Viewing: Behaviour - View all posts

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The question I am most often asked is how do we teach a dog to stay. It does not matter which behaviour you teach the dog because stay will be trained the same way. It is important to teach stay because it allows us, humans, to manage situations more efficiently. In addition, a solid stay conveys feedback to the dog. So, how do we train a dog to stay at the Dogue Shop? Well, we do it the social-cognitive way of course. 

My dog will not stay 
Dogs are curious animals who love to meet and greet new people, dogs, and pretty much everything else. Dogs love novelty, so the question then becomes why would a dog stay in one position knowing he loves to explore. Exploratory behaviours are a section in the dog ethogram, aka dog dictionary. Without exploration, canines would not find food, mates, shelter, water, etc. so it becomes mandatory to move. If your dogs do not stay, rest assured, they are normal. 

The environment is also a determining factor for the stay behaviour to occur. If distractions are present, the stay behaviour will undoubtedly be difficult to succeed. This is where most pet owners fail: practice. It is important to generalize the behaviour through variable environments at variable times. 

How to train a dog to stay 
I will make it very easy and describe, in the lowest amount of steps possible, how to train stay. For the sake of this article, we will work on the behaviour sit-stay. I chose the sit behaviour because it is the most common behaviour people wish to train. Therefore, here is the recipe to train the perfect dog sit-stay behaviour. 

1. Teach the dog to sit. We wrote how to train sit the social-cognitive way in our past blog article. 
2. Practice the sit behaviour everywhere you can: inside and outside. 
3. Once you have a consistent sit, name the behaviour and practice the command everywhere. 
4. Once you achieve the previous steps, you can address stay. 
5. Ask the dog to sit, count in your head Mississippi one and reward. If you are a clicker trainer or owner, count Mississippi one click and reward (R+ for short). 
6. Repeat step five, this time count Mississippi one, Mississippi two and reward or R+. 
7. Repeat step six, this time count to Mississippi one, Mississippi two, Mississippi three, Mississippi four and reward or R+. 

In summary, you will repeat step five and double seconds each time. When you hit your dog’s threshold or the maximum length of time he can stay, you will remain on this number till you can push through in seconds. You will push through by increasing one second at a time and then try to double it. If he succeeds, continue with the original number. Here is an example for visual learners. 

Mississippi 1 + R+ 
Mississippi 1, Mississippi 2 + R+ 
Mississippi 1, Mississippi 2, Mississippi 3, Mississippi 4 + R+ 

Fast-forward to 26 seconds. 

On Mississippi 26 the dog stands or moves away. Ask for sit and go back to 24 seconds and R+ for 5 to 10 times. Try 26 seconds again. If he succeeds R+, if he fails, go back to 24 seconds and R+ another 5 to 10 times. When you get to 26 seconds, R+. From here, you will not double time; you will work on 27 seconds, then 29 seconds, and 33 seconds, so on and so forth. 

You will only name the behaviour, in this case, stay, once the dog has reached your target time, say 30 seconds and can exhibit the behaviour 10 times in a row, in 10 different locations, hence, the practice part. It is easy to teach stay the social-cognitive way because the dog will notice your body. 

Sit and stay does not mean move away 
Did you notice the stay plan does not involve you moving away from the dog? If you did, congratulations! If not, here is why. Distance, as it goes, requires the passage of time. If your dog cannot sit and stay in one place, he will likely stand and follow you as you leave him. 

You will only add one of the 3Ds once your dog masters your target stay length ten times in 10 different locations. The 3Ds are duration (stay), distance (you, moving away), and distractions (life in general). Start with duration, followed by distance and end with distractions. You can practice inside first and move outside as soon as possible to generalize the behaviour. Remember to only practice one behaviour at a time. People tend to jump the gun and set up their dogs for failure, and we would not want that.

My dog can sit and stay 
I hope you will enjoy our nice little DIY sit-stay training plan. If you did or would like precision, leave a comment. We like to read what worked, did not work, or maybe you would like to add to the plan. We are always open to new ideas. 

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Umwelt is pronounced o͝omvelt and is defined as the world as it is experienced by a particular organism. For the sake of this article, we will discuss the canine Umwelt or the world as it’s experienced by the dog. Why address this particular topic? Because you will vote on November 5th and I feel it’s important you know why you should not vote for the current mayor. 

The Dog’s experience of the World 
The dog experiences the world in a very different way when compared to humans. First, dog vision isn’t their go-to sensory organ. I’m sure you already knew that, but most humans tend to forget because our Umwelt relies strongly on vision. Second, the dog’s sense of smell offers a dimension we cannot even begin to understand as people. Dogs can taste smells…. What?! Yes, dogs can taste odours through their vomeronasal organ located behind their incisor teeth on the upper jaw. Thirdly, dogs can hear high-pitched sounds much better than we can. In this way, dogs complement humans. 

You can see how different sensory intake modifies your perception of the world. Dogs cannot see red, yet for humans, red is an eye-catching colour, which requires attention. What is obvious to you is imperceptible for your dog and vice versa. My dog can smell high cortisol levels in other dogs (and people) and will react strongly to the olfactory trigger. I, on the other hand, am left in total darkness. 

Emotional Umwelt 
Dogs experience emotions. That too, I’m sure you already knew. What you might not know is that dogs have a bigger limbic system or smaller frontal lobes, it depends on your point of view, which means dogs react very strongly to emotional triggers. I always say dogs don’t talk with flowers, they talk with teeth. When dogs are unhappy or scared, they want the negative experience to go away, and canines will do whatever it takes to make that happen NOW. The opposite is also true. When dogs experience joy, they will do whatever it takes to make the joyful event occur again. 

We, humans, tend to stay with our negative emotions for way too long. Some people repeatedly recite negative emotions throughout the day. The negative emotions should have been addressed while they occurred, not three days later. Plus, when we get upset, it takes all the energy we have to say stop, I don't like this, and when we finally do, we tend to sugar coat it. We are a strange species that way. I think we can take a few life lessons from dogs and deal with our emotions as they unravel. 

Why Vote Projet Montréal 
Why a political paragraph in a dog article? Because the current mayor has disrupted the dog Umwelt, and in doing so, has disrupted our experience of life too. When we make decisions about our lives, it’s important to keep Umwelt in mind. What do we want to experience as collective humanity? What do we want for our dogs and cats? Why should you care about politics? The answer is simple because a world experienced by a collective group should be a positive one. 

My duty to my dog and myself is to demand our leaders care about us and all the experiences we chose to have within that collectivity. I think there’s room for public safety laws and dog ownership, regardless of the breed. When you hit the polls, and god knows I hope you do it in large numbers, consider Umwelt as your life experience, and how you can control the outcome through politics. If anything, look at all the unnecessary money spent, that alone should be a green light for a change. This time around, I propose we try a woman as our leader. Valérie Plante, from Projet Montréal, is my choice because she cares about our and our dogs' Umwelt. If you don't know who Valérie Plante is, follow this link. I guarantee you, she will make Montréal the best experience of our collective world.

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

As more and more people discover social cognitive learning theory (SCT), I’m reminded just how slow the dog training and behaviour industry evolve. I practice and teach social learning on a regular basis. Actually, I’ve been writing about SCT for over a decade now. Although people claim social learning is new, rest assured, it’s not. The science of imitation in the form of Do As I Do (DAID) has been around since the 50s. 

Social Learning Brief History 
Once upon time, two scientists by the name of Keith Hayes and Catherine Hayes did a research on a chimpanzee's ability to imitate (Hayes and Hayes, 1952). In their paper, the researches mention their chimp learned the rule of imitation and would copy a signal after the request “Do this”. From then on, the Do As I Do protocol was born. More recently, advances in dog imitation come from Ádám Miklósi’s leading team of researchers, more specifically, Claudia Fugazza (2014, 2015). For those who don't know, Claudia gave a weekend seminar at the Dogue Shop during the summer of 2017.

Social Learning Experience
My experience with SCT via imitation proves to be the fastest, most efficient training approach, and proves to be a wonderful complement to other training methods. Eleven years ago, I foretold my clients and students SCT would revolutionise dog training. It does. Science finally caught up, and we are happy the Dogue Shop school is leading the way. Every other day, Albear and I  work on a special SCT project and will share info once available.

Meanwhile, We use SCT to teach many aspects of behaviour varying from emotional control to cognition, trust, and attachment. Because social learning requires cognition and memory, certain dogs will outperform others. That should not come as a surprise. The environment is also a predictor of learning; therefore, we modify space as needed to facilitate animal learning. 

The side effects to SCT are resilience and fatigue, the good kind. I’ve talked about social learning and resilience in the past, so if you follow my blog you know what I’m talking about. Resilience serves to heighten emotional threshold, which allows dogs to evolve in their environment as best as they possibly can. DAID will help us achieve that prerogative, faster and more efficiently.

Future of Dog Social Learning
Social learning will not replace behaviourism; it will complement it. With my experience, I foresee other learning theories, which will benefit dog training in the next decade, hopefully the sooner the better. People need better human intervention strategies, clients need a less expensive and time consuming training method, and dogs need clarity and direction from people, not commands and reprimands. 

The future of dog training will change in the next ten years, and I’m very excited to see other trainers and schools embark on the social learning bandwagon. Until then, I’ll keep you posted on new learning theories which will undoubtedly change the forthcoming decade. 

Cheers.
G.

Reference

- Fugazza, C. (2014). Social learning and imitation in dogs (Canis familiaris). Doctoral Thesis. Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Science Doctoral, Hungary. 

- Fugazza, C. and, Miklósi, Á. (2015). Social learning in dog training: The effectiveness of the Do as I do method compared to shaping/clicker training. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.033 

- Hayes, K. and Hayes, C. (1952). Imitation in a Home-raised Chimpanzee. Journal of comparative and physiological psychology. Vol. 45, 5.  pp. 450-459 doi: 10.1037/h0053609

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

As the busy season comes to an end, I’m happy to blog again and hear what you have to say. This week, I want to talk about delinquent clients, and by delinquent, I’m referring to clients who don’t do their homework. You know, people who say “Yes, we’ll practice”, but each week have an excuse for why they didn’t. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to waste my time, even if it brings in money. So, let's look at the delinquency problem and talk about solutions.

Occurrence of Delinquency 
Delinquency often occurs because training exercises are perceived as too difficult, time-consuming, or outright ineffective. From my professional point of view, training exercises might seem simple, but from clients’ perception, they can be hard. Some people start off with a bang only to stop after a week or so because of, well, life. Training stops for a multitude of reasons; however, the most common explanation is motivation. 

Another reason clients become delinquent in regards to training exercises is the benefit. What will I gain from conducting such and such practice? The reason might seem obvious; we wish to solve a problem, but do we really? Training is responsible for about 30% of the problematic situation; the other 70% has to do with communication and understanding. 

In other words, professionals work with clients to build or re-build, functional relationships. If, as a professional, you don’t address the relationship, you will fail. Without a true connection, humans eventually stop training their pets. That is an inevitable fact. 

Client Motivation 
There are countless theories that address possible ways to modify and maintain human behaviour which I won't address today; however, you must know human motivation is hard to tap into and even more difficult to maintain. Just think of exercise, nail-biting, drinking, smoking, gambling, or any other psychologically or physically destructive behaviour and you’ll see just how hard it is to change human behaviour. At Concordia University, the wellness class which addresses human behaviour change is a 6 credits class given over 2 semesters.

Knowing human behaviour is difficult to change, we can now look at ways to motivate clients. You motivate the client, the client motivates the dog. Sounds easy right? It’s not. We need to tap into delinquent clients' limbic systems; these are the same pleasure structures found in dogs' brains. Furthermore, we can motivate clients with the same reinforcers we use with dogs, plus, we can add psychological reinforcers: cognition and social proximity. 

Motivation Method 
First, when you design a training plan, make sure the exercises are broken down into small approximations to facilitate training and learning for both humans and dogs. Once completed, implement the following ideas to tap into your delinquent clients' motivation. Here’s how it works. 

1. Explain the exercise in all 3 encoding memory types: visual (picture), acoustic (sound), and semantic (meaning). Why: because each person learns differently. 

2. Make sure the client tries the exercise before you part. Why: to set the client up for success and to correct exercise if need be. 

3. Send the client off and ask them to check in with you 48h later for an update. Why: to make client accountable, and to receive verbal praise from the professional. 

4. Send an e-mail or text to check-in. If the client is successful, send a reply filled with emojis celebrating the 3rd or 4th (you pick) day of training. 
          - If the client was unsuccessful, ask why and adjust the training plan to make it easier or shorter. 
          - If the client is feeling overwhelmed, tell them to take a break and celebrate the day off. 
          - Offer a 5min drop-in or stop-by to clarify the exercise.

5. Encourage clients to softly pet their dogs while the dog receives reinforcement. Why: social proximity will motivate both humans and dogs. 

6. Send a tidbit of information relating to the species of dog they have, i.e. “Did you know, Boxers originate from Germany?” or “Did you know, dogs can taste a smell?” Make the client feel smart through camouflaged education. 

7. Send a “massage day” virtual certificate to remind clients to simply massage and enjoy their dog. Why: believe it or not, many clients forget why they actually have a pet. 
          - If it’s sunny, tell them to go out and play, run, or just hang with their dog. 
          - If it’s rainy or cold, tell them to play a social game. 

8. Finally, when clients attend the following session, have a few human treat options already set out: cookies, candy, chips, fruits, granola bars, cheese, etc. to celebrate the end of a hard work week. Why: food serves as a reinforcer for people too. 

Partnership 
If you support your clients and they feel you are sensitive to their condition, they will do the work. People who contact us need help, but if you simply address the dog’s problem, you aren’t doing your job. Working with animals means you always work in a triad: trainer, client, dog. 

A professional doesn’t rehabilitate dogs and train humans; a professional teaches human clients how to train their dogs, and we, in turn, reward clients for doing the work. Our job is simple; we change dysfunctional relationships into functional ones through predetermined cognitive exercises destined to enrich both partners' lives. 

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Actually, I kissed many wolves throughout my career and yes, I did like it. The question is why? Why do we seek inter-species interactions and displays of affection? Some people risk their lives to touch an animal, while others purposefully buy illegal exotic animals off the black market only to realise how dangerous those animals are. Today, I’ll share my views, knowledge, and experiences with you to try answer the question. 

Big Bad Wolf 
Growing up in Goose Bay, Labrador, my childhood was undoubtedly atypical; however, I know the stories most kids were told led them to believe wolves were bad. Three Little Pigs, Little Red Riding Hood, Mr. Wolf and the Three Bear, Clever Polly and the Stupid Wolf, and Little Wolf's Book of Badness, to name a few, all tell us how wolves can’t help themselves express undesirable behaviours (read eat, kill, injure, etc.). Thank goodness, our childhood stories couldn’t be further from the truth. Wolves can, and do, control their impulses. 

In our disconnected urbanised life, we have come to cherish the stories of our youth. As such, the yearning to reconnect with nature is what motivates most people to seek inter-species connections. To satisfy their desires for social contact, proximity, monotony relief, non-judgmental encounters, or unconditional love, people go to great lengths. Some people even die in the process of fulfilling their needs. 

Desire Motivates
The desire to interact is motivated by an intrinsic curiosity we share with all living creatures. The connection itself is reinforcing because it satisfies our need for closeness. When we associate with others, neurobiological processes are triggered. Mirror neurons instil empathy, which in turn, deepens the attachment through increased mirror neuron activity. When you touch a dog, a dolphin, a wolf, a whale, a cat, or whatever animal you happen to come by, your brain is firing like mad. 

Your fight or flight defense system is also on high alert and releases epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline) hormones. The joy of the interaction also contributes to the hormonal cocktail by releasing serotonin, dopamine, and oxytocin. In essence, your body experiences your emotions, and your emotions experience your body. One could say you become addicted to relationships, so to speak. 

My Experience
Another reason we love to interact with animals is the environment. Like animals, we both enjoy open spaces, fresh air, clean water, cool breezes, and wholesome foods. So, when we happen to cross paths with animals, we rejoice and often turn to our inner child for guidance. The young human ambassador in us takes center stage and starts an inter-species dialog. In the exchange, we share our secret message: I love you. 

Of all the exchanges I’ve had with animals; of all the kisses I’ve given or received; each encounter shares the same components: trust and empathy. We believe, in that very short moment, we are connected to a power bigger than ourselves. In some cases, size is an actual component of the inter-species meeting, but what I’m referring to here is the figurative bigger power. 

A shared moment with my fellow wolf is one of unity. For a brief second in life, I become one with an animal that trusts me so unconditionally, it’s ready to break the intra-species bond and create an inter-species relationship. At that very instant, I feel accepted for who I am. The infinitely small fraction of time creates a lifelong, unforgettable, experience based solely on trust and empathy. 

Personal Boundaries
When I interacted with my first exotic wild animal, a goose, I was probably four years old. Geese were everywhere, so it wasn’t hard to find and interact with them. If anything, geese would seek out people first. It was a strange encounter, but a memorable one. I also remember when, a few years later, I picked up a garter snake and played with it. All was wonderful, till I showed the snake to my grand-mother. She screamed; the snake disappeared. 

I’ve always had a high attraction to animals and vice versa, but, I’ve never forced animals into interactions they didn’t desire. I approach all animals (yes that includes dogs and other domestic animals) with baby steps. On the final approach, I let the animal make the decisive move. They choose to interact, or not. I’m simply a passive observer. 

Human-Animal Bond
To answer the question, we seek inter-species interactions and displays of affection because they make us feel good. Heck, an entire industry saw the light of day because humans desire connectedness and unity in a disconnected and divided world. If we didn’t love animals so much, we wouldn’t have zoological institutions or marine mammal parks.

Before I end, I’d like to add I’m not here to pick a battle with you on the pros and cons of captive animals. I’m simply here to share with you reasons why the human-animal bond is so powerful. Please keep that in mind when you comment or send nasty e-mails. On the other hand, if you had an experience with an animal that changed your life, please share it with us in the comments. As you know, we conduct animal-assisted therapy and would love to hear your human-animal encounter story.

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Morphological characteristic is a newly debated topic to which I’d like to shed some light. Recently, or should I say finally, the city of Montreal established what the morphological characteristics are for pitbull-type dogs. The topic is once again a compilation of nonsense criteria, and I’d like to discuss the reasons why. 

Dog Physical Characteristics 
Here is a list of the morphological characteristics of pitbull-type dogs in Montreal. I know it’s a little long and confusing, but this is what mayor Denis Coderre’s team came up with five months AFTER the by-law was passed. You’ll find my explanation or clarification, in red, next to the criterion. Professionally speaking, the following twenty points seem improvised and are highly discussable.

1. Muscular, short-haired, powerful and athletic-looking dog. The dog has a square shape when viewed laterally. By definition, this characteristic includes ALL dogs from the molosser group, and could possibly include deep-chested Labradors, Boxers, Doberman Pinchers, etc. 
2. The male weighs 12 to 35 kg (27-77lbs) and is 36 to 53 cm (14”-21”) high at the withers. The female weighs 10 to 30 (22-66lbs) kg and is 30 to 50 cm (12”-20”) high at the withers. The height to weight ratio is usually proportional. Weight as a breed characteristic can open the door to malnutrition and subsequently abuse. 
3. Its coat is close-hair, short and smooth. It’s unclear if only single coats are allowed. The criterion doesn’t say if dogs are considered pitbull-type animals if they have double, 2-5 secondary hair, coats. 
4. Its head is wedge-shaped when viewed laterally or above, but round when viewed from the front. This is confusing. Most dogs have a wedge-shaped head when seen from the side. As for a round-shaped head when seen from the front only a few breeds like Bulldogs (English and French), Pugs, Dogue de Bordeaux, and possibly Boston Terriers come to mind. 
5. The head is about 2/3 the width of the shoulders and 25% wider at the cheeks than at the base of the skull. I wonder if the measurements are actually calculated or guesstimated. 
6. The distance from the back of the skull to the eyes is equivalent to the distance from the eyes to the tip of the muzzle. Again, this is so general that most dog breeds conform to the criterion. 
7. Well-defined stop. No mention of the stop’s angle is discussed or proposed: 45o, 60o, or 90o are all well defined.
8. The muzzle is straight and square. A bit better, but still too general to decide the faith of dogs. 
9. The lips are tight and dental occlusion is normal. I’m uncertain how this condition can be considered since it’s impossible to prove if the dental occlusion is a biological breed characteristic or genetic fault.
10. The eyes are small and triangular when viewed laterally. They are round or slightly elliptical when viewed from the front. I’m trying not to let my opinion interfere, but common, this describes pretty much the entire canid genus.
11. The ears are high set and small. Again, this criterion is too general to decide the faith of a dog. I mean, official CKC and AKC breeds banned by the city of Montreal have very specific ears and ear placement shapes and sizes. So why not be a little more clear?!
12. The neck is muscular. All canids have a muscular neck. FYI: the neck is the second most powerful muscle after the jaw. 
13. The shoulders are a little wider than the rib cage at the eighth rib level. This is getting a little ridiculous. So many dogs fall into this category. If you cross a Bulldog with Labrador this characteristic is highly likely to occur. 
14. The elbows are not prominent and the front legs are parallel. Obviously, it's a dog. But, on a positive note, thank God most pitbull-type dogs out there have misaligned legs which disqualify them as pitbull-type.
15. The front legs are heavy and solid-looking. Hun?! My mother use to say When you don't know what to say, say nothing.
16. The front is massive, with a comparatively delicate back. This describes most dog breeds, maybe except sight-hounds. The problem with this criterion is that if you mix any breed with a massive front you'll get this definition, without having any terrier in the mix. Mix a Bulldog with a Dalmatian and you'll get a pitbull-type dog according to Denis Coderre and Anie Samson.
17. The back slopes slightly from the withers to the rump. Which would mean their back legs are shorter than the front. doesn't this contradict points 16, 18, and 19?!
18. The hips are broad for firmly attached muscles and the hind legs are muscular. I can't take these descriptions, they're so misleading and confusing. Obviously, muscles are firmly attached to broad hips, it's a dog people. 
19. The hocks are low and the hind legs appear slim under the knees. In other words, the back area is a great big muscle, firmly attached (as we just learned) to short, thin legs. I'm starting to wonder how this dog can actually stand. 
20. The tail is of medium length, becoming slimmer from the base to the tip, and generally kept down. Pardon my expression, but WTF?! Sorry, I just lost it for a second. This is a definition for Every. Single. Dog. Tail. 

Do you see a problem with Montreal’s pitbull-type dog criteria? If not, let me point it out. The problem is the following; there’s no indication as to which criteria and how many of them turn dogs from non-pitbull to pitbull-type dogs. The above document only states, and I quote "several of the morphological traits listed". When the life or death of an animal depends on objective observations as means of classification, one would expect to have measurable data and a set number of characteristics. A dog's body could be measured and compared to a template, so why not create one?! For example, if a dog conforms to a minimum of 17/20 characteristics, which were measured and determined as a positive match to the predetermined standard, then, and only then, would you have a pitbull-type dog.

Morphology Isn't Guess Work 
Pick a breed, any breed, and read through the CKC (Canadian Kennel Club) or the AKC's (American Kennel Club) list of morphological criteria. You’ll find that what makes a Staffordshire Bull Terrier different from a Bull Terrier isn’t just the word Staffordshire. The AKC and CKC have very specific standards, plus subjects from a breed need to have a pedigree in order to be called a Staffordshire Bull Terrier or Bull Terrier. There’s simply no guesswork in determining a purebred dog. 

I think the city of Montreal, and other BSL cities, need to clarify this question. People need to know how many of the criteria qualifies their dog as pitbull-type and to which extent. If a 90o stop is required, does a +/- 5o rule apply? If a dog has twenty of the above-mentioned criteria but has a misaligned dental occlusion, is the dog immediately disqualified? Does a dog need to have all twenty criteria to be considered pitbull-type? 

Morphology Shishmology 
I want to end with the notion that dogs aren’t machines. They come in many, many, different shapes, sizes, and colours, and to qualify them based on nonsense criteria is simply irresponsible and unprofessional. Dog caregivers need a better-defined morphological chart. Furthermore, elected city officials need to step up and take their biased and idiotic approach to dangerous dog management and try to make something professional and coherent out of it. Till then, I know who I’m going to vote for, do you?

Cheers.
G.

References
- PIT BULL-TYPE DOGS: MORPHOLOGICAL TRAITS. (2017). Retrieved from http://ville.montreal.qc.ca/animaux/assets/doc/identification_pitbull_EN.pdf March 8th, 2017

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Someone asked me a pertinent question the other day: “Why do some trainers feel they need to dominate, punish, control, choke, or even electrocute* dogs?” The following is my summarised answer. As is the case with most of my articles, I invite you to comment but please leave your egos at the keyboard. 

In Dog Training Profession – Part 3, I discussed different possibilities we could endeavour in order to standardize our profession. The purpose of today’s article is to open the discussion about the dog training profession. How does this piece tie in with the series on dog training? By exploring why we need recognition in the first place. 

The entire question you saw above was in fact a series of questions that went like this: “If trainers love animals, which I believe they do, why do some trainers feel they need to dominate dogs, punish, control, choke, electrocute, or treat them with force and fear? I mean, we know dogs aren’t pack animals, so why treat them like wolves? Why don’t these people pursue their education?” The answer lies within the trainer’s motivation and education. 

Motivation 
Why are some trainers motivated to treat dogs as competitors who should be controlled is a valid question, and concern. Certain groups of dog trainers believe dogs are out to dominate humans; consequently, these disobedient canines require a firm hand in order to put them back into their inferior to a human place.
 
We know dogs aren’t pack animals, we know they don’t strive for world domination, and we unequivocally know dogs don’t need a firm hand. The only motivation which can drive a human to believe an animal, a much smaller animal (well maybe except Great Danes), can and would dominate them stems from human defence mechanisms: denial, repression, displacement, projection, reaction formation, regression, rationalization, sublimation, and identification. 

Humans develop defence mechanisms in order to avoid emotional pain or control unacceptable inner drives, desires, urges, or feelings. Humans have many defence mechanisms in place, but we’ll stick to the projection for now. Humans unconsciously project onto their clients, the domestic dog, for many reasons, but the majority of the time the process evolves either from who we think we are or who we think we should be. 

Unconsciously, if a person thinks aggression is an unacceptable emotion within them, they project the emotion onto dogs and see the client as aggressive, and aggressive dogs need to be controlled, right? Or, if a person unconsciously believes an aggressive behaviour is a sought-out trait, they will view the dog as aggressive, an emotion that needs to be expressed. The best way to ensure dogs express aggression is for the person to treat dogs aggressively. Are you still with me? 
  
Education 
Attachment and education greatly contribute to the creation of defence mechanisms. People with insecure type attachments combined with a lack of education (say in dog behaviour and training) will more likely revert to negative and punitive training approaches because they will unconsciously see themselves in their clients’ dogs. 

The only way one can stop the projection is to realize it exists. Once the defence mechanism is discovered, education, and possibly therapy, can contribute to its demise. One has to bring the once unconscious process into the realm of the conscious. To achieve defence mechanism recognition, a skilled professional uses a technique called mirroring. In essence, professionals send triggering emotions back to dog trainers to address motivations for their behaviours. 

Dog trainers don’t use negative training methods and tools because they're bad people. I don’t believe dog trainers wake up one day and think today I’m going to choke or electrocute dogs for a living. I believe most dog trainers simply don’t know their inner-workings are playing them. Plus, we all know dog training isn’t regulated which contributes largely to poor, or lack thereof, education.

Dog Trainer Awareness 
The problem with inadequate education is it’s self-sustaining, AKA self-reinforcing. Let me explain. If dog trainers point out to other dog trainers their techniques are outdated and wrong, the observation is perceived as an attack which, guess what triggers the defence mechanism observers are trying to avoid in the first place. By telling or calling out irresponsible, dangerous, or unethical practices, the well-intended observers just triggered and reinforced the defence mechanism system. Not only have they closed the door to change, but they’ve also justified resistance to it. 

Pointing out inadequacies is not mirroring, it’s attacking. To mirror is to show the actual emotion occurring within the animal and let trainers see the truth for themselves. Once perception is achieved, the underlying emotions which motivate the defence mechanism can be challenged. Then, and only then, will we see changes in dog training practices? 

Dog Social Learning 
Social learning between humans and dogs will revolutionize the dog training industry because defence mechanisms will no longer interfere with learning. Dog training will be faster and behaviours will become more resistant to extinction. 

The Dogue Shop team strongly believes in social learning and we're proud to have incorporated the theory into our practice over ten years ago. I sincerely hope you join us in building a brighter future for our furry friends. If anything, man's best friend deserves that much. 

Cheers.
G.

* E-collars, electric, vibration, citronella, or whichever battery-operated device collar is used to inflict pain. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT/FLE

With all the media hysteria (you can thank journalists and columnists for that) surrounding pit bulls, I thought I’d explain the difference between agonistic and aggressive behaviour for you. My goal is to demonstrate there are no breed differences in aggressive behaviours from one dog breed to another. 
  
Definitions 
First, let’s review a few terms. The term agonistic is defined as such of or relating to, or being aggressive or defensive social interaction (as fighting, fleeing, or submitting) between individuals usually of the same species. Will come back to what the same species means. 
  
Merriam-Webster defines aggressive as ready and willing to fight, argue, etc.: feeling or showing aggression: using forceful methods to succeed or to do something: tending toward or exhibiting aggression, i.e aggressive behaviour: marked by combative readiness i.e. an aggressive fighter. 
  
Can you see the subtle differences between the two definitions? If not, let me explain. Agonistic dog behaviours relate to all behaviours which involve conflict; more specifically, how to avoid conflicts or resolve them if inevitable. Aggressive behaviours are actual actions intended to solve conflicts. Agonistic behaviours can be motivated by anger or fear; however, anger is the emotion that drives aggression.
  
Although agonistic behaviours are conflict-oriented in nature, they aren’t necessarily driven by anger. Both dogs in the image (to the right) displayed agonistic behaviours called posturing and agonistic pucker, but they never acted on the emotion. The dogs never became aggressive; their intent was to settle the conflict before it escalated. 
  
Dog Aggression 
Dogs display aggressive behaviours all the time. Why it comes as a surprise to pet caregivers baffles me. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with agonistic or aggressive dog behaviour. As mentioned above, agonistic behaviours settle conflicts. Dog aggression increases when people interfere with communication. 
  
Humans create aggressive dogs in a multitude of ways: poor socialization from zero to sixteen weeks of age, communication interference, punishment-based training practices, neglect, abuse, and/or purposefully training aggressive responses. Aggression becomes a behaviour problem when dogs can’t successfully function in their environment. Not surprisingly, learned aggression is the most common form of aggressive behaviour.

Normal Dog Aggression 
Anger levels vary from dog to dog, that being said, when conflicts arise disagreements are addressed with healthy aggressive displays. Conflicts bring injuries; consequently, canines have developed a sophisticated language to avoid and/or settle arguments. I always say dogs don’t settle conflicts with flowers; I believe people should remember that saying.
  
This means your dog fundamentally doesn’t want to fight. Your miniature Poodle, Cocker Spaniel, American Staffordshire Terrier, Boxer, German Pointer, Collie, Doberman, Anatolian Shepherd, Saint-Bernard, Great Dane, and Irish Wolfhound ALL speak the same language: canine. If you let dogs communicate amongst themselves with their own language, you’ll end up with a well-adjusted animal. Guess what, your pitbull isn't more aggressive than any other dog.
  
I’ll be honest, normal dog aggression levels do involve superficial cuts and bruises; however, dogs rarely let aggression escalate beyond minor bites. When dogs settle a conflict it’s loud, scary, and fast action. Think of two guys in a bar who, after a few drinks, get into an argument over the winning goal. The fight is loud, a few punches are thrown, yet the argument is short-lived. The winner offers a beer to the loser. As with dogs, after a fight, our canine companions need resolution, and dogs have an entire section in their dictionary devoted to makeup behaviours. 
 

Same Species Aggression 
Only canines speak canine. Yes, some humans are pretty good at speaking dogs, but when it comes to the actual aggressive responses, people will always lose. Canines are simply too fast and strong for humans. That being said, well socialized and trained dogs don’t exhibit aggression towards people. Poorly socialized and trained dogs will in fact attack humans. All things considered, unless a dog has a neurological disorder, you're safe as can be.

So, to directly answer the question Are pit bulls more aggressive than other breeds, the answer is NO! I know I'm repeating myself, but some things need to be said, over, and over, and over again. Dogs speak dog, and unless your Terrier has an underlying neurological issue, his behaviour isn't different than from any other Terrier. Again, I know I'm repeating myself; I'm doing this purposefully so the information becomes ingrained in your mind.

Dog Speak 
Dogs all speak the same language. Communication between canines is achieved when two members exchange species-specific behaviours. Canine agonistic and aggressive behaviours aren’t intended for people, they’re intended for other canines. I hope you leave with a clear understanding of what dog agonistic and aggressive behaviours are.
  
If people stop meddling in dog-dog-related conflicts, aggression would reduce significantly, not to say entirely. It’s OK to let dogs growl and display agonistic behaviours because the likelihood a conflict will escalate into a full-blown attack is improbable. Dogs all want the same thing; they want to live and see another day, and while they're at it, be left alone.

I'll end with my age-old question, why do you have a dog?

Cheers.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT/FLE
 

In light of yesterday’s city council in Montreal on Pitbulls and other dangerous dogs (pitbull-type) hearing, I’d like to take a minute and point out the many Breed Specific Legislation (BSL) advocates that using the term pitbull-type dog is as specific as saying tree-like plant. There's no way we can describe type because taxonomy doesn't refer to this word as a descriptive element; furthermore, the mayor didn't answer any of the questions, thus, the population still doesn't know how law enforcement groups will classify our dogs. This is a very important topic that should concern all dog owners.
  
Canine Taxonomy 
Taxonomy is the system by which we classify living and non-living things. Taxonomic terms are very clear and are presented as follows: Domain, Kingdom, Phylum (Subphylum), (Superclass) Class (Subclass), Order, Family, Species (Subspecies).

The canine taxonomy is documented in the image to the left. The current dog taxonomy was changed in 2005 from Linnaeus’ Canis Familiaris to Canis Lupus Familiaris by the Smithsonian Institution; however, not every scientist agreed. 
  
Linnaeus taxonomy places the dog as a subspecies of the wolf: Animal, Chordata, Mammalia, Carnivora, Canidae, Canis, Canis Lupus, Canis Lupus Familiaris. Scientists are currently debating reclassifying the dog to its former description Canis familiaris because on the inside dogs are similar to wolves, but on the outside, not as much.  

For the time being, domestic dogs are already classified as subspecies of the grey wolf; consequently, dog breeds have to be sub-subspecies. Scientifically speaking though, pitbull-type dogs can't be considered any different than say, your cocker spaniel. 
  
Mastiffs Leadeth 
Jean-Pierre Mégnin classified dogs according to scull types; however, when scientists use DNA tests to classify dogs, the results don't take Mégnin’s sub-groups into consideration. 

For those inquiring minds who want to know. Mégnin's four classification categories are Lupoides (spitz), Braccoides (scenthounds), Graioides (sighthounds), and Molossoides (true mastiffs). Although rarely used today, people still refer to these groups to describe dogs. According to Mégnin's definition, the only true mastiffs are the English Mastiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, Neapolitan Mastiff, Bullmastiff, and Boxer. Other breeds are considered molossers. 

Wikipedia's definition for molosser reads as follows Molosser is a category of solidly built, large dog breeds that all descend from the same common ancestor. The name derives from Molossia, an area of ancient Epirus, where the large shepherd dog was known as a Molossus. As you can see, the definition of molosser doesn't offer a clear-cut description. Not all is black or white; dogs come in every shade of grey. I believe our approach to dangerous dog management shouldn't be black or white. But, that's another topic for another day. 
  
Definition Importance 
A clear definition is important because when it comes to breed-specific legislation, the breed can make or break your human-dog family. If pitbull-type referrers to molossers, then any big dog could be poorly labelled as dangerous and fall under local BSL. The term molosser, as does the pitbull-type term, needs to be described further. If, on the other hand, laws clearly identify targeted breeds, no one needs to worry, confusion and ambiguity won't cause any problems. A dog, is a dog, is a dog. I disagree with BSL, but let's at least make it clear.
  
Science has concluded bred specific laws are inefficient and costly. Education should set forth laws that will encourage responsible ownership, make deviant owners accountable, and overall reduce bites and deaths. If you don't think BSLs can fail, read this article written by Patrick Cain in February 2016.

My objective today was to get pro and anti BSL believers to reflect on how, when and why we should let the government interfere in our life companion choices. Management strategies like BSL don’t keep populations safe, they're inefficient, ineffective, and costly. So, where do we go from here? Where and how do we educate people? 
  
References 
- Federation Cynologique International. Breed-specific education. http://www.fci.be/en/Nomenclature/Education.aspx Retrieved on 06-20-2016 
- Hancock, D. (2001).The Mastiffs: The Big Game Hunters: Their History, Development and Future. Publisher: Charwynne Dog Features. 
- Royal Canin. (2001). The Royal Canin Dog Encyclopedia.

Video References
If you think only pitbull-type dogs kill, you're wrong. Watch, read and share these articles and videos because BSLs create a false sense of security. ALL dogs bite.

Teckel (Dachshund)
http://articles.latimes.com/2002/dec/17/nation/na-maul17 
www.thefreelibrary.com/DACHSHUNDS+KILL+MONTH-OLD+TOT+IN+JEALOUS+RAGE.-a061124133 

Pomeranian:  
http://amarillo.com/stories/100900/usn_pet.shtml#.V2lCtxkXbqB 

Lab x golden mix  
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/dog-killed-2-month-old-baby-ripped-child-legs-father-slept-room-police-article-1.1065711 

Jack Russell (Terriers)
http://www.express.co.uk/news/uk/359723/Family-distraught-as-dog-kills-baby-with-single-bite
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3132523/Three-week-old-baby-died-bitten-terrier-dog-Sunderland.html

German Shepherd
http://www.ctvnews.ca/canada/i-just-started-running-for-my-life-calgary-police-dog-attacks-boy-1.2842696

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT/FLE

I normally don't write two articles in the same week, but this week is special. I decided to disregard my own rule and write a second piece. What follows is a huge summary of my very elaborate research file.

Seems people need to see graphs and data in order to believe what a columnist writes; therefore, I decided to give you an eye full and present some very interesting science behind the dog bite statistics the media and pro-kill people try to push down our throats.

I’m telling you, this information doesn’t come from a dog bite website, nor does it come from newspaper columnists quoting or referring to other columnists as data. I won’t do that because we ALL know the media only writes about what sells papers. 
  
Research 
Contrary to popular belief there’s quite a significant amount of research done on dog behaviour. I’ve mentioned a few in the past, but today I decided to go full out and waste half a day taking screenshots for you to look at. I might sound irritated, but don't get me wrong, I love going through papers; I'm just annoyed I have to knock some common sense into senseless people. What is obvious to the vast majority of us seems invisible to a few others.

I’m only providing you with this information so we, as a society, can make the right choices for the rest of us. So, before you write me hate mail or post foul language in the comment section, please know I’m a safety advocate. Anyone who actually knows me can attest to that, so keep in mind I’m not advocating pro-pitbull propaganda, I’m simply concerned with overall safety for both dogs and humans.

What the Research Says 
I first met Dr. James Serpell in a conference at Guelph University in 1999 (might be 2000). He had newly designed the C-BARQ, a dog evaluation test made specifically for his clients.

A colleague and I saw the usefulness of this document and asked if we could use it. He was kind and gracious enough to say yes. Seventeen years later he has the largest database known on dog behavioural characteristics grouped into thirteen categories. 
  
M. Serpell’s career revolves around understanding dog behaviour and scientifically prove, or disprove if certain breeds are more likely to bite than others, and if so, why. In his conclusion, most bites are occasioned by dogs less than twenty pounds. I'm repeating myself here, I know, but it seems necessary to do so over, and over, and over again. 

Scientist Duffy et al (2008) concluded their paper on dog bites with The substantial within-breed variation…suggests that it is inappropriate to make predictions about a given dog’s propensity for aggressive behavior based solely on its breed. 
  
Last year the American Veterinary Medical Association concluded Breed is a poor sole predictor of dog bites. Controlled studies reveal no increased risk for the group blamed most often for dog bites, ‘pit bull-type’ dogs. Even the Quebec Veterinary Order recommends dangerous dog laws instead of breed-specific regulations. 

Media Perception 
If I told you the sky is pink and showed you proof it is, you would have to believe me. But, we all know the sky isn’t pink. Well, I can tell you this picture wasn’t photoshopped because I took it. A friend of mine took a similar picture in a different part of Montreal. We are now two people with proof the sky is pink. 
  
Now imagine what would happen if our pictures went viral and reporters or columnists wrote about it? What would happen if all reporters referred to the same two pictures and kept telling you the sky is pink… I’ll tell you what would happen; the entire world would believe the sky is indeed pink. Now here’s what you don’t know. The sky was indeed pink on that day, but it only occurs when the conditions are favourable for pink skies to manifest themselves. Does it mean the sky is pink ALL the time? Of course not!
  
This is what's occurring with media. Columnists only report one side of the story and then quote or refer to each other as proof their claims are indeed real. I’m not here to tell you Staffordshire and Bull Terriers don’t bite. I’m here to tell you the sky isn’t pink; I’m here to tell you ALL dogs bite and to ban one breed is equivalent to saying the sky is always pink because I saw it once. We should all advocate dangerous dog laws and education because that is what will ultimately save lives.

On a last note, the following table was taken from the AVMA paper and clearly shows the breed responsible for serious dog bites in 2015 was the German Shepherd and dogs under 20 lbs. Get it...?!

References
- American Veterinary Medical Association (2015). The Role of Breed in Dog Bite Risk and Prevention. 

- Maksymowicz, K., Janeczek, A., Szotek, S., Qukomski, R. and Dawidowicz, J. (2015). Dog bites in humans in a large urban agglomeration in the southwest of Poland, an analysis of forensic medical records. Journal of Veterinary Behavior.

- Serpell, J.A. and Duffy, D.L. (2014). Dog Breeds and Their Behavior. A. Horowitz (ed.), Domestic Dog Cognition and Behavior, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-53994-7_2,

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT/FLE

There’s never a dull moment at the Dogue Shop and this week is certainly no exception. Monday I was on Breakfast Television to talk about dog safety. After the show, it dawned on me people simply don’t know what a dog is. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since science has only recently started to answer the question. People fear dogs, but is a systematic ban of Terriers going to fix the problem? The only true answer to this question is no! 
 
Dog 101 
The dog is an opportunistic predator who has shared our homes for many centuries. It’s our companion, alarm system, work partner, soldier, police officer, security guard, service provider, and yes, a weapon, yet most people don't know what dogs can or cannot do. The reason people fear dogs is because they don't understand the animal behind the word.
  
The dog (Canis familiaris) has 42 teeth in his mouth and an average of 500 pounds per square inch of pressure in his jaw. The American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Bull Terrier are no exception. Compared to wolves at 1500 pounds per square inch, it’s actually not that much. Terriers don’t have more bite force nor do they have magical jaws that lock. 
  
All dogs come equipped with a propensity to bite, and when the stars align, they do so equally. Some will say Staffies never let go when they latch on but did you ever consider that the people who are trying to remove the dog are actually making the problem worse. Screaming and hitting a dog will just make it madder. If you don’t believe me just Google Schutzhund training video or click on this link. The dog in this video is a Belgium Malinois. 
  
Dogs are pretty amazing animals in general, but terriers can work in extreme conditions, pull 1000X their own body weight, jump over fences, leap into the air like planes, and pull down objects in motion, this group of dogs is the epitome of working breeds. But guess what, they didn’t become this way on their own. Lest not forget, humans made dogs. 
  
Future Dog 
I see more designer dogs and Huskies in my practice than any other breed put together, Staffies included. Designer dogs account for more problems and bites than you are led to believe. But, I’m not here to talk statistics; I’m here to tell you ALL dogs bite. The three most dangerous cases I’ve seen in the office involved a Jack Russel, a Colley, and a Bulldog. All three humans required facial reconstruction. 

Our safety and the future of dogs don’t reside in lawful bans. Our safety will come from education and legal responsibility. If you think you’ll be safe when Staffies are all gone, you are seriously delusional. I invite you to play the Pit Game and identify which dog is the actual breed you wish to see annihilated. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ALL DOGS BITE and all dog breeds kill. 
  
Gun Ban 
For all those pro-kill pitbull people, I invite you to read the following reference list and open your eyes to reality as it presents itself. All dogs bite and kill, yes ALL DOGS. Need I say it a fourth time for you to understand, the problem mainly resides in the fact that a large percentage of the population has no working knowledge of dog behaviour.

The problem is equivalent to giving loaded guns to people, asking them to play with it and shoot in front of themselves every now and then. Some people will take a weapon handling class before they start randomly shooting at people because they don’t want to kill anybody, while others will just go by luck.

Canadian politicians were smart enough to require weapon handling classes in order to possess a gun. The same should be asked of dog owners. All dog owners should be required to take a dog handling class. 
  
Many Prayers 
I know this article comes at a bad time, so I wish to offer my sincerest condolences to the families and friends who lost a loved one in the mass shooting of Orlando late Sunday night. My heart feels for you and hopes you find solace in this very painful situation. 

Maybe the time has come for United States politicians to consider gun control, just like we are faced with dog control. These are certain situations we need to reflect on...
  
References
Labradors 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ihXq_WwiWM 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gse2J5bqWw 
http://patch.com/new-jersey/belleville/nutley-dog-attack-lab-mix-bites-boy-6-police-say 
http://www.inquisitr.com/2642813/florida-dog-bite-law-unconstitutional-padi-the-labrador-wont-be-killed-for-biting-a-childs-ear-during-attack/ 
http://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/lake-worth/5-year-old-bitten-by-labrador-recovering-says-her-pit-bull-saved-her-from-being-seriously-injured 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003849/Boy-3-left-horrific-facial-injuries-Labrador-savages-Poole-Harbour.html 
  
Golden Retriever 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CydSqoOFiQ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y9W-X1s8rQ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eaUdbLZNLY 
  
Designer Breeds 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1rwCymZhiI 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/richmond-dog-attack-yogi-sentencing-1.3389365 
  
German Sheppard 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DTmtzUh6IQ 
  
French Bulldog 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_efQp2YqSUk 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerOmnky0kA 
  
Husky 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406620/Siberian-husky-attacks-schoolgirl-leading-horrific-injuries-face.html 
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-toddler-mauled-by-pet-siberian-husky-in-westminster-20151224-glukul.html 
http://wspa.com/2015/08/02/child-attacked-by-dog-in-henderson-county/ 
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2016-02-05/peterborough-mother-given-suspended-sentence-after-husky-attacks-young-girl/ 
http://www.newsherald.com/article/20160524/NEWS/160529542 
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/201006/08/01-4287783-bebe-tue-par-un-chien-la-mere-accusee-dhomicide-involontaire.php 
http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2010/06/07/un-bebe-tue-par-un-chien 
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/alberta/2012/02/16/004-husky-bebe-airdie.shtml 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2529831/Family-war-girl-three-left-needing-EIGHTY-stitches-husky-attack-grandmothers-house-owner-refuses-down.html 
  
Dog Breeds and Their Behavior, Chapter · January 2014, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-53994-7_2 
  
Human directed aggression in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): Occurrence in different contexts and risk factors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152 (2014) 52– 63 
  
Andrew U. Luescher, DVM, PhD, Ilana R. Reisner, DVM, PhD. Canine aggression toward Familiar people: A new look at an old problem. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, Vol. 38, Issue 5. Sep 1, 2008 

If we want to make things happen, we have to stand up and make our voice be hear. I’m officially standing up, but I’ll need your voice to be heard. I want to present to you, pet owners, trainers, consultants, vets, vet techs, politicians, pet store owners, and every single person who works with animals a dangerous dog project proposal. 
  
Dangerous Dogs 
I often hear people say that dogs aren’t the problem, humans are. I disagree because some dogs are dangerous, just like some people are dangerous. Some canines are born with bad genetics and display behavioural problems such as extreme fear or aggression. These dogs should systematically be removed from the breeding pool, and yes some dogs should be euthanized. 
  
Did I shock you? If I did, here’s why. As a professional, I know exactly how much time and money people have to invest into training their dogs in order to make them socially acceptable. By acceptable I mean capable of walking on the sidewalk without reacting to people or dogs. I’m not talking about a dog who can accept affection or can do dog-dog interactions; I mean simply walk past a person or canine without reacting. 
  
Project Proposal I 
Education is the best medicine. When people are educated they tend to make better choices because they know they could be held accountable for their actions. So, here’s what I propose. If you have ideas, add them in the comment section.  

1. All dog owners will need to take a basic training course in order to acquire their red city tag. City tags are already mandatory. 

• Yellow and green city tags are obtained on a voluntary basis
• Yellow and green tags provide benefits to pet owners

• Each breed is different and requires specific skills
• Dog behaviour research changes rapidly so too does dog training

3. People will be held criminally accountable for their dogs’ actions. 

• Enforce leash laws with stiffer fines
• Dogs without tags will be immediately seized 
• Mandatory jail time for convicted criminals

4. A dangerous dog law will be equitable for all dog owners. 

• A bite is a bite
• No discrimination
• Mandatory education

Project Proposal II 
The project proposal is simple and effective; all the city mayor or provincial government needs to do is make education mandatory. The infrastructure is already in place and wouldn’t cost the city a dime. Furthermore, this project proposal would create jobs and save lives. 
  
Mandatory classes would be paid by the dog owner. People would acquire their red tag in designated training centres (who by the way already sell city tags). Yellow and green tags could be acquired in the same establishment. Yellow and green tags would also be financially covered by the owner. Again the city doesn’t need to invest in infrastructure because we already offer the service. All the city needs to do is make education mandatory. 
  
The law seriously needs a facelift. People should be made accountable for their dogs’ actions. I see too many off leash dogs out of control and/or aggressive. Furthermore, old school trainers use force and punishment which increases dog aggression; new laws would insure they too are held accountable for their actions towards clients. 
  
Consideration 
People talk a lot about physical damage from small vs. large dog breeds, yet no one takes into consideration psychological trauma. The largest percentage of the population victim of dog bites is children under 9 years old. Children can be traumatized by their grand-mother’s Lhasa Apso, so too can an adults experience panic attacks from a Golden Retriever attack. 
  
If you have read my blog in the past, you know I stand for education and equitability. We need to make changes and we have the resources and research to make the best choices possible for all parties involved. Dogs are dogs and yes some dogs kill, but with education and new laws we can prevent accidents from happening in the first place. 
  
I’m going to ask you to share this article. Share it till it reaches municipal and provincial governments. Heck, if we can reach the federal government and make this a nationwide project, go! We can save many, many lives with education, so let our voices be heard and scream the word EDUCATION with me. 
  
Cheers.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

This piece is a direct answer to Joseph Facal's article L'Érotisme du Pitbull which appeared in the Journal de Montréal, May 26, 2016.

De Quelle est la motivation profonde de quelqu’un qui se procure un pitbull? J’imagine que les motivations varient selon les individus, mais j’aimerais quand même qu’on m’aide à comprendre. Dear M. Facal, I’ll try to keep my answers simple so you can follow along. 

Est-ce parce que cette race est particulièrement gentille et affectueuse? Euh, non. Euh yes! First, pitbulls are not recognised breeds within the Canadian Kennel Club and the American Kennel Club. The term pitbull is actually a job description termed by people (yes, bad people) who bread various terriers, bulldogs, and god knows what, to fight. What you call pitbulls are actually  specific breeds referred to as Staffordshires and Bull Terriers (all sizes). All three breeds were created to be the perfect working dog. Designed to be versatile, highly intelligent, extremely motivated, and easy to take care for, American Staffordshire Terriers, Staffordshire Terrier, and Bull Terriers are part of the, you guessed it, the Terrier group. 

Est-ce parce que cette race est particulièrement intelligente? Euh, non. Euh, yes! Your answer proves to us your knowledge of canids is equivalent to a six year old kid (since you insult people, I thought I’d give you a taste of your own medicine). Terriers are one of the most intelligent breeds out there. Anybody who has ever owned a dog knows that. Heck, why do you think the military trained them? Because they’re dumb? Euh, no! 

Est-ce parce que cette race est particulièrement facile d’entretien et adaptée à la vie urbaine? Euh, non. Euh, yes! These breeds don’t shed, don’t eat much, hate winter, are active but also love to stay inside when it’s wet, cold, damp, or too hot. Staffies (Staffordshires, in case you couldn’t make the connection) are easily trained, don’t bark much, are the perfect apartment pets, are excellent service dogs, and enjoy an active social life. 

Je repose donc la question: pourquoi choisir cette race parmi les 350 disponibles? To be fair, over 800 dog breeds exist around the world, but since this is clearly not your field of expertise, I’ll let this one go by. Simple math should tell you, M. Facal, that if more and more people chose Staffordshires as their family pet, out of all those breeds in the world, it must be because they’re exceptional animals. In my practice, I get more Sheppard crosses and dogs less than 20 lbs who bite than Staffies and other molossoids (I don’t expect you to understand this term, so you might want to Google it) put together. Again, since this isn’t your field of expertise, I’ll let this one slip by too. 

Danger! 
Je ne me suis jamais interdit de dire du bien de la concurrence. Dans La Presse des 20 et 23 mai, la journaliste Marie-Claude Malboeuf livre les résultats de sa longue enquête sur les pitbulls dans la région de Montréal. You know, as an ex-politician, just how well one can manipulate information to make it seem as something else. Mme. Malboeuf didn’t look at all the information, just the one she needed to write her very bias piece. 

Leur nombre est en hausse fulgurante. I just told you why, they are awesome animals. 

Toutes sortes de chiens attaquent, mais les attaques par des pitbulls sont beaucoup plus nombreuses et beaucoup plus dévastatrices. They might cause more damage than a small dog, but size for size, no. If you did your homework and looked at longitudinal studies done by Dr. James Serpell, (yes, M. Serpell is a real doctor, and guess what, he writes about topics within his field of expertise) you would see how inaccurate your statement is. 

Le chirurgien plasticien Nicolas Hamelin dit: «On pourrait bien débattre sur les pourcentages, mais l’écart est si grand entre les pitbulls et les autres chiens qu’on ne peut fermer les yeux sur ces statistiques». Uh, as a journalist you should know that sources would be nice to mention at this point because you have lost all credibility on the subject matter, but that’s your choice. Yes bigger dogs cause more damage, I agree, but it’s not specific to one breed. I can send you the content of my hard drive so you can read research papers on the topic, but just Google Dr. James Serpell and you should get an eye full since he has devoted his entire career to breed specific behaviours. 

La réalité est probablement pire que les chiffres, car plusieurs propriétaires paient les victimes d’attaques pour qu’elles ne portent pas plainte. So too do other dog breed owners. That was just a sand in your eyes statement unsubstantiated and unsupported. How would you know people are paying off to cover their dog’s aggressive behaviour if they haven’t reported it? Again, sources….. 

Toutes les armes à feu font des dommages, mais certaines sont plus meurtrières que d’autres. On connaît d’avance la cassette du lobby des pitbulls: c’est le maître qui est le problème, pas le chien. You really do NOT know what we are about, do you?! We are all about responsible ownership, not breed bashing, but since people like you keep writing trash statements, we don’t have a choice but to keep telling you, over and over again, it’s not breed specific. 

Oui et non. 

Oui, parce qu’il semble que les nouveaux propriétaires de pitbulls sont surtout des jeunes hommes qui n’ont rien à foutre des cours de dressage et de la réglementation sur les licences et le port des laisses. Where did you get THAT information, the Allo Police? Seriously, I want to finish this rebuttal because I feel I’m getting dumber by the minute. Almost everybody I know owns or has owned a Staffy. Every single one of them are families, people above 30, are women who just love to cuddle with an awesome pet, or animal-assisted therapy practitioners. Yes, some twits do get dogs for the wrong reasons, but I don’t see you offering any solutions. Oh yah, I remember, because this isn’t your field or line of work. 

Non, car c’est indiscutablement un chien plus «compliqué» que les autres. OMG, you couldn’t be further from the truth. Staffies are the simplest breed I can think of. What I find complicated are people who write about things they know nothing of. This makes me think, I should write my next article on ineffective politicians who just write stuff because they like the sound of their own thoughts. 

Toutes les armes à feu font des dommages, mais certaines sont plus meurtrières que d’autres. So, if I follow your logic, people go out of their way to buy a breed they know could inflict more damage while understanding a small calibre dog could do the job. Did I get that right? 

Toutes exigent cependant un permis valide et des cours de maniement. Certaines sont carrément interdites. Well, here’s a solution (too bad I thought of it before you). Educate people. Education is the way to control dog bites, attacks, and deaths. Notice I wrote dogs and not pitbulls because ALL dogs bite. I have proposed many ideas to make that happen, but people with a tribune like yours prefer to vomit words onto paper because it sells newspapers, which in turn, pays for your salary. I, on the other hand, have nothing to gain from writing this rebuttal other than peace of mind, and possibly a chance to educate someone. 

Rien de tout cela dans le domaine canin, avec des conséquences chiffrées et irréfutables qui donnent froid dans le dos. Why not write about the lack of education and possible solutions; after all, if you’re not part of the solution, you’re part of the problem, but that we already knew. 

Je reviens donc à ma question: pourquoi diable se procurer CETTE race parmi toutes celles qui existent? Because THAT breed is awesome. 

Virilité? 
Il y a des crétins partout, mais le chroniqueur Yves Boisvert avançait l’hypothèse qu’ils sont probablement surreprésentés chez les propriétaires de pitbulls. This is getting slightly boring and repetitive. 

Intéressons-nous un instant à cette frange idiote, sans doute majoritairement composée de jeunes à la testostérone vigoureuse. You really like to insult people don’t you? If anything, your article makes you sound like a bully. You’re what I call a penbull, a person who forces inaccurate statements in order to scare people. 

Se pourrait-il qu’ils éprouvent une sorte de plaisir viril à se promener avec un chien qui installe la peur dans les yeux de ceux qui l’aperçoivent? Seems you’re doing the same thing with this piece of trash writing, but what can we expect from a columnist at the Journal de Montréal other than trash. 

Se pourrait-il que ce soit un peu l’équivalent de se pavaner avec un Colt 45, chromé argent, dans leur ceinture de pantalon? Maybe this is a projection on your part. Maybe your deep inner desire is to be a bad boy, only you’re too afraid of guns or dogs, so you carry around a pen and write vial sentences. On that note, I grew up in the army and my father made sure we knew how guns worked. My father educated us in order to prevent accidents from happening, and guess what, although we had guns in our house, I never had the desire to kill anybody. Knowledge empowers people to do the right thing. Ignorance fuels fear.  

Se pourrait-il que ce soient des jeunes dont les études ou les carrières ne gonflent guère leur estime d’eux-mêmes? Maybe you could propose a solution and become a role model to these teens. I created a program to help the kids you criticise. I go to their school once a week for ten weeks. During this program, the at risk teens work with my students and learn to train dogs. Now, you might want to hold on to something before you continue reading, all the dogs in the program are Staffies rescued from the SPCA. Yes, the dogs you were ranting about help at risk teens learn to communicate, develop their self-esteem, increase their confidence, and learn to exchange with other adults. Overall, these teens love the program. Again, what do you do? 

Je demande ça, comme ça... 

Comme on ne peut légiférer contre la bêtise humaine, on devrait viser l’arme: l’Ontario a interdit cette race sur tout son territoire, tout simplement. Faisons pareil. Only to find dog bites have increased. Ontario is currently studying the abolishment of BSL for a better, more equitable, dangerous dog act. You forgot to mention that fact probably because it didn’t make your argument seem plausible. Journalism, after all, isn’t about reporting facts from both sides without being biased, right? 

D’ici là, je continuerai à habiter Laval. Allons, Monsieur le Maire Demers, un geste courageux? The only courageous decision the mayor Demers could take, in my opinion, is to kick you out of town.

The study of dog behaviour and training is evolving at the speed of light. Learning theories are presently studied, and with a new understanding of our canine companion comes a new training approach. In a few years from now, I believe we won’t use many treats to train dogs. 
  
Behaviourism 
At the moment most dog trainers use behaviourism as the corner stone of their training approach. Classical and operant conditioning have been well documented and used for decades. We use these two principals of learning to modify animal behaviour, but what if other models of learning could benefit dogs. I’m talking about an outside the box approach. 
  
New fields are currently studied in order to determine if dogs, and other animals, can learn within these new models. The following theories are not only being studied, they are now used to train animals, more specifically the dog. I’m talking about social cognitive and mimetic learning theories. Attachment theory is also studied and research papers seem to confirm this model applies to canines, and possibly equids too. 
  
Practical Application in Dog Training 
The practical approach is jaw dropping. We can now train complex tasks with a simple mimetic approach. Dogs look at us and learn. You’ll tell me you knew that, and I’ll say you’re right, but to which extent this was possible was unknown till now. Same thing goes for social cognitive theory. Ten years ago, no research papers could be found on the topic of dog cognition, yet I managed to incorporate this theory with amazing success. 
  
The impact of these new learning theories on dog training is twofold. One, we work with a reduced amount of treats. Two, training sessions are greatly reduced in time and frequency. Consequently, clients and dogs experience an improved human-animal bond. In other words, we can address the attachment between human and dog and modify it from an insecure to a secure connexion. 
  
Endless Possibilities 
Think about it for a moment. Fearful and anxious dogs that don’t eat during training sessions would now be able to learn. Tool and treat management would be so much easier for clients. No clickers to carry around. No more struggles to create behaviour modification protocols that work in any given situation at any given time. No more frustration from clients. And best of all, no more ambiguous training tools made to punish and torture dogs. 
  
At the Dogue Shop not only do we teach these learning theories, we use them to train our animals, from rats to horses. Dogs are amazing animals and we have denied their full potential for way too long. The time has come to give dogs the place they truly deserve. Dogs are our buddies and our co-workers, so why not treat them as such. 
  
Albert Einstein said “The dog is very smart. He feels sorry for me because I receive so much mail; that’s why he tries to bite the mailman.” Dogs are amazing partners who make sure we remain true to ourselves. I, for one, am truly grateful for their gift. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

The No Reward Marker (NRM) makes our list of the top ten taboo topics in animal training. I honestly don’t know why though, so today I decided to explore the subject matter with you. I know this topic will make people react, but then again, most of my articles do. Before we start, let me define NRMs. 
  
NRMs are usually sounds or words that tell animals, yes people too, the behaviour they just performed will not yield a reward, but they should keep trying because a reward is available. Seems pretty straight forward doesn’t it? But here’s why some debates get nasty, people don’t agree on the efficiency, or lack thereof, of NRMs. Another hell-raising question is Are NRMs true punishers or informational feedback? The answer depends on how, why, and when you use it. 
  
Research on NRMs 
Simply put, there aren’t any, even according to Simon Gadbois, PhD, Canid Behaviour Research Team, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience Dalhousie University, in the Facebook group Canine Behaviour Research Studies “There are none published on the topic addressing this [no reward marker] directly.” 
  
The only paper I found on the topic of no reward makers is cited below. Naomi Rotenberg conducted research that involved twenty-seven dogs. The task was to teach the dogs to touch a cone with their paws. The method is described in the paper which I highly recommend you read because it’s important to understand all the information, not just convenient passages. 
  
Training 
In her paper, Training a New Trick Using No-Reward Markers: Effects on Dogs’ Performance and Stress Behaviors (2015), Rotenberg concludes her research with the following statement “The results of this study indicate that when training a dog to perform a new behaviour on cue, using a NRM can be detrimental to how efficiently the dog is able to acquire the new trick.” 
  
One can easily jump to the conclusion and say dogs trained with a NRM are stressed; however if you read her paper and continue slightly past the previous quote, you will also read “However, there was no overall difference in the number of stress behaviours exhibited by the dogs in either condition.” Trained with or without the NRM.
  
I don't recommend the use of NRMs when new behaviours are trained; however, the dog’s experience and motivation should be taken into consideration if the choice to use NRMs is made. Both motivation and experience are unmistakably important. Another important factor to consider when you train an animal, and this one is often overseen, is the environment. The place in which you train is unavoidably part of the equation, for the dog and you. 
  
Stress 
I don’t know why stress is such an ugly word. No reward markers create stress, that we know, but dogs are stressed regardless of what or how we train. Some stress is good and some stress is bad. The problem is that stress and eustress are generally manifested in the same way. The unfortunate problem is no one knows which form of stress dogs are exhibiting during training sessions. 
  
I believe some stress is actually beneficial in the development of problem-solving skills. Professionalism resides in how well one can handle all the factors we’ve discussed so far, without going above the animal’s pre-determined stress threshold. If an animal is too stressed, it will not learn, if it’s too relaxed, it might learn without you knowing (Tolman, 1948; Rotenberg, 2015). 
  
The Real Question 
The real question is how, when, or why use NRMs. If you understand the science behind no reward markers, the decision becomes a personal choice. What I’m really trying to say is your choice to use, or not use, a NRM is OK. If you use no reward markers and you are making headway, continue what you’re doing. If on the other hand you find yourself struggling with the behaviour, or worse yet, are regressing, then maybe you need to stop and reassess the situation. 
  
Do I use NRMs? Yes, but rarely. Do I know how to use them? Yes, totally. Was my no reward maker purposefully trained? Yes, I use try again when faced with very difficult tasks. Am I punishing my dog? No, my dogs know what it means. If anything, they get more frustrated if I leave them in a vacuum, or without a reward. Does that make me a bad person or trainer? No. You’re not either. 
  
Be Yourself 
All I’m trying to say is be yourself. Stop worrying about definitions, research papers, or social pressure. Learn your science and work with it. If you do, you’ll be the best trainer you can possibly be. If you don’t, then we need to talk. 
  
Cheers. 
  
References 
- Jensen, R. (2006). Behaviorism, Latent Learning, and Cognitive Maps: Needed Revisions in Introductory Psychology Textbooks. The Behavior Analyst, 29(2), 187–209. 
  
- Rotenberg, N. (2015). Training a New Trick Using No-Reward Markers: Effects on Dogs’ Performance and Stress Behaviors. CUNY Academic Works. Retrieved from http://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/12 
  
- Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological review, 55(4), 189.

When compared to other species, C. familiaris (dog) research is still in its infancy; therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise a behaviour we once thought held a certain meaning has now changed. Research serves to clarify our understanding of the world, so let’s discuss the significance of those changes. 
  
Dog Play Bow 
One example quickly comes to mind when we talk about dog research, the play bow. The idea behind play bow has always been thought to mean one dog invites another dog to play by tilting his head and dropping the front part of his body down. My entire life has been focused around this significance, even if I always doubted its meaning. 
  
In their research, Byosiere, Espinosa, and Smuts (2015) describe Mark Bekoff’s (1995) hypothesis Canines use play bows to reinforce ongoing social play and to clarify the bower’s intentions so as to maintain a playful atmosphere. The following hypotheses are drawn from Byosiere, Espinosa, and Smuts paper (2015). In italic, you’ll find my laymen description of the behaviour. This is strictly to provide you with a better understanding. 
  

- Hypothesis 1: play bows often functioned to stimulate play after a pause. 

After this pause everything I’m going to do is just for fun. 
  

- Hypothesis 2: play bows function to clarify easily misinterpretable behaviours. 

I’m going to allow you to attack me. 
  

- Hypothesis 3: play bows might function to better position the bower to escape from the play partner. 

I’m going to run away after you pretend attack me, so chase me. 
  

- Hypothesis 4: play bows in general may help partners to synchronize behaviours. 

I’m going to do this behaviour after I bow, you should do the same as me so we can play fair. 
  

- Hypothesis 5: play bows would almost always be limited to times when the bower and partner were within one another’s visual field. 

Look at me, I’m gonna get you, or are you gonna get me. 
  
In summary, research shows that bowers normally exhibit this behaviour to demonstrate they will be the victim. In other words, a dog who positions himself in play bow is trying to convey cooperation through victimisation. I’ll end this paragraph with an interesting side note on play from Byosiere, et al. (2015) Of the 1656 behaviours recorded for both the bower and the partner before and after the bow, only 99 (5.97%) were [play] bites. 
  
Professional Adaptation 
The play bow is one example amongst many researched behaviours to change in significance. New papers are published on a regular basis which means trainers and behaviour consultants need to continue their education if they want to stay up to date on behaviour problems, learning theories, training techniques, and behaviour modification protocols. 
  
Professionals who don’t comply with new animal wellness, cognition, and emotional demands will be considered dangerous, and, hopefully by then, will be prosecuted. Sorry, I was daydreaming for a second, but I do believe one day our profession will be recognised and regulated. Till then, we need to continue our education, remain professional, and strive to implement scientific discoveries into our training protocols. 
  
Expectations 
One thing is clear, dog behaviour, more specifically our understanding of it, will undoubtedly change within the next decade. From these changes, we can expect an increased division between old school and science based trainers. 
  
I know my view and approach of dog behaviour and training keeps changing. This phenomenon occurs because I download and read upwards of twenty research papers each week.

When I was a kid, we did things differently. As a young teenager and emerging professional, my view drastically changed once again, and as I get closer to the halfway mark of my life, my views have changed yet again. The last ten years have radically modified my approach. 
  
I don’t think I’ll stop evolving, especially with a slogan like Doing It Differently, Doing It Dogue Style! But most of all, I hope we’ll be doing it together. 
  
Cheers! 
  
References 
Bekoff, M. (1995). Play signals as punctuation: the structure of social play in canids. Behaviour, 132, 5–6. Retrieved from http://cogprints.org/158/1/199709003.html
  
Byosiere, S.E., Espinosa, J., & Smuts, B. (2015). Investigating the function of play bows in adult pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Behavioural Processes, 125, 106–113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.02.007

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Does your dog snarl, snap, or bite? Was your dog labelled fear-biter by Google or another trainer? If so, you might want to read what follows because this week I will discuss misunderstood dog behaviours, more specifically fear biting. My objective with this article is to clarify terminology in order to establish a better understanding of dog behaviour. 
  
Terminology 101 
Fear: an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief that someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or a threat. Fright is the expression of fear: a sudden intense feeling of fear. 
  
Anger: a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure, or hostility. Aggression is the expression of anger: hostile or violent behaviour or attitudes toward another; readiness to attack or confront. 
  
Dominance[1]: exert power and influence over others. To understand the term dominance, replace the word with confident: a feeling of self-assurance arising from one's appreciation of one's own abilities or qualities. 
  
Submission[2]: the action or fact of accepting or yielding to a superior force or to the will or authority of another person. To understand the term submission, replace the word with insecure: not confident or assured; uncertain and anxious; unsafe. 
  
Inhibition: unable to act in a relaxed and natural way because of self-consciousness or mental restraint. Inhibition can also refer to the freeze response: to become immobilized through fear, shock, etc. 
  
Biology 101 
Fear and aggression are emotions; more specifically; these two emotional reactions are experienced in opposition by the brain. Different chemicals are released when dogs experience fear or aggression. 
  
A fearful response will release dopamine, norepinephrine, epinephrine, glutamate, gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), and serotonin, whereas anger will be associated with acetylcholine, serotonin, adrenaline, noradrenaline, vasopressin, testosterone, and oxytocin. 
  
When dogs experience fear they normally react fearfully by running away. When dogs cannot run away because of environmental constraints, two responses are left: freeze or fight. The emotional confusion gave birth to an inappropriate term, the fear-biter. A dog that bites out of fear is labelled fear aggressive, yet fear and aggression are two distinct emotions.

I know I'm repeating myself, but I really want you to understand the distinction because a new understanding will help address the problem for what it really is, insecurity not fear. We can teach dogs to become more secure and when dogs feel they have some control over the outcome of a situation, confidence increases while aggression decreases.    
  
Dog Fear or Dog Aggression 
As mentioned above, fear and anger are diametrically opposed. A dog cannot respond fearfully and aggressively at the same time. A choice has to be made in the animal’s mind; the dog must change strategies and choose between retreat and charge. If we replace dominance and submission with confident and insecure, the fear-biter label disappears. 
  
Insecure dogs can react aggressively or fearfully whereas confident dogs can only react aggressively. If fear aggression was indeed possible, we would observe confident dogs displaying fearful behaviours. Unfortunately, that has never been observed; hence, fear aggression is not a valid term to describe canine behaviour. If you take notice, the top right quadrant of the following image is empty. Again, dogs cannot display confidence and fearful behaviours simultaneously. 

1999 (c) Roger Abrantes

New terminology 
New terminology needs to accompany our descriptions if we're to discuss appropriate dog behaviour. Fear biter labels should no longer exist. The old term should be replaced with either submissive or insecure bitter. Why is this so important? Because it removes a third misconception we hold about dog behaviour which is dominance equals aggression. 
  
Because dominance is a state of being and aggression is the expression of emotion called anger, dogs can be dominant without being aggressive. Submissive dogs can display fear, aggression or inhibition; however, canines simply cannot display fear and aggression simultaneously. I know I'm being repetitive, but this is important. 
  
EndNote 
Healthy doses of fear and anger are positive outcomes for animals. People don’t like to see aggression in their pets for fear of judgement, yet both emotions are useful because they help keep humans and non-humans alive. 
  
I don’t know why fear and aggression are such dirty words when it comes to dog behaviour. We are aggressive and fearful animals, but that doesn’t make us bad humans. Extremes are counterproductive which renders individuals unhealthy. I don’t want to start on the United-Sates’ presidential campaign, but it should be obvious to people that too much of a good thing, can be a bad thing. The same goes for dog behaviour. 


References
- Abrantes, R. (1997). Dog Language: An Encyclopedia of Canine Behavior. Publisher: Wakan Tanka.

- Abrantes, R. (1999). Evolution of Canine Social Behavior. Publisher: Wakan Tanka.

- Casey, R.A., Loftus, B., Bolster, C., Richards, G.J. and Blackwell, E.J. Human directed aggression in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): Occurrence in different contexts and risk factors. December 2013. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152 52– 63. ​

- Febo, M. and Ferris, C.F. Oxytocin And Vasopressin Modulation Of The Neural Correlates Of Motivation And Emotion: Results From Functional MRI Studies In Awake Rats. Brain Res. 2014 September 11; 1580: 8–21.

- Siegela, A., Roelingb, T., Gregga, T.R., and Krukc, M.R. Neuropharmacology of brain-stimulation-evoked aggression. Neuroscience & Bio Behavioural Reviews. February 1999. 

- Tulogdi, A., Biro, L., Barsvari, D., Stankovic, M., Haller, J., and Toth, M. Neural mechanisms of predatory aggression in rats - Implications for abnormal intraspecific aggression. Behavioural Brain Research. January 2015. 

[1] Dominance defined as intraspecific; conspecific behaviour; between individuals of the same species. 
[2] Submission defined as intraspecific; conspecific behaviour; between individuals of the same species.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

In the light of recent events regarding a dog named Simon and a pig, I would like to address beliefs. You might wonder why I wish to chat about convictions when I could discuss aggression, trainer qualifications, ethics, or even training. I feel a sense of urgency amongst professionals, faced with a punishment-type persona, to talk about ways we can educate trainers and clients. 
  
Beliefs 
A belief is something we hold true to ourselves without proof. The dictionary defines belief as confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof. The problem is that some people don’t or won’t seek proof and, to that fact, there’s nothing you can do about it. 
  
Beliefs can be held onto because the concept of changing one’s mind about an idea, a principal, or thought creates discomfort, insecurity, or fear; therefore, letting go of the belief, even for just a moment, produces emotional distress to that person. In other words, we cannot change someone’s belief if they, themselves, don’t realize the belief they hold is questionable. 

Educational Foundation 
People who believe punishing dogs is acceptable are not bad people, most of them are responsible dog owners and seek help when things go wrong. And yes, some people believe in punishment just as they believe the sky is blue. The sad news is, you cannot change a person’s belief system if they fundamentally believe their ideas to be true and genuine. 
  
We are taught from day one that punishment is the way of life If you don’t eat your broccoli you can’t watch your favourite movie or You didn’t take out the trash so go to your room without diner! and this goes on for the rest of your life. Work isn’t any better. When have you received a Great work, happy to have you in our team! or Awesome job on that account! or even What awesome problem-solving skills you demonstrated! That’s what I thought. 
  
Our entire social fabric is based on punishment, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people love and adore trainers who use punishment, even when science demonstrates better results with reinforcement. I'll say it again, people fundamentally believe punishment is the right thing to do.
  
What Now 
We can strive to educate trainers and the general public; however, social media is not the place to set the stage. People need to see us in action. People need to experience the process and emotionally connect. Without the sensory experience, people won’t change their beliefs. 
  
We can be proactive about change and demonstrate how dogs learn. As the old saying goes Be the change you want to see. Professionals, yes you, go to your local parks and work with your dogs. Be active in your own field, demonstrate what it is you do best and clients will come to ask what you’re doing, but more specifically, how you’re doing it. You can train next to punishment-based trainers to demonstrate, without attacking, how fun, pleasurable and interactive training can be. 
  
Be The Change 
I have an idea, let’s regroup and create a flash mob training event. If every positive or force-free trainer in North America were to coordinate a global training event on a specific day and time, we could, we would make a difference, and we would do so without hitting, kicking or pinning our dogs to the ground. 
  
Trainers and pet owners would be more open to change their beliefs if such a global experience were created. I’m ending this post with a challenge. I challenge every positive, force-free, and clicker trainer to put your money where your mouth is and partake in a global event during which we will simultaneously train our dogs to perform a given behaviour. Who’s with me?

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

It's snowy and rainy today. The overcast weather is predicted for the entire day, ugh! This is the type of day I dread the most because I feel grumpy, tired, and unproductive. I look at my dogs and like to imagine they too feel the same way. They sleep curled into a ball, and I, on the couch, wish I could do the same.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want to stop and discover new worlds. Living your passion is like living in the same clothes year round, but at some point in time you just want to wear a dress. What does this have to do with dog training or dog behaviour? Everything! 
 
Passionate Dog Job 
Our moods influence training and our ability to judge efficiently. When the weather, family, friends, or our health affects our person, we have to acknowledge these changes and work with them. As mentioned before, it's overcast, rainy, grey, and somewhat depressing. If I tried to train my dogs, I would be setting us up to fail. When dogs feel dreary, it's best to leave them be.  

If clients are scheduled for the day and I feel like I'm feeling at this very moment, I have two options: reschedule or proceed with caution. The former is self explanatory, the latter not so much. Let me explain. When I see clients on days like today, I know I won't be at my best, then again, the client won't notice and we'll still reach our session's objectives. However, with time my professionalism might suffer, and without notice I might start to work at a diminished level of competency and productivity.   

Dreary Dog Trap 
The dreary dog trap is the phenomenon by which professionals inadvertently and subconsciously accept mediocre performances from themselves. Clients then train their dogs and obtain, well, mediocre results. Catching one's self working at an impoverished level of satisfaction isn't easy. What are some ways to counter the dreary dog trap? Here are a few pointers. 

- Reschedule you session if you feel physically sick, are emotional, suffer from brain fog or confusion, are stressed, or simply are not at you best. 

- Film your sessions or client sessions (do get their permission first). 

- Thirty minutes before a session, do a few yoga or other physical exercises to stimulate your vitality and mental awareness. 

- Have a fellow professional watch your session and give constructive feedback.
 
- Summarise your session carefully writing down weather conditions, room conditions, your state of being and other influential factors.  

Doggone Good  
All of the above should be practiced at variable times throughout the year because these methods will further develop your professional skills. I film myself regularly and can honestly say I am not productive on rainy or snowy days. If I can, I will reschedule the session and curl up next to my dogs on the couch.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

With the Christmas holiday just around the corner, you might fear the potential public embarrassment from your misbehaving dog. For most people, this doesn't pose much of an emotional problem, after all, dogs are dogs. What if the behaviour was mounting? Would you still assume that dogs misbehave or would you likely think If my dog mounted the other dog, or worse yet, he humped a family member, I would die or would you just take one for the team and laugh it off? Sexual drive is present in each animal, and yes, even in sterilized animals.

The Taboo of Taboos
The mounting behaviour, also known as humping, is rarely discussed openly. Professionals hardly ever talk about dog sexuality and when the topic does come up, some people feel uncomfortable and reserved. I'm tempted to say I'm uncertain as to why people rarely discuss canine reproductive behaviours, but I'd be lying. Some humans subconsciously perceive dog sexuality as an extension of their own; therefore, the number one reason people don't talk about sexuality is that human sexuality is still considered private, secret, hidden, and viewed as a forbidden topic. Strangely enough, we live in a hyper-sexualized culture in which sexuality is rarely discussed, so today I'm going to break down cultural barriers and address dog reproductive behaviours, AKA humping.

Why Dogs Hump
The answer is nobody really knows why, outside of reproduction. If you Scholar Google dog mounting, humping, or copulatory behaviour, you'll find that most research papers were written in the late 60s and 70s. Thus, we understand the biological function of dog sexuality, but the psychological view hasn't been discussed much in recent time. What is known is that mounting behaviour is observed in almost every section of the canine ethogram. Humping can be examined in the reproduction, play, greeting, and social behaviour sections of the dog dictionary, thus, one can only conclude that mounting is a normal dog behaviour, or as one of my university professors summarised "... In essence, dogs hump because it's fun!"

Humping, The Behaviour Problem
Like many other behaviours, humping becomes a problem when the normal function of the dog is impaired or compromised. In other words, if dogs cannot stop themselves from mounting and behaviours such as eat, drink, sleep, urinate, or defecate are affected, then yes, there is a behaviour problem. As with anything in life, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. Hump also becomes a behaviour problem if dogs cannot control themselves and are constantly attacked by other canines. If the dog doesn't understand social cues, he will unlikely be persecuted.

Obviously, dogs don't revert to closed doors to hump, thus, if pet owners and professionals give the behaviour too much attention, good or bad, they might actually reward the inappropriate behaviour. Sometimes the best defence is a good offence. Make sure to offer fun, exciting, and challenging activities your dog can release his energy into.

Does & Don'ts
If the behaviour is harmless, one can conclude Fido simply has a high sex drive. It's not uncommon for dogs to actually have humping buddies. Your dog will have a preferred animal or toy with whom he likes to express himself. That being said, if the behaviour makes you uncomfortable you have options:

1. Ignore and avoid undesirable behaviour; however, these options might not always be possible. Train behaviours dogs can easily exhibit like touch hands, sit, high five, or spin, and give them giant food, love, and/or play rewards.  

2. Let the dog experience his normal bodily functions. If you have a puppy or teenaged dog, the behaviour will normally come to pass. Plus, adult dogs are very well equipped to tell puppies and teens how to socially behave.

3. Explore why the behaviour makes you feel uncomfortable. Sometimes people project their emotions onto other objects or living entities and are troubled by the reflection they see, AKA anthropomorphism. Sexuality is normal behaviour, and dogs aren't aware there's such a big taboo surrounding the topic.

4. If you're uncertain about what is considered normal vs. abnormal behaviour, call your professional. Trainers and behaviour consultants will explain and reassure you about what is considered acceptable mounting behaviours.

5. If your dog likes to hump people, train leave it and redirect the dog on something acceptable. Refer to step one.

6. Sometimes dogs get overly excited and will start to thrust. The reason is relatively simple. Reproduction doesn't only involve sexual organs. A big part of dog sexuality, or reproductive behaviour if you will, is based in the brain, and like all living organisms, gene transference is a vital part of one's existence, and it happens to be fun to accomplish. 

Dog Love
When I teach dogs how to problem solve, it's not uncommon for my canine clients to want to hump me after a session. Some human clients find the behaviour amusing, some are in shock, others are outright appalled. I explain to my clients why dogs exhibit the behaviour and reassure them this will subside. I personally find it rewarding when dogs want to hump me because that means I did my job well; I managed to create a feeling of joy, love, or pleasure in their brain they never experienced before. I know that sounds strange, but I can assure you I don't encourage the behaviour, on the contrary, I redirect hump on an acceptable behaviour like sit and jackpot reward. For some dogs, the first experience of mental stimulation is so pleasurable that they need to express themselves physically.

Sentience
People accept dogs as sentient beings with various emotions; therefore, the time has come for people to accept dog reproductive behaviour as normal. Pet caregivers and certain pet professionals need to realize dogs don't intentionally seek to embarrass or offend people, they're simply being themselves. When dogs mount Albear, I let them do it. Albear is very well equipped to communicate his dissatisfaction with other canines. My dog certainly doesn't need me to break down lines of communication and make things out of things that weren't things but now are something because I made it a thing... You get my point!

Sex drive is found in every living organism. Without the desire to reproduce, a species would become extinct within one generation. Sex is normal. Don't be embarrassed because your dog humps, simply accept it as a natural function and manage it very positively. When dogs mount each other, I see it as an educational opportunity, you should too.

References:
- Landsberg, G., Hunthausen, L., and Ackerman, J. (2013). Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat3: Behavior Problems of the Dog and Cat. Third Edition. Toronto, Canada: Saunders Elsevier.
- Overall, K. (1997). Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Small Animals. Maryland, MS: Mosby.
- Scott, JP and Fuller, J. (1965). Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Lately, it seems, people want their dogs to be perfect. More and more people register for puppy classes to start their dogs off right. Then people register for private sessions, enroll in dog sports, obedience training. Pet guardians go out of their way to socialize their dogs. They visit dog cafés, bring them to the grocery store, the bank, in public transport, to work, or participate in all kinds of dog-related activities, and with Christmas just around the corner, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

Stress Curve
People strive to offer an environment rich in stimuli to their pets, but sometimes it's simply too much for our canine companions to handle. Overexposure to dogs or people can create stress and distress in animals not equipped to deal with overstimulation. Dogs need time to recuperate from stressful encounters like training or outings.

When I say stress, you should also read eustress, the positive, or workable, form of stress. When you're in the zone (the orange part of the curve), a little stress can motivate an individual, but too much of it for too long can create distress. Optimal performance will vary from one dog to another, but overall the signs will be similar.

Stress Signals
In general, we can determine dogs are stressed by observing some of the following behaviours: restlessness, pacing, unable to settle, stretching, repetitive yawning, over-drinking, trembling, panting with tongue inside the mouth, ears slightly pulled back, tail in a tight neutral position, and dandruff reaction. If you see these signs in your dog, it's time for a break. Offer a day or two of off time to your pets, especially if they're getting older in age.

Balance
Life is a matter of balance. As mentioned above, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. When our animals work intensively for two consecutive days, they require as much off-time to rest. Obviously, each dog is different and you might find that one dog bounces back faster than the other. Respect your dogs' rhythm and avoid clustering their activities because it suits your schedule better. When the famous Albear works for two straight days he needs at least three to four days off.

I do bring my dog to work, but when he needs downtime, I place him in a confined area behind the counter, door closed. The door will only open if he gets up to actively greet someone, normally a friend. I can tell you that Albear is behind the counter today and he hasn't moved since we came in this morning. This is normal since he spent two nights and an entire day at work teaching students the intricacies of dog training.

Break Time
Be creative when it comes to days off. Move the dog bed into a sunlight area and allow your pooch to bask in its rays, offer them a nice treat, let them sleep in, cover them with a blanket, or place their favourite toy in their bed. Be creative, but most of all, remember that dogs need to rest to re-establish their stress levels. People also require downtime, so why not join your dogs in the process and snooze together. Oh, and with Christmas a month away, you might want to make plans to assure your dog has enough time off.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Statistically, the number of pet professionals who read my article each week represents approximately half of the people who visit my blog; consequently, I try to write about various topics to satisfy the wide range of readers that you are. It's not always an easy task. This week, I'll talk about the ABC model of behaviour for both professionals and non-professionals readers.

ABCs
The ABC model of behaviour is a simple to remember acronym which helps professionals identify the cue an animal follows to perform a behaviour. ABC also determines the consequence which results from the behaviour. The model can be used to train new behaviours or to modify old ones. To understand the model, let me explain the acronym.

A= Antecedent: cue, signal, sign, word or condition that influence the occurrence of the behaviour. Basically, it's what happens right before the behaviour is performed.

B= Behaviour: any action that can be quantified or qualified. Basically, it's the actual performance of an activity.

C= Consequence: outcome that occurs immediately following the behaviour. Basically, it's what happens right after the behaviour is performed.

Here's an example. The dog sits at the door and barks. You go to the door, open it, and let the dog out. The dog exits and immediately urinates. We know the pressure on the bladder prompted the dog to go to the door and bark, so the antecedent is bark at the door, the behaviour is exit and pee, and the consequence is bladder release, or simply put, the dog feels relieved. In this example, we can say that bark is the cue to urinate which makes the dog feel good; consequently, the dog will bark at the door again when it needs to urinate. The example is simple and straightforward, but what happens when it's not.

Behaviour Problem
Here's a more complex example. Let's see if you can solve this one. Fido and Rex play in the yard. Fido escapes from the yard and runs around the neighbourhood for about an hour before he returns. He does this a few times a week. Rex never leaves the yard. You are called to modify Fido's escape behaviour because he could get stolen or injured. The client doesn't want to chain Fido because he plays with Rex most of the time and stays in the yard.

What questions would you ask? What training plan would you implement to keep Fido in the yard without leashing him? With the ABC model it becomes obvious we need to learn more. We need to identify the A= Antecedent before we can address the behaviour and its consequences. 

Behaviour Modification & Training Plan
If I can't observe the antecedent, it might be wise to ask the client to film the dog. The client could follow the dog to see where and what he does during outings. In this case, a GoPro camera might come in handy. If I can't observe the antecedent, the ACB model falls apart. Without motivation or signal to perform the behaviour, it becomes almost impossible to establish a functional behaviour modification or training plan.

The basics are often the easiest and most efficient ways to address dog issues. I suggest you film your dogs and start practicing behavioural analysis. What was the dog doing right before the behaviour? and what happened right after the behaviour? This simple little exercise teaches you the intricate workings of your dog's mind.  

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

This week I want to explain, or should I say clarify, what is a pit bull. As mentioned last week in Pitbull: A Job Title, the now infamous dog breed is poorly misunderstood, and the media's fear-mongering tactics keep adding to the confusion. People have become witch hunters wanting to behead a dog breed without actually knowing or understanding it.

Identification
First and foremost, Pitbulls are not a CKC or AKC recognized breed. In reality, pitbull is a job description. Pitbulls are crosses between bulldogs and terriers. These mixed breeds were originally bred to fight in pits against bulls, bears, or other dogs. So why pitbull? In essence, a pit is an in-ground boxing rink and bull refers to either the source of the breed (bulldog) or job description (bullfighting). No one is exactly sure which came first.

What we do know, and people tend to forget, is that the ancestor of these mutts belongs to the Terrier group, and if you ask me, the wonderful thing about crossing terriers and bulldogs is the end result. When bread together, the outcome is a highly multi-functional all-terrain dog. Terriers have an endless supply of energy, motivation, are extremely intelligent and athletic. That being said, the only recognized breeds are the American Staffordshire Terrier, Bull Terrier, and Staffordshire Bull Terrier.  

MVP - Most Valuable Player
If I were to pick an analogy to describe Staffordshires and Bull terriers, I would compare them to football players. NFL athletes are muscular, flexible, agile, highly motivated, extremely smart, good problem solvers, play with full-body contact, sprint, and are loyal to their team. It's not surprising to see the same characteristics in Staffies and Bullies.  

Pitbulls, if you still want to call them by their job title, are fully functional MVPs - Most Valuable Pooch. Staffordshires always wait for group decisions and directions, so too, do football players. When the quarterback tells his wide receiver to catch the next pass, his teammate runs and jumps without regard to his own safety. If the coach asks for a Dallas or Zone Blitz defence, players huddle up and charge with full-body contact; Staffies and Bullies do the exact same. 

Football players and Staffordshire breeds are one and the same; they play, adapt, respond, and problem-solve while interacting, moving, running, or jumping. Both human and dog players make decisions within a fraction of a second only to ask questions once the play is over. Injury is never on their minds as they catapult themselves into the air. No other breed in history has more airtime than the Staffordshire and Bull Terrier.

The characteristic I love most about Staffies and NFL players is their ability to move their bodies in ways that seem to defy gravity all the while catching a ball. Seriously, there's no other dog breed capable of such sportsmanship. To see an American Staffordshire Terrier leap a few meters in the air to catch a swinging tire is by no means short of a miracle. However, like other terriers, Staffordshires and Bull Terriers tend to dislike other dogs and are often highly prey-driven. There's nothing wrong with high prey drive if you know how to contain and direct it. I often say, if Jack Russells were thirty pounds bigger, they would be the BSL* target breed, not Staffies. 

Irresponsible Media
I think people have come to fear pit bulls not because they cause more bites than other breeds, but rather because they're fearless and highly motivated. Media propaganda contributes to mass fear by writing headlines like a vicious pit bull attack; conversely, reporters omit such words when a Golden Retriever is involved in a bite case. When other breeds bite, headlines often read dog bite or my favourite dog incident. One doesn't need to consult infinite amounts of data to see the media is biased towards Staffordshire and American Staffordshire terriers.

Maybe one day journalists will educate themselves and stop propagating breedism. Till then, I can only do what I do best, educate. A pit bull is not a recognized breed, it's a dog people originally created to fight. I'm totally against this practice, thus, when people cram breeds that directly or indirectly look like Staffordshire or American Staffordshire Terriers together, I cringe and bite my inner lip. Staffies are athletes, not murderers. Yes, they can be turned into killers, but so too can Greyhounds, Great Danes, Border Collies, Australian Cattle Dogs, Labrador Retrievers, Yorkshires, and Chihuahuas.

Reporters Report
The time has come for journalists to get educated, so I'm directly calling out to the media to do their homework, contact professionals, and report events without discrimination. When you report bite cases, use the same language. I'd love to see a headline with Golden Retriever viciously attacks neighbour's daughter. Obviously, I'm being sarcastic; I really don't want to read that headline. What I mean by my ludicrous statement is reporters report news equally or don't report it at all.
 
References:
- AKC Terrier Group. Retrieved from http://www.akc.org/dog-breeds/groups/terrier/ 10-2015
- CKC Terrier Group. Retrieved from http://www.ckc.ca/en/Choosing-a-Dog/Choosing-a-Breed/Terriers 10-2015
- Cleveland Brown Football Jump. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PfDS5C-jQ5A 10-2015
 
* Breed Specific Legislation

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Professional recognition is one of my life goals. I believe Dog training and behaviour consultation are at a turning point in history. Too many improvised professionals or outdated practitioners are inadvertently causing harm to animals and people. Consequently, we must pull together and make a stand. Bellow, you'll find information by which we can unite and create a new reality for domestic and exotic animal professionals.  
 
Dog Training Description
Although the Canadian government mentions a high school diploma is normally required to exercise the dog training profession, the  National Occupational Classification doesn't stipulate why it's required. This is where dog training and behaviour consulting fall into the unregulated cracks. High schools and other post-secondary institutions don't offer such programs. You'll find on the Canadian government website, under the NOC, the following description: 
 
6 Sales and service occupations

• Major Group 65 Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations
  • 656 Other occupations in personal service
    • 6563 Pet groomers and animal care workers

Unit Group
Animal care workers feed, handle, train and groom animals and assist veterinarians, animal health technologists and technicians and animal breeders. Pet groomers clip coats, bathe and otherwise groom pets. Workers in this group are employed by animal hospitals and clinics, animal shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, dog training schools, pet grooming establishments, or maybe self-employed.
 
Example Titles
Animal care worker (except farm)
Dog groomer
Dog trainer
Kennel attendant
Laboratory animal attendant
Pet groomer
Pound attendant
Veterinary attendant
Zoo attendant
 
Main Duties
Workers in this group perform some or all of the following duties:

• Prepare food and feed animals, fish or birds at scheduled intervals
• Clean and disinfect cages, pens and surrounding areas
• Shampoo, clip and groom animals
• Assist veterinarians and animal health technologists and technicians to inoculate and treat animals
• Assist animal breeders to handle and nurture animals
• Assist scientists and researchers in conducting laboratory tests with animals
• Monitor and document animal behaviour
• Train dogs to obey commands and perform specific duties in response to signals.

Employment Requirements
Completion of secondary school is usually required. Depending on the type of work performed, training courses in animal handling, grooming or dog training are usually required. Animal health or veterinary assistant college courses may be required for animal care workers.
 
High Schools
Dog training is clumped in with the following groups: 6561 Image, social and other personal consultants: colour consultant, fashion, etiquette consultant, fashion and wardrobe consultant, image consultant, make-up consultant, public speaking consultant, wardrobe consultant, wedding consultant, weight loss consultant, 6562 Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations: beauty treatment operator, cosmetician, electrologist, electrolysis technician, esthetician, hair replacement technician, manicurist, pedicurist, scalp treatment specialist, tattoo artist, and 6564 Other personal service occupations: astrologer, chat line agent, dating service consultant, fortune teller, psychic consultant, psychic reader.

While groups 6561 and 6562 require high school diplomas and college degrees, group 6564 requires no educational background. Our trade isn't taken seriously because of the lack of educational standards. I would like to change this reality because our clients have animals that can and do cause harm. Let's face it, our profession is a dangerous one. As such, I believe it's our responsibility to make sure the general public remains safe from potentially dangerous interventions.
 
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant Future
I have a dream. I wish trainers and behaviour consultants would come together to design a certification program. School boards could implement the program and call it a professional high school diploma in dog training and behaviour consultation. From there, professionals could pursue their Red Seal Endorsement which would ensure a national standard for our professions.

I certainly hope I'll see our respective fields become standardized. I'm still young and have great aspirations we'll change the future. We simply need to come together, sit, and design a workable field of study. What do you say? If you're from another country, what are your government, if any, standards when it comes to dog training or behaviour consultation? Leave a comment or link below.

References
- Government of Canada. National Occupational Classification 2011. Retrieved from http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=* 09-2015
- Red Seal Program. Retrieved from http://www.red-seal.ca/c.4nt.2nt@-eng.jsp?cid=22 09-2015