“Ah! Look they are kissing!”

 

“Ah! Look they are kissing!”

No, no they are not. Sorry to burst your bubble.

Although this behavior may look cute, the behavior of licking another dog’s mouth serves an important function. This behavior, along with others, is classified as “pacifying” behavior.The Merrian-Webster defines the word pacifying as “to restore to a tranquil state.”Pacifying behaviors in dogs function to suppress or decrease aggressive or dominant behavior. Essentially trying to “make peace” with the situation at hand.

Other pacifying behaviors include muzzle nudging, paw lifting, and the “canine twist” most often seen in young puppies. The domestic dog (Canis lupus familiaris) may show pacifying behavior in a conflict over resources such as food, territory, or mating partners. Whatever they feel the need to control.

By using discrete body language, they not only conserve their energy for more important matters but also decrease the chances of escalation leading to injury or death of themselves or a packmate. (Let’s be clear packmates are between dogs. NOT between dogs and people.) An interesting fact about pacifying behavior is that it also pacifies the dog who is displaying the behavior! You may also notice dogs trying to pacify us, humans when we get frustrated or upset! Dogs are masters of non-verbal communication. The more we learn about their behaviors the more information we receive.

“Be a friend. Not an owner.”

Welcome to Our New Blog!

 

Welcome to Our New Blog!

We’ve officially moved our blog to Blogger, a platform that allows all you dedicated Pawrents to stay engaged by commenting on posts. With the move away from our social media group, this will help us keep our community connected. Our previous content is now available on Blogger, and I’ll share a quick guide to help you get started!

1. Logging In

   In the top right corner (1), you’ll see an option to log in. You can use your Google account for this. Don’t have a Google account? No problem! You can create one here. Once you’re signed in, you’ll be able to join the conversation by commenting on posts.
   
   

2. Finding Content

   On the right-hand side (2), you’ll see a list of tags. These categories are matched with posts to help you narrow down your search. If you’re looking for something specific, there’s also a search bar (3) where you can enter keywords to find exactly what you need.
   
   

3. Need Help?

   If you run into any issues with the Blogger platform, their help section is a great resource. You can check it out here.
   
   

Feel free to explore, leave a few comments, and share the blog with your friends!

Your Dog’s Pace

 

Your Dog's Pace

When we're in a learning environment, it's important to set ourselves up for success. This includes the environment, your dog, and yourself.

We, humans, need the skills to be clear and consistent. This is made by understanding fundamental elements such as your dog's body language, how to communicate with your dog, and applying the correct timing and reinforcement.

Learning at the dog's pace allows them, the learner, to be comfortable. A stressful environment does not allow for learning as the dog is focused more on what they perceive as a stressor.

When teaching a new skill, it's best to teach it in a very low-distraction environment. An environment that the dog is familiar with, such as your own living room. By starting off with minimal distractions we can focus on the task at hand... learning.

As your dog starts to understand the behavior you have been teaching them we can SLOWLY increase the difficulty. This could be in the form of an environmental change, an example of moving from the living room to an alternative room, or maybe your backyard.

We can also increase the difficulty within the same environment. Take the skill of a down (and staying there). Once your dog understands and performs it without much thought, we can add some difficulty. We could for example, slowly walk around the room, around the dog, toss some toys around, and eventually leave the room for varying amounts of time.

Rushing the learning process does not lead to quicker results. Quick results come from clear and consistent behaviors.

I always love to teach: "If your dog is failing, it's our fault, not theirs.". What I mean is that we have increased our criteria (our expectations) too quickly. We need to reconsider the previous steps and their understanding!

The same approach applies when working with unwanted behaviors, such as over-the-top reactions towards whatever "triggers" your dog, such as people, other dogs, cars, bikes, kids, etc.

If your dog is over the top, the environment we have set is too challenging. I like the analogy of a pie. We cut the pie into pieces, and each piece equals a step toward our final goal. Think about how we can cut those pieces even smaller and smaller, setting the dog up for success.

Work WITH your dog, not against them!

Be a friend, not an owner.

Who Is This Ben Guy Anyways?!

 

Who is this Ben guy anyway?!

While some of you know me personally, many have recently joined the group or have not worked with me before.

My name is Ben Neill. I've been a paramedic for approximately 7 years now, working out of Sussex, Hampton, and St. Martin's area. I work this job full-time. I work with many great, talented, and caring people. I enjoy helping others. (Reinforcement works on humans too!)

The rest of my time has been dedicated to helping doggy "Pawrents" improve their relationship and communication skills with their pups. During my downtime between 911 calls, I am either reading textbooks, listening to dog-related podcasts, or being active in the online avenues relating to Ethology.

Ethology is the study of animal behavior. I don't simply study how to make dogs sit when you ask them. I have (and continue) to study how dogs use their body language to communicate with other dogs, and us, humans. I study how dogs learn best, and take what the very intelligent Ethologists and other scientists have learned from their field studies and implement that information back into my training. Essentially I am trying to communicate in a way that is very natural for them. By communicating clearly and setting realistic expectations, we can see progress quickly and with little effort.

I try to look at the "Big Picture" when it comes to training. I treat dogs as equals, not as an animal that we are superior to. I aim to help your dogs feel safe and confident. I do my best to set them up for success. I try to form a relationship with every dog I meet, and I like to think I've been successful in doing so. This is not because I am special, or because I am a "dog whisperer" (don't get me started on that guy.) I have simply learned skills that I can teach you. These skills enable you to gain more information about how your dog is feeling and doing, thereby improving your connection with them. As living organisms, dogs have many natural needs. There are ways to satisfy these needs. Most problematic behaviors develop from these needs being unmet.

I plan to take The Missing Link Dog Training business to a full-time career. You've all done amazing at setting me on a very consistent and progressing path to do so. So I thank you once again. As time goes on, I'll be able to dedicate more time to this community we are building, where I'll aim to give back as much value to you as you have to me.

If you ever have any questions relating to dog training or behavior, please don't hesitate to reach out. If there's an area of dog training you'd like to learn more about, let me know and I'll put together some information for you.

My goal above all else is not the acquisition of money, it is providing scientifically sound education and improving our interspecies relationships.

"Be a friend. Not an owner."

Where Does My Dog Come From?

 

Where Does My Dog Come From?

Are dogs wolves? Where did they come from? How did they integrate themselves into our society? No other animal has co-existed with us so effectively as our dogs!

The scientific name for the domesticated dog is “Canis lupus familiaris”. Wolves are known as “Canis lupus”. Both are within the family “Canidae”, the dog family. There are more than 36 different types of canids thriving today, including foxes, wolves, coyotes, and jackals.

Genetically speaking, there is much resemblance between the wolf and the dog. But behaviorally, they differ substantially!

How domestication began is a mystery, but we have evidence of their evolutionary journey! Researchers have concluded the divergence between the wolf and domesticated dog occurred anywhere from 14,000 to 32,000 years ago. This is based on archaeological and genetic analysis.

There are two common theories that we will discuss.

A theory from Korand Lorenz, states that jackals may have benefited from close proximity to humans due to the increase in food resources. Humans at this time also noticed that the increased noise caused by the jackals indicated nearby prey. This prey (food resources) was beneficial for both the jackals and humans alike. This eventually led to more cooperative behavior between both species. Another known theory comes from Zeuner in 1963, which was popularized by Ray and Lorna Coppinger in 2001. This is the story of scavengers.

In this theory, it was not the humans who approached wolves, but the extra food resources left by humans which allowed wolves to breed more freely. Over generations, the more timid (and less aggressive) wolves would spend time closer to humans. The more aggressive wolves would increase their distance, going back into “the wild”. This caused a separation of the species. Aggressive behavior may be beneficial for an animal in the wild, but not so much for life around humans.

If these early human settlers would have shunned these wolves away, it would only be a matter of time before new wolves showed up. It may have been more beneficial to “get used” to the pack of wolves outside your community than to have new, less predictable, wolves showing up daily!

Domesticated animals tend to be more comfortable around humans, reach sexual maturity quicker, develop the tendency to mate in any given season, and are generally less fearful or reactive than their wild counterparts.

The process of domestication has also shown observable changes, such as areas of white coat (usually the chest), floppy ears, and curly tails! This could also relate to our own innate parental dispositions. I don’t have to explain the success rate of your dog using their “dog eyes” to get what they want!

How Did We End Up Where We Are?

In natural selection, nature “selects” for certain traits within animals. “Selects” is a tricky word…

Evolution doesn’t have a “goal” or “purpose”. It “selects” what is most adaptive given that organism's specific environment. By “selecting” a coat color that matches their environment, these animals not only hide more effectively from predators but also allow them to get closer to their prey! This increases survivability, therefore the potential to pass on genes to future generations through reproduction.

While some of the traits produced by the mixing of genetic information can be beneficial, they can also be neutral, or detrimental!

Artificial selection is what is referred to as human-directed selection. Breeders choose which dogs are allowed to breed and when, they also control their environment, pre-and-post natal care, stimulation, and more.

When breeders choose to breed based on behavioral tendencies, it will result in dogs who show more of those given traits. This is how, for example, labs and retrievers are so cooperative with humans. Their evolutionary path has been artificially selected for their compatibility with humans. German shepherds have been artificially selected for herding or protection work. Alaskan Huskies and Malamutes have been selected by humans to pull sleds and cargo.

But what happens if breeders “select” for appearance over behavior? Sure, you’ll get a litter of adorable pups… But is that what truly matters? Breeding should focus on the overall well-being and welfare of the animal. Breeders should look at variables such as any health dispositions, genetics (pros/cons), behavioral and communication ability, parental skills, and more. Breeding based on looks instead of practical traits leads us to poor destinations. An example of this can be seen in Bulldogs, Pugs, and other brachycephalic (short-muzzled) dogs who have a host of medical problems, including breathing problems, even from birth.

Throughout our history of careless breeding, we have introduced dogs to a myriad of medical problems, shortened lifespans, and limited natural abilities. By breeding in these ways, we are also reducing the genetic variation (healthy genes available) within the dog’s gene pool.

As always, if you are looking to acquire a furry friend, do your research! If you are going to purchase from a breeder, ask questions! How is the parent's behavior? What is the breeder's investment in their pups? Are they being well stimulated, socialized, and imprinted properly? Are they breeding to produce well-mannered, well-socialized dogs? Or are they breeding for the money?

What are their options if something doesn’t work out?

If you are adopting, what information is available? Is there any prior paperwork? What has the shelter/foster experience? Have they had experiences with other dogs? Cats? Children? How are they on a lead? Do they travel well? Ask questions that are important to your lifestyle to find the best match you can!

Don’t take the first dog you see!

Did you know, there are approximately 900 MILLION dogs worldwide?! What’s more fascinating is that approximately 80% of these dogs are free roaming! (That’s around 720 million dogs!)

A great video illustrating Natural Selection: https://youtu.be/0ZGbIKd0XrM

When & How Often Should You Train?

 

When & How Often Should You Train?

A study named “The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs.” looked into the effects of training frequency and duration.

Forty-four beagles were divided into four groups. The dogs aged from 5 months to 6 years old. They were all bred in the same location and shared similar daily patterns of food and environment.

The Groups:

• Daily Training (one session per day)
• Daily Training (three consecutive sessions per day)
• Training 1-2 times per week (one session per day)
• Training 1-2 times per week (three consecutive sessions per day)

The skill was a new skill that had not been taught prior (going to a basket and staying there). They were then tested four weeks later to gauge retention.

Results:

“Results demonstrated that dogs trained 1–2 times per week had significantly better acquisition than daily trained dogs and that dogs trained only 1 session a day had significantly better acquisition than dogs trained 3 sessions in a row.”

The main factors sex, age, frequency, and duration did not differ significantly nor did the interaction frequency of training session by the duration of training session.

All training programs resulted in long-term retention of the dogs 4 weeks after the experiment.

Spaced Training is associated with an increase in acquisition and retention.

“Lack of occasions for consolidation processes between massed training sessions has been suggested to cause impaired performance in massed trained animals (Commins et al., 2003; Fernström et al., 2009; Spreng et al., 2002).”

“Sleep has been identified as a state that optimizes the consolidation of newly acquired information in memory (Born et al., 2006; Gais et al., 2006; Stickgold and Walker, 2007) and facilitates retrieval in wakefulness (Hennevin et al., 1995).”

Related Studies:

In 2007, Meyer and Ladewig tested the effects of training with Beagles once a week or daily with Beagles. Dogs who were trained weekly learned the task in significantly fewer training sessions.

Rubin et al. (1980) trained 15 ponies to perform specific maneuvers, such as to clear a small hurdle and to move backward. Their results showed learning criteria in significant fewer training sessions than those who trained seven days a week.

Fernström et al. (2009) found training in Rhesus Macaques once a day and three times a week to be more efficient than training twice a day.

“Donovan and Radosevich (1999) short rest periods in humans appeared to produce the strongest results for simple tasks, whereas for more complex tasks longer rest periods appeared to benefit acquisition the most, and this observation might very well be relevant for animals as well.”

Link To The Study:

Demant, Helle & Ladewig, Jan & Balsby, Thorsten & Dabelsteen, Torben. (2011). The effect of frequency and duration of training sessions on acquisition and long-term memory in dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science - APPL ANIM BEHAV SCI. 133. 228-234. 10.1016/j.applanim.2011.05.010

What Has Your Dog Taught You?

 

What Has Your Dog Taught You?

“In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn’t merely try to train him to be semi-human. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog.” – Edward Hoagland

Since I started this journey with Link, I've learned many lessons.

In the beginning, you are teaching your dog the "rules" of the environment. Don't chew on shoes, stay off counters, don't use your sharp little daggers on soft living things.

As time progresses, we work in greater depth together. We go from teaching skills to teaching concepts.

I started noticing that while modifying Link's behavior, he was also modifying mine. This is where we see that relationships are a "give and take" equation. A healthy relationship combines meeting the needs of the "other", while also having your own needs met. This also includes compromise, "meeting in the middle."

I've learned by working at Link's pace, I could help him feel more confident and secure. This led to higher engagement, more positive experiences, and less overall stress. These are crucial feelings for living in an unfamiliar world.

I've learned the importance of communication. By improving our communication skills, we can develop a more positive, uplifting relationship together.

I learned that when dogs provide each other with information, such as displeasure, they communicate it. What amazes me is the SECOND the unwanted behavior or condition changes, they move on from it as well. Communicate your needs. Go with the flow. Don't dwell on things we cannot control.

I've learned that progress is progress. Setting unrealistic expectations does not help. Are you making progress? Is the process enjoyable for both of you? If so, just keep going.

I've been focusing on "mindfulness" lately. Attempting to minimize anxieties about the future, and preventing myself from fixating on negative events from the past. Link has given me an outlet to focus on the present. While we are interacting, it's just us, nothing else.

From being a hermit gamer, to now going on hikes, walking trails, parks to play and train, or even out in the backyard. Being outside more frequently has had great mental health benefits.

Don't stress over mistakes. It's how you respond to them that matters. Link has made many "mistakes", as have I. What's important is what we can learn from those mistakes. If the intention was positive, was it even a mistake?

I give as much as I can to Link, and he does the same. I think it's working out pretty well.

"Be a friend. Not an owner."