Learning and
memory is what makes each of us, and each of our dogs, a unique individual.
Synaptic connectivity is the essence of learning and memory. It is a result of
external and internal stimuli acting on the genes that create the proteins
which make up our neurological system.
Journal of
Applied Companion Animal Behavior Vol. 2, No. 1. 2008
LeDoux, J.
(2002). Synaptic self: How our brains become who we are. New York: Penguin
Books.
Shaping by
successive approximations is such a powerful tool. Dogs become a partner in the
learning process. Shaping provides very mild amounts of frustration as the dog
attempts to identify the behaviour that earns the reinforcer. Done correctly
and mindfully, this can help build a dog’s coping skills and promote
confidence.
Dogs are the
oldest domesticated species. Dogs that live in our households have a very high
degree of vulnerability and dependency. They depend on us for food, shelter,
and medical care. They depend on us for survival.
Our dogs try
their best to fit in with human society, having to navigate our ambiguous, and
often conflicting demands.
We are
responsible for our dogs’ lives from beginning to end, and this means that we
will have an immense causal influence on the quality that their life ultimately
has.
Dogs don’t have
a say in choosing their caregiver but the person(s) they end up with will have
a profound influence on their life. Co-operation with humans and learning from
humans are facilitated by a high degree of social attentiveness.
Bonds between
dogs and humans are selective, intense, and will vary in quality. It is
important that we bear in mind the spectrum of positive duties that this
relationship engenders, including the duty to live up to the trust that dogs
place in us.
Resilience
We often talk
about building resilience in our dogs but what is it and how can we do it?
The dictionary
description is that resilience is the ability to adjust or recover from
adversity, major life changes or to recover from illness or a crisis.
Resilience can
prevent trauma; help overcome it or create healing from psychological or
physical trauma.
It is not just
about early experiences although we can try to give our puppies the very best
start in life. The amount of resilience a dog has is influenced by his genetic
makeup, early exposures, and the current situation. Resilience can be damaged
by life experiences. All dogs need resilience to cope with life but dogs who
have experienced trauma need it even more. Resilience comes from the inside.
Resilience
requires:
• a dog to feel
safe – avoid dogs being overwhelmed in situations. If they become overwhelmed,
remove them from the situation. Find out what the triggers are and try to avoid
as many of them as you can while we build confidence. Try to walk in quieter
places if your dog is worried by other dogs or people.
• a dog to have
social support – this can be a human or another dog. This doesn’t mean simply
hugging and reassuring a dog when he is fearful. It means being there and
responding to his needs, being trustworthy, predictable and fun.
• a dog to be
able to make choices – use positive reinforcement and find ways to give your
dog choices in their life. If a dog does not want to engage in training or an
activity and walks away, let him! Dogs need to be able to say no. Use the
consent test to see if he wants physical touch and affection.
• a dog to feel
more confident – use scentwork.
The more
control a dog feels he has over his own environment and the ability to be able
to communicate his needs, the easier he will find it to make better decisions
and the more resilient he will be. Every single dog has the ability to become
resilient.
Remember the
5 C’s
Calm,
Connection, Choices, Consistency = Confidence
Tiira K.
(2019). Resilience In Dogs? Lessons From Other Species. Veterinary medicine
(Auckland, N.Z.), 10, 159–168. https://doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S189566
Dogs, depending
on their life stage, breed or mix, and personality, will have different needs
for exercise, social interaction, and mental stimulation. A puppy or young
adult will usually be more “busier” than an older dog. If we look at the
evolution of the dog, selection has been primarily for behaviours such as
hunting, guarding or companionship to humans. While individuals within a breed
category can vary, a dog bred for hunting (such as an English Setter) or for
herding (such as a Border Collie) will often be more physically active than
dogs bred purely for companionship (such as a Pug or Shih Tzu).
We have
selectively bred various breeds of dog to have the physical ability and energy
required to spend the day working. It is not surprising then that when these
dogs are left home alone all day, we start to see unwanted behaviours.
Dogs are
sentient beings with behavioural and emotional needs as well as their basic
physical needs. These needs cannot be put on hold or ignored just because we
don’t have the time on a daily basis. Dogs can become bored or frustrated when
they lack stimulation. Equally dogs can become stressed when they do not have
enough to do or enough social interaction.
Just like
people, dogs are individuals with different energy levels, interests, and
physical abilities. Dogs need both mental stimulation and physical exercise.
We often talk
about breed specific behaviours and the need to ensure dogs have their
behavioural, physical, cognitive, and emotional needs met. Breed specific
behaviours are hard-wired and dogs need to be able to express their natural
behaviours to be happy and healthy. But what does that mean? We need to think
of safe and manageable ways to allow our dogs to use their natural breed
instincts.
We know that
dogs need different types of exercise and stimulation and that each individual
dog will be different in terms of what works for him. Think of your dog’s likes
and dislikes and his energy level. What does your dog like to do?
Hyperactivity?
We frequently
hear dogs labelled as hyperactive or that a dog is displaying over the top
behaviours at times. These dogs may be over or highly aroused.
Arousal, simply
put, is the dog’s level of excitement and emotional control (or rather the lack
of it). A highly aroused dog will be very excited, with increased heartrate and
respiration and dilated pupils. He will have little or no impulse control. He
may become mouthy, vocalise, jump up and even grab clothing or hands and he
will find it difficult to settle. A highly aroused dog’s ability to use the
thinking part of his brain is reduced and leads the dog to experience stress.
Over arousal or hyper arousal can even lead dogs to become reactive to other
dogs.
There is a
common misconception that the best way to manage hyperactive dogs is to try to
physically tire them out. For some working breeds, they will need more exercise
than other breeds but if we regularly engage in activities that cause our dog
to become highly excited and over aroused, every day for long periods, he will
have high levels of stress hormones in his bloodstream, even though he is
enjoying these activities. Over arousal is not necessarily just linked to
negative events. It occurs with positive events too. We often see this in dogs
who play long daily repetitive games of fetch.
If we attend a
music concert, watch, or participate in an exciting game or other exciting
activities, our arousal levels go up with our excitement during that time. I
know how tired I become after attending a music concert! Even happy exciting
events create a physiological stress response in humans AND dogs.
Many dogs enjoy
a game of fetch, playing with a flirt pole, agility, chasing around with other
dogs and there is nothing wrong with playing these games (as long as the dog
does not have any physical issues or is experiencing pain) but we should limit
how frequently and how long they play these games.
The human
end of the lead
Dogs are
expected to tolerate so much unwanted behaviour from humans and other dogs
these days! Society has high expectations of our dogs and their behaviour.
However, our dogs are entitled to have preferences about who they socialise
with, and when and where yet suddenly they are expected to behave as polite citizens
and “put up with” unwanted behaviour from others (humans and other dogs).
When we have a
dog that displays unwanted behaviours, especially out on walks it can affect us
as well as our dog. We can also become reactive. Our breathing may become faster
as our heart rate increases, we may tighten our grip on the lead, pull it in
short – after all, we know what is coming! We may start to dread walks and feel
totally helpless, judged, embarrassed and ashamed of how our dog behaves. These
feelings will no doubt affect how we feel about our dog and the relationship
between us.
While there is
no “quick fix” for reactivity, there IS hope and we can be the beginning of
that change.
Stress affects
every part of our bodies including the cardiovascular system, nervous system,
respiration, digestion, endocrine system, muscles, and even our reproductive
system. Emotional contagion, the mirroring of emotional or arousal states
between individuals, is commonly seen among species living together. Not only
does emotional contagion occur within a species, but it has also been shown to
occur between species, for example between dogs and humans. Short-term stress
appears to be contagious between dogs and their caregivers.
As humans, we
tend to focus on what could go wrong and what did go wrong. There is a reason
for this - the human brain has a faster response to negative things, quickly
transferring to our long-term memory much faster than positives. How often do
we remember one negative comment about us and quickly forget a number of
positive comments?
By changing our
response to our dog’s reactivity, we can help our dogs change their behaviour.
While we may not be the cause of our dogs emotional state, very often we do
contribute to it.
The incredible
olfactory capability of dogs is used by humans for odour identification and
discrimination. They help us in so many ways. The dog’s capacity for odour
detection has been reported to be as much as 10,000–100,000 times that of the
average human.
Olfaction in
dogs is crucial for gathering important information about the environment,
recognising individuals, making decisions, and learning. Humans each have a
unique innate scent that enables dogs to tell one person from another without
even seeing them.
How often do we
consider the smells and odours our dogs can detect, especially when we notice a
change in our dogs demeanour or behaviour? Dogs have a good scent memory too.
How often do we consider the situation from the dog’s olfactory point of view?
Horowitz A
(2021) Considering the “Dog” in Dog–Human Interaction Frontiers in Veterinary
Science DOI=10.3389/fvets.2021.642821
Socialisation
is the process of learning to communicate and relate with humans, members of
the same species, and other animals. Not all socialisation and exposure are
positive. It involves much more than just a checklist or encouraging dogs to
play with other dogs, and it takes careful preparation and planning.
Puppies may
easily become overwhelmed and sensitised to environmental stimuli, especially
if there are negative associations with their first experience. It is difficult
to habituate or get used to experiences that produce strong negative emotional
responses. Dogs cannot simply get used to scary situations. Instead, flight or
fight responses may become ingrained. Socialisation is first and foremost about
making exposure pleasant and fun.
Can the lack of
socialisation and habituation be overcome later in life?
Building
resilience is all about building social and environmental competence without
initiating emotional responses and resulting stress responses. With sensitive
and informed application, remedial socialisation and habituation is possible in
many companion dogs.
Socialisation
and exposure are only valuable if they are enjoyable for the puppy. The take
home message from this post is
• keep it short
• use distance
• keep it
positive
• make it fun
• avoid
overwhelming the dog
References
Howell, T. J.,
King, T., & Bennett, P. C. (2015). Puppy parties and beyond: the role of
early age socialization practices on adult dog behavior. Veterinary medicine
(Auckland, N.Z.), 6, 143–153. https://doi.org/10.2147/VMRR.S62081
Serpell J,
Jagoe JA. (1995) Early experience and the development of behaviour. In Serpell
J (ed). The Domestic Dog, p.82-102, Cambridge University Press.
C is for
Confidence
Positive
emotions and optimism seem to be very beneficial for human psychological health
as these traits protect against stress. It seems that, as in humans, resilience
in dogs is a complex mixture of genetic and environmental factors. There is
some evidence on several key factors supporting resilience in dogs, where
factors in early life such as good maternal care, environmental enrichment and
socialisation (including adoption age and several positive experiences from the
environment) are among the most important ones. There is some evidence that
caregiver personality, secure attachment, and positive interaction with the dog
(play, exercise, training, diet) are important environmental factors supporting
resilience.
If we follow
the first four C’s – Calm, Connection, Choices and Consistency it will help our
dogs become confident and resilient.
References:
Segovia F,
Moore JL, Linnville SE, Hoyt RE, Hain RE. (2012) Optimism Predicts Resilience
in Repatriated Prisoners of War: A 37-Year Longitudinal Study. J Trauma Stress.
2012;25(3):330–336. doi:10.1002/jts.21691
Tiira K.
(2019). Resilience In Dogs? Lessons From Other Species. Veterinary medicine
(Auckland, N.Z.), 10, 159–168.
C is for
Consistency
It is important
that we are consistent in what our dogs can and shouldn’t do and consistent
with our interactions and communication. Whatever we are attempting to
communicate to a dog, it will be easier for the dog to understand if we are
consistent. Decide on where your dog is to sleep, which rooms your dog can be
in, whether he can get on the sofa, whether your dog is allowed on the bed,
what cues you will use and so on and ensure everyone is consistent!
References
Eskeland G and
Tillung, RH and Bakken, M. (2007) The importance of consistency in the training
of dogs. The effect of punishment, rewards, rule structures and attitude on
obedience and problem behaviours in dogs. Journal of Veterinary
Behavior-clinical Applications and Research. Volume 2
C is for
Choices
The human-dog
relationship can be described as a human-dominated power relation in which dogs
often have little choices The inability to make choices can be a hugely
frustrating aspect for our dogs. For many companion dogs, being able to make
choices is a very infrequent occurrence. We decide if or when they go out,
where they go for a walk, when they are fed, what they are fed, where they
sleep and when they are left alone. Dogs are probably one of the only species
that cannot decide when they toilet!
Look for
opportunities to give your dogs choice in their life. They will thank you for
it.
References:
Pattison,
Kristina & Zentall, Thomas. (2014). Suboptimal choice by dogs: When less is
better than more. Animal cognition. 17. 10.1007/s10071-014-0735-2.
C is for
Connection
The human dog
dyad goes back a long way and may have begun 15 to 40,000 years ago (Savolainen
et al., 2002). Dogs are equipped with incredible skills to understand human
emotions, gestures, and actions. They form a co-operative team with us, they
engage with us as communicative partners, and they have been enculturated in
our society and are clearly part of our social game.
In addition to
the duty to ensure our dogs flourish in our care, there is also an additional duty
that emerges from the special relationship that we have towards dogs, and from
the specific way in which dogs perceive us. Affiliation plays a motivational
role in dog behaviour and shapes a dogs’ attitude as well as their interaction
with humans. We should invest in building relationships of trust with dogs.
Quite simply we must train without pain, fear or coercion so that our
relationship and connection with our dogs is one of trust!
As Suzanne
Clothier says “Connection is about two minds working together. If the
connection is not there between you and your dog you will be unable to direct
him, help him or train him.”
References:
Hiby, Elly
& Rooney, Nicola & Bradshaw, J. (2004). Dog training methods: Their
use, effectiveness and interaction with behaviour and welfare. Animal Welfare.
13. 63-69..
Benz-Schwarzburg
Judith, Monsó Susana, Huber Ludwig (2020) How Dogs Perceive Humans and How
Humans Should Treat Their Pet Dogs: Linking Cognition With Ethics Frontiers in
Psychology, volume 11
I often talk
about The Five C’s but what are they and how can we apply them to living with
our dogs?
C is for
Calm
Arousal in dogs
(and humans) is linked to fear, frustration, or excitement. When a dog is calm,
the messages travelling through the nerves have different chemicals which have
the effect of reducing the arousal hormones travelling through the blood.
Calmness is a way of life and not something to be “trained”. Encourage and
reinforce calmness and see the difference in your dog’s behaviour.
References:
Starling, M.
J., Branson, N., Cody, D., & McGreevy, P. D. (2013). Conceptualising the
Impact of Arousal and Affective State on Training Outcomes of Operant
Conditioning. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI, 3(2), 300–317.
Carter, C. S.
(1998). Neuroendocrine perspectives on social attachment and love.
Psychoneuroendocrinology 23, 779–818.
Fun fact
Did you know
that dogs have only 1,706 taste buds, whereas humans have around 9,000? Dog's
taste preferences are innate, but are also affected by experience, including
prenatal experience. If a dog is not exposed to novel foods early in life, he
may develop preferences for familiar foods and avoid novel foods.
References:
Fogle, B.
(1990). The dog’s mind: Understanding your dog’s behavior. New York: Howell
Book House.
Lindsay, S. R.
(2000). Handbook of applied dog behavior and training, Volume 1: Adaptation and
learning. Ames,
Iowa: Iowa State Press.
Fun
fact
It is well known that dogs can yawn to
deflect a perceived threat. If a person or another animal approaches a dog,
that dog may avert his gaze and yawn. But did you know that yawning is
contagious in dogs as well as humans? Research shows that the sound of a human
yawn can trigger one from your dog. Research also shows it is four times as
likely to happen when it’s the yawn of a person the dog knows.
Harr, A., Gilbert, V., & Phillips,
K. (2009). Do dogs (Canis familiaris) show contagious yawning? Animal
Cognition, 12 (6), 833-837 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-009-0233-0
Joly-Mascheroni, R., Senju, A., &
Shepherd, A. (2008). Dogs catch human yawns Biology Letters, 4 (5), 446-448.
DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2008.0333
A dog’s eyes
are set more on the sides of the head and less forward-looking, than a human’s
eyes. Because of this, a dog has a wider field of view than a human.
Depending on
the breed, the field of vision is about 240 to 290 degrees for a dog, but only
180 degrees for a human.
Beaver, B. V.
(1999). Canine behavior: A guide for veterinarians. Philadelphia: W. B.
Saunders Company.
