Dog Log: Can I See It?

Behold: Summer's video premiere. Initially I was going to just post this without explanation on my Facebook and call it a day (I have not been in a writing or, indeed, communicating mood as of late) but I realized that this was an exquisite teaching moment. The video itself is about 15 seconds long, but it packs a lot of lessons into a tiny space. Below I will briefly discuss guarding behavior and the role of this particular exercise and, finally, how the activity can be used to cultivate trust and enhance bond.

WARNING: below I will be discussing, but not coaching, an exercise that could be dangerous in certain situations and result in injury to a person if not properly coached or supervised by a behaviorist. What is written below is NOT personalized advice and should not be taken as such.

The video above shows me doing an exercise with Summer (my three-year-old rehome, home for nearly two months now) and her favorite plaything. The reason I am making a point of doing it is because she showed some guarding behavior toward a friend's dog during both visits to our home. Honestly, it wasn't unexpected and it was a best-case scenario for it - nice, clear body language, and she responded immediately to my admonishment - but it's obviously something to correct and maintain. As a result I've started doing little assessments to gage guarding in various situations. The video shows me playing the "game" I often recommend for pets with guarding behaviors. As you can see she is relaxed, but interested - which tells me that she does not feel the need to guard her things around humans, but that she does around dogs. This implies that we need to work on overall comfort level around other dogs, which means that she needs to trust that I am looking out for her well-being and safety in those situations. If she feels that she's on her own she's more likely to be reactive - guarding, pushing, and throwing her weight around because her anxiety is high due to a perceived need to protect herself and what is hers.

The seemingly benign exercise in the video can (and will) be used to build up that trust in me as her shepherd. Right now we are just starting, so I approach in a friendly but decisive manner, take her antler, hold for just a moment, and then actively return it to the spot it was beforehand. Letting her try to keep it from me encourages resistence and possible play bites; letting her retrieve it from my hand encourages snatching back what is hers. She is very gentle here, so we will move to the next steps: increasing hold latency, obscuring antler during wait, and eventually making her work for it with simple commands. The benefits of this exercise are twofold.

First, it builds trust. Right now Summer trusts that if I take her antler I will give it back right away. Eventually she will trust me to do so much more with it. Additionally, she will learn that patience and restraint are rewarded here and that trying to call the shots is not just unproductive - it is wholly unecessary. The lessons she learns alongside trust will begin to alter her interactions with other dogs: "I don't need to police this visit or guard this, Sarah is in control of this situation." Sure, there will be some cleanup of behaviors here and there, but the foundation is built before the visits happen, on cloudy afternoons with antlers and cell phone cameras.

Second, and hearalding to that note about foundation, it strengthens bond. As I begin to write more here you'll learn that bond is the most important part of any working relationship - training, service, professional - with a dog. The bond angle in this post is something I like to call Conduit of Fun. Really, all a strong bond is is convincing your dog that you are the raddest thing around. Someone dropped chicken on the floor? Who cares, my person just walked in! Squirrel in the tree? Pfft, boring, the person on the end of my lead is so much cooler. The way to do this is to teach your dog that all fun and good things come through you (or your family) directly and at your command. Then they'll have no need to steal or fight for good things.

In the video I'm just starting the Conduit of Fun idea. I take your antler because I can, and you let me because you respect me and my role in your life - but I give it back, too. That's pretty awesome. As training continues she'll learn that it doesn't matter how long I take it or what I do with it - I will always give it back. She'll learn that this extends to other things - her food bowl, the spot she's sniffing outdoors, coming up on the couch. I will be the source of rules and restrictions, but also of all of the amazing things she wants. While this dependence is not the only part of a bond I'd say it's a healthy part of it. I will likely explore this more in the future.

...and, so, a fifteen-second video of a Beardie that needs a bath (this week, really) playing with her antler turns into a dense essay that could span many more pages. I'm not used to viewing my training regimens in snapshots like this, but once in a while it ocurrs to me that others don't have these mechanics in place like I do and may be interested.