Eckhart Tolle would be Proud

Temple Grandin, the famous animal scientist portrayed on screen by Claire Danes, has said that her autism causes her to see the world like animals do: as a cloud of unfiltered details, rather than the streamlined concepts that reach most people's awareness.

If you want to experience this for yourself, try this: take your dog out to a grassy hill on a quiet day, and  sit. Then, every time your dog turns its head (even a tiny bit) to orient toward a sound, sight or smell, you turn your head in the same direction, and look for the source of interest. 

When I tried this, in the space of a single minute Bagel shifted his attention -- with subtle head turns -  hundreds of times.  First an airplane passing overhead, then a bird across the street, a dog being walked a block away, a motorcycle revving somewhere, the wind rustling the leaves of a tree, the voice of an unseen cell phone talker, another airplane, another bird flying, a bug in the grass, a whiff of god knows what... and on and on and on.  And nothing thing kept his attention for more than two seconds.  It was exhausting. 

Where my brain says, "quiet, sunny day, " Bagel's brain is sending him a flood of messages about everything that moves or makes a sound.

If nothing else, this should help us understand why being outside so much more interesting for dogs.  But to me, it's also an interesting insight into the mind of a creature that is not occupied with yesterday's irritations and tomorrow's anxieties.  They wouldn't fit -- his mind is so full of the present moment.

And the Oscar goes to...

Yesterday, a client's seven-year old daughter said the cutest thing I've ever heard on the job.

I was having the kids practice how to "claim" an object from a dog. Usually, when a dog is trying to snatch a child's toy, the child's natural instinct is to hold the toy up high, and run from the dog yelling, "No, no, get away!" in a panicky voice. This, of course, is dog for, "See if you can get it!" So I frequently teach kids how to hold a toy close in to their chest, stand still, look the dog right in the eye, and calmly say, "My toy."

Yesterday, the girl and I practiced a few times -- I played the role of the dog, and she practiced claiming her toy from me. When she was ready, we brought in Pupupps, her toy poodle. I took out a chicken treat I knew Pupupps wanted, and gave it to the girl to claim. She did the job beautifully, and in just moments, the dog sat at a respectful distance, even though the treat was sitting right in her lap.

I said, "Good job!" and gave her a high-five. She said, "Thank you! And good acting, Pupupps!"

Exasperation Loves Company

Earlier tonight, I told my client that it will make me happy just to know that, somewhere out there, another lady is being driven crazy by a dog who is every bit as big, strong, crazy, goofy, hyper and eager as Bagel!!

You know you're a dog lover...

If you consider your hands to be clean after they’ve been licked and wiped on fur

If all of your coat pockets smell like Snausages

If you've given up on lint rollers and just buy clothes to match your dog

If you’ve ever discussed anal glands with a stranger

If all of your shoes are stored above eye-level

If you've ever reached into your pocket for cash and come out with poop bags

If more than half of your living room is taken up by a crate and pen

If you’ve ever stolen the plastic bag off your neighbor’s newspaper because you were caught unprepared

If your kitchen floor is squeaky clean but a little sticky

If it's a pretty good day when the worst thing that gets on you is pee pee

If you’ve ever had to pull something out of your dog’s business end

If you’ve met more of your neighbors since getting a dog than you had met in the previous ten years

If you’ve ever spotted a missing (and frighteningly large) household item in your dog’s poop

If you know that your dog doesn't like to be hugged, but you still can't stop yourself

If you secretly suspect dog has trained you to fetch

If your dog has a more elaborate car safety system than you had as a child

If you’ve ever smiled at an attractive stranger while holding a bag of #2

If you think you might actually be qualified to be a veterinarian at this point

If you’ve ever walked around the block in your pajamas

If you’ve ever gotten rained on because SOMEONE can't go potty without the umbrella over her

If you’ve ever had your fingers three knuckles deep in your dog's throat to stop him from swallowing something he shouldn't

If you don't even notice the slobber any more

If you’ve ever debated with your spouse over whether it’s safe to let your dog eat mulch

If you’ve made more trips to the emergency vet than the emergency room

If you own more Kongs than dinner plates

If the idea of getting pet health insurance has stopped seeming absurd

If you can clean your dog’s ears, brush her teeth and apply frontline in less time than it takes to toast a bagel...

You know you're a dog lover.

Copyright 2010 Hilary Bolea

Words Get in the Way

"Language is the source of misunderstandings." - Antoine de Saint-Exupery (1900 - 1944)

I just saw this quote for the first time and I love it! It captures so much about the relationships between humans and their dogs, and our efforts to communicate.

Dogs don't use language, and they never have misunderstandings. They communicate with their bodies: eyes, mouth, tail, breathing, muscle tension and posture. There is no filter, no spin, just to

tal honesty.

People, on the other hand, decide what we want other people to know and communicate it verbally, while often unknowingly communicating the truth with our bodies. For a vivid and sad illustration of this, watch Sandra Bullock's acceptance speech at the Golden Globes with the sound muted, and then watch her Oscar acceptance speech, given just a few weeks later, also with the volume down. There is no question that her life, and her emotional state had changed profoundly in the weeks between the two speeches, although she does not acknowledge it in her words.

More often than not, the language, concepts and symbols filling up our heads muddy up our attempts to communicate with our dogs. Here are a few scenarios I see a lot:

• An owner saying, "Good boy! Good boy!" while petting and rubbing around the dog's head, ears and face. The dog is trying to dodge the petting, clearly irritated, but because the owner is saying "Good boy!" the owner fails to notice.

• People getting frustrated and repeating a command, like, "Sit! Sit! Sit!" when it's not working, because the dog "knows what it means," and the dog "should" sit. This scenario is at the heart of a cardinal rule of behavioral conditioning: "If it's not working, do something different." (I once read about a psychology experiment where both humans and lab rats were taught to navigate a maze to a certain spot and find a reward. Halfway through the trials, the location of the reward changed, unbeknownst to the subjects. The lab rats were able to adapt and find the reward in the new location; the humans were not. "It should be where it was before!" "He should sit !")

• Owners saying, "She knows it's wrong!" -- as thought we share a common moral code -- when their dog exhibits appeasement behaviors like a lowered head, and a tail between the legs. Another one along these lines is, "Why should I give her a treat for doing what she ought to do?"

• Owners relating to their adult animals as though they are human children or babies. We are all susceptible to this to some extent, because our brains like to file things into the cubby holes of our concepts, and our concept for small, warm, cute thing is "child". Baby talk and cooing work well for kids, but not so well for animals. Here's an example that really rankles for some reason. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zXjPQYgT25Q (For the record, I do think the hedgehog is very cute, but the way the people talk to him drives me crazy!)

If you want to have fewer "misunderstandings" with your dog, try interacting in total silence. You'll be surprised at how good your instincts are when you get the words out of the way.

My Favorite Dog Training Tips

• For a teething puppy, put a bag of (full-length) carrots in the freezer. They love to chew on them, and the cold soothes their gums.

• If you walk your dog on an extendable leash, give your dog a cue each time before you hit the lock button. Your dog will quickly learn to stop when he hears the cue, before the leash locks up, and avoid getting a jerk on his neck. For Bagel, I say, "Lock down!" before I lock, and "Free!" before I release.

• If you can't let your dog of the leash because she won't come when called, get a 30 foot cotton lead, and attach it to a chest harness. This way she'll feel like she's running free, but you'll have a backup plan, and a 30 foot head start. Just remember to tie knots every few feet on the lead, so you don't burn your hand if you grab it.

• Stuff a kong with wet dog food and freeze. Then submerge the frozen kong in a tupperware filled with water, and freeze that. Now you have a time-release treat for your dog! As the water melts your dog will have a cold drink, and in a few hours, he'll be able to get the kong out.

• For dogs who love to shred: stuff a kong, and then put it in a toothpaste box. Put that in a cereal box. Put that in a paper bag. Stuff that into a larger box. Hand it over, and watch the paper fly! It can keep your dog busy for a good 30 minutes, and it only takes 30 seconds to sweep it up.

• Every time your dog goes #1 outside, say "Potty!" Every time she goes #2, say "Poo poo!" This creates the strongest possible association between the word and the behavior. That way, when you need your dog to go in a hurry, you can say the word, and she'll know exactly what to do.

• If your dog doesn't catch balls on the fly, but you're sure that he could, you can teach him. Start with a very light object, like a tissue, that will fall very slowly. First, just hand it to your dog, and give him a click and a treat if he takes it in his mouth. Once he has that part down, drop it from just an inch or two higher. If he snatches it out of the air, click and treat. Once he can do that, slowly advance through heavier objects, like a crumpled paper towel, a wash cloth, a stuffed animal, and then a ball.

• If your dog has food allergies or a sensitive stomach, you can use wet hypoallergenic dog food as a training reward. Just put it in a squeeze tube.

• When you're house training your dog, hang a chart on your fridge, where everyone in the house can record when your dog has an accident: date, time, where in the house, when was the dog out last, where were the people, and what the dog was doing just before the accident. You'll be surprised at how quickly trends become apparent.

• Don't have your clicker on you? Say "click" instead!

Knowing what your dog likes and what you like

Dog trainers are in the business of positive reinforcement, but it's very easy to confuse what's enjoyable for you with what is enjoyable for your dog. The most common examples I see among my clients are hugs. I've seen countless owners cozy up with their dogs by grabbing them around the shoulders and giving playful rubs on their cheeks and ears. The dog looks miserable and wriggles away; the owner gives a hearty laugh and pats the retreating dog on the rump. The whole thing reminds me of a grandpa pinching his grandson's cheeks too hard, never realizing that the experience is not actually enjoyable to the child.

It's not that you should never do the things you like that your dog doesn't, but you want to be aware of whom you are gratifying at any given time. And if you're trying to provide positive reinforcement for good behavior, make sure the reinforcer is something your dog actually likes. (Another classic example: the dog owner gives the dog a treat and a pat on the head. The dog takes the treat, but dodges the pat on the head, looking annoyed. What the owner has accomplished is reward AND punishment - not the best way to get the behavior you want!)

So I am starting a list of things that I like, and another list of things that Bagel likes.

Things that are enjoyable for ME:

• Hugging Bagel
• Cuddling with Bagel
• Kissing Bagel's face and ears
• Petting his soft head
• Smelling his ears

Things that are enjoyable for BAGEL:

• Playing tug
• Being chased for his toy
• Running
• Being stalked
• Belly rubs