The Zoomies

Several recent reads have given me a lot to think about, in regards to our relationship with our four-legged friends. Just typing that, I think about what those words mean. I call a dog a friend, just like any other buddy… but with more legs. Obviously, one word cannot define the relationship between a human and their dog, just as other terms like “child”, “companion”, “pet”, or “possession” don’t fit either. Somewhere in the middle, there is a combination of all of these, a term that contains all of these definitions and more… and the best I can come up with is “Dog”. The dog that when you say “I have a dog” or “My dog did such-and-such”, causes other dog people to break into a smile and share their own stories, ask to hear more about yours, and the two of you can carry on an entire conversation based only around the dogs you share your lives with. So I will stick with “Dog”. Maybe with a capital “D” to make it official.

The King of Charvil by maistora

So where I meant to start with all of this, was that some recent reads have made me think more deeply about our relationships with Dogs. The first was “Merle’s Door”, a book I found to be a thought provoking, and wonderfully written true story. The second was an enlightening essay featured in Bark’s book “Howl”, entitled “Dog is My Co-Dependent”. Both have a theme that kept standing out to me… is the way we treat our dogs really the best for them? Does our desire for keeping our relationship benefit them as much as us? I am not talking about those who don’t care for their dogs at all (leaving them outside alone 24/7, ignoring them, or even abusing them), I am talking about those like me… who love our Dogs so much that we want them to be safe in a fenced yard, on a short leash, or by our sides? Would our Dogs be better off if they could choose when to go outside, sleep under the stars, follow their noses, and kill their own dinner? Or are they just as content to curl up next to our warmth, have food provided for them, play fetch, and go for a walk around the neighborhood? Of course, I don’t know the answer. But having the question brought to my attention has certainly provided me with a lot to think about.

Desert Dog Looking for Trouble by kretyen

We want our Dogs to be happy. We want to be happy with our Dogs. We want them to enjoy spending time with us, to be okay when we leave the house without them, to be happy to play fetch or Frisbee with us, and to fall asleep by our sides later on. We have Dogs, because we like their companionship. I think that is the basis of our relationship. We just hope that they like our companionship just as much… that they enjoy spending time with us as much as we do with them. And for the most part, I think that is true. Dogs like to play with their families, to sleep by their sides, and to trot along next to them on the sidewalk. But I can’t help but wonder. If given the opportunity… would we be the ones they spent most of their time with? Or with a giant world to explore, would they go wandering off on their own, to come back to say hello at night, to come lie next to us and tell us all about their day with a smile and a wag? Would we be better friends for it? Better parents, owners, guardians?

Of course, most situations don’t allow us to find out. We keep our dogs in the city or suburbs with parks of manicured grass to play on, sidewalks with mailboxes to pee on, and backyards with other dogs to bark at. They stay in a crate during the day, take a 30 minute walk around the neighborhood at night. We feed them human-grade ingredients, keep them clean and healthy and feeling good. We take them to trainers and teach them to sit, lie down, stay. We tell them we love them and they give us sweet eyes and lick us back. It’s not half-bad. It’s probably pretty darn good. They are safe, loved, taken care of, and happy. Life is good. But the dog inside the Dog must have to feel that something is missing. Perhaps it is the independence to explore, and to live their life on their own terms.

Noble Dog by cbruno

It’s not fair to let them go completely, however, and I don’t think they would want that. You can see with strays, or in feral populations, the dogs won’t live long, or be healthy or well fed. They desire and thrive from human companionship. It’s too late in our connected stories to forget about the importance of our relationship. They need us now, as well. But I feel that we owe it to them to give them some of that freedom when we can. They laugh at our stupid jokes, cuddle with us when we are feeling sad, make us smile when we need it most. Let’s give them the fresh air, the new smells, the feeling of running through the grass, chasing birds, and forgetting all about “heel” “sit” and “good dog”. At least once in a while. Once in a while, take them to a new park or on a new trail. Let them smell the same spot over and over again for as long as they want. Find a big fenced area, and let them wander around at their own pace. Let them decide when to walk, when to lie down, when to come inside. Let them make their own choices and let it be okay. And every day, give them fresh air, a chance to run, and a new place to smell. We don’t want our dogs running loose, but we don’t want them trapped either. They need more than the same backyard and inside of a house. They need the chance to run, play, and explore. Maybe just doing these little things can give them a bit of the freedom that they lost when they came into our homes and became our Dogs, and maybe we can be better friends, owners, parents, and guardians for it.

My new best friend by identity chris is

Thank you so much for reading this article!

If you enjoyed it, please consider a small donation to Caesar’s Toys and Treats Fund.

Doing training is an important step in not only having a well-behaved dog, but also in creating a better bond, and an overall happier pet. The lack of proper training is the cause of many problems, including the relinquishment of dogs to shelters. Often when people believe their dogs are “bad”, their troubles could be solved with some training efforts.

Finding the right type of training for you and your dog can be complicated, however, so doing some research on techniques you are interested in will help point you in the right direction. Knowing the theories behind the different styles will give you an even greater understanding of why these techniques are used and how they can affect your dog’s training. Knowing the why behind the training will help you form an even better relationship and have more success in your training.

Before enrolling in a training class, try to visit another one of their classes and get a feel for how it is run. Training will be an important step in your relationship, and taking your time to find the right choice for you will make a big difference.

In this article, I will discuss some of the commonly used words and phrases, to try to give you more insight into the different styles of training.

Second Class School by warchild

Operant Conditioning
Operant Conditioning is a form of training that uses consequences to modify the occurrence and form of particular behaviors. The main tools of operant conditioning are reinforcement and punishment, which can then be either positive or negative. Often people get confused by the definitions of positive and negative, believing that positive is good (reward) and negative is bad (punishment) however to get to the core issues in training, the correct definitions of these terms is important.

Positive means adding something
Negative means taking something away
Reinforcement is a consequence that causes a behavior to happen more often
Punishment is a consequence that causes a behavior to happen less often

In both the case of reinforcement or punishment, adding (positive) or taking away (negative) can occur.

Positive Reinforcement: Adding something good, that the dog desires, because you want a behavior to increase. An example of positive reinforcement would be giving a dog a treat for sitting when you ask. “Pure Positive” trainers rely on this technique as the main drive for your dog’s learning.

Negative Reinforcement: Taking something “bad”, that the dog doesn’t like, away because you want more of that behavior, like releasing a tightened collar as the dog comes toward you. Negative reinforcement is a technique often used with horses: the reins are loosened when the horse does what you ask of him, such as slowing down or bringing his head down.

Positive Punishment: Adding something that the dog doesn’t like in order to reduce a behavior. An example would be jerking a collar because you want to the dog to stop pulling. You cause the dog to feel uncomfortable in order to reduce the occurrence of a particular undesirable behavior.

Negative Punishment: Removing something good, that the dog desires, for the result of reducing a particular behavior. An example might be a dog playing with a toy he enjoys, but he begins to tear it apart. You don’t want him to destroy it, so you take it away whenever the ripping behavior begins.

Harley having fun by agiledogs

Classical Conditioning
Also known as “Pavlovian Conditioning” because it was made famous by Pavlov’s dog experiments. The basis of classical conditioning is teaching an association between two stimuli, where you take an unconditioned stimulus and pair it with something neutral. After several pairings, the neutral stimulus will elicit the same response elicited by the unconditioned stimulus. For example, giving a dog a treat immediately after making a clicking sound with a training clicker. The dog already enjoys the treat, and does not have to learn that it is “good”. After enough repetition, the dog will begin to associate the “good” of the food with the sound of the clicker. In order to make this conditioning work, there are two parts involved: Primary (or Unconditioned) Stimuli and Secondary (or Conditioned) Stimuli.

A Primary (Unconditioned) Stimulus is something that causes an automatic and natural reaction without any training. Food is a good example, as a dog does not have to learn to appreciate food!

A Secondary (Conditioned) Stimulus would be something that is introduced with the Primary Stimulus to make an association between the two. The dog does not know what this neutral stimulus means until it becomes related with the unconditioned stimulus through repetition.

A click with no other response tied to it means nothing to a dog. But if every time a dog hears a clicker sound, he also gets a treat, the click will then begin to have the reaction of the food reward connected to it. The dog must be conditioned to have that reaction. This type of training is often called “Clicker Training” and is a popular technique of many trainers.

There are many different types of trainers who implement one or more of these training techniques. Knowing the motivation behind the training can help you understand what you are supposed to be working on with your dog, and why. In my opinion, the trainer should be willing to utilize a variety of techniques. Every dog is different and may react differently to the various techniques, and your trainer should be open to discovering which one or ones works best for you and your dog.

I hope this introduction to training techniques was helpful for you. Thanks to Katrina Kardiasmenos, Ph.D on Pit Bull Talk for her helpful information. If you would like to research more detail, check out: Wag N Train and their list of resources.