Thursday 17 February 2022

 


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


 

So often, we rush to intervene when our dogs are observing various stimuli. We reach for the treat bag or bombard them with effusive praise. Sometimes they just need some time to process.

Providing they are not over stimulated or fearful, please just let them observe :)



 

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

 


 Fun fact

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.