you are repeating the same “lesson” endlessly, the fault lies in your method, not your dog.

Traditional trainers claim that timing is what makes the punishment effective and that repetition is how the dog understands that it’s his own behavior causing the punishment and not something else – thus no risk of fallout.  Really?  True, timing is essential and a good trainer has timing.  An APO often does not.  When I work with a dog I also work with its human and leave them with the ability to practice and follow-thru on what I taught.  That is one reason for not teaching punishment techniques to my 2-legged students – I simply don’t trust punishments in the hands of a novice.  Now about that repetition… hmmm, so just how many reps of punishment does it take to cross the line from “teaching” to abusing?  Therein is my second problem with punishment and my number one reason for NOT choosing it myself.  If the punishment does not work in 1-2 attempts, it is abusive, period.  It’s like my friend who insists on poking me when she speaks to me.  Presumably she pokes me to emphasize a point but I’m not really sure why and I don’t care, I only know that I distance myself from her whenever possible.  One or two pokes I can deal with, but one or two pokes every time I see her or more than that is just plain annoying and, yes, painful.  Despite each individual poke being mild, the accumulation has left me sensitive and sore.  Blatant and forceful abuse?  Absolutely not.  And, yet, I still feel abused.  Now, her intent is NOT for me to distance myself from her but that is the fallout from her punishing behavior toward me.  Plus, ha ha, to this day, I have no idea why I’m being poked.  If I, the human with the larger cerebral cortex, can’t figure out why I’m being punished, how can one expect his/her dog to understand the concept any better?

Here’s some very real fallout for you – a while ago I accidentally rolled my desk chair over my little one when I pushed back to go into the credenza behind me.  I don’t even know how much of her foot I hit but, based on the little bit of blood by the split nail, I think I, fortunately, only got her toenail.  She screamed quite a bit and the sound went right thru me straight to my heart.  I honestly am not sure which of us was more upset.  This one stays near me all the time when I’m working in my office – she’ll lie under the desk or in the open crate on the side of my desk.  It took her 3 days to even consider entering the room again and she still wouldn’t go much farther than just in the doorway.  10 days after the incident, she still would only enter as far as the doorway.  I even took the chair out of the room to see if she would come in when the offensive object was removed.  No way.  She was avoiding the whole room – not just the object that punished her.  I began working on CC and it took me about a week or so to get her into the room and another week before she was comfortable enough to once again “hang” with me in the room.   So, despite the fact that the chair committed the offense, she had superstitiously decided the entire room was a bad, bad place.  She had connected the pain with the location, not the object that caused the pain or, fortunately, me.  If I were a punishment-based trainer attempting to teach my dog to be avoid chairs in that manner, it would have been an epic fail.  Don’t laugh, many “trainers” feel the best way to teach pups to avoid things is to make those things scary and/or painful.  (ah, so many thoughts, so little time)

In a scenario where a counter-surfer is punished for jumping up on the counter, the dog may learn that it’s her jumping that brings the punishment – but how many times must you repeat the punishment for the dog to figure it out?  Maybe she NEVER figures it out… maybe she thinks it’s the counter that’s causing the punishment, or the sink, or the cabinet door.  So, you may think you’ve effectively suppressed the behavior but then you remodel your kitchen or take her to another house and suddenly she’s back at it… fallout!  And, I might add, for those people who can’t keep their counter unrewarding, what is the likelihood that they can deliver the punishment 100% of the time?  If they can’t, then the behavior is being intermittently reinforced and made stronger than ever.  But that’s a blog for another day.

Yes, we “risk” the same superstitious connections with clicker training as well.  My dog may think that the click/treat she earned while training is brought on by the proximity of a person, object or sound or by the shirt I wear.  But, now here is where I agree with the traditional trainer about timing and repetition.  If I have good timing, the reward will be connected with the behavior.  If I have poor timing, then repetition will teach the dog that the reward is tied to her behavior.  Yes, even with poor timing, repetition allows for the dog to eventually figure out it’s not my shirt, it’s her behavior that brings the rewards. But, what is the risk of fallout there?  And where is the abuse in the repetition?  As far as I can tell, there is none!

Yes, we all live in the real world and, sometimes, sadly, need real world fixes.  It’s a matter of knowing your client – 2 and 4 legged.  Long before I introduce the sledgehammer, if ever, I will try other things and desperately seek to educate my clients in alternate, gentler methods.  

I firmly believe that superstitious connections and fallout are very definite and real risks in punishment-based training, not rhetoric.  Fallout is not always huge or obvious, it can be subtle and it happens more often than folks realize.  Dogs have trouble generalizing and, yet, have an uncanny knack for escalating their own fears.  When it comes to fears, dogs corner the market on generalizations.  JMHO

So, let’s not add to those fears with punishments.  Let’s keep those Happy Tails and give

DIRECTIONS, NOT Corrections!

To Blog or Not To Blog?

Ok, so I was feeling uninspired and disappointed by the underwhelming response to my last blog post.  Let’s face it, despite my love of humor and good times, my writing skills demonstrate a decided lack of such leading me to ruminate on whether I should bother to blog again.  Dare I bore the public with my pontifications on training and behavior in my lackluster, humorless writing style? Maybe I’m just rusty and need to push myself, get in a “groove”, exercise my cerebral cortex and then maybe I will improve.  Then again, maybe not.

I enviously read many blogs and articles and dream of being able to coin a phrase, turn a word and cleverly make my point as do so many others.  I live in a great time when anyone with a two-bit opinion and a computer can have her voice heard.  Ah, but SHOULD that voice be heard?  And would anyone read far enough into this mind-numbing droning of words to get to my point? Alas, I suspect not, so why bother?

Suddenly, INSPIRATION! Amazing that is was in the form of a pint-sized entity whose name sounds like a wound acquired while raiding a beehive for its golden nectar.  Yes, I suspect you know of what I speak and imagine my surprise to learn of the existence of this heretofore unknown entity of which I was blissfully unaware.  Having heard the name this morning and, being as curious as a cat dog, I immediately Googled it and now that which has been seen and heard can, sadly, never be UNseen or UNheard.  (oh the horror, the horror!) The images and sounds are forever burned into my poor, overexposed brain.  BUT, one must give credit where credit is due.  For, I thought if this child can be asked to share her self-proclaimed redneck opinion on the presidential candidates and be given a nationally televised forum to do so, then, certainly, I am entitled to post my thoughts and ramblings on that which I am knowledgeable and educated.  If not for the silliness of this beauty-queen wannabe, I would have remained silent.

While I vehemently resist the idea that I need to "redneck-cognize", I do realize this diminutive blonde and all that goes with her is probably found to be far more entertaining than little big, old me, but I vow to make a better effort in the future.  With that, on to the post (no, the former is NOT the post and, no, I will not be discussing reality tv and its assorted “stars”.  If you thought that’s where I was going, you may want to leave now)

In my last post, “Are You Really a “Positive”Trainer?”, I was discussing the Humane Hierarchy and several times mentioned “more on that later”.  Here is one of those “laters”...

Steps 5 and 6 on the Humane Hierarchy

5.  Negative Punishment, Extinction and Negative Reinforcement

Yes, despite the fact that these three things are different, they are “lumped” together on the Humane Hierarchy…

a. Negative Punishment – Sounds really bad, right?  Well, not as bad as one might think and certainly better than Negative Reinforcement, IMO.  When using NP, the trainer contingently withdraws a positive reinforcer to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur. NP creates stress thru disappointment but is more humane than introducing an aversive.  Many “positive” trainers use NP in conjunction with PR.  I’m sure you’ve heard it before with the jumping puppy – turn your back.  That’s an example of NP because, in theory, you are removing the reinforcer (your attention) for jumping by turning your back to the puppy.  Lol – how well does that really work?  Not well at all.

b. Extinction ‐ No, we’re not talking about dinosaurs but I’m very happy when some behaviors go the way of the dinosaur.  When using extinction, the trainer permanently removes the maintaining reinforcer to suppress the behavior or reduce it to baseline levels.  This is very stressful for the dog as triggers are still present and the dog is repeatedly subjected to its trigger in the absence of alternative behaviors or distractions or even the information that can be learned from negative punishment, leaving the dog little or no way to “cope” with the trigger.  A good example of this is doorbell desensitization for dogs that “go crazy” when the doorbell rings.  Why? Because the doorbell signals visitors and that’s the reinforcer.  Ring the doorbell all day long and never answer the door and eventually the dog gives up on the behavior because the reinforce is no longer there at all.  Of course, it doesn’t take much for the dog to reacquire the behavior once you again begin to answer the door.

c. Negative Reinforcement ‐ When using negative reinforcement, the trainer contingently withdraws an aversive antecedent stimulus to increase the probability that the right behavior will occur.  NR is very stressful/invasive for the dog as it first requires the introduction of an aversive.  A choke chain supposedly operates using NR and, yes, it does but only AFTER the positive punishment.  A pulling dog is punished by the choke chain tightening around his neck.  If the dog stops pulling, his “nice walking” is reinforced by the relief of pressure from the choke chain.

6.   Positive Punishment – the LAST Resort when ALL other Options have Failed

Positive? - sounds better than it is.  Positive within this context does not mean good – it means to add something. 

With PP, the trainer contingently delivers an aversive consequence to reduce the probability that the problem behavior will occur.  Positive punishment is determined by the dog.  What one dog may find punishing, another may find fun.  Introducing an aversive to decrease/suppress a behavior is extremely invasive and stressful to the dog and, very often, downright INhumane.  I don’t believe there is ever any need to use physical pain of any kind.  I don’t believe in nor have I ever found the need for choke, prong or shock collars, physical force or intimidation.  Don’t get me wrong, there may be a time and a place for the proper use of PP.  Yes, I am committed to positive training but I refuse to become one of the many “humaniacs” that rewards-based training seems to have created. Don’t get me started on the whole NRM debate!  Hmmm… now THAT’s a post for another day, for sure!

I believe in respecting and humanely educating my beloved pets. I hope to increase awareness among pet-owners and help them achieve a bond with their pets based on mutual respect, trust and affection.  In so doing, I…

Train withOUT Pain!

Happy Tails!