(how fortunate!) to be invited by my colleague and friend, Miki Saito to speak at the BAW conference on animal training and behavior in Tokyo, Japan. I was specifically presenting on my two specialties: separation anxiety and deaf dogs. However, of course we generalized to include positive reinforcement training encompassing antecedent arrangement, behavior, and consequences, thus setting the dog (rhino, polar bear, elephant) and person up for success!

It is always a great pleasure to talk with new as well as former colleagues about the science of learning and teaching. By sharing our ideas and thoughts we can continue to expand our repetoir of comprehension and knowledge so that we might always improve upon how to interact clearly and positively.

The theme of BAW was understanding how to use the science of applied behavioral analysis whether at beginner or at an advanced student/teacher level to arrange the environment and orchestrate appropriate consequences to teach and modify behavior.

We discussed using desensitization and counter conditioning to slowly acclimatize to stimuli in order to help the animal (and/or human!) to feel comfortable and confident. We talked about appropriately reinforcing behaviors that we wanted to see continue or increase. We brainstormed and modeled ways to incorporate each of these tactics into daily interactions.

Creating a global network can help in the realization that none of us are “alone” in our journey towards better cooperation and understanding. As Dr. Susan Friedman states, we are a “tribe” together.

Together we can build and create an ever greater network of support and knowledge which will enable us to better our comprehension of, enthusiasm for, and commitment to best practices in effective and efficient force free communication with all species!

How do you teach your deaf dog the sign for, “no”?

This is a pretty common question, however I don’t actually have a sign for “no”!

First, the problem with “no” is that it is really unclear. No what? No when? No where? While you might believe that your meaning is easily understood, your dog may be quite confused. Do you mean, “no, not now” or “no, never,” or “no not like that,” or “no, not here”? There is no way to be sure exactly which behavior you want to stop or change when you just use the sign “no”.

Second, when you use the sign for “no” you are actually interacting with the dog. This is problematic as you might even be inadvertently giving attention to the behavior that you would like to reduce or not see repeated.

Third, when using “no,” you might be delivering it in a frustrated, exacerbated, or angry/forceful manner. If that interaction is unpleasant the dog may decide to avoid you in the future. He might find this communication frightening and therefore associate you with scary things.  The dog also might feel agitated at your emotional “no!” delivery and this could be met with aggression.

The dog may just decide to give up and figure that as they aren’t getting it “right” anyhow, they might as well not even try. These four side effects (escape/avoidance, fear, aggression, apathy) are possible when we introduce something with the intention to stop or decrease behavior and none of them are potential secondary scenarios that we want as an end result.

Finally, the fourth reason is that “no” doesn’t teach what we want the dog TO do. That is, instead of spending the time working on no, which runs the risk of all of the previous issues, why not use your energies to teach your dog what you do want them to do. Instead of jump, teach sit. Instead of race out of the door, teach impulse control. Instead of stealing off of counters, teach settle in a spot. Teaching an incompatible or alternative behavior that you can cue in place of some behavior that you don’t like helps with communication. Too, bonus, the training that you do builds trust with your dog. This creates a win/win situation for all!

Going forward you want to try to set everyone up for success by avoiding situations which may produce unwanted behaviors. In addition to this management strategy, work on teaching  behaviors that you do want to see more of. While training behaviors that you want repeated, you can communicate in a clear fashion and reinforce those behaviors so that you make them worth while to do over and over.

These methods will make your pup’s and your life less stressful and more fun, which is a great way to enjoy each other’s company!

Are you a dog trainer? Are you a rescue worker? Do you work with exotic animals? Are you a veterinarian or do you work in a veterinary practice? Are you a new or long term pet caregiver? Are you an animal lover? If you have answered, “yes!” to any of these questions, then this event is for you. We will be covering a wide array of topics on animal training, behavior, and communication. Improve your skills, learn something new, and sharpen your knowledge!

This exciting, information filled weekend in a paradisiacal (it IS the Caribbean!) venue has an “early bird” special price until January 7th.

Please have a look at the following link for complete event information: https://www.picatic.com/event14815565697441

Have a closer look at our super event speakers!

Susan G. Friedman, Ph.D. is a professor emeritus in the Department of Psychology at Utah State University. She has helped pioneer the cross-species application of behavior analysis to animals, using the same humane philosophy and scientifically sound teaching technology that has been so effective with human learners. Susan has co-authored chapters on behavior change in four veterinary texts, and her popular articles have been translated into 13 languages. She gives seminars on animal learning at conferences and consults with zoos around the world. Susan  is a member of Karen Pryor’s Clicker Expo faculty, and teaches yearly hands-on animal training workshops with Steve Martin (www.naturalencouters.com). Susan was appointed to the F&WS Condor Recovery Team from 2002 – 2010, after which time the team was retired due to the success of the birds in the wild. She is the Chairperson of the Scientific Advisory Committee of American Humane Association (AHA) Film and TV Unit, and a member in good standing of ABAI, AZA, ABMA, IAABC and IAATE. This year she was included on the Vet Tech College’s list of “15 Animal Professors to Know.” Susan’s acclaimed on-line course, Living and Learning with Animals for behavior professionals, has provided even wider dissemination of effective, humane behavior change practices to students in over 30 countries (www.behaviorworks.org).

Lori Stevens, CPDT-KA, SAMP, CCFT is an animal behavior consultant, a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, a Certified Canine Fitness Trainer, an animal massage practitioner, and a senior Tellington TTouch® Training practitioner. She continually studies the interactions among animal behavior, movement, learning, and health. Her continuing education includes conferences (e.g. Clicker Expo) and seminars on animal behavior (e.g. Dr. Susan Friedman), positive-reinforcement-based training, canine fitness, and rehabilitation techniques. She uses humane, friendly, scientific, and innovative methods, in an educational environment, to improve the health, behavior, performance, and fitness of animals. Lori’s most recent of 3 DVDs By Tawzer Dog Videos is co-presented with Kathy Sdao and called ‘The Gift of a Gray Muzzle: Active Care for Senior Dogs’ –it focuses on improving the life of senior dogs. Lori gives workshops worldwide and has a private practice in Seattle, WA. Lori is also the creator of the Balance Harness™. See SeattleTTouch.com for more information.

Terrie Hayward M.Ed, KPA-CTP, CSAT, CPDT, ACDBC  is a Karen Pryor Academy faculty member and certified training partner (CTP) as well as the owner and lead trainer for PAW-Positive Animal Wellness. She is a professional dog trainer specializing in working with dogs with hearing impairments and also with dogs who suffer from separation anxiety. Terrie is a member of the Pet Professional Guild, and has written articles on training and behavior modification for BARKS magazine, Karen Pryor Academy, Pet Business, and Grooming Business magazine and is the author of the pocket guide to working with deaf dogs: A Deaf Dog Joins the Family. For additional information please see: positiveanimalwellness.com