Accidentally Breed Specific?

I am a member of several "pit bull" forums, and Facebook pages.  As you all are aware, I am a huge fan of those wonderful, sweet, loyal to a fault, meat-headed terriers.  I find it deplorable what has been done with them, to them, and about them in cities all across our "Land of the Free."  But lately, something else has begun to bother me.....

 .....In reading some of the "behavioral help" posts in these pages and forums, the members seem to think it necessary to specify their dog's breed every time there is a problem.  Perhaps it is a subconscious thing, but I don't see them boasting "Here's my 8 month old pit having a great time!" or "Here are my two pits playing tag..."  When it is good news, they refer to them as Dogs.

"here are my two dogs playing at the park today"

"Check out my dogs!"

"Here's my good girl getting her CGC badge! She is such an amazing dog!"

But when there's an issue, suddenly it's "My 11 month old pit growled at me today...What should I do?"  "My 2 year old pit is alluvasudden not getting along with my other dogs (who are, by the way, also pits, but not mentioned as such) ..."  "My pit keeps running away and won't come when called, how do I fix this?"  And so on...

This, in my opinion, is damaging over time.  Any dog can, and often does, do the things these dogs are presenting.  But when even pit bull lovers and advocates go out of their way to label them as "breed" they are accidentally being "breed specific."  They are, (again, my opinion...) opening the door for misled commentary from those who don't think these Dogs should be allowed the same kinds of freedoms that other breeds enjoy.  In putting myself in the ill-fitting shoes of someone who knows not the wonderful animals these terriers can be, I can peruse any of these forum questions or Facebook problems, and select a number of the "bad" behavior instances.  Then I can comparatively place these side by side with other "my dog does _______" issues from other places, and I could go out and say something ridiculous like Pit bulls are responsible for more specific instances of problems within the home, than any other breed mentioned....Why?  Because there are so many "specific" instances where the Dog is labeled for his breed, and not just simply as a Dog.

I understand this classification, if you have listed all the other dogs in your house ("we have four dogs, a Jack Russell, a Pit, a Ridgeback, and a Dachshund..") and you are being clear about which one of your dogs you are referring to.  

I guess what I'm ranting about today, is that You are already a member of a Pit bull forum.  You most likely do own a pit or three....we know that....Why feel the need to call them out, when they are just being Dogs?


Hi, I have an 8 month old male dog.  Yes, he's been neutered.  He is the only dog in the house, and he growled at me today while chewing a bone.  I was only walking by, not looking at him or anything.  What do I do?

Guess what......The answer to that inquiry is the same no matter what kind of dog you're dealing with.

What does Alpha mean?

Folks, I get to see a lot of dogs.  I meet lots of different personalities, and lots of variations on the perception of where that particular dog sits in the pack order.  What I see a lot of, unfortunately, are dogs who have been labeled "Dominant" or "Alpha," by people who either think bad behavior can be explained away by those terms, or by people who observed a more pushy pup, and immediately labeled it this way.

This is usually incorrect.
I know I have touched on this subject before, but the last time I did, we were discussing 'dominant.' This time, I'd like to talk about the word Alpha.  The word itself is Greek.  It is the first letter of the Grecian alphabet, and it has become a synonym for "first" or "top-dog" to the English speaking peoples.  In an animal society, the alpha is usually the highest ranking individual, or pair, and the other members of the society defer to them.  They commonly enjoy "firsts;" First to eat, most desirable mate, best place to sleep, etc.

In a dog's world, there are very few true Alpha's.  We have bred that tendency right out of them.  We have selectively bred our pets to defer to Us.  We are, in essence, the Alpha of the household.  Now, we can make mistakes, by not giving our dogs boundaries and not training them, and give the dog the unfortunate idea that we need them to assume the role.  But because we have done such a great job of removing their leadership capabilities, they are terrible at it, and thus, become "out of control," or socially unstable.  They make bad choices, but they are working with whatever they can.  Sort of like taking the weakest, most disorganized guy at the office, and suddenly making him a CEO.

A dog with a truly Alpha characteristic does not have to prove it.  They are usually aloof, and don't enjoy working for a person.  They are their own boss after all.  She shows up at the park, ignores the other dogs, and it seems she never shows belly, or submission of any kind.  You won't see many snarls and snaps, it's like the other dogs instinctively know she is not to be messed with.

But this kind of behavior can also be breed specific (take the Basenji--little dude is practically wild, and not very interested in doing anything that doesn't serve him) or even fear-based.  A dog who appears uninterested in being around Humans, or is rude to other dogs in a home, may be socially insecure.  A dog who refuses to work for you, may not be even close to Alpha, but rather he may just be trying to communicate that the method you have chosen is not compatible with him as an individual.

When the term was originally tagged onto canine packs, the scientists that were using it were observing captive wolves.  These wolves were not from the same family, and as a result, were presenting behaviors that were later proved to be very imbalanced from what a healthy, wild pack shows us.  Constantly trying to take the spot as 'alpha' is not what lower ranking members typically do.  Naturally they saw more fights than would present themselves in the wild; those wolves may actually have been too many high-ranking individuals from different packs, in one captive space.  Wolves in their own family unit work more cohesively than that.  These observations and the labeling thereof, have not completely cycled their ways out of the vernacular of some trainers, as they are still using old models for behavioral modification.  *see my article "Alpha What?!" from earlier posting*

In my opinion, it is true that you must be the boss in the relationship with your dog.  This doesn't mean that you have to physically dominate the animal.  This doesn't mean that, if you actually do have an "alpha" personality on your hands, you can't have a wonderful working relationship with that dog.  It just means you may have to work a little harder; be more on your game in certain situations. You will need to give your dog more "jobs."  If you have a dog who is constantly challenging you, or being too pushy, or is constantly attempting to "rule" the other dogs in your house, not only is that an insecure personality, you may be looking at a "Social Climber."

Social Climbers will never be satisfied with their position in the pack.  It won't matter what kind of structure you offer, this dog will always be trying to do things his way or the fight-way.  These kinds of dogs are even more rare then the so-called Alpha's.  And they are dangerous.  An 'alpha' is predictable.  The Social Climber not-so-much.

A dog who is constantly scrapping with your other dogs can also be suffering from the following:
Fear
Anxiety
Bully-syndrome (like the kid who takes your lunch money)
Lack of confidence
Not Enough Exercise
Resource Guarding
Lack of Pack Structure
Poor Nutrition
Genetic Issues, such as seizures, or neurological imbalance
Rage Syndrome (very rare, and still not scientifically proven to a satisfactory degree; but none-the-less, supported by some veterinarians, and shown to be more prevalent in certain breeds)
Poor Leadership from You
May not be cut out for living with other dogs, and is being forced to.....

You can see where blaming this on simply Alpha or Dominant is grossly incorrect.  Even that list is not complete.

A puppy who pushes his brothers and sisters around at the breeders, may be labeled "alpha."  He gets all the food first, he takes the best spot near mom, etc.  But that same pup may be a totally different guy when you take him home.  He may not be an "alpha" at all.  And just because he was pushing his brothers and sisters around, did not make him alpha.  He may be the most bold, or rambunctious, but at that age, it is very rare that someone can accurately label the grown potential of your dog's personality.  After all, it has been proven that how the animal is raised, trained, and kept, has a far greater bearing on your end result then what they come in with.  Sure, there are some things that genetically you will deal with, a shy or fearful pup for instance, or one that freaks out and bites to get his way, but these are things that can be behaviorally modified through proper handling.

So, the bottom line?
If you have a dog that someone has labeled Alpha...Perhaps it may be time to get a second or even a third opinion.  If the training approach that was presented to you is creating more stress, or the dog is just not getting better at all, it is time to reevaluate.

Kids, Pups & Training

Even the best laid plans can be laid to waste when you're not looking.  The level of energy a puppy can dish out, can sometimes seem like the perfect match for a busy household full of children.  At first, it may seem like you have made the 'best' choice in the Universe, to add a fur-kid to the mix...but, as a non-judgemental, observing professional, I offer some words of advise:

Wait until the kids are older.

If a puppy is what you really want, waiting 'til your children are old enough to have more physical and emotional control around a creature made for exploring with its mouth, might be a more peaceful choice.  Most kids past the age of 8 years old, make wonderful dog trainers, with the right guidance.  They can actually help you a lot with a puppy.  Think about it, that's one more pair of eyes to watch the pup.  That's another person who can put a leash on a puppy and take it outdoors to eliminate.  That is even a person who can help make sure the house (and their bedrooms) are more puppy-proofed.  Not to mention, these young adults-in-the-making are well past toilet training themselves, which means, no diapers for the dog to eat.


Smaller kids take a lot of work.  They take a lot of patience.  They take eyes in the back of EVERYBODY's heads to keep them safe and occupied.  If you must add a dog to this chaos, and I do believe in adding a dog, take a look at adopting an older dog.  One that has already moved out of the crazy stages of pooping in your house, or chewing your kids' toys to bits, or chasing them like prey.  A dog that is grown up and not really interested in treating your young daughter like a squeaky toy, because let's face it, when a puppy's needle teeth meet kid-skin the child is going to make lots of fun noises that will most likely prompt the puppy to do it again.


Adopting a dog who has already proven that they like children, makes it easier for you, as a parent, to truly enjoy watching your family grow like this.  You can also avoid the frustration of raising a young pup, who quickly turns into an adolescent, if you adopt an older dog.  In a pup's "teenage" stages (appx. 6 to 18 months of age; depending on breed and size) they will act much like any teenager, and challenge you.  They will begin to expand their idea of what "close enough" to you is, and the vast majority of them will make you wonder why you even attempted to train them, because obviously none of it stuck! *Fantastic time to sign your dog up for a Terrible Teens or Intermediate Obedience class*

Take heart, your dog is normal.  This is a great time to take a meditation class yourself, or at least take a few deep breaths and know that your pup does know what you're asking, they are just willfully choosing to ignore you.  This is the stage that finds a lot of unlucky dogs in the shelter, as it can wear a lot of people down and they simply give up on these dogs.  Couple this stage of life with children who are still in their toddling stages, like a 2 year old, and you can imagine how tough it can be to get your training to maintain the level of consistency it needs. 

Alright, so you've already added a puppy to the fray, and it seems the dog is not listening, or is becoming "aggressive."  Now What?!?
Check to see if you are allowing the kids to be with the puppy AT ALL when you don't have eyes on the pack.  Seriously.  You might think you have the world's best behaved, or sweet, or gentle kids, but I can almost guarantee, that the natural Human Being curiosity has led your kid to try something not-so-gentle at one time or another.  If we all came into the world without the need to learn "don't hit," or "no hair pulling" "do not bite your sister" "ears are fragile" "toys do not belong in there"....

 If you have kids who can speak a little (or a lot), watch that they aren't marching around demanding "SIT! SIT! SIT!" to a pup who just learned what Sit means.  This will make your training a waste of time, as the dog will most likely try to respond the first couple of times, but very quickly learns that it is just noise, and is not getting rewarded when they do respond. 

When teaching your pup, it may be a good idea to occupy the kids with something else, such as a movie or have an older person play games with them, so you can teach the dog what you want it to learn.  This way, you aren't attempting to get the dog to sit, while your kid races around being a HUGE distraction, or is touching the pup as you try to teach.  Again, this is a HUGE distraction, and most dogs cannot focus on you while this is happening, which can create frustration.

After the dog understand the cue, then perhaps you can be the reward dispenser/helper for the young child who wants to help.  The kid says "SIT!" and you help the pup to sit, and you give the puppy the reward.  Or, the child can reward the pup, provided you feel the pup won't accidentally bite the hand of said child....I usually ask very young kids to put the reward on the floor for the pup, and I hold the pup's collar until the child has stood back up, so the pup can get the reward without feeling like they must steal it from the kid.

 I worked with a very creative couple a while ago, who heard me talk about these things, and decided to teach their dog in a different language, so the children would not ruin what they were attempting to do.  This way, if the parents saw the child and dog heading for trouble, they had a way to intervene verbally that the dog had been taught to respond to.  And because the kid was busy doing her kid thing, and speaking English, this worked marvelously.


I am not saying the kid won't eventually figure out your 'coded' system of talking to the dog, but it may give you an edge in keeping the training consistent.  Children of a very young age do not have the developed observational skills needed to know when it is important to reward a puppy, and when to wait for the puppy to do what you've asked.  This is a more grown-up skill, and it is important that you, as responsible people, are not leaving the puppy with the kids unsupervised. 

You can start out with a perfectly good pup, and by accident, your children may turn her into a resource guarder.  Maybe when you weren't looking, your kid slapped the puppy on the head and stole the toy away from her.  The next time she took your child's toy, and she saw the kid coming, her natural instincts told her "i'm gonna get slapped again" so she growled, or maybe even snapped.  The kid stopped trying to take that toy (or worse, the kid escalated the level of violence in order to get the toy), and the puppy learned, "if i growl and snap, i get to keep things."  This goes on for a few times, before you see it happen one day, and now, you think you have an aggressive dog.
 
 Had this situation been supervised, it would have gone something like this:
The puppy stole your kids toy, you saw it, so you intervened, using "drop" and traded the puppy a treat for the toy.  Your kid got the toy back, and you rewarded the puppy for appropriate action.  After that, you gave the puppy something more appropriate to chew on, and your puppy learns "if i drop things, i get a treat!"

Realize, that if you have young kids, and are trying to raise a puppy at the same time, your training will take longer.  It will also be less perfect.  But that's ok.  If you can relax a little, and know that because you have so many other Human influences happening in your puppy's life, it is going to influence the training.  It effects everything.  But it doesn't have to ruin it.

Effectively Using "No"

What is this trend with not telling your dog "no"?  I understand that it comes from wanting to keep to the purest ideal of "positive" dog training, but I tell you what, I think it's bogus.

Let's talk about how to effectively use this small word.  I feel like it has been omitted from some training programs, and replaced with the much more annoying, "EH EH" sound.  Correct me if I'm wrong, but do you, as a grown, functioning, socially acceptable adult really want to be belting "EH EH" or "AH AH AH!" in front of strangers?  I know I don't.  I would much rather my dog respond to a calmly stated, "no" or even "no please" at a conversational level.

This means a few things to me:
1. My dog is paying enough attention to my voice that he is responding to that quieter tone, which means he is most likely in a better state of mind. 

2. I am not using a louder, more emotionally uncontrolled tone to gain his attention.  If I have done my homework correctly, he is also cued to at least look my direction at the sound of his name, so my calm "no," is going to work.

3. Since my use of this word, is more like how I would explain to a young child that whatever response they gave me wasn't right, this is more a marker than a correction.  Using no as a correction, sounds something like this, "NO NO! BAD! YOU IDIOT! YOU SHOULD BE AFRAID OF ME BECAUSE I'M SCREAMING AT YOU! I AM USING FEAR TO STOP YOUR MOTIONS!" or at least that's what I get out of something like the loud "EH" or "NO."

Even worse...Humans who scream their dogs names as correctives...  All.  The.  Time.  Get up and go get the dog....Stop screaming...Please....

When using 'no' as a marker, it becomes more of a tool the dog can use to 'correct himself.'  Take asking your dog to Sit.  If you have already taken the time to patiently teach the dog what Sit is, and you have seen the dog demonstrate a Sit for you in other times, you can use 'no' as a marker for not doing a Sit.  Example:  "Sit, Ubu.....(Ubu does not sit, but stares at me)...no...Sit...(this time, I help with a hand signal to remind Ubu what a Sit is)...Good...(i now reward Ubu for the sit).

 Or if you are calling your dog to you.  Say you know the dog understands what Come is, and you call her.  She begins to move towards you, but gets a little distracted on the way and begins to veer off to smell something.  If the dog is at this stage, you can say something little, like "No,..." and most dogs will have that lightbulb moment and resume their trek towards you, at which point you should immediately say "Good."  Mind you, your voice inflection matters A Lot here.  If you say "no" in a flat, lower tone, (not mean, just flat and firm) followed by a more upbeat sounding tone when you say "good," Sasha is more likely to be happily reminded of what she was doing.

I love this cue when working up to longer Stays as well.  When I've started them right, I can ask for a Sit, Stay, and if the dog stands up too soon...I say 'no' and I wait for it.  Most of the time, the pup will sit right back down (self-correction) and I can resume rewarding for good staying.  Rather than teach my pup that I will repeat myself with Sit Sit Sit, or Stay Stay Stay.

Provided you have taken time to teach your dog that a word like "good, " "yes" or "right" means they are doing the right thing, why not teach them a word that helps them learn that what they are up to might be off track?

Dogs are simple, but not stupid.  Using no as a marker, is sort of like playing that Warmer/Colder game.  "No," means change your course, "good" can mean continue, Sir. 

The second part of using 'no' effectively means you will follow up your word with touch of some kind, or body language, if necessary.  If your pup is getting into the trash, and you say "no," but do not follow it up with having the pup drop what's in his mouth, and then body blocking him away from the mess 'til he stops trying to pick up the scattered things, he most likely will not stop rummaging.  After you have stopped the foraging, and his attempted eating thereof, then you pick up the trash, call the pup away from it and decide to add Leave It to something you must work on around the trash.  Words without follow-through mean nothing.  With proper follow through, the next time you see him nosing near the can, you can simply say "Rossco, no..." and he should drop his nose from that trash can.  Then you can call him to do something more interesting.

Using 'no' as a catch-all is not the answer either.  Over-using, and yelling "no" all the time creates a dog who begins to hear you, but you become background sound that means nothing. When you use any word as a cue for some kind of action, even if that action is to cease existing action, you must attach cause and effect.   Remember, we are trying to expand our dogs learning, and therefore their cognitive abilities.

"No" is simply a marker word for "not quite what I wanted," or "try again Bub."  It also is a warning of sorts..."no" means I am about to get out of my chair, and come move you off of whatever it is you are into, so you now have a choice; are you gonna stop it, or am I getting up?

'Tis the Season.....

Every year, like clockwork, I start to get more and more personal texts and emails about dogs needing homes.  The chaos of Christmas is upon us, and yes, I know you and your family are under a lot of stress.  This stress can sometimes lead us to believe that we need to "find a new home" for the family pet.  Sometimes, it's for legitimate reasons, sometimes it's a simple training or boarding problem, but most of the time, it adds up to some poor dog being dumped at a scary shelter, where he knows No One, and has no idea what he did to end up there.
 

He is alone.









Shelters fill up this time of year folks.  And to add to this misery, Christmas puppies are coming.  The annual rush that uninformed Humans feel to "Give" someone a dog.  Please don't do this.  Buying a puppy for Christmas is not only risky, you are most likely supporting a puppy mill situation with your money. 

I won't harp that point to death (there are plenty of organizations and individuals doing that right now), but I will say this:
If you feel you absolutely MUST give someone a dog for Christmas, how about giving them a gift certificate that says you will pay the adoption fee for a pup They get to choose, from the local Animal Shelter. 

Now they have a choice.  If getting a dog is something they actually want to do, as in, they want to sign up for the 12-19 year commitment that is an animal's life, they can now go get one they actually want.  And if they don't want a dog, you can still offer to donate that adoption fee.  Orrrrr get them a ski pass, whatever. 

I work with a few people, right now, who have told me things like "I had no plans to get another dog, but when I got home, there was a puppy," or "We had planned on traveling, now that the kids are gone, but our daughter bought us this guy..."  These are people who realized they were now saddled with another responsibility, and didn't have the heart (thank goodness) to dump it, and didn't want to hurt the feelings of the Giver.

Those dogs are the lucky ones.
Most unwanted "gift puppies" are relegated to unfulfilled lives in the backyard, or tied on a chain.  Treated badly, or worse.....

There are some requests that break my heart.  I am looking for a placement situation right now, for two dogs who belong to a gentleman who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer.  He has cared for his "girls" for 7 and 8 years.  They are his family.  He is worried about what will happen to them after he departs this earth; he has less than three months to live, according to his doctors.....I am praying for an angel. 

This time of year, everyone wants that "gift puppy," no one wants two dogs together that aren't cute anymore.

Please don't buy anyone a surprise pet this year.  Think of other ways to give it, before running out and dropping a thousand bucks on a dog that was most likely birthed to a mother living in a cramped cage, out back in a shed, without heat, light or love.....

oh, and if you are that Angel...Please contact me
r.coffmandt@yahoo.com