Superbowl Commercial

First, I had another article on dog bite prevention published in Pet Project Magazine. You can view it at http://petprojectmag.com/files/2014-15_Dec-Jan.pdf, pages 10 - 13.

Go Daddy released their Superbowl ad and there was such a public outcry that they pulled. So why does that warrant an blog after so long? Because I have friends that are breeders who feel like people are coming out against them.

Here's the way I see it. Those against the ad are not against responsible breeders. What the outcry is about is backyard breeders and puppy mills who sell their dogs on the internet and ship them across the state or across the country without any knowledge of where those dogs are going. Let's be honest, a lot of the dogs who are sold over the internet are poorly bred and are unhealthy.

I'm happy to say that the breeders I know are responsible breeders who are intent on maintaining and bettering the breeds they deal with, the parent/s are part of the family, and the puppies are cared for, checked by a vet, and are socialized before they are sent to their new home.

The commercial comes across as a puppy mill breeder whose only concern is to ship the puppy off so the breeder bitch can be bred again so they can ship off the puppy and breed again.

I don't think anyone has a problem with breeders who have a website, as long as the potential client is properly vetted (pun intended) and the breeder practices their due diligence.

Understand, this is not a movement against responsible breeders, but the commercial comes across as anything but.

Preventing dog bites takes understanding

The is an article I wrote for the Columbia Missourian, available at http://www.columbiamissourian.com/a/173700/from-readers-preventing-dog-bites-takes-understanding/

FROM READERS: Preventing dog bites takes understanding

Monday, April 28, 2014 | 6:00 a.m. CDT; updated 4:41 p.m. CDT, Tuesday, April 29, 2014

BY Steven Bishop/Missourian Reader

Steven Bishop is a certified dog trainer and teaches group classes and private lessons. He is also a member of the Pet Professional Guild and a C.G.C./S.T.A.R. Puppy Evaluator. He lives in Columbia with his wife, two daughters and his dog, Duncan.

Just outside of San Francisco, on June 18 of last year, a dog fatally bit a child as he played in his grandparents’ backyard. According to the interviews that followed, family and friends stated the dog was never aggressive, never a problem, and they just couldn’t figure out what happened. As you read further, the family admitted that the children were trying to ride the dog.

This incident exemplifies the fact that it is not enough to have an adult present when children and dogs are together. Adults need to recognize the signs and behaviors in a dog before a bite occurs.

Robin Bennett, Certified Professional Dog Trainer, in her recent blog, Why Supervising Dogs and Kids Doesn’t Work, points out that you should not “marvel that your dog has the patience of Job, …” but you should be “thankful your dog has good bite inhibition and intervene before it’s too late.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 4.5 million people are bitten by dogs every year. The American Humane Association states that 82% of dog bites treated in the emergency room were to children under 15. And 70% of dog bite fatalities are children under the age of 10. Most bites could be anticipated and avoided if more people were familiar with the more subtle signs dogs use to communicate.

Some of the signals the average person is unfamiliar with can include panting when the dog is not thirsty, yawning when the dog is not tired, look-aways, and whale eye, referring to being able to see the whites of the dog's eye.

These things must be taken in context though. A long, low growl from a dog may be an invitation to play if it is accompanied by a play bow. It may also be a signal that he wants to be left alone if it coincides with the hair being raised and the ears held back and close to the head.

This article will only discuss some of the less familiar signals a dog may give in ascension from the somewhat uncomfortable to an imminent bite. This is by no means all inclusive and it would behoove people to watch their dog so they are aware of when the dog is content and when he is becoming uncomfortable.

When a dog is beginning to feel uncomfortable, he might lip lick or yawn. It is unclear as yet if these are behaviors the dog will do to calm himself, the person, or both. Lip licking is just that: the dog, usually repeatedly, licks his lips. Yawning is a signal that should be taken in context. When the dog is not tired it can be an easily seen and early sign of stress.

Although as a general rule, dogs do not like to stare another dog or a person in the eye, they do continually glance at the face of the other dog or person. With a look-away, the dog will avoid all eye contact and will probably even turn his head away from the person.

Although some believe it is another behavior all together, some believe the walk-away is just an exaggeration of the look-away. The difference, as the name suggests, is when the dog gets up and physically attempts to remove himself from the situation or area that is making him uncomfortable.

 

Look-aways are often seen when a dog is being hugged by a person. Hugs can make a dog feel trapped and can therefore lead to a bite very quickly. Although people find hugs acceptable and enjoy them, most dogs do not and would prefer to avoid them, particularly with people they are unfamiliar with.

If the dog cannot remove himself from the situation, he may try to make himself look small or unobtrusive. The dog will lower his posture, his ears will be held close to the head, and his tail may be held between his legs. This is the point when the dog is beginning to be dangerous. If he feels there is no escape, he attempts to make himself smaller. If he continues to feel antagonized, this behavior may turn to a bite. 

When a bite is becoming more imminent, the dog may freeze or show whale-eye. In earlier stages, the freeze may be an attempt to become less of an apparent threat. In these later stages, the freeze seems to be preparation for a spring and bite. Again, these have to be taken in context with the other signals.

When playing, dogs will often freeze in what is believed to be a way of taking a break or to say “that was just in fun and I’m not going to follow up with anything more aggressive.” If the dog is being aggressive, the freeze may also be accompanied with a snarl, a low growl, ears pinned to the head and back, piloerection (bristling of the hair), and whale-eye.

Whale-eye, or half-moon eye is when the dog will stare while the head is turned away exposing a large amount of the white of the eye. This should not be confused with a sideways glance. It usually occurs with a freeze and is a hard stare.

The last signal before a bite may be a growl or muzzle punch. In his book, "How Dogs Think: Understanding the Canine Mind," Dr. Stanley Coren discusses vocalizations in dogs. Although most people are aware that short, high pitch vocalizations may mean fear or pain. Lower pitches of longer duration may be what are referred to as “distance increasing” signals, or that the dog is getting uncomfortable and would like the person to go away. It may coincide with a tooth display or snarling and can quickly turn to a snap or bite.

Likewise, a muzzle punch is usually the last step before a bite. It is a quick, hard, sharp jab with the muzzle and is intended to make the person leave, or at the least, leave them alone.

Finally, the dog may bite.

A child should be taught to never approach an unfamiliar dog. Always ask before petting an unfamiliar dog. Most dogs enjoy being scratched under the chin and this is usually a much safer option. Never tease a dog, pull their hair, tail, or ears. And never put your face in an unfamiliar dog’s face or try to ride a dog.

It is important to remember not to punish a dog for these behaviors. Dogs do not have the luxury of speaking, so they use the signals available to them. By punishing these behaviors, the dog may learn to skip the more subtle signs and go straight for the bite.

It is important for the person to learn to read these signals so the incident does not escalate to that point. At the earliest signs a dog is becoming uncomfortable (lip licking, yawning, look-aways), it may be best to separate the dog and the child for a time.

And above all, make sure your dog is properly socialized with people and other dogs in an appropriate manner. Don’t wait until there is a problem.

For more in depth information see Sarah Kalnajs’ DVD, "The Language of Dogs: Understanding the Canine Body Language and Other Communication Signals" or visit the website for Dr. Sophia Yin, veterinarian and animal behaviorist.

Dominance Defined: What Dominance Is and What It Isn’t

I keep meaning to get back to this. This is a subject I revisit all too often but is necessary. It is based on a short presentation I do on the topic.

“[Dominance] has been erroneously used to describe a supposed trait of individual dogs, even though there is little evidence that such a trait exists. When used correctly to describe a relationship between 2 individuals, it tends to be misapplied as a motivation for social interactions, rather than simply a quality of that relationship.”

During the Pleistocene Era, humans were predominantly hunter/gatherers. Because resources were scarce, it is unlikely that dogs were domesticated at this time. However, because dogs and Pleistocene man were following the same herds, they were most likely in proximity to each other. At this stage, it is believed that dogs that came into the human camps had a short flight distance and by virtue of the fact that the dogs were in close proximity to each other, they would have bred, passing on that short flight distance.

Once Neolithic Man settled into agricultural communities, domestication seems to have begun in earnest. Only the dogs with the shortest flight distance would have remained and interbred. Especially the hunter/gatherers, but also the agrarian cultures would not have had the time to tame an aggressive or dominant dog, so dogs that became aggressive would have been driven off or killed.

The myth that wolves fight for dominance came out of a study in the 1960’s based on the observations of captive wolves. Dr. L. David Mech wrote the book, The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species, about the findings and in it coined the phrase “Alpha Wolf.” In later studies he determined that wolves do not form hierarchies by aggression, but what is known as the mating pair have offspring who stay with them until sexual maturity. The Wolf pack is actually a family unit. Dr. Mech has said that drawing conclusions about wolves by observing them in captivity is like learning about families by observing people in a concentration camp.

Dogs, however, are scavengers. This does not require them to form groups. As such they tend to be loners, only occasionally forming what Dr. Ian Dunbar calls “loose, transitory associations.” Dogs are often drawn together when food is limited or when a female is in estrous but then go their separate ways. Even during mating, unlike wolves, male dogs do not stay to help in the raising of the offspring.

As a side note, wolves and dogs do not alpha roll each other to show their dominance. Most of what we see is one dog voluntarily rolling onto their back to either show they mean or meant no harm, as what is called a “tap out” to say they want to be left alone, or to submit in a specific situation which will be discussed below. Dr. Mech said that when a dog or wolf does roll another, it is an aggressive act to get to the underside of the opponent so they can kill them easier and in the 35 years he’s studied wolves, he has only seen what he would call an alpha roll three times.

“Dominance is not a personality trait, but an aspect of a relationship”

~ Dr. L. David Mech

Great, so what does that mean?

Let’s say my wife and I are out to dinner. There’s one beer left and one slice of pizza. Who gets it?

I love a good beer. It’s one of my favorite things. My wife, on the other hand, is allergic to alcohol and would rather have wine than beer anyway. So she would most likely submit to me making me the dominant one.

On the other hand, my wife’s favorite food is pizza. She could eat it seven days a week. So likewise, I would probably submit to her, making her the dominant one.

Dominance is more about the desire for a resource and can, and usually does change from one situation to the next.

Worth mentioning at this point is resource guarding. Resource guarding is not dominant behavior. This is a desire to be safe and comfortable and a fear of losing that. It is a behavioral issue, not dominance, and should be addressed by a certified trainer or behaviorist. Punishing this type of behavior only confirms that the dog has something to fear.

“In animal behavior, dominance is defined as a relationship between individuals that is established through force, aggression and submission in order to establish priority access to all desired resources (food, the opposite sex, preferred resting spots, etc). A relationship is not established until one animal consistently defers to another.”

~Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS

Dominance is a relationship that establishes priority access to a resource. The relationship is not established until individual defers to the other, or submits.

Which brings us back to this quote:

“Dominance is not a personality trait, but an aspect of a relationship”

~ Dr. L. David Mech

References:

•         Coppinger, Raymond and Coppinger, Lorna. Dogs: A startling New Understanding of Canine Origin, Behavior, and Evolution. Simon & Schuster: New York, NY 2001

•         Donaldson, Jean. “Are Dogs Pack Animals?” Blog by Jean Donaldson. WordPress, Web. 16 Jan, 2013

•         Mech, L. David. L. David Mech. n.d. Web. 14 Jun, 2014

•         Serpell, James. The Domestic Dog: Its Evolution, Behaviour and Interactions with People. Cambridge University Press: Cambridge, UK 2007

•         Yin, Sophia. “The Dominance Controversy.” Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM, MS. n.d. Web. 15 Jun, 2014

•         Bradshaw, John W.S.; Blackwell, Emily J.; Casey, Rachel A. Dominance in Domestic Dogs: Useful Construct or Bad Habit. University of Bristol: United Kingdom, 2009

Media and Such.

This is one of many projects I've been meaning to get back to. I've been reading a lot, working on a few new things, and I've been putting a lot of time and effort into a class I will be teaching later this month. I also keep seeing a lot of information about alphas and pack theory, so I'm sure I will be revisiting those topics and dispelling those myths with current, reliable, verifiable science.

For now though, the topic at hand. I will be teaching a class through the Columbia Parks and Recreation at the Waters Moss Activity Center on February 25, from 6:30 to 7:30. Pre-registration is required and there is a $10 fee. You can register at http://www.gocolumbiamo.com/ParksandRec/Activities_and_Programs/Leisure_Times/. The class, "Dogs and Kids," is listed on page 16.

The class will discuss the a little bit about dominance and hierarchy, and what it is and isn't and the fact that dogs are not trying to dominate your children. The class will also cover communication dogs use use to show they are uncomfortable, about to bite, relaxed, or want to play. Finally I will talk about over-arousal and when and how to put an end to it.

For more information, you can see a couple of interviews I've recently done.

This is me on Radio Friends with Paul Pepper. A correction, I said "45 million dog bites." I was quoting statistics by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, but I misspoke. That should have been "4.5 million."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEZH4XnKKAY

This was done by The City Channel:
http://gocolumbiamo.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?view_id=3&clip_id=1026

Podcasts

Things are moving along, slowly but surely. In my spare time, to help stay abreast of current information, I've been listening to a lot of podcasts. I thought I'd mention a few here.

First, Patricia McConnell. She used to have a radio show on Wisconsin Public Radio. I would listen every week when we lived in Wisconsin. After moving back to Missouri I had to download it. Oh, the disappointment one Monday morning when I discovered that the show had been cancelled. However, WPR has graciously left her last several episodes on their website and they are still available for download at... Well, in my attempt to grab the link, I discovered the WPR has now taken down the audio archives of the show. Fortunately I have them on my computer, but that doesn't help you, the reader. I'll keep digging around to see if I can find them somewhere else.

Second, Victoria Stilwell Positively Podcast. I love this woman because, looking at her television shows in particular, you can see how much she has changed over the years. She is constantly educating herself to keep up with new research and information and adjusting her training to incorporate the new information. The scheduling and runs of her podcasts are a bit odd and unpredictable, but they are always informative. All the episodes, through season three, are available at http://positively.com/podcasts/

Finally (for now), my new favorite is In the Dog House with Nando Brown and Donna Saunders. This is a weekly radio show out of Spain. Not to worry, it's in English. Each week this two hour show has three or four of the top people in the field from all over the world as guests. My favorite part is each episode, they try to have member from the Pet Professional Guild on. Being a member of the PPG, it's nice to be able to put voice with the faces I constantly communicate with on forums and Facebook. Always an interesting show, even if the banter gets a little sophomoric sometimes, although not to the point of distraction. This is a radio show though, so be prepared to listen to or fast forward through unrelated commercials and some songs, if you don't like the music. An extensive archive is available at http://inthedoghousedtc.com/category/pet-radio

These are excellent for listening to while walking your dog, doing house work, or while at work, if time allows. Enjoy.

Hopefully by next week, I'll have finally finished the book I'm reading and will have a review and/or comments on it. I'm finally getting to the meat of the book and hate having to step away from it.

Back on track

Well, a lot has been going on. I closed the business and had to find a new job. I at least have a paycheck coming in, but it's time to get things back on track.

Then the birth of my second daughter. There were a few complications. Nothing major, but time consuming. We're finally settling into a routine, and now it's time to get things back on track.

I'm still looking for a career, not just a job. By trade, I'm a graphic artist/desktop publisher. I can do the job and do it well, but the market here is very competitive, and with the journalism school at the university, companies can get cheap, temporary labor. They don't see the benefit of a long-term employee who knows the business and knows it well or just want to succeed, but not excel... so is my viewpoint. I won't go any deeper into that as this blog is about dogs and not the economic state of my city. However, it is time to look at my priorities and find a balance between my career and my passion. Not just from an fiscal standpoint, but for my sanity as well.

So, to that end, I'm getting back to my original plan. First, my book. I've had my sketchpad sitting on my end table for a year or more now. I think it's time to get that done. Most of the reference art is done. I just need to scan it and set it up for printing.

With that, I need to go through the text and make sure it is still up to date. So many new studies have come out, I need to make sure all the information is current. This means reading the studies and making sure I understand them to the point that I can explain it to my daughter, who the book is written for.

Next, my whole intention when I became a trainer was to train. I enjoy the group classes I do at CCSC and plan on being there for a while yet, but I want to do private lessons where I can tailor the class to the individual needs, one at a time. This will also lead, as has been my plan, into behavior modification (aggression, fear, etc.). I have an understanding of the theory and practice, but no formal education and minimal hands on experience.

Finally, this blog. I have so much information I'd like to share and really need to get back to consistently posting. I truly believe that I am standing on the shoulders of giants. I have made so many connections with people who have been doing this longer than me and, truth be told, better than me, I want to help get their information out there. This entails reading the books, studies, and conversations, putting that information in layman's terms, and providing access to the original information so people can make their own inferences.

So there's my plan. Not only to share with others, but to hopefully give me the kick in the pants I need to get these things done. I'll keep you posted on how things are progressing and hopefully provide some useful information to boot. I haven't been totally complacent and will have some things to share in the coming days and weeks, including a letter to a local shelter and a review of a book about trainer/people interactions.

New Age Mumbo Jumbo

Between a new job and a baby on the way, I haven't been too good at keeping up with this. I'll try to do better.

I got in a discussion this weekend about "energy," as heard on one of my least favorite trainer's tv shows. I hold the strong opinion of if you can't explain something so it is understood by your grandparent or a child, you don't truly understand it yourself. So, in a word, like so many other things, said tv "trainer" doesn't know what he's talking about.

What's actually happening is all about body language. Dogs communicate predominately through body language: stance, ears, tail, lips, mouth, etc. Likewise, they pick up on our body language. Although dogs have to learn a lot about how to communicate, there are some things that cross species.

When two people meet, it is polite to face the person, make eye contact, extend a hand to shake, or hug if the person is very familiar to you. Dogs see most of these things as a threat, intimidating, or just plain rude.  When dogs approach each other, they approach at an angle, they avoid direct eye contact for any length of time, they stand side by side, head to tail until they are comfortable with each other. I am only using social meetings here where the outcome is both parties are at ease with each other.

This relates to "energy" in that the aforementioned tv "trainer"walks up to the dog directly, stares at him, hovers over him, and basically does everything he can as a person to intimidate the dogs. When I had the store and in my classes, when I approach a dog for the first time, I turn sideways to them, I squat down to make myself as non-threatening as possible, I don't make direct eye contact, I wait for the dog to approach me. On numerous occasions people have commented that their dog hardly ever approaches strangers or doesn't like strangers and how surprised they are the dog was choosing to interact with me. (This, of course is all after I have asked the owner if I can pet their dog.)

So there it is in a nutshell: "energy" = body language. The thing to keep in mind after all this is if you approach a dog in an intimidating manner, the dog is much more likely to either go the other way or, if he feels he can't get away (is on a leach, in a yard, etc.) the dog is more likely to retaliate, even to the point of biting.