Kathy Sdao Seminar Notes: Control

This is my final post on things I learned at the seminar - not that there isn't a ton more that I learned but I wanted to wrap up the series of posts with a topic that I think is basically at the foundation of behavior issues with dogs and also one of the key ways that people screw things up when they want to "train" a dog. God knows I've screwed things up due to control issues with my dogs.

"Control is a primary reinforcer" - This was a quote Kathy Sdao talked about during the seminar that really stood out to me (I believe Dr. Susan Friedman is being quoted.) I never thought I'd think of something more motivating than food for a terrier, but if you think about it, feeling free to choose for oneself seems like it just might one up a meal.


My dog Tilly's shelter photo (Tilly is far left). She was one of 5 breeding bitches dumped by a commercial breeder. Two were euthanized and three rescued.
 

Tilly after a couple years learning that she got to make choices for herself: she still struggles with fear and anxiety, but for the most part she has learned that people aren't all bad and life has a lot of great things to offer

Some people would say "you can't hand over all control to the dog and let them be the boss." But this isn't saying to just let a dog do whatever he/she feels like. We all need boundaries. Instead, we should set up training situations where things are weighted so the dog will make the choice we would like them to make. It takes a little effort on our part but they then control themselves and get rewarded for a choice they made on their own. How much more reinforcing and empowering is being rewarded for something you chose to do on your own than something you were coerced into doing? Think about how YOU feel when choosing to do something versus being forced to do something and this should make a lot of sense to you. How do you feel about people who make sure you always know that they are in charge, they are the boss, they control you, they "dominate" you? Is your main concern with those people trying to enjoy their company or is it a fearful worry about not making them angry with you? Constant stress about not messing up?

Before Huck came into rescue, he lived in a home where the children were allowed to manhandle him. He learned that biting was the only thing humans paid attention to when he wanted to escape a fearful situation. In turn he was then hit for biting.

Many of the dogs we see in rescue have lived for awhile at a bare subsistence level. Forget being reinforced - they are just concerned with those most basic things on the hierarchy of needs: food, water, shelter. So imagine the gift it would be to them to discover those things are always available and they now can actually control their own bodies, choose to lie down, play, run... 

Reuben and Hoagie were puppymill dogs who were so physically controlled by their crowded conditions that their muscles couldn't develop properly and Hoagie's leg broke spontaneously in foster care when he was running in the grass.

When I think of many of the dogs that come through my home and have been labeled as having behavioral issues, so many of those issues grew out of that dog living a life where they had absolutely no control or choices in their life. This led to fear, frustration, anxiety which are the basis for many dogs that are labelled as aggressive, hyper, submissive urinators, resource guarders, etc. One of the greatest things that foster parents can do for their newly rescued fosters who have fear issues is to do nothing for awhile. Step back, let go of the reins and let that dog choose to come to you. Let them make the choice to come out of the crate instead of pulling them out. Set up enticements in a crate to help them choose to go into the crate when you need there to be some crate time. Put your hands in your pockets and don't get grabby because touch and connection needs to be on their terms. Once they realize you aren't going to force things, their trust in you will grow and you aren't going to make any headway in training them until they trust you to have their best interests at heart.

Catty lived the first 5 years of her life as a puppymill breeding bitch. She is an anxious girl who learned to use her teeth and her growls to try to gain a sense of control over her life when she felt afraid. Happily she landed in a home that was willing to work with her issues and to educate themselves on how to help her.

So set up your dog for success and help make their life a series of good choices that will allow them and their humans to live in harmony.

Over on one of my fellow New Rattitude foster parents' blog they did a wonderful post yesterday about a fearful foster dog who is brand new in their home and some of the early work they are doing with her. "Moon's First 24 Hours in Foster Care" is an excellent example of stepping back and letting a dog gain a sense of control in their lives and illustrates with photos and video how quickly you can see changes in a dog's demeanor when you let them start making choices for themselves.