Who Should Treat Behavior Problems in Dogs?

The following is a blog post by Patricia B. McConnell, PhD, CAAB. McConnell is an applied animal behaviorist who has been working with, studying, and writing about dogs for over thirty years.  Even though this was written nearly 10 years ago, it is still a great “job description” for a professional dog trainer. 

Canine Dimensions certified dog trainers participate in company-sponsored training programs throughout the course of their careers. They learn #1 through 5 during initial training, and they are continually learning #6 through 10 over the entire course of their careers. The great thing about the dog training profession is that whether someone has been training dogs for 2 months or 20 years, the learning never stops!

Who Should Treat Behavior Problems in Dogs?

First off, I think that the most important factors related to who is qualified to treat a behavioral problem is their KNOWLEDGE and ABILITY, not their degrees or credentials. I am not dismissing the value of credentials, believe me, I busted my tail for my Ph.D. and I am very proud of it. I have tremendous respect for others with advanced credentials, and describe some of the vets that I work with as walking on water. I also add CAAB after my name with pride, just as I have tremendous respect for DVMs who are Board Certified in Behavior. But that said, who do you want helping you rehab a rescue dog who growls at visitors? Any dog trainer? Any vet? Any CAAB?  No... you want someone who understands canine ethology, as well as operant and classical conditioning, who can read communicative signals from dogs extremely well. You want someone with experience working with dogs with behavioral problems, who can refer to a vet when necessary, and someone you can relate to (and who can relate to you), who does a good job being your coach, teacher and cheerleader all at the same time. What qualifies someone to do that? Knowledge and ability, yes? But knowledge of what, and ability to do what? Here’s some thoughts – not inclusive probably, but good enough to continue our conversation.  

MINIMAL KNOWLEDGE TO WORK WITH CANINE BEHAVIORAL PROBLEMS:

1. Canine ethology, including the influence of genetics on behavior, developmental influences (in utero, neonatal, early social development), normal social structures of dogs in different contexts, communicative signals (these need to be known in depth, such that a 10 millisecond and 2 millimeter change of a dog’s lips is clearly noticeable and meaningful to the observer), play behavior, predatory behavior, agonistic behavior.  

2. In-depth knowledge of operant conditioning (including + and – reinforcement and punishment, and when they are best used or avoided); in depth knowledge of classical conditioning, counter classical conditioning and desensitizing (and the difference between and when to use each one over the other).

3. Experience applying #’s 1 and 2 to behavior problems in dogs, ideally by first learning basic training and handling.

4. An in-depth understanding of what behavioral problems are often caused by or correlated with medical problems, including a good working knowledge of structure and function, basic physiology and what behavioral problems always require an appointment with a veterinarian.

5. An in-depth understanding of the most common diagnosis of behavioral problems, what behaviors are ‘symptomatic’ of these problems, and best practices to solve them. This includes knowing what these labels mean, how useful the labels actually are (not always) and how to help the client understand what we can and can’t know about what is motivating their dog.

6. Anyone who wants to work with dogs with behavioral problems, in my opinion, should be a good trainer with the ability to read a dog and know what he or she is ready for (or not), knows how to use their actions, including movement and voice, to influence a dog’s behavior, can read visual signals extremely well and is able to interpret them correctly (i.e., dog tongue flicks when asked to lie down). No one should ever give a client instructions about what to teach their dog, without being able to demonstrate how to do it successfully to the same dog, in the same context as the clients.

7. Consultants absolutely must have fantastic social skills with people, and be able to create a welcome and supportive environment for the client. Specialists who are great with dogs but not with people are not suited to do behavior consulting, period. There is no equivalent of surgery in behavioral treatment and rehab, in which the specialist never has to interact with the ‘patient.’ You’re either really, really good with people, or you’re in the wrong field. (Could I make it more clear how strongly I feel about this?!) The most common complaint that I hear from clients is that the trainer/behaviorist/veterinarian was rude/busy/disconnected/shaming etc.  I do not know this for a fact, but I believe that part of the bit of good I’ve been able to do in the world is because I like people as much as I like dogs, and I want to help them both.

8. The ability to take all the knowledge listed above and customize it for each case. Cook book solutions don’t work very often, and I’ve seen client after client who came to me after being given some handouts and some generic advice about this or that, which didn’t end up being very helpful. Being a behavioral consultant means knowing how to present information in a way that clients can use and adopt.

9. The ability to say, without hesitation, “I don’t know” and “I was wrong.”  

10. The ability to stay connected with a network of knowledgeable people.

What is "Pack Drive?"

Trainers disagree on what pack drive is. In fact, some doubt that it even exists.
  

While dog training is not breed specific, dog drive is heavily influenced by genetics.  Hounds follow their noses, terriers catch and kill critters, setters and retrievers are biddable, herding dogs love to herd, and guard dogs are territorial.  Everyone agrees that play drive, prey drive, sex drive and food drive influence dog behavior – but not everyone agrees that there is such a thing as pack drive. In my experience, not only does pack drive exist, but for many dogs it’s their strongest drive.

Pack drive is not breed specific, it is species-specific. Extensive genetic studies[1] indicate that Canis Familiaris diverged from other wolf-like canids thousands of years ago.  Being the oldest domesticated animals, their long association with people has allowed dogs to be uniquely attuned to human behavior. Dogs are social animals.

“Drives” are the natural motivations that help determine dog behavior. “Pack drive” is the basis through which a dog interacts with other members of its pack. “High pack drive” is seen in dogs who have a focused and confident preference (not an insecure clinginess) to be with the pack and to function effectively as a member. Dogs with high pack drive tend to follow their human owners from room to room, prefer being with them rather than being alone, notice when someone leaves the house and likes to sleep in the same room with the owner.  Dogs with low pack drive seem less concerned with the family unit as a “pack.”  People sometimes call dogs with low pack drive more “cat-like” in their behavior. 

Don’t confuse pack drive with sociability. There is a subtle but important difference. Sociability is a personality trait, while pack drive is a working drive. High sociability means they are friendly to humans in general, while pack drive is a strong preference for companionship with, and proximity to, the dog’s own human pack-family over other humans. 

Pack drive is a function of: 

• ·        The strength of the social bond that the dog has with its family.
• ·        The desire to follow, cooperate with and protect the family.
• ·        The preference for acquisition of resources through cooperation with the family.   
• ·        The attention given to the human handler during various cooperative endeavors such as training, playing, working, walking, hiking – which is independent of the motivation created by any of the competing drives.

Anthropomorphically, it is often described as “love, devotion, or a desire to please us.” 

When someone tells you that their dog “misses them” or “wants to please them” this is a clue that the dog probably has a healthy pack drive. (Don’t confuse this with the insecure, clingy dog who is not comfortable being alone due to lack of confidence.)  

Like other natural drives, pack drive can be suppressed or stimulated, redirected or focused, encouraged or discouraged - through training and repetition (operant conditioning).  Attempts to alter a natural drive may only occur within the boundaries of fixed genetic paradigms, e.g. we cannot teach a poodle to track like a bloodhound or a bloodhound to do tricks like a poodle, but we can teach a poodle to track and we can teach a bloodhound to do tricks.

FAQ:

Q) Is there a relationship between pack drive and any of the common behavior problems?  

A) Pack drive is a survival mechanism so dogs with higher pack drive tend to function better overall as family pets. However, dogs with high pack drive may also take longer to “recover” from the loss of a pack member (although there is never a reason that this behavior needs to last more than a few days and it is often the behavior of the mourning humans that causes excessive mourning behavior in the family pet).  Dogs with higher pack drive don’t do well in shelters, and often do not “kennel” well when left behind for vacations.  

Q) Do any of the breeds or groups tend to have higher natural pack drive - the way for example, that terriers exhibit higher prey drive?

A) Yes. The sporting breeds, working breeds and toy breeds tend to have very high pack drive.

Q) Is there a way to build more pack drive in a particular dog, as we might work to build, for example, play drive?  

A) Every dog has some level of natural pack drive because all dogs are social animals.  In order to build strong, healthy pack drive (and/or harness an existing high level of pack drive and make it work for you) the key components are: structure, rituals, routines, leadership, interactive play, training and control of resources. Some practical things to do include: requiring the dog to earn all resources by picking up toys and food; eliminating doggy doors;  teaching rock solid obedience response and excellent leash manners; using a dog crate; controlling physical space (herding) as you move throughout the house; implementing a fixed schedule for all activities; correcting (rather than ignoring) undesirable behavior the moment it occurs, and in some cases, keeping a leash on a dog inside the home.

Q) Can too much pack drive cause fights among family dogs?

A)   In a home without rules it can. But in a home with rules, the opposite is true. Under good human leadership, healthy pack drive creates harmony, not discord. Don’t assume that the term “pack drive” is a sort of “struggle to achieve higher rank.” That’s too narrow a view.  In broader terms it is more about the desire to understand and function as a member of the pack then a desire to rule it. Most owners spend too much time worrying about rank among the dogs in their multi-dog households. Dogs understand where they rank among other family dogs, and a lot of it is fluid. For example, the strongest and fastest dogs control play time in the yard, but give everyone a new bone inside the home later that evening, and the old, slow dog will be able to protect her bone against the young, strong dog every day of the week. Don’t waste time trying to create a pecking order among multiple family dogs. Instead the key thing for the human family to communicate is this: all the humans outrank all the dogs.   Calm, firm, consistent leadership helps harness a dog’s natural desire to fit in with the pack. In contrast, the human family members who do the most yelling, and/or provide gratuitous (free) food and petting – are much less likely to be treated with respect.

Q)  Is it difficult to re-home a dog with high pack drive?   

A)  After an initial period of adjustment, a dog with high pack drive will be strongly motivated to find his place in the new pack. During the early days however, he will be more likely to act aloof and more likely to stray (seeking to be reunited with his original pack). Keeping a new dog on a leash both inside and outside the home, for at least the first few days, is a great way to speed the bonding process. 

The ability to understand, acknowledge and harness your dog’s natural desire to fit in with the pack will help you raise an obedient, happy, polite and confident dog. 

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[1] Skoglund, P.; Ersmark, E.; Palkopoulou, E.; Dalén, L. (2015). "Ancient Wolf Genome Reveals an Early Divergence of Domestic Dog Ancestors and Admixture into High-Latitude Breeds". Current Biology. 

Intra-Family Dog Aggression

Introduction:

Some of the most challenging cases for professional dog trainers are those involving intra-family dog aggression (IDA).

Aggression among dogs is essentially is a means of preventing conflict. A growl or snap warns the approaching dog to back off, and if he does, conflict is avoided. When family dogs fight, either something has gone wrong in the "warning system," or there is poor  management of the environment (and the dogs) by the owner. 

 

Same-sex fights are the most common. Male dogs fight with each other more often than females, but fights between female dogs tend to be more intense.  Fights between dogs of the opposite sex are less common, but do occur. 

Dogs with illnesses, injuries, fears, phobias and generalized anxiety are more likely to fight. Aggression is self-reinforcing, i.e. every time there is a fight it makes it more likely that there will be another.

These cases are always challenging, and there are many factors which will impact the odds of success, but some of the main things to consider are: a) the sexes and breeds of the dogs involved; b) the number of dogs in the home; c) the severity of the fights; d) the frequency of the fights. Cases involving occasional fights can be easier to deal with than cases where the dogs  fight every time they come in contact with one another. Two fights in 12 months is a completely different dynamic than 12 fights in two months.

Key action steps:

1) Enforce the deference protocol. This removes resources from "easy access" (less goodies lying around means less opportunity for conflict) and it helps the dogs focus on the owners for everything they need in life.  

2) Take complete control of your dogs’ daily routines.  Examine the household rules and rituals and look for ways to establish order.  

3) The owner must learn to read canine body language. 

4) The owner must learn the concept of the "thin line between arousal and aggression." In addition to obvious resources like toys or food,  dogs fight when they are aroused, excited or stressed - positive or negative stimuli can be equally arousing to dogs.  Cooking in the kitchen, administering medication to one of the dogs, a place on the couch or bed, the arrival of the owner, the arrival of guests,  noisy children at play, a passing dog on a leash (triggering a fight between the 2 dogs you're walking), a situation where one dog attacks another and the third jumps into the fray  - all of these are common triggers of fights. 

5) Avoiding known triggers is crucial.

6) Obedience training helps the owner gain calm, effective daily control of the dogs, without scolding or shouting. 

Safety tips: 

The strategic use of dog crates, leashes and muzzles, can help prevent future incidents.  

Never leave dogs who have fought, at home alone uncrated. 

Do not allow dogs who have fought, to play together in the back yard. 

Owners should learn how to break up fights without being bitten, and owners of pit bulls should learn how to use break sticks and keep them handy at all times.

“Board and Train” Won’t Fix Aggression

Board and train (B&T) is an option that can “jump start” your dog’s training. Having your dog spend a couple of weeks with a good trainer can be a godsend.  Our clients love the Canine Dimensions Board and Train program. Here’s an email from one of our B&T clients: 

Kenny and I can't tell you how pleased we are with Duke's two weeks of training. Prior to his training, it was really a chore to walk him. He always pulled and got distracted very easily. The bigger he got, the harder it became. Now, he walks nice and doesn't pull us, even when he sees something he wants to explore or chase. The bonus - we all get more exercise now since it's a pleasure to walk, not to mention all the positive comments from all our neighbors. We continue to be very impressed with his level of discipline after his boarding/training and more impressed that he has kept his personality and playfulness.  

We are so pleased we brought him to you! We can't thank you enough for your dedication to our Duke. We liked that you took in Duke to your household for this two week training session and treated him like a family member. For us, that was a key factor, and I definitely think it was better for him to learn in a constant loving environment as opposed to a kennel.  Overall, we could not be happier. Well worth the money! We have already recommended you to several people who were very impressed with Duke's progress.   

Board and Train is a great program, but there are reasons why you should not choose B&T if your dog has an aggression problem.

• The RELATIONSHIP between you and your dog is critical - especially when it comes to aggression.  You and your dog are a team. In order to address aggressive behavior in your home, you must work with your dog. The trainer is the coach. You and your dog are the team. “Teamwork” does not magically transfer from “dog and trainer” to “dog and owner.”   Even if your dog responds well to the trainer during her time in boarding, she is likely to revert to her old habits when she returns home.   
• ENVIRONMENT.  There are many environmental factors that affect behavior. People who have fostered dogs report that some dogs who behaved well in their foster homes later behaved aggressively in their new homes. Perhaps part of the explanation is that foster parents are more experienced handlers and offer more controlled environments. Crating,  visitor traffic, presence of children, other dogs in the home, locations of entrances and exits, type of fencing in the yard, different people and places encountered during walks, visits to vets and groomers, and many other variables, can influence a dog’s behavior.
• ORIENTING RESPONSE. During his early research in classical conditioning, Pavlov discovered that quite often, when as assistant reported a certain behavior in a dog (such as salivation at the sound of a bell), it would not occur when Pavlov entered the room to observe it. When variables were introduced (even something as simple as Pavlov entering the room), the new stimuli hijacked the dog’s attention. He labeled this “the investigative reflex.” He hypothesized that in order to survive, an animal needs to be focused on immediate changes around her. This survival reflex was so compelling that it superseded everything else. Today, scientists have a mountain of data which has confirmed Pavlov’s hypothesis. They have measured this effect in a number of physical responses such as brain waves and heart rate, and have renamed the effect on the animal’s bodily reaction to a more accurate term - “orienting response.”

Relationship, environment, and orienting response are the reasons that B&T is a poor choice for aggressive dogs.  Some trainers offer it as a solution to aggression, possibly because B&T is a premium service which comes with a premium fee. But unfortunately, B&T has very low success rate in aggression cases.   

B&T is a good choice when operant training (where behavior is offered in response to a reward, or reduced as a result of correction) is needed.  Dogs needing to learn basic obedience do well in B&T because operant training is easily transferred.  Complex behavior problems such as aggression often require a classical component (pairing a stimulus to an involuntary response) in the rehabilitation process.  New conditioned emotional responses will not be transferred from the boarding experience to your home.   

If you are struggling with your dog’s aggressive behavior, choose private training in your home, not Board and Train.