Viewing: Behaviour - View all posts

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Over the last twelve years, I've been fortunate enough to have spent time in both zoological and non-zoological training environments, and let me tell you, there's a big difference when it comes to training. This week, I want to talk about those differences in order to stop trainers from feeling guilty about dog training. I know I'm going to make enemies again, but I have to talk about force-free training, AKA positive reinforcement only trainers. 

Training Differences
The positive reinforcement only and Force Free movements have a negative impact on dog training and public education, here's why. Both training approaches are defined as withholding any type of aversive in a training session in order to avoid pain or stress. Pain inflicting tools, words, or physical actions are forbidden. Although I don't use any aversive tools, sometimes I have to say no to dogs, use a no reward marker, or physically restrain an animal because it's too strong. Consequently, we can't compare exotic animal training with dog training because the environment is not the same.

Environmental Differences
Force Free and positive reinforcement only groups say If we can train lions with a purely positive approach, then we must train dogs with the same techniques. This sounds awesome, but there are two important issues with this approach, and the issues are HUGE ones. First, lions (or any other exotic animal) live in captivity; dogs don't. This means exotic animal trainers can control 100% of the lion's environment, 100% for the time; consequently, lion trainers can avoid any negative stimulus and punishment. Second, the positive only approach perpetuates misinformation about science-based learning theories and training methodologies.

Positive reinforcement only is not applicable in the real world where predictability and aversive outcomes are statistical probabilities. During a training session, we teach our clients to set the dog up for success, but the fact of the matter is, we cannot guarantee 100% reliability of behaviour because the environment is not under 100% control. In other words, because I can't control the environment and all living beings within it, my client will undoubtedly fail a significant percentage of the time and use a punisher or no reward marker. The important thing to remember is punishment and no reward markers aren't synonymous with abuse, violence, or aggression. Clients and trainers should not feel guilty if words such as no, stop, or heyhey are used in training.

Training Impact
When I teach a dog check-in in order to decrease the trash eating behaviour, I might say stop to the dog before he picks up another piece of trash. I then reward the dog for having stopped. I might do this because I know the last time the dog ate trash it resulted in 3000$+ operation. Clients don't know about learning theories, differential reinforcement of incompatible behaviours, or stimulus control. People want their dogs to behave, quickly, and somewhat effortlessly.

Yes, I could reward big time for looking at humans and not eating trash. Here's the problem, what if the dog is a stressed-out Beagle who loves trash more than he loves our food supply? What if the Labrador is on the higher end of the anxiety spectrum and eats trash to release his anxiety? What if the trash-eating Great Dane can pull his human to the ground because he's 175lbs?

When the environment isn't under control, punishment from the owner, trainer, or environment itself, becomes a statistical probability. Lest we forget, punishment or reinforcement is from the animal's perspective, not ours. Thus, when I (read we) need to hold a dog-reactive Great Dane down with a body and head harness, is this a punishment? From the dog's perspective, it may or may not be. Is it abuse? No. Is it force? Yes. Is it forceful? No. We aren't using body power to pull him down, we are keeping him from rearing up, running away, and dragging us along. Physical interventions are needed in order to reinforce look at human for info, or simply to ask the dog to sit.

Zoological Reality
Captive animals don't experience the endless variety of unpredictable stimuli our dogs are subjected to. It's easy to control 100% of my lion's behaviour, especially during training; in contrast, I can't predict what the environment will throw at me, or my client, one minute from the next. The probability of using an aversive or punisher during a dog training session, in the real world, isn't impossible, it's probable.

Science has taught us how learning theories and behaviour modification protocols work. Why someone would deny one aspect of science in favour of another, when living conditions are diametrically opposed, baffles me. Zoological institutions don't experience real-world effects, thus, to compare one to the other is as relevant as comparing the moon to an egg. I work in both fields and although I use the same theories and protocols, I can assure you, I don't train the same way. Thresholds are easy to manage in zoological settings; in the real world, thresholds vary from one second to the next. Dogs aren't wolves, and wolves aren't dogs. 

One last word. There's no reason to feel guilty if you need to use a punisher or no reward marker, it's part of life. That being said, make sure you immediately reward the cessation of the undesirable behaviour. This is often the key concept people forget. When you reward an animal for having stopped the undesirable behaviour, you are in fact communicating that the desirable behaviour is to do nothing. As Rush said in their song Freewill If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice. 

By Gaby Dufrense-Cyr

Lately, I've noticed an increase on social media of anthropomorphic observations of animal behaviour, in other words, people see other people in animals. A dog wants to save a fish's life by tossing water on it, a rhino saves a zebra from a certain mud death, or a rescued dog and her pups cry to her saviour. It might seem altruistic, but more often than not, it isn't.

Anthropomorphism
I don't know if it's because people have come to realize that if they post a random picture titled dog saves fish or rhino rescues zebra on social media they get millions of likes and shares, or it's because people fundamentally believe animal emotions are just like humans. Either way, the act of attributing human emotions or cognition onto something, living or not, is called anthropomorphism. The origin of the word is Greek ánthrōpos (ἄνθρωπος) lit. "human" and morphē (μορφή) "form".

The downside to anthropomorphism, in the name of science, directly affects our view of animals, and to some extent, anthropomorphism interferes with our common sense, reasoning, and critical thinking. Extreme anthropomorphism also opens the door to anthropocentrism: the assessment of reality through an exclusively human perspective.
 

I believe we'll see an increase in these types of observations because of magazines or journals that write articles with catchy titles like Dogs as Smart as 2-year-old Kids or Scans Reveal Striking Similarity Between Human and Canine. There's nothing wrong with catchy titles; however, some people take this at face value and this is where anthropomorphism begins. It's important to remember, animals do have emotions, but we're not one and the same. 

Dogs have different drives, motivations and emotions, and to think otherwise opens the door to disguised forms of abuse. Let me explain. The other day I saw a Pomeranian in a jacket during a heatwave, the reason: My dog is part of the family and since I dress my kids, so too does my dog get to wear nifty apparel. No need to tell you this dog was overheated and uncomfortable. The same applies to dogs in strollers. Dogs need to walk and run. Movement is an integral part of wellness. In my opinion, if you prevent a dog from walking or running it's a form of abuse.

Propaganda
Social media is very good at perpetuating misinformation about animal behaviour. Some people share pictures of animals with false descriptions just to increase their popularity. More likes and shares mean you're an important person, right?! This comes with a cost. Misinterpreting an animal's behaviour could put a person in direct danger. Pictures and videos impart a false sense of security as some humans might think the animal they are about to interact with can do no harm.

I often find myself in the middle of social battles to correct interpretations in order to educate people and prevent dangerous situations. I tell people dogs cannot cry and the rescue should seek veterinary care for this animal, dogs cache their food as opposed to try and save fish, or that the article from which the rhino picture was taken states the animal actually disembodied the baby zebra.

Objective Observations
Objective observation means looking and interpret behaviour based on the animal's physical, physiological, and psychological needs. A human subjective perspective blinds our view of authentic animal behaviour. Consequently, safety and medical conditions might be overlooked as with the crying dog video. A distorted view of behaviour could also endanger people or animals.

Maybe the day will come when we look back on our animal behaviour interpretations and laugh at our wrongdoings. Till then, I'll keep posting objective explanations of animal behaviour even if people are offended, angry, disappointed, disbelieved, or confused. My interventions are meant to educate not humiliate. In return, if you find an objective description of animal behaviour and wish to share it with me, I'll be happy to post it on social media.

References
- Live Science. http://www.livescience.com (for article titles)
- Miriam-Webster. http://www.merriam-webster.com (for definitions)
- NPR. http://www.npr.org (for article titles)
- Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org (for definitions)

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

In the wake of Cecil the lion, we come to realize he's an ambassador for all living animals. Lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, tigers, cats, and dogs are killed each minute of every day, year-round. What we make of Cecil's death defines us as individuals and as a species.

A tragic event has occurred in which we must rally together in order to educate a percentage of the population that believes poaching, or killing animals for sport, is an accepted thing, a good thing, a necessary thing. Walter Palmer is one of these people, but he's not the only one. I believe education is the best outcome for these nonsense killers.

An Eye For An Eye
Social media has gone mad with rage and wants to see M. Palmer die either physically or financially. That being said, many people depend on M. Palmer's practice to feed their families. As with any tragedy, many people are affected by the loss. Consequently, an eye for an eye is not the best outcome for animals or people. I propose Walter Palmer go to trial and serve his sentence in an animal rehabilitation or sanctuary. What better way to educate killers than to expose them to the day-to-day suffering of those animals whom they have forever changed because of poaching.

No one can be insensitive to the torments of an orphaned animal. No one can whiteness the last moments of a dying animal without being affected. If M. Palmer is exposed to the daily carnage that is poaching, then maybe he'll understand the absurdity of his actions and become a voice, the voice, for animal welfare.

Let's rise to the occasion and turn Cecil the lion's death into a positive experience. We all have voices, thus, we can be heard. Let's roar loudly to those who kill animals for no reason. Speak high and loud to tell Walter Palmer's friends we won't stand for poaching. Voice to your government representatives that killing is not a viable ecological and economical management strategy. Animals are our future, for each species contributes to mother nature's balance. It's our responsibility to ensure animals of all species live free, long and healthy lives.

Responsible Captivity
We, as animal lovers, are fascinated by behaviour. We love to see animals live within their territories and behave as they should. We also believe habitat loss and poaching are abstract concepts because they don't affect us. They're not and they do. In North America, mostly the United States, wolves have been eradicated, and without a natural predator, hoofed animals are destroying the landscape, which in turn, promotes erosion. If you want to see what wolves do to ecosystems, watch this short four-minute video. I promise, your mind will be blown away.

What can we do within our urbanized cities to prevent the extermination of elephants, lions, bears, wolves, tigers, cheetahs, crocodiles, and so forth? You can address the taboo topic within your families and communities, real or virtual. You can visit zoological establishments which can and do work very hard at conservation by breeding and ensuring genetic diversity. Africa's last North white rhinoceros is under heavy guard around the clock. On the other hand, the Western black rhinoceros was not so lucky and is now officially extinct. If we had captured these rhinoceros and placed them in captivity, we would have had a chance to save them.

I understand if you're against animals kept in zoological institutions or private reserves, I am too, but truth is, animals are safer within our artificial walls than in their natural habitat. The white lion is another example. You cannot and will not see white lions walk or hunt in Timbavati, their homeland, because they were exterminated. A few select establishments in North America have white lions in captivity in order to help reproduce and enhance genetic diversity. Fortunately, a small group of people is determined to reintroduce the white lion to Timbavati, or at least save it from extinction.

I urge you to talk to your children, visit Africa, support zoological establishments which try their best to breed and reintroduce animals within protected territories and reserves. Give to animal foundations, volunteer your vacation time, or better yet, host a special animal ambassador event for your friends and family to learn about poaching by-products like ivory, supplements, clothing made of fur, artifacts made of horns, the list is long.

Future Endeavours
We're at crossroads between captive animal management and habitat destruction. Poaching is directly linked to greed and consumerism. Children need to learn to value, interact, enjoy, touch, feel, or even see animals in their natural settings. Most urban dwellers have never seen or touched a cow. We need to change that. We need to make people care. For, without lions, tigers, cheetahs, leopards, cougars, or wolves, hoofed animals will conquer the landscape and our rivers will die.

I'd love to see animals live a free life as they did when I was a child, but till we can educate people and stop the massacre, this reality is no longer a viable option. The death of Cecil the lion is sad; however, good must come of it. I believe it's our responsibility to voice their plight and make changes. Walter Palmer doesn't deserve to die, he deserves to be face-to-face with the living victims of his actions.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr

Those of you who read this blog every week are used to the Think Outside The Box ideas I write about. Consequently, many of you know I have a learning disability and an eidetic memory. You also know that I've trained my mind to recognize letters, words, and numbers as they are, not as my mind thinks they are. This brings me to behaviour, more so, dog behaviour. The reason we can see beyond behaviour is because of our ability to feel empathetic. 

Mirror, Mirror, On The Wall
Behaviour is the result of internal processes manifested outwardly, and as Morpheus said to Neo in the Matrix "The body cannot live without the mind." We, I really should say I, am reminded how great an impact emotion and cognition have on mySelf, especially when I look to the past.

Let me tell you a little story. In 1997, I had a life-altering idea that still drives me today. I won't go into details about the idea because it's not relevant. What is important is the long-lasting effect it's had on me as a person and professional. At that specific moment in time, it became clear to me that working with animals was, is, really about working on mySelf.

Emotions are contagious whether you want them or not. Brains are wired for empathy, and not surprisingly, science confirms dogs are also wired for empathetic connections. When I observe human or dog relationships, I'm tempted to bypass behaviour and look at which emotions are in action.

When I can perceive which feelings drive behaviour, I access the opposite emotion within myself and share it purposefully. My objective is to transcend emotions and develop a universal state of feeling, of being. 

Monkey See, Monkey Do
My entire life has been about encompassing ideas, emotions, feeling, thoughts, plants, people, and animals into one giant entity which has depth and breadth. A sort of living organism which self-sustains itself because of a shared connectedness.

Sounds intangible, not to say ludicrous, I think not. Couples adopt their spouse's mannerisms and speech patterns; dogs synchronize their gate speed to their human; plants grow more efficiently when they're in the presence of other plants; consequently, our simple attachment to one another influences others.

In other words, your dog becomes you, and you become your dog. This is not new, for centuries, companies have used the monkey see, monkey do phenomenon to sell products. 

Words of Wisdom
Empathy isn't about feeling responsible for other's emotions, it's about placing yourSelf in someone else's emotional state in order to feel what they might be experiencing. Unfortunately, empathy can bring you so far. If you've never experienced the emotions associated with a particular event, it's difficult to perceive the same feeling.

My perception of people and animals is a reflection of internal processes which belong to me. I see events in my life as experiences. These encounters serve to teach me how I perceive mySelf in the world and all that it contains; therefore, my emotions belong to me and reciprocally, I'm not responsible for other's emotions. Empathy and projection are very distinct things.

I live my life based on a sentence I thought of during meditation "Close your eyes and see, for the vision laid before you is clouded by your sight." If you can make sense of this sentence, you've understood what I've been trying to say. If you don't, no worries, life will always find a way to teach you the concept. And, if life doesn't teach you, your dog will.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Many people confuse lure with reinforcement training. The confusion might come from the fact that both techniques use food to train animal behaviours. My goal this week is to shed light and expose the differences between the two.

Lure training is a technique by which food, a toy, or any desirable object is used to model the dog into the desired behaviour. the lure is then given to the animal as a reward. When you move a cookie or ball over your dog's head and he sits, you have lured your dog into a sit position. The trainer then gives the dog the cookie or toy. The process is then repeated until the behaviour occurs frequently.

Here's the thing. If you don't remove the lure at the right time, the trainer and behaviour become dependant on the lure. In other words, no food, no behaviour. Plus, if you work in an environment rich with stimuli, the value of the lure decreases tremendously which in turn increases undesirable behaviours. This is definitely not a win-win situation.

Here's an example. You use a treat to teach your dog to sit. In your house, the dog performs the behaviour perfectly. One day, you decide to go to the park and let your dog play with his friends. After a few minutes, Fido gets a little excited so you call him over. You ask him to sit, but Fido has his own agenda and refuses to listen. You pull out a treat, dangle it in his face and ask again. Still, Fido refuses to cooperate. The reason Fido doesn't want to listen is that playtime with his friend is way more rewarding than the treat you have to offer.

With lure training, dogs don't really learn behaviour, they simply follow food or toys. Consequently, when rewards of better importance, like playing with friends, become available, the lure loses its reinforcement power. Plus, the lure is used to teach multiple behaviours that confuse dogs even more. Dogs don't know if the lure (food, toy, touch) is the signal to do the behaviour or is the reward. Add insult to injury, sometimes the lure is used as both. Are you confused? If so, you now know how lure trained dogs feel.

With social-cognitive and reinforcement-based training, dogs learn that sit makes treats appear. Thus, by trial and error, treats will appear if dogs sit or won't appear if they don't sit. Again, luring doesn't teach dogs what to do because in the absence of the lure dogs won't perform the behaviour. Plus, when other more interesting things occur in the environment, the lure loses its power. Consequently, lure trainers get stuck in this habit and cannot break away from it.

If you put those lures aside and let dogs think things through for a moment, you'll be greatly surprised with what they can and do learn. Dogs have the capacity to think, we simply need to trust their cognitive abilities. In summary, a lure is a modelling tool, not a reward. Try it out and tell us what happened when you used a lure to train a behaviour versus reward.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

This week I want to talk about a subject really close to home, dog training methodologies. You would think dog training evolved since my childhood days, but it seems, the more things change, the more they stay the same.

When I was a kid, we trained dogs in a military fashion. After all, my father was a military man so what else were we supposed to do?! Punishment was in and tools like choke and prong collars were fashionable. If you didn't train your dog with these tools, you weren't training at all.

Today we know better. A decade ago or so, scientists decided to study dogs; as a result, labs were inaugurated and people started to research various aspects of our canine companions. Discoveries are still being made, and new findings reveal information we can incorporate into our training programs. We now know tools of the past are no longer necessary.

Three years ago, one man decided to create an initiative that is changing dog training once more. Every June, SPARCS presents a weekend conference on canine cognition discoveries. The event is presented free online via live-streamed. The science-based discussion allows information to be shared with the world; consequently, dog training and behaviour modification are now on an upsurge.  

In 2015, there's no valid reason to use punishment or choke, prong, electric, citronella, or other coercive tools. But, I do understand how people believe punishment is the way. Our entire society is based on punishment. Schools punish, jobs punish, the market punishes, and parents punish; as such, dogs should also be punished.

It'll take time before the inner child of punishment-based trainers can shine through and change their minds. Till then, our job is to teach old school trainers that there's a better way, but ultimately, they themselves need to experience the laws of reinforcement. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

People often ask me why their dogs bark. I get this question so often, I decided to write about it. Barking is what I call a side effect behaviour. Side effect behaviours occur when dogs exhibit exaggerated responses to low-level stimuli. These undesirable displays are side effects of emotional issues. Examples of side effect behaviours are barking, pulling, jumping, or other disruptive behaviours in the absence or presence of low-level stimuli. These unwanted actions occur because dogs don't know how to express their emotions otherwise.

Bark, Bark, Bark
A good example, and probably the most common one, is barking. Dogs bark because the doorbell rings, the visit has arrived, a dog passes by, the dog's friend is in view, there's a strange person over there, a leaf flew by, etc. The list is long when it comes to barking, but vocalization normally doesn't happen in the absence of a stimulus. Barking serves to communicate emotions, desires, or needs; therefore, when a dog barks we have to take the dog's emotions into consideration and identify the trigger.

Enough All Already!
If you want to stop a dog from barking, pulling, or lunging two options present themselves. First, we must identify the source of the problem (person, animal, or object). Once identified, you can counter-condition the behaviour and train the dog to be silent (impulse control) or to exhibit another incompatible behaviour like touch my hand or go fetch a ball (displacement behaviour). Social cognitively speaking, you would teach the dog to look at you first in order to receive guidance to effectively solve the problem.

Many techniques and behaviour modification protocols exist which can help address side effect behaviours, but the source of the problem is what needs to be considered. Why does Fido pull, bark, lunge, or run when stimulus XYZ is present? Once you identify the source of the problem, half the work is done. The other half is behaviour modification or management, and in some cases, it's both.

Silence, I Kill You!
Obviously, you shouldn't kill your dog, but some owners certainly feel like they could when they call for a session. Undesirable behaviours have a tendency to escalate over time and aggravate their humans in the process. That's because dogs are trying to solve problems on their own and it's not working. Here's why.

Behaviour is an expression of emotion that serves to communicate intention; consequently, dogs need to vocalize or display other undesirable behaviours to express themselves. You should listen to your dogs and take charge of their decision-making process, if not, the behaviour will escalate and become excessive or a side effect behaviour.

Embrace the bark, lunge, or pull on the leash and consider alternate means of expression. Your relationship will flourish if you take charge of the situation and help your canine companion problem-solve. Before I go, keep in mind that take charge of the situation is not synonymous with a yank, jerk, kick, shock, spray, tsit, or any other means of negative control. Take charge means you should teach your dog to turn towards you for advice in the form of training and rewards, be it praise, toys, affection, or food. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

A few weeks ago, we talked about breeding dogs for fashion, not function. The taboo topic is a very sensitive one because it reflects our direct impact on a species we created to serve our specific needs. Unfortunately, our needs for a service animal (hunting, livestock guardian or herding, human safety, etc.) have changed and so too have our dog breeding practices. 
 
In the last few decades, designer dog breeds such as the morkie, cockapoo, labradoodle, puggle, and so forth have become popular, not because they serve a function, but because they are fashionable. People love these mixed dogs because they are one in a million, so to speak, and owning a rare breed is what makes people feel different and unique.

Designer dog breeds are one thing, monster dogs are another, but both find themselves on an ethical slippery slope. In Great Danes and Other Monster Dogs, we saw how the exaggeration of physical and behavioural attributes compromises function for fashion. With social media, fashion can quickly spread with highly negative consequences for our furry friends. We have to be careful not to change designer breeds into real monster dogs.

Nature does produce monster creatures with forms that don't serve a function. When this happens, animals normally don't live very long and are removed from the gene pool. However, with domestic dogs, this isn't always true. Some people tend to breed strange-looking canines together in order to create litters of dogs that will sell high because of their uniqueness, and with social media, how easy it would be to promote fashionable figures over functional ones.

When we talk about designer breeds and monster dogs, a few questions come to mind. Questions like, how do dogs feel within their own body? Certain characteristics hinder function, therefore, dogs must suffer in some form or another. If they do, how do we evaluate suffering? Do we base suffering on behaviour or on physical pain? Dogs who suffer from short spine disease would die if left to their own device, so why do we feel compelled to save them? I'm simply asking you, the reader, to think about these important issues because it's entirely our responsibility what makes or break a dog breed.    
 
A few final thoughts and questions. Who would judge monster dog breeders as unethical? Who would prosecute such breeders when no control exists to oversee the genetic welfare of puppies? To these, I have no answers, and I sincerely hope I'll never need to find them. Monster dogs should never become fashionable because of our desire to possess strange and unique things.

Designer breeds are not the only creatures we are turning into monster dogs. As Adam Conover in Adam Ruins Everything mentions, pure bread dogs are being transformed into monster dogs because of inbreeding and our desire for fashion. This form of fashion breeding is slowly, but surely, killing our precious pets. If you click on the above link you will get a simple, yet thorough, explanation of what people are doing to dogs.

The only solution we have to save our dogs is to allow for genetic diversity. We must put aside our need for fashionable pets and focus on function: running, jumping, retrieving, catching, herding, swimming, pulling, etc. I suggest we prevent domestic canines from becoming monster dogs by allowing them total cross-breeding with other breeds but avoid making designer dogs. We must allow the gene pool to recuperate if we are to keep our furry friends functional.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

When I was a kid, we had Great Danes. These majestic creatures were big, bold, and never shied away from all our childish shenanigans. We started with one, then we had puppies, so we ended up with two, you know how the story goes. We had a molosser breed because Great Danes were big friendly dogs. With time it seems, Great Danes, molossus, and other breeds have become monster dogs.

Molosser means mastiff type. In French, a mastiff is called a Dogue (pronounced dog). Actually, Molosser is the proper term to describe what people call bullies. Dogue Allemand (German Mastiff),  Dogue de Bordeau (French Mastiff), Dogo Argentino (Argentinian Mastiff), Dogue Napolitain (Neapolitan Mastiff), Broholmer (Danish Mastiff), Dogue Anglais (English Mastiff), Anatolian Mastiff (Turkish Mastiff) all belong to the mastiff group, AKA molosser, AKA bully, AKA dogue. There are so many molosser breeds I can't name them all here, but you can visit this page to find out more.

Breeding Function or Fashion
I'll probably make enemies in the dog breeding community with this article, but I have to speak up. Today's Great Danes look and behave nothing like my childhood dogs. They have narrow chests, are lightweight, nervous, fearful, and prone to so many diseases, books have a chapter dedicated to the subject. Mind you this is not only happening with Great Danes, other breeds are seriously affected by our lack of consideration for their psychological and physical well-being. 

I know I'm over-generalizing, but like my friend says, Gotta make outrageous claims if I'm gonna keep you awake. Seriously though, when we choose fashion over function we're changing our companions into monster dogs. The new norm in dog breeding is to exaggerate physical characteristics because the strange, uncommon, and peculiar dog is what we all want. Why, do you ask? Because a unique dog makes us, well, unique.
 
Morals & Ethics
There is absolutely no function to excessive hair, skin, a brachycephalic face, twisted legs, extra-long ears, or low hindquarters. I believe it's our role to educate the population about poor breeding choices. We need to stop the trend and ask ourselves, as pet guardians and professionals, where do we draw the line? Do we want to breed for function or fashion? I think the time has come to turn the tide and stop breeding dysfunctional pets and start breeding functional friends.

I want to grow old and see beautiful dogs walking and working within their human teams. I want to watch Retrievers bring back rubber ducks from a hidden pool. I want to hug a Molosser dog without him shying away. I want to see Shepherds herd animals. I want to see Terriers dig out plastic rats. I want to see running dogs run. My question to you is what do you want to see? I'll leave you with these words "...You want the enjoyment from that animal [dogs] and you're willing to do almost anything to the animal to get that enjoyment out." - Raymond Coppinger
 
Source
- Molosser Dogs
http://molosserdogs.com/gallery/index.php?cat=2
- Extreme Breeding
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hex00WjSobE
- Canadian Kennel Club Breed Standards
http://www.ckc.ca/en/Events/CKC-Breed-Standards 2015

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

When I was in yoga school and attending university, teachers had a saying Observe the Observer. A simple statement which requires years of practice just to understand it's significance. Fortunately for us, dogs live their lives based on this philosophy. We, on the other hand, indulge ourselves in past or future dimensions of time with great consequences. We forget all about the Observer.

The Eternal Mind
What does Observe the Observer mean? It means to look at one's actions and words from an external point of view. A kind of step-out-of-your-body experience without stepping-out-of-your-body in order to consciously become aware of your thoughts and actions. You can see how this is easier said than done, especially when emotions get in the way.

Observe the Observer teaches us to live in the eternal moment. In fact, this is what spiritual practices teach, yet we let our minds wander and get caught up in all the daily drama that surrounds us. Unfortunately, daily dramas constantly bring us back to the past or propel us to the future. If we were  Marty McFly, that would be awesome; unfortunately, that's not the case. But (because there's always a but) we do have the means to keep our minds from wandering off. We do have a perpetual be-in-the-present-moment machine with highly sophisticated sensors at our disposal.

If you're a dog caregiver, look at your feet, it's right there. OK, so it might be outside, in the living room, or hidden under the table, but it's there nonetheless. We didn't come up with an original name for this machine-like anti-mind-traveller or resistant-thought-shifter, nope, we called it a dog.

A Powerful Message
Dogs, the canines that they are, live their lives in a quasi constant present state of mind. They are the master observers; therefore, let's use our human-dog relationships and stay connected with them in the present. Allow your dog to teach you this valuable lesson that is Observe the Observer. Watch yourselves interact with your dogs and feel their present awareness, for the present is really the gift.
 

When dogs go to you, receive them as if they were gods. Interact with them and notice what you're doing in return. Are you thinking about the shopping list, a work task that wasn't completed, your teen's emotional problems, or are you simply gazing back and enjoying the moment like this was the most wonderful thing you've ever seen or experienced in your life?

Observe the Observer means you were able to catch yourself being mentally absent and capable of returning to the present. This shift in awareness is all you need to be happy, and guess what, dogs teach us this lesson every single moment of every single day. The present is the most precious gift, and dogs give it to us repeatedly, so, maybe it's time we took a look at our Observer.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Working with animals is extremely rewarding, but it also yields a dirty secret, people in our line of work burn out. We change bad behaviour into good behaviour, we improve the human-animal bond, we teach, we foster, or rescue dogs, and all his hard work comes with a steep price, we emotionally exhaust ourselves. Today's article touches on human emotional management.

I'm fortunate enough to have learned this very important skill while I was in college. Because of my learning disability, I had to manage my emotions in order to access my memory and train my brain to make a new association between words. I had to manage frustration, sadness, and euphoria all at once, which as you might have guessed, was not an easy task.

Human emotional management is the hardest thing to do because we're super sensitive to the animal's plight and we desperately want to help. Thus, while we address animal issues, we come to realize we are faced with human emotions; consequently, it becomes difficult to manage both humans (ourselves and others) and animal emotions. If professionals can't emotionally disassociate themselves from the situation, they are likely to burn out. To avoid stress which can lead to distress, and eventually burnouts, I want to give you a few ideas on how to manage your emotions. So, please keep an open mind as you read on.

1. You are not the animal you are helping.
2. You can only do your best, beyond that point, let someone else take over.
3. When faced with a difficult situation tell yourself "I'll deal with these emotions later".
4. Don't forget to address emotions as soon as possible; don't sweep your emotions under the proverbial carpet.
5. Your view of a problematic situation is very different than the animal's perception of reality.
6. If you are too emotional, don't get involved and don't train.
7. If you need to address an emergency, use your rational brain, talk yourself through the steps.
8. Voice your emotions when appropriate. Ideally, after an emotionally charged event has occurred.
9. There will always be animals in need, you can't change this fact; you can only change your perception of it.
10. Talk with other professionals, ask them how they cope with their emotions.

There's a fine line between stress, distress, and eustress, and if you don't respect your limits, you will burn out. Working with animals means we accept the challenge of creating a new reality for the human-animal team, beyond that point, you must let go. You're not responsible for other peoples' emotions; you're only responsible for your own inner well-being. I'll end this article with the following quote "The environment is everything that isn't me." - Albert Einstein

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

A while back I wrote a piece called Emotional Projection. The scientifically oriented article focused on possible sources of projection. Unfortunately, the somewhat long description didn't discuss how to actually use projection to change emotions, thus, change dog behaviour. The goal of this article is to give you a few tips on how to make changes in your human-dog relationships via all theories we've discussed so far.

Projection Summary
Sigmund Freud, Anna Freud, Carl Young, and other psychologists refer to projection as a defence mechanism. The process by which people deny their impulses, feeling, desires, or emotions and project them onto others in order to disassociate themselves from the threatening unconscious idea. In our case, dogs are the victims of our projections. To stop the transference process, individuals must recognise it at a conscious level. Not an easy task when your partner doesn't talk.

Emotional Projection Cycle
To change undesirable dog behaviour into desirable behaviour, we must first identify the projection placed on the dog. I'll give you an example to help conceptualise the projection process in your head. Imagine Fido has a human-dog aggression (or fear) issue. Fido exhibits typical aggressive behaviours towards unfamiliar people: growls, bares teeth, raises hackles, and huffs. You get angry when Fido exhibits these behaviours because you find them totally unreasonable. When this happens, you punish Fido, tell the stranger you're sorry, and leave the encounter feeling embarrassed and frustrated.

To address the issue, we first need to mirror back the anger towards the person and bring the emotion into view. The first mirroring question could be Why does Fido's behaviour make you feel so angry? Why do you find his behaviour inappropriate? Why do you feel embarrassed about the problem?  The same questions could apply to a human-fear behaviour problem; in that case, we would change the emotion within the question and ask Why do you feel scared?

Once the emotion is brought to consciousness, the problem can be addressed; not surprisingly, Fido will start to decrease his aggressive responses towards unfamiliar people. Why would Fido's behaviour problem improve? Because he would no longer see your aggressive response (tensing-up, moving slowly, freezing), smell your reaction (low seratonine), experience tension on his leash (pulling, jerking), or hear you talk loud, yell, or scream.

Simple Solutions
I've discussed many theories in the past on how to change dog behaviour. To the right, you will find a simple circular process diagram which will help you identify and address the behaviour problem. Projection is about reclaiming you emotions which don't belong to your dog, or other people. It might be difficult to understand at first, but simply keep in mind the blue circle represents the human-dog relationship. Inside the blue circle we see two types of projection, and from the outside of the circle we see how different theories improve or hinder the human-dog relationship. The yellow region is where the symbolic mirror should be placed. 

Emotional Projection Tips
1. When you find yourself in situations likely to trigger undesirable dog behaviour, observe which details elicit an emotional response.
2. Once the emotion is identified, ask yourself why am I so upset about this situation? and listen closely to what you inner voice will answer.
3. Address the emotion, or seek someone qualified to help you work through it.
4. Use different learning theories to tech new behaviours to your dog. Be creative, fun, and think outside the box. 

Circular Motion
Wherever you find yourself on the image, you can change its direction because relationships are fluid interactions of positive and negative emotions. Simply place an imaginary mirror between the dog and yourself (the yewllow oval between the inner red and green circular arrows) to reclaim your emotions. When emotions are addressed, the learning process can occur, thus, improve your dog's behaviour. It might seem hard to step back and look at the situation in order to reclaim your emotions, but after a few trials you will become more and more experienced.

References
- Chance, P. (2009). Learning and Behaviour, Active Learning Edition, Sixth Edition. Belmont, CA: Wadsworth
- Jarvis, M. (2004). Psychodynamic Psychology: Classical theory and contemporary research. London Great Britain: Thomson Learning.
- Jung, C., Von Franz, M.L., Henderson, J., Jacobi, J. and Jaffé, A. (1964).  Man and His Symbols. London, Great Britain: Dell Publishing.
- The Brain From Top to Bottom. Retrieved April 22, 2015 from http://thebrain.mcgill.ca/

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
The hardest part of owning a pet is when we realise our animals don't live forever. We live in such close proximity to our companions that pain felt by their loss is not only profound and sad, it can be utterly life changing. In my case, I've been fortunate to spend my life with a variety of marvellous pets and working dogs; unfortunately, this also means approximately ten animals have come and gone throughout the years. 

Animal grief is another taboo topic I wish to address this week, for it's an extremely difficult period for animal lovers. People who grieve their pets often feel emotionally alone and sometimes disconnected from the rest of their entourage, especially if their family and friends are not pet lovers. Spouses, children, co-workers, and parents who don't share an emotional link with animals will often dismiss pet grief as an actual bereavement process.
  
Shameful Pet Loss
People who grieve the loss of an animal can feel sad and lost, and without support from their environment, these same people cry and scream in secrecy as they process their pain. Some people will be subject to expressions such as Don't cry, it's just a cat, Why don't you just get another dog, or my favourite You should be happy, you can now do what you want, when you want. Certain people are so ashamed of their emotions, they hide how they actually feel.
 
There's no shame in feeling isolation, loss, sadness, confusion, anger, or uncertainty when you grieve the loss of a beloved pet. Each person has a right to process difficult emotions and should feel comfortable to ask for support, especially from family and friends. So, how do we create empathy where there's very little to none? How can a person accept your pain as real and support you through the grieving process? If colleagues don't believe there's an emotional connection, how can they address the sadness you feel? Unfortunately, the answer is it's very difficult, not to say impossible, till they have felt an emotional connection themselves.
 
Where to Turn
Pet loss is as real as it gets and if you feel alone, sad, or confused here are a few tips.
1. Bereavement is OK. You're allowed to be sad and angry.
2. Grief comes in many shapes and forms.
3. There is no norm when it comes to rituals associated with pet loss.
4. Make sure you say goodbye any way you feel appropriate. 
5. If you have other pets, make sure you're aware of their emotional state.
6. Wait till you've processed your emotions before you get another companion.
7. When ready, get a different breed of pet, it helps with closure.
 
Many of our clients have turned to us for help when they lost their companion; as such, we strongly encourage trainers and behaviour specialists to have a list of resources handy for these difficult times. Remember, people need to talk about their pets and feel they have been heard. Finally, if everybody could accept that loosing an animal is in fact painful, we would become a better society, because acceptance is the first step towards healing emotions.
 
Pet Loss Canada is a web site where you will find the following links:

• Goodbye and Beyond: A Workbook For Those Enduring the Loss of a Companion Animal pdf booklet
• When Your Pet Has Died - Alan Wolfelt
• You will  always be a part of me - Timothy O’Brien -  www.petlossgriefguide.com
• Is It Time to Say Goodbye - Timothy O’Brien -  www.petlossgriefguide.com
• Pet Loss and Human Emotion - Cheri Barton Ross & Jane Sorenson
• When Your Pet Dies - Christine Adamec
• Coping with Sorrow on the Loss of a Pet - M. Anderson
• Grieving the Death of a Pet - Betty J. Carmack
• The Human-Animal Bond and Grief - Laurel S. Lagoni
• Diary of a Very Special Love - Martin S. Kosins
• Good-Bye My Friend: Grieving the Loss of a Pet - Herb & Mary Montgomery
• A Snowflake in My Hand - Samantha Mooney
• Animals Make Us Human - Temple Grandin
• Resilience - Elizabeth Edwards (NB: Paperback is written to current time)

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
Ever have one of those days when you feel, for no particular reason, like nothing is going right? You drop everything, the milk went bad, the cat pooped in the tub AGAIN, the dog had a fence fight with the neighbour's dog, and the kids, well, let's say you're glad they went to school. I'm having one of those days; therefore, I decided to write about the consequences of such moments with you because they have a direct impact on your human-dog relationships. 

This morning I woke-up late, went to work in the snow, walked into the office only to smell an overdue garbage bag, no more milk for coffee, turned on the computer to discover no internet, Ugh! This is the precise moment where I let out a "You got to be f***ing kidding me!" which sent my dog into an emotional response.
 
My dog went as far away as he could from me only to return to make amends. Dogs don't like conflict and will want to resolve it at the moment it ends. The problem with this type of situation is that the dog's presence can irritate us more. Humans need a longer emotional recovery period than dogs do, so we need to tell them not now. That being said, we do need to get back to the conflict eventually and resolve it.
 
When I bent down to look at the modem, my dog came over to solve the conflict. It really wasn't a good time, so I told him to "Go park your but." In our family, that means go lie down in your crate and wait there till called. I fixed the modem, calmed down and called my dog out. I was ready to fix the conflict and re-bond. In social cognitive theory, the relationship is an indispensable part of the learning triangle; consequently, you cannot leave your dog in emotional distress because these situations accumulate and cause disruptions.
 
I made amends with my dog and told him all was fine, which in turn, helped us both to calm down even more. If you punish your dog, scream at him, or in my case scream at the computer, you must immediately solve the conflict and allow your dog to recuperate from the emotional outburst. Don't leave your dogs hanging just because you're pissed at something, at someone, or at them. Take a moment, as soon as possible, to mend emotions.
 
Canines are highly emotional creatures who need to know you're a stable and trustworthy human. Nothing is ever perfect and yes we do loose our cool, but it's important you understand dogs seek resolution when emotional outbursts occur.
 
One last word to wish all our Irish friends an awesome St-Patrick's day, even if the snow covers all shades of green, drink a cold one for us will ye now!

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
Every spring I see a reoccurring phenomenon. I've termed this event Winter Puppy Syndrome*. The cyclical event occurs every spring and affects the behaviour of thousands of dogs. Winter Puppy Syndrome is an insidious phenomenon that brings on life-altering behaviour changes that are almost impossible to modify. 

Critical Periods
Critical periods of socialisation and exploration occur roughly between four week and fourteen months of age. These two periods are responsible for proper puppy development. During socialisation, puppies learn how to behave later on in life. The exploratory phase, or adolescence, enforce social skills and creates secure attachments. Teenage dogs also learn what to expect from the environment and their role in it.
 
You might start to see how winter can affect puppy development. If not, let me explain. Pet owners who acquire puppies late fall, or early winter, tend to keep their puppies inside because of the cold. To add insult to injury, so to speak, the regular adult dog population is also confined inside for the same reason. Consequently, new winter puppy owners who try to socialise their pets will find less human-dog teams outside. Rest assured, we don't blame you, we stay inside too!
 
Winter Side Effects
The winter puppy phenomenon has a direct impact on behaviour. Puppies who are not well socialised and don't get to explore their environment in a safe and secure fashion tend to be reactive, insecure, fearful, and even aggressive. Because of winter isolation, puppies have not learned how to become well adjusted canine citizens. Small dog breeds are even more at risk of Winter Puppy Syndrome because owners believe cold weather affects them more. This might be true for certain breeds, but definitely not for all of them.
 
Unfortunately, people are not aware of the negative consequences winter isolation has on adult dogs. Behavioural problems are the reason I decided to write this article because secure attachments and communication skills are formed during socialisation and exploratory critical periods of development. When people keep their puppies inside for long periods of time, they compromise future behaviour.
 
Winter puppies come to me in late April or early May as dysfunctional canine citizens who bark excessively at other dogs, lunge, snap, bite, react to people, fear random objects, pull excessively on the leash, growl, and so forth. Small breeds are worst-off because they are kept in travelling bags or in someone's arms. Simply said, winter puppies grow-up not knowing how to conduct themselves as teenagers or adult dogs.

Solutions
Puppy socialisation classes are a great place to start. That being said, proper behaviour takes time to learn, so make sure you can access well-adjusted adult dogs throughout those long winter months. You can also join an organised dog walk group. If you cannot find a dog walk group, why not create one? If you do start a puppy walk, make sure to invite well-adjusted adult dogs to the group. Whatever you do, focus on social and cognitive skill development because I would hate to see you in our office next spring. 

* Not an actual medical condition.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT
While we certainly don't encourage people to buy puppies for Christmas, tis the season for thou new bundle of joy to enrol in puppy class. Puppy socialisation classes aim to teach puppies how to communicate as adult dogs in order to live well-adjusted lives amongst the canine and human population. In essence, socialisation teaches an animal how to communicate and socially conduct itself later on in life. Today, I wish to revisit the nature of these classes in relation to the critical period of development known as socialisation.
 
Socialisation Period
The critical period of socialisation was discussed thoroughly in Scott and Fuller's (1965) book Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog. The authors explain "By a critical period, we mean a special time in life when a small amount of experience will produce a great effect on later behavior." (p. 117) Puppy socialisation starts approximately on the third week to end roughly around twelve weeks of age. No need to tell you twelve weeks is equivalent to three months old. This means by the time people acquire their puppies, much of the critical period of social development will have gone by; consequently, pet owners have little time to do a lot of work.  
 
Puppy Classes
Traditional puppy classes were designed to teach basic skills such as sit, down, come,  stay, no bite, and loose leash walking for young dogs between two and five months old. More recently, kindergarten classes, or socialisation classes, began to pop up. These group classes are offered to puppies between eight and twelve weeks of age. Group size varies between four to eight puppies.
 
People take these classes to better train or socialise dogs, but one fundamental key is missing in the process, actual adult dogs. The ability to learn one's language and use it in proper context cannot be achieved from one puppy to another. Comparatively, if two-year-old kids were left in a room without adult intervention, how could we expect them to learn to share, not hit one another, be patient, or any other proper behaviour? The answer is, we couldn't.
 
Two-year-old kids would learn many things, but they probably wouldn't learn how to properly conduct themselves in adult social situations. Kids need adults to teach them the rudiments of social interaction. So do dogs.
 
New Puppy Class Model
In our opinion, each and every puppy class should be conducted with at least one stable adult dog present for every four puppies present in class. Adult dogs teach puppies how to greet, play, cooperate, and communicate. In essence, adult dogs parent puppies, which is how nature intended it to be. Our job is to make sure socialisation occurs in the most positive way possible when puppies go out into the real world. Young dogs need to learn and practice from a variety of adult dogs how to become awesome canine citizens. As dog owners, we simply need to make sure puppies remain safe during the process.

Reference:
- Scott, J.P. and Fuller, J.L. (1965). Genetics and the Social Behavior of the Dog. Chicago, IL: The University of Chicago Press.