Reinforcers

I got an interesting link today from Ian Dunbar's Dog Star Daily page on YouTube. It got me to thinking I hadn't really discussed the topic of food as a reinforcer. This does not contradict what Dr. Dunbar has to say. Truth be told, he is one of my top 3 favorite trainers. My comments should be viewed as a compliment to the information presented in the video.

So, this is my argument: Let's take for example I like to do wood working in my spare time. If you've been to the store, you've seen the bone shaped coffee table my brother and I made. Now, image if every time I picked up a hammer I hit my thumb. Imagine if every time I turned on the table saw I cut off a finger. Image if every time I turned on the router it skipped and took a chunk out of my leg. Not so fun any more, and there's no benefit in it for me.

Now let's take what actually happens: I make a plan, buy the supplies and create something I'm very pleased with. And the next time I make something similar, it comes out better. And possibly someone sees the end product and offers to pay me to make something for them.

So how does this relate to dog training? Whether it's just for the pleasure of accomplishment or payment, you're more inclined to do a job if you get something out of it as opposed to being reprimanded, punished, or hurt every time you try to do something.

Although I agree with what Dr. Dunbar says to a point, I have know some dogs that are not motivated by food, but are motivated by praise, or, in the case of my Brittany, Duncan, a toy. The point is, using a reinforcer such as food, a toy, praise, or whatever, is as much a bribe as my getting satisfaction from making a nice piece of furniture or your getting paid for your job. Let's face it, I wouldn't keep working if I got hurt every time I picked up a new tool any more than you would go to work if you were only reprimanded for every little error.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zULweD95RzQ

X-mas Puppies Again

This will mostly reiterate some of last year's blogs about getting puppies for X-mas. I did want to emphasize a few points though, then we'll get to the links.

First of all, Mudd Puppies does not sell puppies or recommend breeders. If you want a dog at any time, we strongly urge you to check with one of the local shelters. The main ones I know of in Columbia are The Central Missouri Humane Society, Columbia Second Chance, Happy Tails, and the newest, Precious Paws. Or, if you are looking for a specific breed, the AKC has a comprehensive list of breed specific rescues on their website.

You should also be weary of breeders who will not let you see their facilities, is selling their dogs on the internet or through the newspaper. These may truly be the result accidental breedings, the person may truly be trying to make things convenient for you, but then again, they may be from a puppy mill with questionable health and behavior problems.

Also, keep in mind that just because a dog is registered doesn't mean he's from good breeding. Of course AKC registration is the best known, but there are other registries that are just as good that are not AKC. However, there are some groups who have banded together to create registries that aren't worth the paper their printed on. Be sure to familiarize yourself with the registry if you are looking to get a dog with papers.

I go into a lot more depth in my previous blogs linked below, plus I get into some other topics. If you want to get a puppy for someone for X-mas, be sure you know what you are doing and how it will effect the dog.

http://muddpuppies.blogspot.com/2009/09/puppies-for-sale-at-mudd-puppies.html

http://muddpuppies.blogspot.com/2009/11/puppies-for-x-mas.html

http://muddpuppies.blogspot.com/2009/12/dog-adoptions.html

http://muddpuppies.blogspot.com/2009/12/registered-dogs.html

Infants and Dog Bites

I debated whether or not to tackle this subject, but it seems important enough to warrant discussion. Recently, a four day old child was mauled to death by the family dog while the mother was taking a shower.

Here's the crux of the issue: No child should EVER be left alone with a dog... EVER!

In a study done by the University of Colorado School of Medicine (link below), the highest number of dog bites - 23% - were by mixed breeds, 13.7% were by Labradors, and 3% were by Golden Retrievers.

Children must be taught how to interact with dogs. A dog cannot speak or write a note. The only way they have to communicate is by the tools they are given. If all the signals that have worked previously don't - growling, leaving, yelping - the situation can and sometimes does escalate to biting. But imagine a four day old, or even a one year old who has had minimal exposure to dogs. Imagine if the child grabs the dog's ear or lip and the dog yelps. The child is then startled and reflexively tightens his grip. The only means of escape in the dog's mind, may be to bite. So who's to blame? The dog? The child? I suggest it is the person responsible for the child at that time, be it the parent, babysitter, or whomever.

This is not to brag, but suggestion on some ways to avoid problems. In the rare instances my wife or I needed to take a shower and were home alone after my daughter was born, we would put a changing mat with bumpers so she couldn't roll off on the floor and shut the door. The dogs had the run of the house, and our daughter was safe and in sight.

When my daughter started coming to the store with me, the first thing I taught her was she could not run up to every dog that walked in and throw her arms around their neck like she did to our dogs at home. Never mind that most dogs just don't like it, but we don't know all the dogs that walk into the store and don't know how they will react to a small child.. Once we got past that, I taught my daughter to ask first if she can pet a dog and how to pet them.

Dogs have had a relationship with humans for at least 12,000 years, and in my opinion, longer. They aren't going away. With just a little effort, we can keep children and dogs safe and they can have a happy, mutually beneficial relationship.

Study:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2010/11/101109133233.htm

Attack Article:
http://jacksonville.com/news/crime/2010-10-27/story/investigation-continuing-dog-mauling-death-jacksonville-newborn