BARKS from the Guild January 2021

BARKS from the Guild Issue 46 / January 2021

BARKSfromtheGuild.com

CANINE Itchy Dog or Stressed Dog? EQUINE Implementing a Resilience Program LEPORINE Training Trick Bunnies TRAINING One Dog’s Journey with Fear FELINE Feeding Regimes and Behavior

© Can Stock Photo / evdohaspb

CANINE Video as a Study Tool INTERVIEW Risk Factors for Fear at the Vet

Reducing Fear – and the Importance of Choice Systematic desensitization, counterconditioning, and habituation - Their roles in the process of fear reduction

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f r o m t h e e d i t o r

BARKS from the Guild Published by the Pet Professional Guild 9122 Kenton Road, Wesley Chapel, Florida 33545, USA Tel: +1-844-462-6473 Pet Professional Guild BARKS from the Guild BARKS on Facebook Editor-in-Chief Susan Nilson Images © Can Stock Photo (unless otherwise credited; uncredited images belong to Pet Professional Guild) Pet Professional Guild Steering Committee Daniel Antolec, Kelly Fahey, Paula Garber, Don Hanson, Kelly Lee, Judy Luther, Debra Millikan, Susan Nilson, Mary Richards, Louise StapletonFrappell, Niki Tudge BARKS from the Guild Published bi-monthly, BARKS from the Guild presents a collection of valuable business and technical articles as well as reviews and news stories pertinent to our industry. BARKS is the official publication of the Pet Professional Guild.

Submissions BARKS encourages the submission of original written materials. Please see Submission Policy Procedures for detailed guidelines prior to sending manuscripts. Please submit all contributions to the Editor.

Letters to the Editor To comment on an author’s work, or to let PPG know what topics you would like to see more of, contact the Editor via email putting BARKS in the subject line of your email. BARKS reserves the right to edit for length, grammar and clarity.

Subscriptions and Distribution BARKS is a digital publication available to all subscribers free of charge.

Print-on-demand copies are available to subscribers by special order.

Subscribers can access all current and back issues, PDF downloads and the option to order print-on-demand copies in the Members’ Area.

Subscribe here.

Please contact PPG membership manager Rebekah King for all subscription and distribution-related inquiries.

Advertising Please contact Kelly Fahey to obtain a copy of rates, ad specifications, format requirements and deadlines. These are also available here.

Pet Professional Guild does not endorse or guarantee any products, services or vendors mentioned in BARKS, nor can it be responsible for problems with vendors or their products and services. Pet Professional Guild reserves the right to reject, at its discretion, any advertising.

To be in any way affiliated with the Pet Professional Guild, all members must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Pet Professional Guild members understand force-free to mean that no pain, force or fear and no shock, choke or prong are ever employed to train or care for a pet. © All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the Pet Professional Guild, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please email the Editor.

A

nd just like that, it’s a new year! in spite of the multiple challenges presented by 2020, it seems, to me at least, to have gone by in a flash. I’m sure I’m not alone in hoping that 2021 will be a much better year for everyone.

Here at BARKS, we’ve been working hard, as always, to bring you a wide range of topics contributed by a variety of animal training, behav­ ior and business professionals worldwide that we hope you will find in­ formative, educational, intriguing, inspiring — or all of the above.

Starting out, our cover feature by associate professor Karolina West­ lund examines the roles of systematic desensitization, countercondition­ ing and habituation in the process of fear reduction, applied specifically to examples such as visiting the veterinarian and noise phobias, as well as why giving animals choices in training can aid in reducing fear levels and improving overall well­being. The article also looks at common problems encountered when following a protocol that involves these techniques, and finishes up by considering the role of choice in training, particularly the implementation of ‘start button behaviors,’ whereby a trainer allows the animal to initiate exposure to a potentially scary thing him­ or herself. The video example cited in the article, where horse Quoquette is in control of starting each training trial by showing she’s ready. How? By touching a bucket with her nose. This is just one exam­ ple of how we can give an animal the choice if — and when — to partici­ pate, thereby building trust and reducing fear. In so doing, we also empower animals to make their own decisions and create an atmos­ phere of collaboration.

This all ties in nicely with part two of our interview with Australian researcher Petra Edwards, where we continue our discussion of her studies of animals’ experiences at the veterinary clinic that look at ways to reduce the fear and distress that are so commonly experienced by our pets in that scenario.

I always enjoy reading the entries that come in for our writers’ com­ petitions, and in this issue I am pleased to feature four of the winning and runner­up entries to our Win a Free Ticket to Geek Week contest.

We have also already published these articles on the BARKS Blog and in the next couple of months will be publishing several more of our fa­ vorites there too, so do check it out. Remember, too, to subscribe to get your free lifetime digital subscription to BARKS if you haven’t already.

Once you are a member, current and back issues are all available in the members’ area of the website, where you can download complete is­ sues, individual articles, or order a print copy of a particular issue.

But back to this January issue of BARKS. We also feature this month a fascinating insight into the role of stress in skin allergies and the corre­ sponding potential impact on behavior, by Dr. Naomi D. Harvey; an in­ formative examination of the benefits of video as a study tool to become a more accurate observer of canine behavior, by Suzanne Cloth­ ier; and the tale of reactive pit bull, Pete, who, after being attacked, be­ came fearful of other dogs, by PPG Advocacy Committee chair Daniel Antolec. Out of fear, Pete would bark and lunge at other dogs, but as a result of a force­free training program, he learned to gain confidence, remain calm in challenging situations, and make good choices.

Looking to other species, our feline section this month discusses a recent study about feeding regimes in terms of the behavioral needs of cats, while our equine section continues the discussion on the impor­ tant of resilience for a horse’s physical, psychological and social needs.

We also have a welcome return of our leporine section, where author Emily Cassell explains that she became a certified trick dog trick trainer so she could apply the same principles to bunny training, thereby creat­ ing a fun way for rabbits and their guardians to interact, build trust and increase their mutual bond.

Rounding out the issue with some sound business advice for the new year by our friends at dogbiz, our regular featured member profile, and a comment by our regular canine writer, Dr. Sheryl L. Walker on her career trajectory and why it pays to expect the unexpected, that’s the January issue in a nutshell.

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year!

n Susan Nilso

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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contents 8

N EWS Geek Week 2021, Geek Week competition winners, Project Trade, webinars, podcasts, and more

14

R EDUCING F EAR –

AND THE I MPORTANCE OF

C HOICE

Associate Prof. Karolina Westlund discusses the roles of systematic desensitization, counterconditioning and habituation in the process of fear reduction, as well as why giving animals choices in training can aid in reducing fear levels and improving overall well-being

22

I TCHY D OG

OR

S TRESSED D OG ?

Dr. Naomi D. Harvey discusses the role of stress in skin allergies and the potential impact on behavior

26

U SING V IDEO W ISELY Suzanne Clothier highlights the benefits of video as a study tool to train the eye in order to become a more accurate observer of canine behavior

29

G ETTING W ILLOW Sonya Bevan tells the uplifting yet poignant tale of how the loss of one dog taught her how to open her heart to another

32

14

22

A C REATIVE S OLUTION Kitty Lee explains how, after a number of failed efforts, she inadvertently came up with an unorthodox way to train her “perfect puppy” not to bark at other dogs

34

GOOD KHARMA Devene Godau shares the very special tale of Kharma, the retired greyhound who, despite being the most difficult dog she had ever had, was also her greatest teacher

36

A N I NSTANT T RANSFORMATION

26

Gloria Schmidt relates how her fearful rescue dog Jackson changed her life by helping her discover a whole new world of training possibilities

38

P IT B ULL P ETE : O NE D OG ’ S J OURNEY

WITH

F EAR

Daniel Antolec explains how he helped a reactive pit bull who barked and lunged at other dogs to gain confidence, remain calm and make good choices

41

F EAR

AT THE

V ET : E XAMINING R ISK FACTORS

Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker continue their conversation with Petra Edwards about her recent investigations into dogs’ experiences at the veterinary clinic

46

E AT, PURR, L OVE Andrea Carne investigates how feeding regimes can help meet feline behavioral needs, particularly those of indoor cats

50

32

38

41

46

50

54

T RICK B UNNIES Emily Cassell explains how she created a fun way for rabbits and their guardians to interact, build trust and increase their mutual bond

54

A R ESILIENCE -F RIENDLY L IFESTYLE Kathie Gregory discusses the importance of putting a resilience program in place to ensure horses have access to a range of activities that cater to their individual physical, psychological and social needs

58

A SK

THE

E XPERTS : I NNOVATION , C REATION

Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner dogbiz offers a positive outlook for dog trainers in this new year

59

P ROFILE : P ROMOTING C OMPANION B IRD E DUCATION BARKS features Sheila S. Blanchette of Heart of Feathers Education & Training, LLC in Atkinson, New Hampshire

61

C HANGING C AREER PATHS Dr. Sheryl L. Walker details some of the lessons she has learned throughout the trajectory of her career and why it pays to expect the unexpected

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Free movement and COMFORTABLE support behind the armpits, and a SECURE fit at the shoulders

T hank You!

Vendors - Exhibitors - Sponsors You Made FOR THE LOVE OF SCIENCE

karen pryor ACADEMY

for Animal Training & Behavior

Happen

B U S I N ESS INSURERS OF THE CAROLINAS

n e w s Save the Date: Geek Week 2021!

#PPGGeekOut Competition Winner

W F

ollowing on from the enormous success of Geek Week 2020 in No­ vember, PPG has announced that next year’s event will take place on November 13­17, 2021. More details to follow soon.

hile Geek Week 2020 may be over, we still want to do a shout out to our final free ticket competition winner, Mich Mercer. Mich won our #PPGGeekOut competition with her photo of her and her dogs geeking out to Suzanne Clothier’s (who also presented at the event and writes a regular feature article in BARKS ‐ see Using Video Wisely on pp.26‐28) amazing book, Bones Would Rain from the Sky.

PPG Online: s Join the PPG All about Cats and PPG All about Horses Facebook groups to learn more about feline and equine behavior and ask questions on anything related to cats or horses. s PPG also has active Twitter @PetGuild and Instagram @PetProfessionalGuild accounts so head on over and connect with us there too. s And don’t forget to join the PPG Members' Facebook group if you haven’t already!

PPG Invites Members to Join Facebook Live Sessions

PPG Cat Committee Invites Members to Call-In Lounges

W

T

ould you like to join PPG President Niki Tudge and other PPG members to discuss important educational topics on Facebook?

Just fill out this short form to get it scheduled and share your knowledge and experience.

Check PPG Members' Facebook group for further details and to join live sessions.

8

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

he Call­In Lounge hosted by the PPG Cat Committee takes place on a web­based platform once a month, in the middle of the month (whichever week includes the 15th and usually on a Wednesday or Thursday). Timings alternate between late afternoons and evenings at around 8 p.m. (ET) and topics include specific topics chosen by the group, case studies, and open discussions. Please check the PPG All about Cats Facebook group for further details.

n e w s Geek Week 2020: Complete List of Event Prize Winners Morning Update Prizes Morning Update 1 Q1: Alisa Sannikova & Susan Land ­ 2x $50 PPG Webinars Q2: Alisa Sannikova & Marta Young ­ 2x $25 PPG Webinars Q3: Dawn Goehring ­ $25 PPG Webinars Morning Update 2 Q1: Veronika Spivak ­ Trust Centred Training Course Value $395 Q2: Aida Garcia ­ Bag of 15 tug toys Best Dog on the Block Q3: Jude Tuttleby ­ $25 off Loyalty Treats + a book from the Polite Paws Online Book Shop Morning Update 3 Major Prize: Aida Garcia ­ DogNostics: Canine Enrichment Technician Certificate Q1: Aida Garcia ­ 2 medium Snuffle Mats & 10 Snuffle Puffs Q2: Jude Tuttleby ­ Book from Polite Paws On­ line Book Shop, How to Love Your Teenage Dog & 10 PPGA Clickers Q3: Veronika Spivak ­ $75 PPG Webinar Voucher + Boredom Buster Foraging Pack Morning Update 4 Major Prize: Aida Garcia ­ DogNostics Dog Train­ ing Certificate Q1: Aida Garcia ­ Happier Healing Certification Program + Travel Bowl & Collar (Business Insur­ ers of the Carolinas) Q2: Jude Tuttleby ­ Happier Healing Certification Program & Wobbler from Busy Paws Q3: Melanie Skornsek ­ Happier Healing Certifi­ cation Program + Boredom Buster Foraging Pack from Pet Remedy Quiz Quiz & More Prizes USA Prize – Bag of 15 Snuffle Puffs – Best Dog on the Block ­ Nancy Weller Australia Prize – Hard copy of How to Love & Survive Your Teenage Dog by Barbara Hodel, Good Dog ­ Jude Tuttleby UK/Europe Prize – Boredom Buster Foraging Kit – Pet Remedy ­ Veronika Spivak USA Prize – Set of 4 small snuffle mats – Best Dog on the Block ­ Angel Rowe Australia Prize ­ $25 off Loyalty Pets – Loyalty Pets ­ Jude Tuttleby UK/Europe – $25 PPG Webinar Voucher ­ Rachel Sheppard USA Prize – Travel Bowl & Collar – Insurers of the Carolinas ­ Dawn Goehring Australia Prize ­ 10 PPGA Clickers ­ PPGA ­ No Winner UK/Europe ­ Boredom Buster Foraging Kit ­ Pet Remedy ­ Veronika Spivak USA Prize ­ TransPaw Gear Harness ­ TransPaw ­ Sara Marshall Australia Prize ­ Hard copy of How to Love & Sur‐ vive Your Teenage Dog by Barbara Hodel, Good Dog ­ Jude Tuttleby UK/Europe Prize ­ $25 PPG Webinar Voucher ­ Rachel Sheppard International ­ PDA Instructor Program ­ Aida Garcia International ­ $50 PPG Webinar Voucher ­ Dawn Goehring International ­ PDA Instructor Program ­ Veronika Spivak International ­ $50 PPG Webinar Voucher ­ Rachel Sheppard International ­ $50 discount Geek Week 2021 ­ Veronika Spivak

International ­ $50 discount Geek Week 2021 ­ Aida Garcia International ­ $100 discount Geek Week 2021 ­ Veronika Spivak International ­ $100 discount Geek Week 2021 ­ Sara Marshall Caption That First: Teisha Mason ­ Voucher for free course Dog Mindset, the Hidden Side of Dog Training & a Boredom Buster Foraging Pack Second: Kitty Lee ­ Money off voucher for course Understanding Dog Food + signed copy of Char‐ lie by Lisa Tenzin Dolma Third: Jude Tuttleby ­ Money off voucher for course Understanding Dog Food Fourth Prize: Sam Kelley ­ £25 Gift voucher for Pick Pockets Top Nerd First: Veronika Spivak ­ 1 free ticket to Geek Week 2021, $150 voucher for DogNostics pro­ grams + a Doggone Safe Be a Tree Presenter Kit Second: Kitty Lee ­ $100 voucher for DogNostics programs, the Doggone Safe Mobile Training Kit and a free 12­ month individual membership in Doggone Safe Third: Jude Tuttleby ­ $100 voucher DogNostics programs+ Doggone Safe Mobile Training Kit Page Turner First: Alisa Sannikova ­ Signed copy of Wag: The Science of Making Your Dog Happy by Zazie Todd + limited­edition Wag pin Runners Up ­ each receive an E­copy How to Love & Survive Your Teenage Dog by Barbara Hodel A. Angel Rowe B. Malani Skornsek C. Dawn Goehring Runners Up ­ each receive a Boredom Buster Foraging Pack from Pet Remedy A. Tawny Sewell B. Jude Tuttleby C. Nancy Jacobsen Canine Arthritis Management (CAM) First: Melani Skornsek ­ CAM Advocate Course Second: Debbie Goodwin ­ CAM Advocate Course Third: Veronika Spivak ­ CAM Advocate Course Look Who’s Talking First: Alisa Sannikova ­ ILLIS Advanced Animal Training Course ­ Dr. Karolina Westlund Second: Melani Skornsek ­ CAM Advocate Course Third: Kitty Lee ­ ACE Adolescence Online Course – Animal Centred Education Runners Up A. Teisha Mason ­ The Great Courses Dog Train­ ing 101 DVD ­ Academy for Dog Trainers B. Dawn Goehring ­ Calm, Cool, and Collected: Transform Your Pestering Jumper into a Courte­ ous Canine Course ­ Doggy Geeks University C. Heidi Okuhara ­ 45­minute online session with Irith Bloom: The Sophisticated Dog Doggone Safe First: Frania Shelley‐Grielen ­ Membership of TeamNostics Second: Alisa Sannikova ­ Dog Bite Prevention Educator Program

Third: Skye Anderson ­ Deluxe Digital Be a Tree Program Runners Up ­ each receive the Doggone Safe Mobile Training Kit A. Veronika Spivak B. Kitty Lee C. Debbie Clover Figuring Out Felines First: Stefanie Bruninghaus ­ Membership of TeamNostics Second: Kitty Lee ­ PPG Webinar Voucher $200 Third: Alisa Sannikova ­ PPG Webinar Voucher $100 Who Have We Got Ear? First: Melani Skorsnek ­ DogNostics Canine En­ richment Technician Certification Second: Dawn Goehring ­ Be a Tree Basic Pre­ senter Kit Doggone Safe Third: Kitty Lee ­ Boredom Buster Foraging Pack from Pet Remedy DogNostics Nerd Up First: Veronika Spivak ­ Life membership to TeamNostics Second: Pat Miller ­ $500 gift voucher certificate towards any program or combination of pro­ grams at DogNostics Third: Susan Land ­ DogNostics Choice of Canine Enrichment Technician Certification OR Happier Healing Certification program Aussie Trivia First: Dawn Goehring ­ DogNostics Behavior Diploma Program Second: Kitty Lee ­ DogNostics Canine Enrich­ ment Technician Certificate Third: Veronika Spivak ­ 1 year free PPG Aus­ tralia webinars Fourth: Beth Hrnciar ­ Be a Tree Basic Presenter Kit – Doggone Safe Bites from BARKS First: Alisa Sannikova ­ DogNostics Dog Behavior Diploma Program Second: Veronika Spivak ­ Dog Bite Prevention Educator Program Doggone Safe Third: Teisha Mason ­ Black & white pencil por­ trait ­ Noel Hodson Art Scavenger Hunt First: Veronika Spivak ­ DogNostics Dog Behavior Diploma Program Second: Alisia Sannikova ­ DogNostics Pet First Aid Certification Program Third: Jude Tuttleby ­ DogNostics Dog Bite Pre­ vention Educator Program + $30 Pet Tutor Gift Certificate Peekaboonana Special Banana 1: Veronika Spivak ­ £250 voucher for ISCP course + $25 Dogwise gift cer­ tificate + $75 Pet Tutor gift certificate, special limited­edition banana T­shirt Special Banana 2: Dawn Goehring ­ dog*biz cur­ riculum package of choice + $25 Dogwise gift certificate + donation of a harness by 2 Hounds Design to favorite rescue or shelter, special lim­ ited­edition banana T­shirt Runner Up 1: Alisa Sannikova ­ dog*biz course of choice + $25 Dogwise gift certificate Runner Up 2: Melanie Skornsek ­ $100 2 Hound Design gift certificate + Boredom Buster Forag­ ing Kit from Pet Remedy

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

9

n e w s PPG Names September Project Trade Ambassador

C

ongratulations to Emily Blythe of Homeward Bound Animal Behavior & Training, LLC in Wisconsin, USA for trading one shock collar and who has been named Project Trade Ambassador for September 2020.

Congratulations too to Brandi Schoenthaler of Cornerstone Dog Train­ ing, LLC in Colorado, USA for trading one prong collar.

Find out more about how Project Trade can help your business in Helping Dogs, Helping Families, BARKS from the Guild, March 2017, pp.20‐25.

Project Trade is an international opt‐in advocacy program for PPG members that promotes the use of force‐free training equipment by asking pet guardians to trade choke, prong and shock collars (and any other aversive de‐ vices). Sign up today!

Emily Blythe traded one shock collar (left), while Brandi Schoenthaler traded one prong collar (right) under the Project Trade program in September.

- Listen on the Anchor Platform

B

ARKS Podcasts are now available on the Anchor platform from where you can select your preferred app to listen any time or download. Make sure you follow BARKS Podcasts on whichever app you choose so you can stay updated with new releases. In the most recent podcasts, join PPG president Niki Tudge as she chats to: December 4, 2020: PPG Feline Committee chair, Paula Garber and vice­chair, Tabitha Kucera about all things feline. Topics range from pet cats and veteri­ nary visits, to what we know we don’t know about cats, and to feral cats and the myths about cat colonies. The trio also spend some time talking about all the great things the Feline Committee is doing, including the popular Cat Lounge!

October 3, 2020: Louise Ginman, president of The Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Australia, one of the co­hosting organizations for Geek Week, discussing Louise’s Geek Week presentations: My Dog Has Cancer: Navigating Cancer from a Pet Parent’s Perspective; and Home Alone Program for Pup­ pies and Dogs of All Ages.

October 2, 2020: Debra Millikan of PPG Australia discussing the Pet Profes­ sional Accreditation Board and the Pet Dog Ambassador program.

September 9, 2020: Veronica Sanchez of Cooperative Paws Service Dog Edu­ cation discussing the service dog industry, public access dogs, and the con­ cept of at­home service dogs, as well as her new program, Mobility Task Training How­To’s.

You can find older podcasts in the BARKS Podcasts Library and on PPG’s YouTube and Vimeo channels. If you would like to be a guest on a BARKS Podcast, please contact Louise Stapleton‐Frappell for more details.

Business Referrals from PPG Website

A

re you getting referrals from your PPG member listing? PPG fields several inquiries each day that its sends in the direction of its mem­ bers. But it helps if your profile is correctly set up. So please visit the PPG website and log in to the members’ area, then click ‘view,’ ‘edit pro­ file,’ and make sure of the following: • Your website and your full address are listed.

• You identify which services you provide.

• Your logo or an identifying picture is in place.

GPS systems need a full address to ensure you will come up in the PPG Zip Code Search, so if your listing is missing a street, a number, a zip code, or a town you will not show. If you prefer your address not to be in the public domain, you can make it private in your profile by editing your settings, but it does need to be there so people can find you in the database.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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n e w s Earn Your CEUs via PPG’s Webinars, Workshops and Educational Summits!

Webinars

PPG Webinars On Demand

Taking the Lead: dogbiz Tips for Making 2021 Your Best Year Yet. Presented by Veronica Boutelle Tuesday, January 12, 2021 / 1 p.m. (EST)

Listen any time!

Business Planning Basics I. Presented by Joan Hunter Mayer Monday, January 25, 2021 / 7 p.m. (EST) Genetics of Dog Aggression. Presented by Dr. Jessica Hekman Thursday, January 28, 2021 / 4 p.m. (EST) Business Planning Basics II: Diving Deeper and Developing Your Plan. Presented by Joan Hunter Mayer Monday, February 1, 2021 / 7 p.m. (EST) Business Planning Basics III: Creating a Final Plan and Pitch.

Presented by Joan Hunter Mayer Monday, February 8, 2021 / 7 p.m. (EST) Business Planning Basics IV: The Pitch. Presented by Joan Hunter Mayer Monday, February 22, 2021 / 7 p.m. (EST)

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Educational Summits PPG Summit 2021 (Phoenix, Arizona) Friday, September 17 ­ Tuesday, September 21, 2021 PPG Geek Week 2021(Virtual) Saturday, November 13 ­ Wednesday, November 17, 2021 Note: All dates and times are correct at time of going to press but are subject to change. Please check PPG website for an updated list of all events, workshops and webinars, as well as discounted and on‐demand webinars.

SPECIAL NOTICE: PPG is still offering a range of services to support members and their businesses during the current pandemic. These include free member webinars, Facebook Live sessions offering business and marketing advice in the PPG members’ Facebook group, virtual PPG Social events, and more. Check listings in the PPG Members' Facebook group for event dates and times. See also the Business Contingency Planning section in the Members’ Area of the PPG website.

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c o v e r

Reducing Fear – and the Importance of Choice

Associate Prof. Karolina Westlund discusses the roles of systematic desensitization, counterconditioning and habituation in the process of fear reduction, applied specifically to examples such as visiting the veterinarian and noise phobias, as well as why giving animals choices in training can aid in reducing fear levels and improving overall well-being

Š Can Stock Photo / evdohaspb

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

c o v e r

I

collaborate with a vet who claims that many of the dogs who visit her facility are so eager to get inside the door that they pull their owners by the leash all the way from the parking lot. Her secret?

Counterconditioning (CC).

Counterconditioning is one of the most important techniques in ani­ mal training (arguably top five). Simply put, ‘conditioning’ means ‘learn­ ing’ and ‘counter’ means ‘opposite.’ Relearning might be another way of putting it. Practically speaking, it’s about changing someone’s learned associations.

An example! Let’s say we have a dog, who’s started trembling and panting whenever she arrives to the vet’s office. She has probably learned to associate the vet’s office with aversive events. Strange sounds and smells. Unfamiliar people looming. Needles poking. A string of events that ends up with something painful… Most animals will learn these predictors. This is one type of classical conditioning, learning that certain events predict things the animal would rather avoid (just like Pavlov’s dogs drooled when they learned that bells predicted things they really wanted).

Some animals may start showing behaviors indicative of a fear re­ sponse at the first stimulus in such a predictive chain, and some even resort to defensive aggression in their attempts to escape the situation – which could be very risky for all parties involved.

Counterconditioning is about relearning. Typically, rather than pre­ dicting pain, the animal learns that certain events predict outstanding free delicacies, delivered right under your nose. Let’s go back to our ex­ ample. Through counterconditioning, the dog now relearns that: • Strange sounds and smells – but followed by fabulous treats.

• Unfamiliar people looming – and then you get something that smells just wonderful!

• Needles poking – is that chicken liver? (or, if you’re a cat: whaaaat – tuna?!)

Counterconditioning is learning new associations, so that the animal starts looking forward to the sounds, smells, people and procedures since they precede fabulous goodies.

Studies have shown that counterconditioning may reduce the risk of defensive aggression in just a few training sessions. For example, one dog’s aggressive behaviors towards a stranger at the door (charging, lunging, barking, and biting) diminished from 88% of 30­second inter­ vals before training to 3% after counterconditioning training (Savage, 2010).

How to Perform Counterconditioning How do you do it, then? In theory, it’s easy. Start by identifying some fabulous treat – something that the animal really likes. Something spec­ tacular. Then feed small mouthfuls to the animal as soon as it has been exposed to a potentially scary stimulus. The fear­inducing stimulus should predict the arrival of something fabulous. After a few pairings (scary thing – fab food) the animal learns that one leads to the other.

She relearns that the potentially scary thing is actually not scary but a predictor of something spectacularly good.

Take a look at Dr. Sophia Yin counterconditioning a dog to actually enjoying something he initially thought aversive in the video Jack Rus­ sell Terrier (JRT) Aggression When Blowing in Face. Dr. Yin discusses – and dismisses – the common assumption that giving treats to animals while or after they’re aggressive inadvertently rewards, or reinforces, the behavior. Note that the animal doesn’t have to DO anything. In clas­

The combination of counterconditioning and systematic desensitization (SD/CC) is potentially the most powerful tool available in reducing or eliminating fear – in people as well as in animals.

Fig. 1: Counterconditioning - Three Scenarios

© Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting

sical counterconditioning, the potentially scary thing precedes the won­ derful treat – regardless of what the animal is doing.

In theory, counterconditioning is easy. In practice, unless you know what you’re doing, it is quite difficult. Actually, there are at least three ways in which counterconditioning can go wrong.

Problem One: Choosing the Wrong Procedure We sometimes mistake hyperarousal and happy/excited emotional states for fear. In such cases, presenting a stimulus that’s not scary, and then treats, might have little to no effect on the animal’s behavior – or even increase arousal. Such procedures might inadvertently reinforce whatever behavior is being shown, and solutions other than counter­ conditioning are called for.

Problem Two: Exposure above Conflict Threshold Let’s walk through this procedure. The animal is exposed to something potentially scary (and it might be scarier than you think). Step one. The animal is then exposed to something nice (and it might be less nice than you think). Step two. Through repeated pairings (step one­step two), the animal learns that the potentially scary thing is actually not scary at all but a predictor of nice things. So, two questions: How scary is the scary thing? And how nice is the nice thing?

The answers to those two questions are likely going to determine your success in counterconditioning.

If the scary thing is not so scary, and the nice thing is fabulous, counterconditioning will likely be successful. If the scary thing is really scary, and the nice thing is fabulous, the animal will be in conflict. If the scary thing is really scary, and the nice thing is not exactly spectacular, counterconditioning won’t work (see Fig 1, above).

The contrast between the scariness and fabulousness of the two re­ spective stimuli will determine the outcome.

• If the scary thing isn’t that bad, you can probably get away with less­than­fabulous treats and still countercondition successfully.

• At the other extreme, if the scary thing is scary enough, you won’t be able to countercondition successfully regardless of how fabulous your treats are.

• At some intermediate level, the animal gets into conflict. The scary thing is really scary, but the treats are really fabulous too, so the animal may eat the treats – but remain fearful.

The thing is to ensure that the level of scariness is below the conflict threshold – we don’t want the animal to overcome his fear, we want him to relearn: the potentially scary thing should become a predictor of great things.

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c o v e r Studies have shown that counterconditioning may reduce the risk of defensive aggression in just a few training sessions. For example, one dog’s aggressive behaviors towards a stranger at the door (charging, lunging, barking, and biting) diminished from 88% of 30-second intervals before training to 3% after counterconditioning training (Savage, 2010).

Classical Counterconditioning In classical counterconditioning, the animal doesn’t have to do anything in particular. Step one precedes step two (scary thing – treat) regardless of behavior. As we saw in Dr. Yin’s (2009) video, the air­in­the­face stim­ ulus preceded the treat. And meanwhile, what was the animal doing?

He was raising his lip, giving a warning signal. At least initially. Many people might think: “I don’t want to reward that. I’m going to wait until he stops. When the lip goes down, that’s when I’ll present the food.”

But that’s operant training, folks. That’s requiring the animal to perform a behavior in order to get reinforcement. Dr. Yin didn’t do that in her video, though. She just got the treat to him as soon as possible – despite his raised lip.

Counterconditioning is primarily about relearning predictors; its main purpose is not about relearning behavior. The dog isn’t learning that “if­I­ behave­politely­despite­air­in­the­face­I­get­treats;” he’s learning that “air­in­the­face­precedes­treats.” He’s learning a predictor. One stimulus predicting another – regardless of behavior. Classical conditioning. Or in this case, classical counterconditioning. Technically, Dr. Yin didn’t use the treat as a reinforcer for desired behavior, she used it as an unconditioned stimulus (the air­in­the­face being the conditioned stimulus).

The purpose of the exercise was not to get polite behavior, but to change the emotional state related to air­in­the­face. And once the emotional state changed, the behavioral manifestations changed too. So those warning signals disappeared, since the animal no longer feared air­in­the­face – he’s learned that it predicted treats! The dog stopped giving warning signals, because his emotional response to air­in­the­ face changed. © Can Stock Photo / evdohaspb

While it may sometimes be necessary to “control” animals (as in restricting their movement, their choices and their opportunities to control their environment through their behavior) for safety reasons, often it is not

Now, we might overestimate fabulousness, but I’d say that the main problem is that we often grossly underestimate scariness. This boils down to two things: • We fail to see or interpret the subtle signs of fearful body lan­ guage in our animals.

• We’re not afraid of whatever the animal is afraid of, so it doesn’t even occur to us that they might be fearful.

Animals are more easily frightened than people: they often react fearfully to novel stimuli or things that we can’t even perceive (smells or sounds, for instance). Or they might respond fearfully to things we wouldn’t ever consider scary – so we might dismiss their fears.

The thing is, if they are too fearful, they’ll either get into conflict, or they won’t take treats – and counterconditioning alone won’t work. I’ll get back to what to do about that in a minute, but first, the final main obstacle…

Problem Three: Asking for Behavior too Soon An additional problem is that people tend to use operant countercondi­ tioning rather than classical counterconditioning – and that’s risky if the animal is too fearful.

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Operant Counterconditioning But what does operant counterconditioning look like then, and why is it risky? It’s asking the animal to do something, show some behavior, in the presence of something potentially scary – and get rewarded for it. It might be “sit” on cue. Touch a target. Perform some trick. In an environ­ ment containing stimuli that might be aversive. This is often done later in the counterconditioning procedure. Once classical countercondition­ ing is achieved, we may ask the animal to perform a behavior in the presence of the previously scary thing, to ensure that it is, in fact, no longer scary, and the animal feels confident enough to respond to the trainer’s cues in its presence. Failure to respond to such cues may indi­ cate that there’s some residual anxiety, perhaps. So, classical counter­ conditioning procedures are sometimes followed by operant counterconditioning.

The problem occurs when people start doing operant countercondi­ tioning too soon. They might require that the animal *not* balk, rear, vocalize, or lift the lip in warning. So they might present the scary thing, and when the animal balks, they withhold the treat, hoping that he’ll stop soon so they can deliver the treat. And if the animal keeps balking or showing other unwanted behavior, the treat doesn’t appear at all. So, rather than learning that the scary­thing­predicts­treats, the animal learns that in­this­context­scary­things­happen. And so, he might sensi­ tize, and escalate the undesirable behavior.

c o v e r Sidestepping the Problems

Fig. 2: Habituation

What to do then? Combine counterconditioning with another technique – systematic desensitization (SD): gradually introducing the scary thing.

The combination of counterconditioning and systematic desensitiza­ tion (SD/CC) is potentially the most powerful tool available in reducing or eliminating fear – in people as well as in animals. If you present the potentially scary thing, and the animal shows some unwanted fear­re­ lated behavior: • Deliver the treat regardless (so that he still learns that scary­ things­predict­treats).

• In the next repetition, reduce the exposure of the scary thing below the conflict threshold (so that he doesn’t show any de­ tectable signs of unease).

Note that the procedure of creating a positive association with the veterinary visit is best done even before animals develop fears. Strictly speaking, it might not even be “counter” conditioning or relearning if the animal isn’t afraid to begin with, just “plain” classical conditioning (Pavlov’s drooling dogs again) – but such preventive learning is very powerful in buffering against later fears developing.

The vet should be able to offer a vast assortment of fabulous treats, in order to bring about this important learning. And many modern ani­ mal trainers actually expand the procedure to include giving the animal the option of giving the go­ahead, effectively communicating, “yes I’m ready to be exposed to the scary thing.” Giving the animal control, as it were.

Habituation So now you know that I promote counterconditioning (or relearning) as one of the best techniques to reduce fear in the veterinary clinic. You might be thinking: “Aaaaw, that’s too much of a hassle, there’s no time.

Why not just grab the animal, do what needs to be done, and with time, the animal will get used to it? It will habituate.”

There are four reasons why I don’t think that’s a good idea: • If it works, it’s a slow process.

• Meanwhile, you risk injury in staff handling the animal and difficulty in diagnosis.

• You run the risk of sensitization (the animal becoming succes­ sively more fearful).

• You risk confusing successful habituation with learned help­ lessness (animals giving up; a potentially pathological reac­ tion).

Stimuli could be rated according to valence (whether they’re pleas­ ant/unpleasant) and range from super­nice to super­nasty in how they are perceived by the animal. What the animal actually thinks is unob­ servable, but behavior will give us a cue – let’s assume behavior corre­ lates to valence, and look at one end of this continuum for a while. For starters, sometimes it’s hard to know where on this scale different stim­ uli would rate. For some individual animals, moving through a crowded reception room may be really really aversive, for others less so, or not at all (see Fig. 2, top right).

Habituation is simply exposing the animal to some stimulus until they stop responding. Conceptualized in our valence continuum, habitu­ ation brings stimuli to neutral over time or with repeated exposure, sim­ ply by exposure. What we actually observe is the animal reacting less and less to it. Habituation may occur with stimuli that are initially really aversive, or with stimuli that are not so aversive to begin with.

The first two problems are clear from Fig 2: if we’re early in the process, the stimuli are aversive and behaviors will reflect that. Dogs may growl, cats may scratch, parrots may bite. Or worse. Even though later they may stop responding, the initial exposures are risky and it may be difficult to properly examine (and thus diagnose) the animal.

What’s even more important is that it’s sort of like a lottery. Though ha­ bituation is one potential outcome of repeated exposure, sensitization

© Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting

Fig. 3: Sensitization

© Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting

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c o v e r is more likely in the vet clinic. Third Problem.

In sensitization, stimuli become more aversive over time. If the ani­ mal sensitizes, what you’ll notice is that she starts responding more rather than less, over time or with repeated exposure (see Fig. 3, bot‐ tom right on previous page).

Crucial Differences between Habituation and Sensitization Though they seem like two sides of the same coin, they’re not. Sensiti­ zation and habituation are different in a few ways: • Habituation is slow, sensitization is potentially fast. Generally animals learn quicker about potentially dangerous stimuli.

• Habituation doesn’t generalize, sensitization does. Animals start reacting to other stimuli than the one that originally trig­ gered the response.

• Habituation isn’t multimodal, sensitization tends to be. Ani­ mals start reacting to other sensory stimuli than the original one: they get sensitive to noise, touch, visual input, etc.

The problem is that it’s hard to predict whether an animal will habit­ uate or sensitize to a given stimulus. Some animals may sensitize even to not­so­aversive stimuli, others will not.

Judging by studies on how fear develops in animals visiting the vet­ erinary clinic, the majority sensitize rather than habituate: dogs with previous negative experiences are more fearful than dogs with only pos­ itive previous experiences; older animals are more fearful than younger animals (Döring et al., 2009).

I am assuming here that we can tell by the animal’s behavior how aversive a situation is. But sometimes we can’t. Sometimes animals may stop struggling and meekly accept handling because they’ve learned that resistance is futile. This is a potentially serious stress syndrome called learned helplessness. The fourth problem with attempting habit­ uation in the vet clinic is thus telling successful habituation from learned helplessness. Based on these thoughts, I’d advise against simply “getting it done” in the veterinary clinic. Habituation alone won’t work. Rather, I would suggest counterconditioning to reduce fear at the vet’s.

But, despite these shortcomings – there is still a nugget of gold hid­ den in the process of habituation. It’s a version of habituation called sys­ tematic desensitization (SD), which I mentioned earlier.

Fig. 4: Systematic Desensitization

© Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting

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Judging by studies on how fear develops in animals visiting the veterinary clinic, the majority sensitize rather than habituate: dogs with previous negative experiences are more fearful than dogs with only positive previous experiences; older animals are more fearful than younger animals (Döring et al., 2009).

Systematic Desensitization Systematic desensitization (see Fig. 4, bottom left) is an essential part of your toolbox to reduce and eliminate fear.

Systematic Desensitization = Graduated Exposure and Relaxation Let’s go back to the habituation model and look at what happens if rather than introducing a very aversive stimulus head on (the red circle on the upper right in Fig. 4), we start out by introducing it at a very low intensity, where we basically don’t see the animal responding all that much to it (the green circle to the lower left in Fig. 4).

Say you want to habituate the animal to a stimulus that you suspect is really aversive. Say, having nails clipped. In systematic desensitization, the animal is exposed to low­intensity levels of the stimulus. Gradually, over time, the exposure level is increased until finally the stimulus is in­ troduced at full exposure, including perhaps a level that would originally have been very aversive. At each exposure level, the animal should ini­ tially not be over threshold, and relax completely before moving to the next level (see Fig. 4).

What might work is this: starting with low­intensity versions of the stimulus, allow the animal to become accustomed to it. For instance, simply handling feet, or paws, or talons (or even just holding your hand several feet away from the foot, paw or talon). Since you’re choosing an exposure that the animal isn’t reacting much to, you won’t see any fear response.

After a while, the animal relaxes (e.g. in Fig. 4, the green dot would gradually turn neutral over time). Once the animal isn’t even reacting to this first step, move on.

This relaxation is one of the key features of SD. At every step of the way, the stimulus turns neutral, so the animal stops responding to it. Note that if you’re only using SD, the stimulus becomes neutral, not nice (unlike when you’re using countercondi­ tioning, which is often done in combination with SD).

Present the stimulus again, only a little bit closer, or louder, or more intense. For instance, look­ ing at the clipper from a distance, or listening to the sounds it makes – from a distance. Allow the animal to habituate – again, look for relaxation. Don’t move on until the animal is completely relaxed with this level of intensity.

Then gradually increase the stimulus exposure.

In the case of nail clipping, you might start with sim­ ply tapping the nails with the clipper. If the animal starts to show signs of tension, you might be ad­ vancing too quickly. The trick with systematic desen­ sitization is going really slowly, perhaps taking several days or weeks. Exposure should barely be in­ tense enough for the animal to notice the stimulus initially. It’s time to increase exposure once the ani­ mal is relaxed and no longer pays attention to the

c o v e r

© Can Stock Photo / vilma3000

An SD/CC protocol to teach a cat to remain relaxed and accept the administration of an injection may be broken down into multiple steps

…giving control to the animal doesn’t mean that the whole training session goes haywire. Rather, it shifts the nature of the interaction from an authoritarian focus on obedience to one centered on collaboration.

stimulus at the current level. Finally, you clip the nail. Ideally, the animal actually doesn’t respond to the stimulus. This is called graduated expo­ sure, and it’s a key feature of SD. It’s also when people often go wrong, advancing too quickly (or not awaiting relaxation).

SD reduces the risk of sensitization and the other potential pitfalls of habituation. With SD, potentially scary events are introduced gradu­ ally, allowing the animal to recover in between. Rather than overwhelm­ ing the animal with a new procedure, it is introduced in small steps, all the while staying below threshold. You should be looking closely at the animal for signs indicating that she’s troubled. If she seems uncomfort­ able, you’re moving too fast.

Ideally, in systematic desensitization, the animal should stay more or less unaffected by the procedure. Yes, it’s kinda boring. Obviously, this would be impossible in painful procedures if all you’re doing is SD – SD alone works best with small fears, and unfortunately is no guarantee that sensitization won’t occur after all.

SD reduced the frequency of destructive separation­related behavior in dogs to one quarter of baseline rates – and the level of intensity of these behaviors were reduced to less than half of levels seen prior to training (Butler et al., 2011).

Although SD is a useful technique in a number of settings, it takes time, so used as a standalone procedure it’s probably not appropriate in many cases, such as in the veterinary clinic. It is most often combined with counterconditioning (CC) in such settings.

Fear of Fireworks

SD/CC

One recent development is using SD in treating canine noise phobias.

Certain classical piano pieces have been found to have a calming effect on 80% dogs (and yes, cats may also be calmed by specific cat­music!).

Once the animal is in a relaxed state, offensive sounds such as fireworks or thunder are gradually introduced, masked by the soothing music. For instance, in these listening samples, low level fireworks are masked in a Gounoud piece, intermediate levels in an arabesque by Karganoff, and higher levels in a waltz by Beethoven. These samples are from the Ca­ nine Noise Phobia treatment developed by dog trainer Victoria Stilwell in collaboration with concert pianist Lisa Spector and sound researcher Joshua Leeds. Note that the music is used in combination with other techniques (see Resources).

SD has been shown to potentially be a critical element in treating separation­related destructive behavior in dogs. One study found that

The combination of counterconditioning and systematic desensitization (SD/CC) is potentially the most powerful tool available in reducing or eliminating fear – in people as well as in animals. The combination pro­ cedure is called SD/CC, DS/CC or CC/D depending on who you’re talking to; some people skip the first word of SD and only talk about desensiti­ zation. The procedure looks the same, though: after each exposure to the stimulus, the animal gets something it really likes.

The basic SD/CC to teach a cat to accept an injection may look like this – note that there may be up to 20 intermediate steps between each of these (for instance, when introducing the needle): • Stroking the cat, then giving it some tuna.

• Stroking more firmly – more tuna.

• Lifting the skin – tuna again.

• Pinching – tuna.

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c o v e r

© Can Stock Photo / sonjachnuj

© Can Stock Photo / rozum

Sensitization is a huge risk when exposing animals to a frightening stimulus; the combined procedure of SD/CC reduces the risk of sensitization better than either procedure on its own

Giving animals control, thereby empowering them to make their own choices, has many advantages, including reducing fear and improving mental well­ being

• Needle prick – tuna.

• Injection – tuna…

But remember, do not move on to the next step until you see that the animal is completely comfortable and at ease at the current step (the relaxation part of SD) and is looking for the tuna (showing signs of learning the association: CC). In short, this type of procedure is typically not done in one single session but over several training sessions.

Some trainers will let the animal have access to the food preceding and during all handling, rather than just after each handling bout is initi­ ated. That works too and may be a good choice when there’s little time and the process needs to be performed quickly. Beware that the pres­ ence of food before handling starts may be a distraction so the animal could potentially be unaware of the handling and may react violently if surprised. In the procedure I’ve described above, the animal actually learns that the initiation of handling happens before and therefore pre­ dicts treats.

The combination procedure SD/CC is a very powerful tool in both preventing and reducing fear and is more efficient than either proce­ dure carried out alone.

Sensitization is a huge risk when exposing animals to a frightening stimulus, and the combined procedure reduces the risk of sensitization better than either SD or CC alone. Also, without SD it would be difficult to countercondition an animal to intensely frightening stimuli – when they’re over threshold (too aroused) they’re not that receptive to treats.

Gradually building up the exposure, and all the while repeating the association with treats – even in animals who are not fearful to begin with, builds up a Conditioned Emotional Response (known as a CER):

the animal starts looking forward to the procedure. More importantly, establishing such a routine will to some extent protect the animal from becoming afraid on future exposures, through the process of Latent In­ hibition (learning something isn’t frightening inhibits fear learning re­ garding that particular something, later on).

So, will this work every time, with every animal? Unfortunately, no. In the case of cats and veterinary visits, only about half the cats actually ac­ cept food at the vet’s. In such cases, other techniques can be used to re­ duce the risk of the animal becoming more fearful. Preventing fear is a lot easier than curing it – and the SD/CC procedure should be ideally be used before the animal develops any fear­related behavior in the vet clinic.

We sometimes mistake hyperarousal and happy/excited emotional states for fear. In such cases, presenting a stimulus that’s not scary, and then treats, might have little to no effect on the animal’s behavior – or even increase arousal.

Such procedures might inadvertently reinforce whatever behavior is being shown, and solutions other than counterconditioning are called for.

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Fig. 5

c o v e r Animals are more easily frightened than people: they often react fearfully to novel stimuli or things that we can’t even perceive (smells or sounds, for instance). Or they might respond fearfully to things we wouldn’t ever consider scary – so we might dismiss their fears.

In the video Teaching a Cat to Accept Injections, Monique Feyrechilde starts by explaining SD/CC and, at 2:31 minutes into the video, she explains the steps she will take to teach the 14­year­old cat Ziggy to accept injections of Adequan for his arthritis, to be given twice a week initially. Feyrechilde takes advantage of the observation that cats easily associate noises to future events, so she uses the sound of the sy­ ringe wrapper to countercondition Ziggy as the first step before even touching him (low level systematic desensitization). Also, note how she verifies that the food she’s intending to use to countercondition the handling actually has value to the cat. Notice how she starts each han­ dling bout by initiating handling first and then presenting the food: han­ dling precedes food (with overlap, so feeding continues as long as handling does).

Start Button Behaviors Modern animal trainers are starting to combine the SD/CC procedure with “Start Button Behaviors” – allowing the animal to initiate the expo­ sure to the potentially scary thing herself. As far as I know, there’s no scientific data yet to demonstrate the added benefit of this twist in the procedure, but there’s no doubt in my mind that it gives tremendous added value.

Sometimes you have to “control” animals (as in restricting their movement, their choices and their opportunities to control their envi­ ronment through their behavior) for safety reasons. Obviously. But often you don’t – and more often than you might think. The trend in modern animal training is to deliberately and strategically shift control from the handler to the animal, while still staying safe (see Fig. 5, bot‐ tom right on previous page).

In the video Horse Hoof Lift, it was the first time I witnessed a so­ called “Yes­Target” or a Start Button Behavior. Quoquette (horse) initi­ ates the hoof lift. In Fig. 5, this corresponds to the animal initiating the trials in the training session. She presses the start button, as it were: • Quoquette touches the bucket with her nose, indicating that she’s ready.

• Hedvig (trainer) then offers her hand in re­ sponse to Quo­ quette’s signal.

Giving animals choices changes the nature of an interaction from an authoritarian focus on obedience to one centered on collaboration

© Can Stock Photo / michaeljung

• •

Quoquette lifts her hoof.

Hedvig holds on for a few seconds, sounds the clicker, re­ leases, and gives a food treat.

Giving control to the animal – or the illusion of control – has many advantages, including reducing fear and improving well­being. This con­ cept of agency, of being capable of acting, making choices, and resolving problems, is of huge importance, for animals as well as humans. Em­ powerment has direct and measurable health benefits. And, paradoxi­ cally, by giving control to the animal rather than restricting choice and control, the situation often turns out safer, since the animal is less fear­ ful and less likely to switch into defensive aggression.

Lastly, giving control to the animal doesn’t mean that the whole training session goes haywire. Rather, it shifts the nature of the interac­ tion from an authoritarian focus on obedience to one centered on col­ laboration. Or, as Chirag Patel (2018) so succinctly puts it: "Training is no longer something we do to animals but something we do with animals.

It is a conversation. We want participation rather than compliance." n

References Butler, R., Sargisson, R.J., & Elliffe, D. (2011). The efficacy of systematic desensitization for treating the separation-related problem behaviour of domestic dogs. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 129 2–4 136-145 Döring, D., Roscher, A., Scheipl, F., Küchenhoff, H., & Erhard, M.H. (2009). Fear-related behaviour of dogs in veterinary practice. The Veterinary Journal 182 1 38-43 Feyrechilde, M. (2011, July 1). Teaching a Cat to Accept Injections [Video File] ICalmPet. (n.d.). Beethoven Dream Waltz [Audio File]. CNP Fireworks ICalmPet. (n.d.). Gounod Berceuse [Audio File]. CNP Fireworks ICalmPet. (n.d.). Karganoff Arabesque [Audio File]. CNP Fireworks Illis ABC. (2017). Horse Hoof Lift [Video File] Patel, C. (2018). (In Nilson, S.) Lecture Notes: What They Said.

BARKS from the Guild (31) 12-13 Savage, K. E. (2010). A Comparison of Classical Counterconditioning and Differential Reinforcement of Alternative Behavior on Aggressive Behavior in Dogs. Applied Behavioral Science Dissertations and Theses, University of Kansas. Kansas, KS: KU ScholarWorks Yin, S. (2009, March 16). Jack Russell Terrier (JRT) Aggression When Blowing in Face | drsophiayin.com [Video File] Resources Positively Victoria Stilwell. (2011). Introducing the Canine Noise Phobia Series!

Associate Prof. Karolina Westlund of Illis Animal Behaviour Consulting helps pet parents and animal professionals attain happier animals that thrive in the care of humans. She grew up pining for a kitten and pestered her parents until they finally gave in. The resulting black, green-eyed, half-Siamese cat she got for her 7th birthday became a true friend who lived to be 21 years old but was an easily startled cat who often went into hiding when there were visitors.

While she had grand ideas about becoming a field biologist, instead she majored in ethology and developed a passionate interest in animal welfare as seen through a multidisciplinary lens, including behavior analysis and affective neuroscience. She is now an associate professor of ethology at the University of Stockholm, Sweden where she mainly teaches about how behavior management can be used to improve animal welfare. She also conducts live seminars, free online webinars and masterclasses in addition to more extensive courses, as well as the occasional scientific publication on the topic of enrichment, animal training and well-being.

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c a n i n e

Itchy Dog or Stressed Dog? Dr. Naomi D. Harvey discusses the role of stress in skin allergies and the corresponding potential impact on behavior

© Can Stock Photo / Colecanstock

T

he relationship between stress, behavior and animal health is com­ plex and varied. Chronic, long­term stress interacts in various ways with personality type, behavior and immune health in both people and nonhuman animals. It’s not often straightforward to decipher which causes which when we evaluate chronic stress and health, however.

Links between Stress, Behavior and Health An animal’s behavior can impact aspects of its physiology, such as its im­ mune system, and conversely, the animal’s physiology and immune sys­ tem can affect its behavior. According to Lopes (2017) the links between immune health and behavior can be grouped into three categories: 1)

Behavioral traits affecting immune traits: An example of this would be increased exploratory behavior leading to increased exposure to immune antigens or access to a wider variety of food, impacting nutrition and the gut microbiome.

2)

Immune traits affect behavior: For example, by triggering ex­ pression of sickness behavior.

3)

Something else that affects one can simultaneously affect the other: This is when another event causes changes to both the immune response and behavior.

Stress (physical and psychological) is one of those things that falls into the third category. Stress disrupts homeostasis (the complex functions through which the body self­regulates to maintain a stable state suitable for survival), and this disruption can affect both the immune system and

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The results of the study by author Dr. Harvey and colleagues support acceptance of their hypothesis that dogs with skin allergies would exhibit more problem behaviors, lower scores for trainability and no differences for generic fearful or environmentally anxious behavior

behavior. Normally, this disruption is short­lived and adaptive, as the changes to homeostasis and alterations to behavior may help an animal to escape or deal with a stressor (such as a predator or environmental challenge). This form of adaptive stress is known as eustress. However, when stress becomes long­term, homeostasis is altered for longer than is adaptive and leads to distress.

Chronic stress (distress) is implicated as a risk factor in a number of health conditions from cancer to heart disease (Maddock & Pariante, 2001) and in people, chronic stress is also a factor in the development of various psychopathologies such as clinical depression and post­trau­ matic stress disorder (Marin et al., 2011).

Stress and the Skin Skin conditions have long been considered to be indicators of psycho­ logical distress although only recently has evidence for this begun to ac­ crue. A growing number of research studies now provide evidence that emotional stress is linked to skin conditions such as atopic dermatitis.

Some of this research suggests that emotional stress can cause im­ pairments to the skin barrier. Research conducted with mouse models has shown that emotional stress from social isolation can disrupt skin barrier function, and that this disruption can be reversed with anxiolyt­ ics (Denda et al., 1998, 2000). In people, undergraduate students have been shown to exhibit impaired skin barrier function during times of heightened psychological stress, and improved skin barrier function dur­ ing times of reduced psychological stress (Garg et al., 2001). The impli­ cations of these findings suggest that emotional stress could be an inducer of impaired skin barrier function, which for animals that suffer from inflammatory skin conditions suggests that emotional stress could

canine precede or worsen flare­ups in their condition. An individual’s personal­ ity type (defined as consistent between individual differences in behav­ ior), could also influence how they cope with stress, which may put them at more or less risk of developing stress­induced conditions.

While the research discussed above suggests that stress can directly impact skin health, stress is also related to skin health in the other direc­ tion. It has been suggested that when animals are injured or diseased, they may be more likely to respond to aspects of their environment pes­ simistically, meaning their threshold for experiencing emotional stress may be lowered. With chronic, long­term conditions, this could lead to the development of secondary psychological comorbidities such as anxi­ ety associated disorders (Nettle & Bateson, 2012). Indeed, it has been proposed that pruritic dermatoses in dogs could lead to the develop­ ment of secondary compulsive disorders (otherwise known as obses­ sive­compulsive­disorder, OCD) (Overall, 2013).

Stress and Atopic Dermatitis in Dogs Canine atopic dermatitis (cAD) is a chronic allergic skin condition that is characterized by sustained periods of pruritus (itching), inflammation and often, secondary infections. Although it doesn’t get a lot of atten­ tion as a dog health problem, it’s a very common one, affecting at least 10% of pet dogs.

The sensation of itching itself is an aversive subjective sensation that provokes a response to scratch the itchy area. In people, itchy in­ flammatory skin conditions, including atopic dermatitis, have negative impacts on their quality of life (e.g. Reich et al., 2010; Tey et al., 2013); and cAD has been shown to be associated with reduced quality of life for both affected dogs and their guardians (Noli et al., 2011). People with itchy skin conditions also report heightened psychological stress, with higher levels of itchiness associated with higher self­reported stress scores (Yamamoto et al., 2009). Atopic disorders, including der­ matitis, are also associated in a bidirectional manner with a number of psychopathological comorbid conditions in people including sleep dis­ turbances, depression and anxiety (Chida et al., 2008; Li et al., 2018).

But what about dogs? Could our itchy dogs be suffering from height­ ened stress as a result of their condition? Scores for “nonsocial fear” and separation­related behavior gathered by the well­validated canine behavior and research questionnaire (C­BARQ) have been linked with both the incidence and severity of generic, unspecified, skin problems (Dreschel, 2010), but in a different study no association was found be­ tween itch severity and generally anxious/fearful behavior or aggression in pruritic dogs (Klinck et al., 2008). To investigate the possible links be­ tween dog behavior and cAD associated pruritus, my own research group studied the behavior of dogs with and without cAD in two popu­ lar pet dog breeds, Labrador and golden retrievers, using guardian ob­ served behavior as a proxy for underlying stress (Harvey et al., 2019).

We asked the guardians of a pool of over 4,000 Labrador and golden retrievers to complete the C­BARQ alongside an in­depth questionnaire on their dogs’ skin health (the full paper, Behavioural Differences in Dogs with Atopic Dermatitis Suggest Stress Could Be a Significant Problem As‐ sociated with Chronic Pruritus, can be freely accessed). Our aim was to see whether dogs with a diagnosis of cAD (cases) would have different behavioral traits from dogs of the same breeds with no skin health prob­ lems (controls). We tested two competing hypotheses for what we might expect to see in the results depending on whether stress may have been primarily or secondarily associated with the dogs’ skin allergies: 1)

The First Hypothesis: If psychological stress preceded the dogs’ skin allergies then we would expect the case dogs to have higher scores for traits linked to neuroticism/general fearfulness, which may therefore have lowered their ability to cope with stressors and exacerbated the physical impacts on skin barrier function.

...problem behaviors can have detrimental effects on the relationship between guardian and dog. As such, it’s important for guardians of itchy dogs to know that their dog’s behavioral problems may be linked to their itchy skin, as opposed to being an attribute of the dog’s character.

2)

The Second Hypothesis: If psychological stress develops sec­ ondarily as a result of pruritus, we would expect dogs with more severe pruritus from cAD to have higher scores for stress­related behavioral problems (such as greater frequency of displacement and self­directed behavior), lower scores for trainability (as trainability requires a dog to attend to and sus­ tain its attention to training tasks, which pruritus may be in­ terrupting) and that these dogs would not differ from controls on trait­level scores for neuroticism/general fearfulness.

We analyzed behavioral data for 343 dogs with a diagnosis of cAD, and 552 healthy dogs, and compared their behavior alongside scores repre­ senting the severity of the itching experienced by the dogs. Our results showed, for the first time, that itch severity in dogs with cAD was associ­ ated with more frequent problem behavior, which could suggest a link between the severity of the itching and psychological stress in dogs suf­ fering from cAD (Harvey et al., 2019).

Inappropriate Behaviors The results of our study support acceptance of the second hypothesis, where we predicted dogs with skin allergies would exhibit more prob­ lem behaviors, lower scores for trainability and no differences for generic fearful or environmentally anxious behavior. Specifically, the atopic dogs in our study scored higher than controls for a number of everyday problem behaviors (mounting, coprophagia, hyperactive/rest­ lessness, pulling excessively on the lead), displayed more comfort­seek­ ing behaviors (attachment/attention­seeking, begging for food), behavior likely to be directly related to pruritus (self­grooming, allo­ grooming, touch sensitivity), and ‘other repetitive behavior.’

The dogs with cAD also scored lower on trainability, which may be due to reduced focus from pruritus distracting their attention (alterna­ tively, this could be related to any medication they may be on). Our re­

© Can Stock Photo / slast

Stress, the immune system and behavior are all interlinked

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

23

canine sults indicate that the dogs diagnosed with cAD may be experiencing low­level chronic stress as a result of their chronic pruritus.

As the results of this study are correlational and cross­sectional, we cannot know from this study whether the itch sensation directly caused the observed differences (as opposed to being associated with itching as a result of other indirect factors such as, for example, disrupted sleep or medication). However, scores for itch severity were also strongly linked with increased scores on the same behaviors that were associated with cAD diagnosis, meaning that the behaviors were seen more frequently for dogs with more severe itch­related behavior (itch severity was asso­ ciated with lower scores for trainability and with higher scores for de­ structive behavior, mounting, coprophagia, hyperactivity/restlessness, pulling excessively on the lead, attachment/attention­seeking, begging for food, self­grooming, allogrooming, ‘other repetitive behavior’ and touch sensitivity). The behaviors that were associated with cAD diagno­ sis and itch severity were also largely comprised of redirected behaviors.

Self­ and environment­directed behaviors can be a consequence of long­term exposure to aversive conditions. If the stressor cannot be dealt with, or the motivation cannot be met, animals can express redi­ rected behaviors where actions are redirected towards other stimuli, leading to behaviors such as excessive grooming (of the self and others), coprophagia, hyperactivity, overeating and, in extreme situations, stereotypic repetitive functionless behavior (Notari, 2009), just as we saw in our study. Excessive licking of people, other animals or inanimate objects (allogrooming) and self­grooming as scored on the C­BARQ were strongly associated with itch severity, meaning that excessive self­ and allogrooming could be good behavioral indicators of pruritus.

The sorts of behavior reported by the dog guardians in our study are often considered problematic, and as we all know, problem behaviors

© Can Stock Photo / dimarik

If a stressor cannot be dealt with, or the motivation cannot be met, animals can express redirected behaviors where actions are redirected towards other stimuli, leading to behaviors such as excessive grooming (of the self and others), coprophagia, hyperactivity, overeating and, in extreme situations, stereotypic repetitive functionless behavior (Notari, 2009)

The A-Z of Training and Behavior Brought to you by N is for...

Natural Selection: Charles Darwin proposed that species adapt to changes in their environment. The individual features that directly contribute to a species survival, such as innate behaviors, reflexes, modal action patterns and general behavior traits are said to be selected by the environment. This, Darwin termed natural selection.

Negative Contrast: A decrease of motivation as a result of the presentation of a lower value reinforcer after the presentation of a high value reinforcer. Ex. The trainer runs out of liverwurst, so she switches to kibble. The pet is barely motivated by the kibble, loses focus and eventually quits working.

Neuroplasticity: The ability of neurons to change over a long period of time with intense exposure to learning. This change

can be modest after learning or remarkable after trauma.

Neurotransmitter: A biochemical that is released at one end of a nerve cell which then acts on the receptor of the next nerve cell.

Non-Associative Learning: A change in reflexive behavior that is the result of exposure to stimuli that are not associated with behavior consequences. Habituation and sensitization are non-associative learning.

Non-Contingent Reinforcement: Giving a pet access to plentiful amounts of reinforcement to prevent them from engaging in a problematic behavior.

Novel Stimuli: An occurrence that the pet has not previously experienced. Ex. A fourweek-old puppy walks on grass for the first time. Grass is the novel stimulus.

From: A Lexicon of Practical Terms for Pet Trainers & Behavior Consultants: The language you need to know!

by DogNostics Career Center. Available from: dognosticseducation.com/p/store

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

canine can have detrimental effects on the relationship between guardian and dog. As such, it’s important for guardians of itchy dogs to know that their dog’s behavioral problems may be linked to their itchy skin, as op­ posed to being an attribute of the dog’s character.

While further investigation is needed to ascertain causality, there is a large amount of evidence already available demonstrating the impact of stress on skin barrier function, and the increased stress reported by human patients with atopic dermatitis. It is, therefore, plausible that dogs also experience psychological distress as a result of pruritus, and that for dogs with cAD and other pruritic skin conditions, this could pro­ long or worsen allergic flares. These results support previous calls for the treatment of allergic skin problems in dogs and other animals to in­ clude management of environmental stressors, with the aim of reducing the overall stress burden for the animals (Mills et al., 2014).

Take Away Messages • •

•

•

•

•

Stress, the immune system and behavior are all interlinked.

Itching is aversive, and people with atopic dermatitis report in­ creased stress and anxiety as well as issues related to sleep disturbance.

Dogs with atopic dermatitis were reported to show a greater number of problem behaviors, which were linked to increasing itch severity.

The relationship between stress and skin health is bidirec­ tional, as emotional stress also disrupts the skin barrier func­ tion, which can potentially worsen dermatoses.

Dogs and other animals with itchy allergic skin conditions may benefit from concomitant management of environmental stressors, with the aim of reducing their overall stress burden.

Guardians of dogs with atopic dermatitis should be made aware that their dog’s behavior may be associated with their skin condition. n

References

Chida, Y., Hamer, M., & Steptoe, A. (2008). A Bidirectional Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Atopic Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Psychosomatic Medicine 70(1) 102–116 Denda, M., Tsuchiya, T., Elias, P.M., & Feingold, K.R. (2000). Stress alters cutaneous permeability barrier homeostasis. American Journal of Physiology-Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology 278(2) R367–R372 Denda, M., Tsuchiya, T., Hosoi, J., & Koyama, J. (1998). Immobilization-induced and crowded environment-induced stress delay barrier recovery in murine skin. The British Journal of Dermatology 138(5) 780– 785 Dreschel, N.A. (2010). The effects of fear and anxiety on health and lifespan in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behavior Science 125(3–4) 157–162 Garg, A., Chren, M.M., Sands, L.P., Matsui, M.S., Marenus, K.D., Feingold, K.R., & Elias, P.M. (2001). Psychological stress perturbs epidermal permeability barrier homeostasis: implications for the pathogenesis of stress-associated skin disorders. Archives of Dermatology 137(1) 53–59 Harvey, N.D., Craigon, P.J., Shaw, S.C., Blott, S.C., & England, G.C.W. (2019). Behavioral differences in dogs with atopic dermatitis suggest stress could be a significant problem associated with chronic pruritus.

Animals 9(10) 813 Klinck, M.P., Shofer, F.S., & Reisner, I.R. (2008). Association of pruritus with anxiety or aggression in dogs. Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 233(7) 1105–1111 Li, J.C., Fishbein, A., Singam, V., Patel, K.R., Zee, P.C., Attarian, H., Cella, D., & Silverberg, J.I. (2018). Sleep Disturbance and Sleep-Related Impairment in Adults With Atopic Dermatitis. Dermatitis 29 270– 277 Lopes, P.C. (2017). Why are behavioral and immune traits linked? Hormones and Behavior 88 52–59

...there is a large amount of evidence already available demonstrating the impact of stress on skin barrier function, and the increased stress reported by human patients with atopic dermatitis. It is, therefore, plausible that dogs also experience psychological distress as a result of pruritus, and that for dogs with cAD and other pruritic skin conditions, this could prolong or worsen allergic flares.

Dr. Naomi D. Harvey BSc PhD AFHEA is a zoologist with a specialty in applied animal behavior and veterinary health and welfare. Since November 2019, she has been working at The Dogs Trust, the UK's largest dog welfare charity, as a research manager in canine behavior and she holds an honorary position as an associate professor of companion animal behavior and welfare at the University of Nottingham, England. With a BSc in zoology from Cardiff University, Wales and a Ph.D in applied canine behavior from the University of Nottingham, Dr. Harvey has a particular specialty in designing and validating methods for securing robust and valid measures of animal behavior from their guardians.

She also has expertise in veterinary epidemiology, having successfully designed and led the Itchy Dog Project to investigate the environmental and genetic risk factors for canine atopic dermatitis and its impact on dog behavior. Her research interests lie in improving the evidence base for issues affecting companion animal welfare within the fields of veterinary medicine and clinical animal behavior, to better inform how we manage and treat the animals in our care.

Her Ph.D focused on how behavior develops in juvenile guide dogs, and as such, she has a particular interest in the adolescent phase of development and what it could mean for our pets.

Maddock, C., & Pariante, C.M. (2001). How does stress affect you? An overview of stress, immunity, depression and disease. Epidemiologia e Psichiatria Sociale 10(03) 153–162 Marin, M.-F.F., Lord, C., Andrews, J., Juster, R.-P.P., Sindi, S., Arsenault-Lapierre, G., Fiocco, A.J., & Lupien, S.J. (2011). Chronic stress, cognitive functioning and mental health. Neurobiology of Learning and Memory 96(4) 583–595 Mills, D., Karagiannis, C., & Zulch, H. (2014). Stress-its effects on health and behavior: A guide for practitioners. Veterinary Clinics of North America - Small Animal Practice 44(3) 525–541 Nettle, D., & Bateson, M. (2012). The evolutionary origins of mood and its disorders. Current Biology 22 R712–R721 Noli, C., Colombo, S., Cornegliani, L., Ghibaudo, G., Persico, P., Vercelli, A., & Galzerano, M. (2011). Quality of life of dogs with skin disease and of their owners . Part 2: administration of a questionnaire in various skin diseases and correlation to efficacy of therapy. Veterinary Dermatology 22(4) 344–351 Notari, L. (2009). Stress in veterinary behavioral medicine. In BSAVA Manual of Canine and Feline Behavioral Medicine (p.136–145).

Quedgeley, Gloucester: British Small Animal Veterinary Association Overall, K. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. St. Louis, MO: Mosby Elsevier Inc. Reich, A., Hrehorow, E., & Szepietowski, J.C. (2010). Pruritus is an important factor negatively influencing the well-being of psoriatic patients. Acta Dermato-Venereologica 90 257–263 Tey, H.L., Wallengren, J., & Yosipovitch, G. (2013). Psychosomatic factors in pruritus. Clinics in Dermatology 31(1) 31–40 Yamamoto, Y., Yamazaki, S., Hayashino, Y., Takahashi, O., Tokuda, Y., Shimbo, T., Fukui, T., Hinohara, S., Miyachi, Y., & Fukuhara, S. (2009).

Association Between Frequency of Pruritic Symptoms and Perceived Psychological Stress. Archives of Dermatology 145(12) 1384–1388

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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canine

Using Video Wisely Suzanne Clothier highlights the benefits of video as a study tool to train the eye in order to become a more accurate observer of canine behavior

© Can Stock Photo / sergfear

Watching video in slow motion, sped up, with the sound muted, or played backwards allows the viewer to observe behavior in precise detail, rather than interpret it or label it inaccurately

H

ow lucky are we to have incredible video capabilities right in our pockets? Today’s smart phones provide a wealth of options for trainers who recognize the value of video in their studies of the dog, and to help coach others. Nowadays, it seems that we're never more than a few feet from someone with a smartphone and built in video recording capability. Video capture of all kinds of behavior is rela­ tively effortless ­ edited, uploaded, emailed, and shared in a flash.

The wealth of video available for the serious student of the dog is astonishing, at least to this “old” trainer. At the risk of sounding like an old biddy, I'll say that most of what I know about observing dogs and other animals came from the real time attempts to make sense of what I was seeing. No rewind, no replays, no slow motion or close­ups. Just real animals observed in real time. Which led to real mistakes, and real surprises, and real hard­won lessons.

We may accept as accurate someone’s labeling of what they saw: “He was shy.” That is not an observation; it is an interpretation. Video allows us to be far more precise in our observations, e.g.: “At 00:01:12, the dog moves his head to the right, away from the person’s hands...”

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Video Cautions No question, video can be a powerful learning tool. But I'd like to offer some cautions regarding the use of video as your main source of obser­ vations.

Unlike the observation in real time of real animals, video: • Lacks a complete context, leading the viewer to misunder­ stand some behavior they see. This can be due to what is oc­ curring off­camera. I’ve had some crazy things happen off­screen which – if not explained to the viewer – can create some puzzling on­screen behaviors. Such as people falling out of their chairs. Such as a helicopter landing about 100 feet away. Such as an unseen, frustrated bulldog puppy screaming in the next room. This sounds a great deal like an alien being eviscerated, and leads to open­mouthed, shocked orientation from everyone on camera, behavior that had no relationship with what had been happening on­screen pre­scream.

• Has a tendency to compress distances, leading the viewer to perceive things as closer or farther away than they actually may be. To work around this, use easily seen markers at known distances. For example, in some of my Relationship As­ sessment Tool (RAT) videos, you’ll see a duct taped square area on the floor. I know it is measured out at 5 feet in each direction from the chair placed in the center. This allows me

canine

•

to make a pretty accurate estimation of how far the dog has moved from the person in the chair even when video col­ lapses things. When the viewer can understand the relative distances between the animal and various objects/people/ani­ mals that appear in the video, they have a better idea of what's happening.

Does not allow for follow­up "questions” or provocations of repeated and/or additional behavior(s). Was that a fluke, or a characteristic pattern? Did the dog really react to the hand movement or had something else caused that response?

Would smaller movements create the same response? In my work using CARAT, my temperament assessment tool, I urge students to be very cautious about assuming a pattern of re­ sponse unless the video actually shows that.

Video Benefits The benefits of video as a study tool are very real. Unlike the real time observation of real animals, video: • Is available wherever you are, if on one of your devices.

• Can be made available instantly almost anywhere if you have a wifi connection.

• Never gets annoyed if you insist on playing it over and over again. Real animals can get fed up quickly if we keep asking for repetitions in the hopes that maybe this time we’ll see what we’re hoping to see.

• Allows us to share observations of behaviors that we were not present to see. I love how many quirky behaviors have been captured on video, behaviors we might not have seen unless we have lived with that animal. It is so amazing to see the de­ lightful individualism of dogs the world round!

•

Allows us to see precisely what someone else saw. Sharing an observation is preferable to trusting that someone’s descrip­ tion and use of terminology are aligned with our own use of those words. This is perhaps one of the most important bene­ fits of using video. We may accept as accurate someone’s la­ beling of what they saw: “He was shy.” That is not an observation; it is an interpretation. Video allows us to be far more precise in our observations, e.g.: “At 00:01:12, the dog moves his head to the right, away from the person’s hands. At 00:01:14, the dog’s tail tucks so tightly the tip is visible from the side, pressed against the dog’s belly. At 00:01:27, the dog moves away in from the person with compressed body lan­ guage and multiple glances from the side of his eye while keeping the head oriented away from the person.” From those observations, we build our interpretation that the dog is shy.

The observed behaviors align with what you might expect to see in a socially shy dog.

Forward, Backwards and Faster Please!

I love using video in many different ways to hone observation skills.

Viewed in normal time, we can focus on just one thing at a time, then rewind and select a different aspect or behavior to observe. For my stu­ dents, I recommend that they pick a favorite commercial or short scene from a movie or TV show, and watch it over and over and over with a focus on just one character or object until they can flawlessly narrate what happens. Then they repeat for every character or object in the scene.

Viewed at 2x speed, patterns often present themselves quickly. This is the speed I use first when reviewing video for someone. I find that 2x or even 4x speed viewing provides what I call “Cream to the Top” obser­

Blending heart & science for the thinking trainer

SuzanneClothier.com

canine ing contact became crystal clear. This allowed the viewers to really see what was happening, instead of responding emotionally and blocking their learning.

Take advantage of the amazing possibilities of video to continually develop your eye and observation skills. What we cannot see, we can­ not properly assess. Nor can we make informed decisions for each dog if we are missing what’s there to be seen. Always more to see, more to learn! n

Resources Valle, C. (2018). How to Use Video Analysis to Improve Sports Performance Wilson, B.D. (2008). Development in video technology for coaching.

Sports Technology Journal 1 1 34-40

© Can Stock Photo / dariolopresti

Using video helps those who work professionally with dogs to continually develop their observation skills

vations: the really salient patterns of response will pop out. These can then be explored in greater detail at slower speeds.

Watching video in slow motion can help us see details that might es­ cape us at faster speeds. Plus, it’s just fun to see how things work in ways typically unseen. I like to use slow motion to train the observer’s eye until all the details are clear. This trains the brain, so that those de­ tails can also be observed in real time. The human eye and brain are amazingly capable of learning.

I also watch video in reverse. Because our brains cannot anticipate what will happen when something is in reverse, we can put our brains into a state of alertness and attention without the assumptions we may have when video plays normally. I find reverse video especially useful when assessing movement as inconsistencies become evident. Subtle lameness can jump right out at you when watching video backwards.

But I also use this approach for behavior as well to help pinpoint changes in stance or demeanor.

Finally, video has the advantage of providing some dissociation from the actual event. This is particularly helpful if the video contains events that a viewer may find distressing. By eliminating the sounds and/or showing the event in slow motion, the viewer’s visceral response to trig­ gering sounds and motions can be reduced or even eliminated.

For years, I showed a video of a loud, dramatic altercation between two dogs. With the sound on so that snarls and growls could be heard, people found it intensely distressing. With the sound on, many viewers simply shut down as soon as they heard the first snarls. In slow motion, with no sound, the precise care taken by each dog to not make damag­

Suzanne Clothier has been working with animals professionally since 1977. Currently based in St. Johnsville, New York, she is well respected internationally for her holistic Relationship Centered Training™ approach to dogs and the people that love them. Her background includes training, instruction, behavior modification, kennel management, temperament assessment, physical assessment and conditioning, early puppy development, class curriculum development, obedience, agility, Search and Rescue, conformation, breeding and more. Since 1991, she has taught workshops and seminars on a broad range of topics throughout the United States and internationally for a wide variety of groups from training clubs to international conferences in 11 countries. An award-winning author of multiple books and DVDs, her book, Bones Would Rain from the Sky: Deepening Our Relationships With Dogs (2002) has received widespread praise from every corner of the dog world, including twice being included in the Wall Street Journal's list of Top 5 Dog Books. She has served on the American Humane Association’s Task Force for Humane Training, the AKC Agility Advisory board, and is currently a consultant for Frankie & Andy’s Place, a senior dog sanctuary in Georgia. She has also developed multiple assessment tools CARAT™, RAT™ (Relationship Assessment Tool), as well as puppy and adult dog tests. These tools have been used by guide and service dog organizations, therapy dog groups, AAIA organizations, shelters and rescue groups, and trainers. In her work as a consultant to guide dog schools, her Enriched Puppy Protocol™ served as the structure for the updating of their puppy raising programs. Since 2007, more than 10,000 puppies have been raised in programs built around The Enriched Puppy Protocol™. Meanwhile, with fellow trainer Cindy Knowlton, she developed CCC: Connection, Cooperation & Control™, a puzzle-based program that builds joyful relationships between handlers and dogs.

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c a n i n e

Getting Willow Sonya Bevan tells the tale of how the loss of one dog taught her how to grieve and love again This article is the Pet Professional Guild Australia’s winning entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition.

© Sonya Bevan

© Studio Noah

The loss of Rhodesian ridgeback Zuri left an enormous gap in author Sonya Bevan’s life

Foster puppy Gidget filled the house with energy and joy, which started the healing process

I

around a gaping chasm. How could it carry on when it was bleeding out from a mortal wound?

The task to continue some semblance of living with this defiant heart began. Living in a Zuri­less house was excruciating. For a quiet, easy­to­live­with dog, she was conspicuous in her absence. There was no cure for the lack of rhythmic breathing by my side at night. Nor for the loss of enthusiastic greetings upon my return to an empty house. I was solo where once there had been a constant companion quietly by my side.

My grieving was purposeful and deliberate. It had to be. If I was not choreographing rituals and routines to remember my best friend, the grief was overwhelming. If I stopped and looked into the abyss that was my loss, it threatened to suck me into a dark vortex with scant chance of return.

Part of my grieving process included the strict proviso that such an amazing friend could not, would not, should not, must not be replaced until a suitable amount of time had elapsed. Out of respect to her mem­ ory. And because she was irreplaceable. I had no idea what the right amount of time was, but never didn’t seem too long to wait.

lost the love of my life on my birthday. I chose the day to sit by her side and say farewell. Although it felt like I had no choice. Zuri, my Rhodesian ridgeback and keeper of my heart, was dying of cancer which had spread mercilessly to her lungs and abdomen. Every decision I had made up to this point was meant to prevent this. I was shocked to view the X­ray which looked like a patchwork of leopard spots over every part of her lungs.

There was silence in the consult room as I stared at the results with my hand over my mouth. How was she not gasping for breath? The on­ cologist finally stepped forward and turned off the monitor light. I re­ member her voice coming from a distance saying, “That’s enough. It’s a depressing picture. She’s a very sick dog.” There was an urgency in choosing the time of her departure. An overriding imperative to prevent the suffering that was imminent; a suffering that may be sudden. I did not want the final days and hours of her journey to be tainted by dis­ tress. So the fact that it was my birthday was immaterial to the decision.

Yet it was also poignant.

Living with Pet Loss Zuri left peacefully in her favorite place, surrounded by her favorite peo­ ple, head cradled in my hands. And by some miracle, my heart kept beating. It wasn’t the same heart anymore. There was a huge Zuri­ shaped hole which had once been an overflowing of joy, love, compan­ ionship, contentment and endless gratitude. At times I was angry at this heart for continuing on as if everything were the same, for beating

Fostering a Puppy However, I wasn’t prepared for the inconsolable nature of the sad­ ness. I compromised and visited puppies. They crawled on me, and licked me and suffocated me with puppy breath and unbridled ex­ ploratory joy. I heard myself vocalizing in their presence and realized I

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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c a n i n e

© Sonya Bevan

© Studio Noah

Puppy Willow was sleeping when author Sonya Bevan decided to take her home with her

Willow has helped fill the gap Zuri left and is her new guardian’s “heart buddy”

was laughing. There was no laughter in the empty house. Time stood still and heartache was held at bay during puppy therapy. So I took one home. I was careful not to break the pact I’d made by fostering a puppy who needed some recuperation time after surgery. This was temporary and was not a replacement. For seven weeks I welcomed Gidget, this amazingly resilient puppy, into the home. Despite two surgeries, her crazy joy filled the house and she recovered well. She disregarded the wall I had built to prevent emotional attachment and managed to creep in and create a little niche inside a part of my heart that wasn’t broken.

There were times through tears that I looked at her charming face and apologized for my melancholy state, explaining that it wasn’t her that was making me sad. That she was precious but my heart was struggling with guilt over feeling happy when my soul mate was gone.

On Zuri’s birthday, eyes red and brimming, heart conflicted, I made the decision to return her for a week, hoping the absence would help with making a decision whether it was right to keep her permanently.

I wasn’t prepared for the new grief that ensued. I suspected that it was just the return of a silent, dogless house that precipitated a renewal of sadness. After a few days I realized my plan to wait a suitably respect­ ful time before welcoming a dog into my life was not a good one. The hole Zuri left was too big. I realized that Gidget was not replacing Zuri; she had been helping me cope with the loss of my friend by easing the whirlwind of destructive emotions with an eddy of joyful puppyness.

She was not taking away the grief or dishonoring Zuri’s memory but making her loss a little more bearable. This nutty little puppy that I wouldn’t have chosen had started a healing balm and I didn’t want her to leave. I realized all this too late and through an unexpected turn of events, she was gone and nothing could bring her back.

they grow or never cause a problem. To be certain, she was having an echocardiogram at 10 weeks old before finding a home. I looked at the remaining puppies. I played with them. I assessed them. Yet I was con­ tinually drawn to this little puppy who I pointed at while she slept at our first meeting, “This one!” The puppy who wagged her tail at the sound of my voice (see video Choosing Willow the Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy: First Tail Wag (Short) [Video File]). The puppy who was eager to ap­ proach, loved to be cuddled, ran away to investigate then turned to find me and run back for another cuddle.

Her sister was delightful, bigger, adventurous and healthy. My head said take the sister. My heart whispered Willow: the littlest puppy who was having an echocardiogram a few days after I had gone through the same procedure. My little heart buddy. I did what I wouldn’t advise any­ one else to do. I went with my heart. I took her home a few days before her echocardiogram. I was so excited to get started. I was pragmatic. I was fully informed. If I took her to the vet for the investigations and she was fine, then great, I have my puppy and I’ve made the right choice. If anything serious was found, then the breeder would keep her. We spent four days together. Four amazing nights where she slept right through the night snuggled into my neck.

Adopting a Puppy With a new urgency I needed to fill the painful void. That’s when I found more puppies. This time I resolved to welcome a permanent family member. I picked her while she was sleeping, not knowing if she was al­ ready promised to a home or not. She wasn’t.

But she was not being allocated a home until she had a final health check as she had a minor heart murmur. The vet did not appear overly worried as it did not sound serious through the stethoscope. Many pup­ pies have what’s known as innocent heart murmurs which resolve as

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Heart Murmur On the fifth day I took her to the vet and she had the echocardiogram.

We played in the waiting room while waiting for the results. When the results were ready, the breeder went in first to hear the outcome. I was then called into the consult room. The strained faces told me the results before a word was uttered. It wasn’t an innocent heart murmur. It was serious. I was optimistic and asked about medication and prognosis and what to expect.

My optimism began to fade. I knew it might be bad news, but still

I didn’t want a sick puppy. But that’s not what I saw when I looked at Willow. I saw a puppy who I chose as she slept. A puppy who loved to be cuddled and touched. A puppy with a willingness to explore the world despite some hesitation with new environments, a brave scaredy cat.

c a n i n e wasn’t prepared for the grim outcome I was hearing. Her life was not predicted to be a long one. It was time to give her back to the breeder.

I couldn’t. It didn’t feel right to drive there with her and go home without her. So I asked for a few days to enjoy her and say goodbye be­ fore returning her.

I planned to take her back after the weekend. Then I left it another week. Then a second week. I arranged to take her for a play date with her siblings. I packed all her belongings in the car with the intent of re­ turning her: toys, blankets and a file the breeder had supplied.

I didn’t tell the breeder I was actually returning her that day. We chatted. I watched her play. I heard myself acknowledge that I probably needed to return her. It was the right thing to do. Then I gathered her up in my arms, placed her back in the car and took her home, telling the breeder I’d bring her back with all her things later. The breeder noticed Willow’s belongings in the car and silently took note that this was an emotional decision.

coincidence of our similar health investigations was not lost on me. We could be dodgy heart buddies together. It didn’t feel right to abandon her after being so immeasurably drawn to her. Despite sleeping on it, I couldn’t exchange her for her rambunctious and robust sister.

I made the call to the breeder with a plea to keep her. I was up for it.

She was worth it. The breeder relented and that is the story of the get­ ting of Willow.

What happens next? We enjoy every precious day together. She gifts me the exuberance that is puppy joy, the rhythmic nighttime breathing, the welcome homes, daily lessons about behavior and learn­ ing and a reprieve from grief. In return I hope to give her a safe place to grow and learn and to have fun. And, when the time comes, a farewell that is not delayed and is as stress free as possible. Whatever new grief it is that comes, and it will come, I have decided she is worth it.

Wish us luck. n

Prognosis

Resources

I lied. Not deliberately. I just needed more time to consolidate my thoughts. So many thoughts. Willow was not well. She looked healthy.

She acted like nothing was wrong. Yet her life was going to be cut short.

Asking a vet for a prognosis is fraught with “what ifs” and unknowns. At best, she might not show clinical signs for 12 months. At worst, her heart could start failing at six months. The biggest question I had to ask was, “Do I really want to go down this road again so soon after caring for and finally losing Zuri?”

There was no simple answer. I didn’t want a sick puppy. But that’s not what I saw when I looked at Willow. I saw a puppy who I chose as she slept. A puppy who loved to be cuddled and touched. A puppy with a willingness to explore the world despite some hesitation with new en­ vironments, a brave scaredy cat. A tail that wagged at the sound of my voice before she knew my voice. A little friend at a time I knew I needed a helping paw. A puppy with a dicky heart and big personality. The eerie

Sonya Bevan is an avid dog lover with a BSc in physiotherapy. This combination led her to seek science-based information on how to teach dogs and she subsequently completed her diploma of canine behavior science and technology through the Companion Animals Science Institute. She works as a behavior consultant in her business, Dog Charming and has also been a university facilitator for vet students in animal behavior for the past five years. Her special interests are fearful and reactive dogs, low stress handling/cooperative care, assistance dogs (she is a MindDog trainer for psychological support dogs), ethics in animal training, separation anxiety (she is a certified separation anxiety trainer), and providing freely available video training tutorials.

Zurison. (2018, November 18). Choosing Willow the Rhodesian Ridgeback Puppy: First Tail Wag (Short) [Video File]

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

31

training

A Creative Solution Kitty Lee explains how, after a number of failed efforts, she inadvertently came up with an unorthodox way to train her “perfect puppy” not to bark at other dogs This article is the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Australia’s winning entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition.

T

hree years ago, I decided to become a professional dog trainer. I’d been teach­ ing obedience classes at the local dog club and fostering rescue dogs since 2012 but I’d never had a dog of my own and I was pretty sure that was a requirement of being a dog trainer.

So I started looking for a puppy. I was very specific ­ I wanted a sable working line German shepherd. In my years of fostering German shepherds, most of them had come to me with all sorts of anxiety, aggression and health is­ sues. So I was determined to find a well­bred, well socialized puppy from health and tem­ perament tested parents. I wanted this dog to be my business demo dog, I wanted to do ALL the dog sports, and I was also hoping he’d have the temperament to be my psychiatric as­ sistance dog.

course, he had made a little bit of improve­ ment. He was able to acknowledge my exis­ tence and follow simple cues. I committed to bringing him every week to train around other dogs and show him I was more fun.

But circumstances conspired against us.

Dog clubs here in Australia go on a two month break during December and January. This year, February and March were dominated by fires and the air was too thick with smoke for out­ door activities. This was followed by floods (welcome to Australia!).

I recall one weekend where nothing disas­ trous was happening, so I cleared my calendar, ready to finally get a chance to train only to find out class was canceled because the show­ grounds had been hired out for a Tiny Homes Expo, of all things. © Kitty Lee

Perfect Puppy For two years, I searched for my perfect puppy.

Finally, in August 2019, I found a breeder with a litter that checked all my boxes. I brought home my dream puppy, Jazz, at 9 weeks old.

He was perfect. He was environmentally confi­ dent, adjusted to things easily, settled when needed, and worked enthusiastically for both food and toys. Everything was great. Except one thing.

The first time he saw another dog at 10 weeks old, he barked at him. Every time he saw a dog on the street, he barked at him.

Puppy class was a nightmare. He spent entire lessons lunging and bouncing at the end of the leash, trying to go towards the other puppies and completely ignoring me, no matter what treats and toys I had. Now, of course it’s nor­ mal for a young puppy to want to play with other puppies. But the intensity and persist­ ence with which he fixated on other dogs at such a young age sent alarm bells ringing through my head.

What do a demo dog, a sports dog, and a service dog have in common? They all need to be able to focus on their human around other dogs. I needed to get on top of this, and fast.

I signed him up to a second puppy class at my local dog obedience club. By the end of the

32

Whenever Jazz sees another dog on walks, his guardian starts a fun game with the water gun.

He now looks at her as soon as he sees another dog, waiting for the game to start

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

© Kitty Lee

Impulse Control In the meantime, I worked hard on impulse control behaviors, teaching Jazz to recall off a thrown toy and down while chasing the hose.

This was the only activity he enjoyed almost as much as playing with other dogs. We did nose work, mat work and practiced default calm settles.

But still, every time we saw a dog on a walk, he would start pulling and lunging and barking. I simply couldn’t get enough distance on our narrow suburban streets to work with him.

I learned to manage the behavior as best as I could. Attempts at emergency U­turns usually resulted in me dragging a writhing, barking crocodile backwards down the street.

So when I saw a dog approaching, I would cross the road. As the other dog went past, I would drop treats between Jazz’s paws as fast as he could eat them. He would eat each treat mechanically, eyes glued to the other dog, oc­ casionally still managing a bark in between treats. Sometimes, he would refuse the treats, and I would just have to hold him by the collar until the other dog was gone, whining like an agility dog at the start line. It was like he was in a trance. Nothing I said or did could break his stare.

He wasn’t anxious or fearful. His problem

training The first time [Jazz] saw another dog at 10 weeks old, he barked at him. Every time he saw a dog on the street, he barked at him. Puppy class was a nightmare. He spent entire lessons lunging and bouncing at the end of the leash, trying to go towards the other puppies and completely ignoring me, no matter what treats and toys I had.

was quite the opposite. As another trainer said to me recently, “He has too much value for other dogs.” If I had to put it in numbers, I would say that food is an 8/10, tug is an 8/10 and sniffing the butt of that dog across the street is a 12/10. As much as he liked the cubes of steak and sheepskin tugs I was waving in front of his face, I just couldn’t win against that 12. The only thing that came close was chasing the hose, but I could hardly bring a hose with me on a walk.

At Jazz’s breeder’s recommendation, we started going to dog parks and working outside the fence, where I could easily control distance.

Jazz became great at ignoring dogs behind a visual barrier, but his be­ havior with dogs on walks didn’t change. I was counting the days until dog club started again, and I would have the environment I needed to really tackle the problem. I don’t drive, and my ability to do setups was limited.

COVID And then COVID struck, and classes were canceled indefinitely. It seemed like the universe was determined to screw me over. Lockdown laws and social distancing meant that the only time Jazz saw other dogs was on walks.

It also meant that everybody and their aunt was out walking their dogs, and suddenly it was impossible to walk down the street without running into five or six other dogs, no matter the time of day­ or night!

Also around this time, adolescence hit Jazz with a vengeance. Attentive­ ness went out the window along with his loose leash walking, and his behavior when he saw other dogs dramatically worsened.

Forget sports dog, or service dog. I just wanted a dog I could walk! I started desperately seeking information. I built his drive for tugs and toys. I purchased all of Leslie McDevitt’s Control Unleashed series and practiced LAT and all her pattern games. I read books, watched webi­ nars, signed up to courses. I consulted a veterinary behaviorist. All the resources just told me to keep doing the things I was already doing.

So I did. And over the next few months, things kind of stalled. Each walk was still meticulously planned, and I was still unable to break his focus when he saw another dog, but at the very least I was mostly able to stop the barking and lunging again.

Training Game Of course, not everything was perfectly and immediately fixed. We still have to cross the road and let the other dog go past. Jazz still gets over­ aroused, anticipating exciting things. And I discovered early on that the water gun leaks, leaving an extremely awkward wet patch on the front of my pants by the end of each walk. But, in a few short weeks, I have a dog who went from being unable to look away from another dog, to en­ thusiastically volunteering his attention to me with a dog just on the other side of the street. He’s still very young, and we have time. For the first time in a long time, I feel optimistic about our future.

In the short 12 months that I’ve had my wonderful Jazz, he has taught me many lessons. From letting go of expectations and appreciat­ ing what’s in front of me, to really understanding the idea that rein­ forcement is decided by the individual learner – I bet most dogs you know would hate being squirted in the face with water!

But the most important thing I’ve learnt from this water gun episode is the value of creativity and learning how to think outside the box when things aren’t working. After all, who would’ve thought that the solution to all my problems was a five dollar, blue and green, plastic children’s toy? n

Resources Lee, K. (2020, September 27). Jazz vs Water Gun Slomo [Video File] Kitty Lee is a dog trainer based in Sydney, Australia. She is fairly new to the industry, although dog training has been her hobby for a while. To date she has completed her Cert IV in companion animal services, Living and Learning with Animals by Dr. Susan Friedman, Aggression in Dogs master course with Michael Shikashio, and a range of courses with the Fenzi Dog Sports Academy.

Eureka Moment And then, a few weeks ago, I was shopping for a birthday present for my 10­year­old nephew. I found myself in an aisle full of nerf guns, and right in front of me, a water gun. A light bulb went off in my head. I pur­ chased the smallest one that would fit in my pocket, and went home to try it out.

From the moment I first squirted it in the direction of his face, Jazz was obsessed. It was everything he loved about chasing the hose, con­ densed in miniature. The next day, I took him and the water gun out for a walk. Every time he saw another dog, I marked and started a fun game with the water gun. By the third dog, Jazz looked at the dog, and then immediately spun to me, waiting for the game to start.

In one walk, I had managed to achieve something I’d been working on for almost a year. I was so happy I could’ve cried.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

33

training

Good Kharma Devene Godau shares the very special tale of Kharma, the retired greyhound she adopted over 20 years ago who, despite being the most difficult dog she had ever had, was also her greatest teacher This article is the Pet Professional Guild’s winning entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition

I

thought I knew everything there was to know about dogs. As a child I read everything I could and in my teens I spent my spare time work­ ing in a boarding kennel.

All I dreamed of was being a dog trainer. When I graduated from col­ lege, I moved back home when my mom got a cairn terrier puppy. I was excited to start the training process with her and signed up for a local obedience club’s basic training class.

Choke Chain When I showed up with my little dog, they instructed me to put a choke chain on her. As we walked in a circle they would cue me to yank the chain. She would bark at the other dogs, and because I didn’t want to yank her chain, throwing my timing off, they started throwing “scare cans” at her. After three weeks, I couldn’t do it anymore. I thought I was just not cut out to be a dog trainer. We dropped the class.

Five years later I got married. My husband and I were getting ready to buy our first house. I was excited to get our first dog. He had never had a dog before. So I took him to a local dog show so he could pick out our first breed.

Greyhound Rescue Coincidentally, I ran into a co­worker at the dog show. She was manning the greyhound rescue booth, as she had two adopted retired racing dogs. I stopped by to chat with her. What I didn’t realize is that while I was yapping away with her, he was mesmerized by her dogs.

After, as we walked up and down the rows of cages, all he wanted to do was go back to see the greyhounds. He told me that he wanted one.

I’ll be honest, I had never thought about adopting a greyhound before. I had always thought they looked funny! But a promise was a promise, so if that was what he wanted, I guess we would look into it.

Kharma Arrives Six months later, we met Kharma. She was a beautiful greyhound that was mostly white, with a brindle patch on her left eye, and a brindle spot on her back. The first time we met her she wouldn’t even approach us. Then when we got up to leave, she threw herself between us and the door. That meant she liked us, right?

All conventional wisdom told me I shouldn’t adopt this dog. So natu­ rally we adopted the dog. As we left the adoption, with the dog in tow,

All conventional wisdom told me I shouldn’t adopt this dog. So naturally we adopted the dog.

As we left the adoption, with the dog in tow, her foster mother said, “I really thought she was staying here for good. I thought she was unadoptable.”

34

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

© Devene Godau

Greyhound Kharma had difficulty with learning to sit and it took her several weeks to perfect the behavior

her foster mother said, “I really thought she was staying here for good. I thought she was unadoptable.” We brought her home and she still didn’t want anything to do with us. But we figured we would just give her some time.

Separation Anxiety And then it was Monday. We both had to go to work, so into her crate she went. She was not happy about it. She wouldn’t eat, the neighbors reported that she howled all day. And she would urinate and defecate in her crate. This became a daily occurrence.

Then one day she figured out how to wedge open the crate. She cut herself up and tracked blood and feces everywhere. We rushed her to my vet who told us she was pretty sure she had separation anxiety be­ cause she didn’t want to be away from us. What???? She didn’t even come near us. I was so confused. And frustrated.

My husband told me I had to fix her or we had to get rid of her.

Well, I don’t get rid of anything once it is in my house (the same rule my husband has benefitted from!) so I decided to seek training. As part of our adoption contract we promised not to put a choke chain on the hounds, as their necks are so slender. I didn’t know any other way, but I

training knew I had to figure something out. I called the rescue group for a trainer recommendation.

“Well, I don’t know much about this school, but I hear Trainers Academy doesn’t use choke chains. I am not sure what they use.” the rescue representative said as she gave me the phone number. So it was a crapshoot. But as luck would have it, the school was just a few miles from my house, so I called and signed up for class.

Clicker Training I was nervous about class. Before I took a dog that liked me and man­ aged to scare her. This dog already didn’t seem to care for me. Was training really going to help? Or make things worse?

The first day we learned about clicker training. I was fascinated. It seemed so simple I was a little embarrassed I hadn’t stumbled upon it before. My dog, on the other hand, was tough to motivate. Racing grey­ hounds often have a hard time learning the sit for a number of reasons.

And everything in this class was based on the sit. I wasn’t experienced enough to come up with an alternative. I was determined though. And it took me six weeks, but I finally got the sit.

Job Offer After graduating from this class the assistant instructor approached me and asked if I had ever considered training. She wanted to bring me on as a training coach, assisting the instructors. I was shocked! “Do you re­ ally think my dog did that well?” I asked. “No.” she answered. “But you had a tremendous amount of patience working with her.” I laughed but I jumped at the chance to learn more.

So I started helping with class. And we enrolled in an advanced class. I was still learning, and Kharma was still tentative. But by week four, a light turned on in her. She went from just laying down to avoid in­ teracting to doing everything with such animation! Everyone asked if I had switched dogs for this class. Honestly, I had to do a double take to be sure!

Now, as any trainer knows, improved obedience skills do not ad­ dress crate and separation stress. But as I learned to communicate with her, and as I learned truly how dogs think, I was able to understand how to help her more. And as her confidence grew, she liked any type of work I would do with her.

training class. Open to retired racers, we have created a curriculum that eases into the sit, but has plenty of other alternative exercises to build confidence and strengthen their bonds with their handlers.

My journey with Kharma began 20 years ago. Since then I have seen hundreds of greyhounds as students, as well as fosters. She is the most difficult dog I have ever had, but she was also my greatest teacher. n Devene Godau has fostered many retired racers and Galgos, in addition to having many of her own. She has been active with greyhound and Galgo rescue for over 20 years. She holds a bachelor’s in journalism from Michigan State University, and spent several years working in marketing and graphic design. However, when she adopted her first dog and began researching ways to modify her behavior challenges, she found the help she needed at Trainers Academy, LLC (TA) in Troy, Michigan. From there, she became a volunteer assistant, and eventually quit her marketing job to work full time in the dog training world. She apprenticed with several TA instructors, including president, Lisa Patrona, for four years and worked as her assistant instructor for two of those years before becoming a group class instructor, and behavior consultant.

She was nominated for a "Social Training Excellence" award through the International Positive Dog Trainers Association in 2008, and continues her studies by attending professional seminars and educational events. She currently conducts private in-home lessons, and teaches puppy and intermediate classes regularly. She also instructs a Greyhounds Only training class. Her articles have been published in The Association of Pet Dog Trainers book Top Tips from Top Trainers as well as in Walk About Magazine and on a number of national websites.

ANIMAL COURSES DIRECT

Trick Dog And her confidence soared. She became very social. I would have her out at adoption events performing tricks and people would comment, “If I could get a dog that well trained, I would adopt one.” I shared with them that her training took a year of blood sweat and tears. But it had created a bond stronger than I had ever shared with an animal before.

And if that weren’t enough to teach me the power of positive rein­ forcement training, one day I called Kharma and my mom’s cairn terrier into the kitchen to sit for a treat. Kharma was so excited, wagging her tail. In contrast, the cairn came in with her tail between her legs. I wept because I had done that to her. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know any better.

I went on to work full time for Trainers Academy in their office. I ap­ prenticed with their seasoned instructors until I was ready to take on clients and classes as the head instructor. Kharma went on to earn her Canine Good Citizen certificate and became a certified therapy dog. She spent her golden years visiting nursing homes. She was a goofy girl that, despite coming from Florida, loved winter and would dive into the snow. She learned to play at daycare and preferred to play with the wild Labradors than the generally softer sight hounds.

Greyhounds Only Kharma also inspired the creation of our popular Greyhounds Only

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

35

training

An Instant Transformation Gloria Schmidt relates how her fearful rescue dog Jackson changed her life by helping her discover a whole new world of training possibilities This article is the Pet Professional Guild’s runner up entry in our Geek Week 2020 Writers’ Competition

© Gloria Schmidt

© Gloria Schmidt

© Gloria Schmidt

(Left to right) Fearful dog Jackson in the shelter just prior to being adopted into his forever home; Jackson sitting in his food bowl at the shelter ­ the picture that changed his new guardian’s life and when she knew she had finally found her dog; Jackson, no longer fearful, enjoys a game of fetch in the great outdoors

B

ack in 2011, I had accepted a job at St. Jude Children’s Research hospital that required moving to a new state, 13 hours away from home, to a place where I initially knew nobody within a five­hour radius of Memphis. As an anxious and quieter type of person, I was fre­ quently asked if this life change was the best idea for me. My constant answer was, “It will be great, I’m going to get a dog!”

After getting settled in Memphis, I started thinking about what kind of dog would be a good fit for me and my lifestyle. I looked high and low for about seven to eight months through various shelters, websites, and res­ cues for *my* dog. It felt frustrating and disheartening at times because I wondered if I was maybe reaching for a perfection that didn’t exist.

Finding the Right Dog I also was living in an apartment that had some major breed restrictions and no fenced­in yard that most rescues required. Then, one Friday, I saw the picture of Jackson sitting in his food bowl at the shelter (see above, center). And I knew. That was him. My dog.

The one­hour drive to reach the shelter where Jackson (or #2211 as he was then called) felt like eternity. I got up at the crack of dawn to en­

[Jackson] would let out an occasional low growl if I accidentally surprised him or happened to touch his feet. This…scared me the most. In breaking my number one rule upon adopting Jackson, had I accidentally allowed a monster into my home?

36

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

sure I was arriving right when the shelter opened. I remember just pray­ ing that this might be the ideal furry friend I was looking for in a season of loneliness.

When I arrived at the shelter, my heart stopped when I saw another lady already standing at the front doors. I knew without a doubt that we were there for the same dog. The woman, who I later learned was Cathy, was there representing a rescue and when I begged her to let me take the dog, she spoke with the rescue’s leadership and they agreed to step aside.

Signing the Adoption Papers Cathy became a calming force for me that day. I remember the shelter staff was terse and we walked back to Jackson’s run. When we asked to interact with him though, we were told, “No. You take him or leave him.” Oh my. Wow. I surveyed the scene (and a totally soaked Jackson). I then broke my number one rule that I’d never adopt a dog without some one­on­one interaction first. I stood up, turned to the shelter worker, and said decisively, “I’ll take him.”

After signing adoption papers, I was on cloud nine as the “me” turned into a “we.” Jackson eagerly watched from the passenger side as we waved goodbye to Cathy. Our first stop was a vet clinic for an exam, followed by a trip to Petsmart for a new toy (picked out by Jackson, of course), and then home to my Memphis apartment.

Although most people tend to prefer younger puppies when adopt­ ing, I purposefully wanted to pick an older pup that needed a home just as badly. I also figured that picking an older dog might help me avoid some of the common puppy parenting issues (house training, crate training, leash walking, etc.). Oh to be young and naive.

training In learning how to help Jackson, he opened up the possibilities of how positive reinforcement, clicker training, mutual respect, and cooperation worked as we conquered each one of his “quirks.” In turn, I have gotten to watch a small, scared dog transform into a relaxed, confident companion.

Behavior Challenges I quickly learned on our first evening together that Jackson needed a lot more support than I initially realized despite being 7 or 8 months old: • He was terrified of stairs. And we lived on the top floor of a building.

• He wasn’t house trained and I noticed immediately that he seemed to be afraid of urinating in front of any person. In fact, he would go to the bathroom in his crate which was extremely odd/concerning considering his crate was the appropriate size.

• He did not seem comfortable on a leash at all.

• He was extremely on edge if a kid passed us. Honestly, he was extremely on edge if anyone passed us.

• He seemed afraid someone was going to take his food, so he would pick up a mouthful of kibble and run off to a secluded corner of my apartment. He would proceed to drop all of the kibble in his mouth onto the floor and eat them one at a time.

He would look around the room before returning to the food bowl for another round of kibbles. Rinse and repeat.

• He would let out an occasional low growl if I accidentally sur­ prised him or happened to touch his feet.

This last one scared me the most. In breaking my number one rule upon adopting Jackson, had I accidentally allowed a monster into my home? And where do we go from here if this dog doesn’t seem to trust me (or anyone, really) for that matter?

that would lead to two very transformed lives. In learning how to help Jackson, he opened up the possibilities of how positive reinforcement, clicker training, mutual respect, and cooperation worked as we con­ quered each one of his “quirks.” In turn, I have gotten to watch a small, scared dog transform into a relaxed, confident companion.

Jackson will forever be credited for my decision to enter the training world professionally and for showing me how to stay “pawsitive” when communicating with animals. I remember the seven to eight months I spent searching for “my dog” and don’t think it’s a coincidence that Jackson was born at the approximate moment my search began. I be­ lieve the universe knew we needed each other and helped our paths cross in the most perfect way. Who rescued whom? You tell me. n Gloria Schmidt graduated from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill with a degree in chemistry then spent approximately five years playing lab rat. Her favorite job was working in drug discovery for pediatric cancers and orphan diseases at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. After getting the itch to be around people more, she realized she wanted a career that included not only humans, but animals as well. She slowly began to shift her career towards the veterinary and training worlds and worked as a veterinary nurse at two different practices. She also began to immerse herself in the world of learning theory and training with the help of FACT Academy and Karen Pryor. She now works full time as a group class instructor, private lesson instructor, and board-and-train/day school instructor. She has completed the Fear Free Veterinary Professional (Level 2) certification program and is working on her CPDT-KA. She can be found on Instagram @theteacherspettraining.

Being “Alpha” A majority of the dog training sources my family gravitated towards in the 90s were a mixture of negative and positive reinforcement. Being “alpha” seemed to pop up everywhere as well.

On our first evening together, I tried to use some of what I remem­ bered from childhood with Jackson. I wanted him to know “who was large and in charge?...me!” especially if he growled or didn’t like his leash or had an accident inside. Again, oh to be young, naive, and igno­ rant!

Jackson’s response to these methods? Total system shut down. That first night, he cried almost the entire eight hours in his crate while I sat in my bedroom panicked, heartbroken, and thinking, “Did I make a mis­ take OR....am I going about this the wrong way?”

I pulled out my laptop and began researching breeds I thought Jack­ son might be. A common theme for every breed I googled? “Needs a positive, reassuring handler...,” “Does best with positive reinforce­ ment...,” “Responds well to a happy voice...” I resolved to try some of those techniques in the morning with Jackson. And so ended Day 1.

Positive Reinforcement The next morning, I did my best to keep it positive and upbeat for Jack­ son on our first walk. I was stunned that something as simple as the tone of my voice could transform him so quickly. He suddenly was re­ laxed, receptive, and responsive.

Little did I know, amidst those initial days of trial and error, that Jackson was not only the start of my own family but also the catalyst

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

37

training

Pit Bull Pete: One Dog’s Journey with Fear Daniel Antolec explains how he helped a reactive pit bull who became fearful of other dogs following an attack and would bark and lunge at them, gain confidence, remain calm and make good choices

A

s an accredited professional dog trainer and certified canine be­ havior consultant I have devoted myself to helping anxious and fearful dogs. My journey on that path began on August 28, 2012 when I first began working with Ranger, a two­year­old Australian shep­ herd who was evaluated by another trainer, and whose euthanasia had already been decided based upon his poor quality of life.

Ranger, like so many of my behavioral cases, had a multitude of fears. These included neophobia, separation anxiety and extreme leash reactivity. After three months of hard work Ranger had been trans­ formed into a confident and joyful dog, who was adopted by a loving family. The emotional impact of that experience motivated me to start my own business with a mission to help as many other anxious and fear­ ful dogs as I could.

Many of those dogs expressed their fear through distance­increas­ ing agonistic behaviors such as barking, growling, and lunging at the people and things which frightened them. They sought to create dis­ tance and avoid conflict but were often labeled as “aggressive” dogs. La­ bels can kill dogs, especially those who are called “pit bull.”

I met such a dog in 2019. His name was/is Pete, and he is a 9­year­ old 90­pound pit bull­mix living in a village of some 10,000 people, many of whom have pet dogs. Such an environment made Pete’s jour­ ney through life frightening.

Pete struggled with fear of novel people, loud vehicles, unexpected sounds, and other dogs. His fear of dogs developed after he had been attacked by off­leash dogs while Pete’s guardian was walking through the neighborhood, with Pete on leash. Every one of Pete’s daily walks was a trek through the gauntlet of unexpected encounters with strangers, loud noises, and a variety of dogs. He learned that the world was unsafe and that threats appeared frequently and without warning.

The toll of living with daily anxiety inflicted Pete with a sensitive di­ gestive system and recurring skin problems (see also Itchy Dog or Stressed Dog? on p.22). He required a special diet, probiotics, medica­ tion, and very often he went for days or weeks with soft stools or diar­ rhea. He was also intolerant of extreme heat, cold or wind.

During leash walks he often went over threshold upon seeing other dogs, barking, and lunging at them. To others in the neighborhood, his behavior may have supported the prejudice against bully dogs as being aggressive by nature, when in fact, Pete was worried about his own safety and just wanted to be left alone.

The toll of living with daily anxiety inflicted Pete with a sensitive digestive system and recurring skin problems. He required a special diet, probiotics, medication, and very often he went for days or weeks with soft stools or diarrhea.

He was also intolerant of extreme heat, cold or wind.

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© Faye Antolec

When out on leash walks, Pete would often go over threshold upon seeing other dogs, barking, and lunging at them

Managing the Environment Pete’s family is devoted to his welfare and spares no expense on his care and comfort. In addition to his special diet, they prepared his environ­ ment to support him as best they could. Pete was most comfortable while sleeping on the sofa in the living room, so the owners covered it with bedding for him to curl up and relax. They covered the large pic­ ture window to block visual stimulation and used a white noise machine to eliminate auditory stimuli.

When they take Pete outside for potty breaks and walks, they scan the area before bringing him out, and remain vigilant during their walk to avoid other dogs. But avoidance was not sufficient, and they strug­ gled, not knowing what to do about his reactive behavior.

Pete regarded me with some suspicion when I first arrived at the home on a Monday afternoon in January 2019. The family had already assessed Pete’s basic needs and I suggested adding additional calming aids, such as ADAPTIL, to his environment and also discussed working with his veterinarian to explore the use of behavioral pharmacology.

The family wrote a list of stress triggers and we discussed how to man­ age the environment to avoid triggers, and how to desensitize and countercondition Pete to those which we could not avoid (see also Re‐ ducing Fear – and the Importance of Choice on p.14).

Training Plan Our operant training plan included teaching Look, Touch, Find It, En­ gage­Disengage and loose leash walking. I was then scheduled to pro­

training vide a 30­minute walk­and­train session with Pete on Monday and Wednesday afternoons, while his guardians were away.

That presented an additional challenge as Pete was not accustomed to having a relative stranger enter his home in the absence of his family, who were his secure base. We began with a few joint training sessions so I could develop a trusting relationship with Pete and coach the guardians on training tools which they could use during their neighbor­ hood walks. When we felt that Pete was comfortable with me, I began the first of my home visits, alone.

I remember the first time I let myself through the front door and Pete was not in sight. In addition to resting on the living room sofa, I was told that he often spent afternoons sleeping on the family bed up­ stairs. Startling Pete by my unexpected arrival was the last thing I wanted to do, but I had to call out to him. I did so and remained at the bottom of the steps, uncertain of his response.

Pete must have hopped down from the bed, judging by the thump I heard on the floor and the sound of his slow footsteps suggested he was apprehensive about my presence. As I stood with numerous treats in hand, Pete appeared at the top of the stairs, peeking around the cor­ ner. He greeted me with a deep guttural growl, and I responded by toss­ ing treats up to him with the slightest hand movement I could muster, calling his name gently.

He stopped growling and slowly descended the stairs, sniffing me for a long minute or more. Then I saw the twinkle return to his eyes and his muscle tension eased. I had passed muster and we were ready to take our first walk through the neighborhood. For the next three ses­ sions Pete growled at me when I first arrived, but from that point for­ ward he trotted over to me with a wiggly butt, turned sideways and pressed his flank against me so I could deliver a shoulder massage and a butt rub. We were officially buddies!

Establishing a Routine In the initial weeks I watched Pete and learned his habits. Each of our walks began with the same pattern. We stepped outside and Pete slowly walked down the steps to the sidewalk, cautiously scanning up and down the street until he felt comfortable. Then he eagerly ap­ proached every vertical surface for sniffing, and to mark it. Then we began walking.

I paid Pete for proximity and eye contact. If he walked along my side, I randomly gave him treats, and I always paid when he glanced up at me. Before long that became his default behavior and he spent less time looking for things in the environment to worry about. Now and then we stopped to play a game of find it and I tossed some treats onto the snow so he could sniff and discover them.

His family had given me good instructions as to where the neighbor­ hood dogs lived along our route, and particularly those who spent their days at the window waiting for people and dogs to bark at. With that knowledge I was able to navigate Pete through the gauntlet and avoid being ambushed by (other) reactive dogs. If at any time I heard a dog in the distance, I immediately paired that with the delivery of food to Pete’s mouth. My goal was to switch to classical conditioning mode every time a trigger appeared in the environment.

I kept Pete happily engaged with me and did the heavy lifting, main­ taining vigilance so he did not have to. When I spotted a dog down the block, I stopped walking and began working with Pete, playing games of Look, Touch, and Find It. I wanted to keep the thinking part of Pete’s brain actively seeking and receiving rewards for his correct choices, pro­ moting the release of dopamine in the bargain.

had begun using ADAPTIL and calming music in the home, when Pete was relaxing on the sofa, so I took advantage of that.

Ultimately Pete would notice the other dog as it approached. I en­ sured that we were always on the other side of the street and classically conditioned Pete to the presence of the dog, using his favorite treats.

Pete quickly learned to see the other dog and then look to me for a treat, which became his habit.

Instead of growing anxious, he anticipated something good would come his way whenever a dog approached. He was learning how to vi­ sually engage a trigger, and then disengage. Reactive dogs remain en­ gaged as tension rises, and then go over threshold. Pete was learning with every walk how to remain calm.

Sometimes the energy level or sustained eye contact of the other dog was more challenging for Pete, so I used any nearby parked vehicle as a visual block and quickly engaged in a game of Find It. Pete was still aware of the passing dog, but the most he would do was glance up at it, and then return to his favorite game.

Negativity Bias I noticed that on some days Pete was more lethargic or more tense than on other days, and I assumed he was more stressed by something which may have happened prior to our session. After the session I checked with his guardians and sure enough, there had been a fearful event of one kind or another, such as when workers had to enter the home for an emergency repair the day before our scheduled appointment. Corti­ sol can influence a dog for hours or days, depending on how frightening the experience was.

There were also times when the weather was especially cold, and he only walked a block or so before wanting to return to his warm, cozy sofa. He was basically a big, cuddly couch potato who loved when I rubbed his belly and his ears.

On very windy days he frequently stopped and peered into the dis­ tance, as if he were struggling to listen. I always honored Pete’s wishes and never pressured him to move along until he was ready.

When summer finally arrived, Pete demonstrated on the warmer days that he needed to frequently lie belly down on the sidewalk, in a shady spot, to cool off. We moved ahead only when he showed me his willingness to do so and returned home to the air conditioning if he pre­ ferred. The walk was always for Pete’s benefit, not mine. My job was to help him develop confidence, learn to habituate to things in his environ­

Anticipation To alter the environment in our favor, I sprayed my clothing with ADAP­ TIL and carried an iCalmDog ® music player in my treat bag. His family

© Faye Antolec

Every one of Pete’s daily walks was a trek through the gauntlet of unexpected encounters with strangers, loud noises, and a variety of dogs

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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training ment, and continually try to overcome the negativity bias he already had.

Over several months I observed how much calmer and more re­ silient Pete was during our walk­and­train sessions and asked the family how things had been going for them. They reported that Pete was far more relaxed in general, and they no longer had to worry about explo­ sive outbursts of barking and pulling on the leash when fear triggers oc­ curred.

Emotional Threshold Another winter passed and by March 2020 I was eager to enjoy our walks and looked forward to warmer weather. Pete impressed me with his steady progress and validated our methods. We typically encoun­ tered an average of three dogs in the neighborhood per session, yet I never saw Pete go over his emotional threshold or become reactive.

Then one day we faced a special challenge. We had walked two blocks away from Pete’s home and I paused to look down the intersect­ ing street to my left. I saw a young lady walking her golden retriever in our direction and we stopped so I could engage Pete and evaluate which direction the pair were going to go when they reached the intersection.

That was when I heard a voice shouting from two houses behind the lady and her retriever. “Jake, stop! Come here Jake, get back here!”

“Jake” suddenly appeared, bursting from the front door of a house.

He was a medium­sized black dog with an excited face and high flagging tail. He rushed to the sidewalk, spotted the retriever and raced forward.

Within seconds Jake was pouncing on the retriever and the lady was caught in the middle of the fray. Meanwhile Jake’s guardian was still shouting in the background, like an angry disembodied voice. I imagined that was the sort of ambush Pete had suffered on the occasions which convinced him that walking in the neighborhood was not safe.

I looked down at Pete, who was also watching the spectacle. Then

he looked up at me and words of praised rolled across my tongue.

“Good boy Pete! What a good boy you are! Let’s go.” We calmly turned about and headed home, and I steadily handed treats to my buddy. Be­ cause we had worked as a team, we avoided being the target of Jake’s mad rush.

When I looked back at the lady, I saw that she and her retriever had extricated themselves, and Jake was trotting back to his house. It seems that he was an overzealous greeter and had no aggressive intentions, but had he done the same thing to Pete, I doubt that Pete would have appreciated it.

I returned Pete to the safety of his home, and the comfort of the sofa. He showed no signs of stress and I beamed with pride. He and I had traveled a long way during his journey with fear and I enjoyed re­ porting our success to his family, later that day.

Pandemic March 16, 2020 was the last time I saw Pete. The COVID­19 pandemic abruptly interrupted our walk­and­train schedule, but I stay in touch with his family and am happy to know that he is still doing well. Pete has joined Ranger, and other dogs that I was privileged to help, in overcom­ ing his fears and gaining confidence. Leash reactivity is a common prob­ lem, and one that we can resolve, force­free. n

Resources ADAPTIL iCalmDog Daniel H. Antolec CPT-A CPDT-KA is the owner of Happy Buddha Dog Training in Brooklyn, Wisconsin. He also chairs the Pet Professional Guild Advocacy Committee and is a member of PPG’s steering committee.

interview

Fear at the Vet: Examining Risk Factors In the second of this two-part article in their occasional interview series with animal behavior researchers, Susan Nilson and Angelica Steinker continue their conversation with Petra Edwards about her recent investigations into dogs’ experiences at the veterinary clinic in which she aims to identify ways to reduce the fear and distress commonly experienced

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ased on the papers Fearful Fido: Investigating Dog Experience in the Veterinary Context and Investigating Risk Factors That Predict a Dog’s Fear During Veterinary Consultations co­authored by Ade­ laide, Australia­based Ph.D student Petra Edwards, the first part of this interview (see Overcoming Fear of Vet Visits, BARKS from the Guild, No‐ vember 2020, pp.32‐36) focused largely on the setup at the veterinar­ ian’s office and looked into ways how environment modification, handling by staff, an awareness by both staff and guardians of an ani­ mal’s triggers, and how prioritizing and respecting the animal’s emo­ tional state all play a role in the levels of stress and/or fear they experience.

Now, in this second part, we expand on the conversation to discuss education, pet guardians, puppies and early learning, and canine behav­ ior as potential contributors to fearful behavior and/or distress at the vet.

BARKS: How important is it for veterinary schools to include behavior as part of the curriculum?

Petra Edwards: I would say having an appropriate and comprehensive behavior component in a veterinary degree is vital, but I’m biased of course! I think behavior is equally important to medical knowledge (for safety and welfare, etc.), however, I’m not sure it’s more important than learning every aspect of medicine for every species they’re likely to come into contact with. It would be awesome if they could tack behav­ ior (body language/low stress handling) on to every animal handling and clinical skills practical they have every year.

Pet Guardians

BARKS: I (SN) have seen people berate their dog for barking because he is stressed or fearful, or dragging him into the waiting room or onto the weighing scales, or telling their cat to be quiet if he is meowing continu‐ ously. What can be done to educate guardians, who may be unaware, on the signs of stress in their pets?

PE: I think it would be useful for veterinary clinics to have some nice body language infographic posters up on their walls in the waiting room.

These could also be referred to during puppy schools. Veterinary staff can help ameliorate that stress by moving pets into consult rooms to await the vet as soon as possible, or by triaging the waiting room in terms of behavior – asking someone to sit somewhere specific, or rec­ ommending a dog gets an extra sniffy walk outside for an few minutes while they’re waiting. We shouldn’t underestimate the power of social media. Image­centric campaigns on understanding body language, iden­ tifying stress and appropriate responses to identifying stress/fear are in­ valuable in reaching and reminding people about their pet’s behavior as well.

© Petra Edwards

Petra Edwards trains for cooperative care frequently with her Rottweilers Gus (pictured) and Gwen to build their mutual trust account and help ensure all parties remain calm and confident during a trip to the vet

BARKS: “According to their guardians, 41% of companion dogs displayed mild to moderate fearful behavior when examined by a veterinarian, and 14% exhibited severe or extreme fear. A similar trend was observed with dogs responding fearfully when in unfamiliar situations, including the dog’s first time at the veterinary clinic.” (Edwards et al., 2019b) ‐ What can guardians do to address this?

PE: There isn’t enough research (yet) to be confident in an overall strat­ egy to reduce stress in a veterinary context. However, being able to iden­ tify and respond to body language appropriately, identify the dog’s triggers for stress or fear at each step of the visit, non­slip mats from home, positive reinforcement training for cooperative care, using lots of reinforcers (food or toy) to help the dog remain calm and focused in the waiting room and during the examination will help.

Guardians of dogs that are experiencing severe or extreme fear in response to veterinary visits could also chat with their vets about the use of short­term anxiety meds or sedation. I would add that, even if your dog looks as if they’re coping well now, any of the above strategies will likely help prevent any fear from developing as your dog gets older.

Let’s not take good behavior for granted.

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interview BARKS: How important is the behavior of the guardian in the context of attending the vet; was this found to have any influence on the dog’s be‐ havior/emotional state?

PE: Behavior of the guardian wasn’t investigated in the above study (Ed­ wards et al., 2019b), however Csoltova et al. (2017) found that guardians patting and interacting with their dog in a positive and sup­ portive manner had dogs that showed fewer signs of fear than guardians who did not interact with their dog. I love this because it also beautifully discounts that myth that being kind and empathic to a fear­ ful animal will reinforce their fear.

I believe guardian behavior (positive supportive interactions, good preparation with reinforcers, non­slip mat, arriving with enough time to allow the dog a good chance to sniff before entering the clinic, or pre­ training for cooperative care), will have a very large positive impact on their dog’s behavior and emotional state within the clinic. I hope more research in this field can be done to identify the most beneficial inter­ ventions.

BARKS: What is your opinion on the guardian staying with the pet vs. the pet being taken “to the back” for tests?

PE: Unfortunately there is no peer­reviewed literature on the impact of ‘taking the dog out the back’ briefly for tests on their fear or stress lev­ els, although hospitalized isolation was found to increase stress re­ sponses (van Vonderen, Kooistra & Rjinberk, 1998; Vaisanen et al., 2005).

Personally, I would prefer that my dog stay with me for everything. I have a great trust account with my dog, we train for cooperative care frequently, and I work very hard to remain calm and confident through the entire situation. I also try to be very respectful of our veterinary care team and do my best to keep out the way. Perhaps some guardians

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Csoltova et al. (2017) found that guardians patting and interacting with their dog in a positive and supportive manner had dogs that showed fewer signs of fear than guardians who did not interact with their dog.

get anxious or squeamish enough that it is better to take the dog out the back quickly for some cases, but I’m not convinced it should be the default approach. We should feel empowered to ask if we can stay, but be respectful of the response (it may be clinic policy rather than that vet’s preference). Ultimately, we are part of a care team for our dogs, so it’s important we can be honest, transparent, respectful and empathic with each other – otherwise it’s the dog that loses out.

Canine Behavior

BARKS: “Male dogs were significantly less stressed in a veterinary set‐ ting than female dogs.” (Edwards et al, 2019a) – Why is this?

PE: I’m not sure to be honest. The study you refer to (Döring et al., 2009) used five overt behaviors to identify whether dogs were ‘fearful’ or not. The authors suggest it is in keeping with other research on ani­ mal behavior. This is a valuable observation to take into consideration, but I believe there is far more at play in causing fear of the vet than sim­ ply the sex of the dog.

For instance, the study we published last year found the effect size for demographics like breed or working roles to be quite small (sex was­ n’t found to be a major contributing factor at all). That is, some demo­ graphics influence fear of the vet more than others, but the impact, even combined, isn’t the thing that causes it (Edwards et al., 2019).

interview Think of them like a small trigger (or perhaps a very distant antecedent), where in contrast – the current environment or previous experience is much more likely to have a much larger impact on a dog’s experience.

BARKS: How do the individual factors of temperament/sociability, early learning experience/background, bond with guardian, and guardian training methods play into the level of a dog’s level of fearfulness at the vet?

PE: I imagine they all play an important part – where the perfect storm combine to result in a dog that’s fearful at the vet. Science hasn’t yet caught up with how they all interact together in a veterinary setting specifically, but it might be safe to assume positive experiences, confi­ dent and calm personalities, great bonds with guardians and positive re­ inforcement methods would be beneficial in mitigating or preventing fear at the vet. Certainly, anecdotal evidence suggests as much.

BARKS: What about male vs. female, desexed vs. non desexed, age, size, breed – are there any obvious overriding factors that contribute levels of fearfulness at the vet?

PE: The Edwards et al. (2019b) study from a large worldwide sample identified that these factors do play a part in the extent of fear dogs (ac­ cording to their guardians) display at the veterinary clinic, however the effect size was quite small (7%). This means that there is something (or multiple somethings) that are far more influential in determining the level of fear dogs display at the veterinary clinic.

BARKS: How important are a dog’s genetics to overall fearfulness, and specifically in the context of veterinary visits?

PE: There is some really interesting research into dog genetics and be­ havior generally happening right now. Phenotype and genotype are in­ extricably linked (as demonstrated by the Arctic fox experiment). More recently, McGreevy et al. (2013) found an inverse relationship between height and size, and some problem behaviors (e.g. touch sensitivity, fear, attention seeking), where problem behaviors increase as size de­ creases. Touch sensitivity, separation anxiety or guardian directed ag­ gression were also found to piggyback on some of the same loci that code for small body size in dogs (Zapata et al., 2016). However, as stated above, genetics likely only play a very small part in causing a dog’s fear in a veterinary context specifically.

BARKS: Can you talk a little about single dogs vs. dogs that live in multi‐ dog households in terms of the study’s findings, what influence age had on these findings, and why that might be?

PE: Single dog households were slightly more likely to have dogs that were fearful at the vet according to their guardians, in comparison to multidog homes with dogs of different ages – but the contribution to fear was incredibly small. Of the very small effect size for demographics as mentioned above, breed group, history of roles or activities, source and weight were all stronger predictors of fear.

© Can Stock Photo / smrm1977

A guardian’s ability to identify and respond to their dog’s body language appropriately as well as understand the dog’s triggers for stress can play an important role in the reduction of fear and/or stress experienced during a visit to the veterinarian

Perhaps there is some confidence building in the social dynamic of other dogs in the home, or perhaps guardians are more experienced with more dogs and that plays a larger part. We need to do more re­ search on how these factors interact to know for sure, and I want to stress again, all the demographics we tested combined together only ac­ counted for a very small proportion of the variation of fear observed.

Other things like the current environment or previous experience are far more likely to have a much larger impact.

BARKS: What age group is most vulnerable in terms of having a nega‐ tive vet experience?

PE: At this stage, research hasn’t identified an age at which the fear ‘starts,’ or an age at which dogs are most at risk of developing a fear of the vet. However, I imagine that a dog’s normal developmental periods are the most important. For instance, we can assume it is very impor­ tant that puppies in their critical socialization period have very pleasant, confidence building experiences in the veterinary clinic and being han­ dled, as well as the adolescent periods where dogs may be predisposed to experience things in a fearful way. However, like anything, an unlucky series of events where dogs have multiple, consecutive painful experi­ ences at the vet may have just as big an impact if they’re adults.

Puppies Phenotype and genotype are inextricably linked (as demonstrated by the Arctic fox experiment).

More recently, McGreevy et al. (2013) found an inverse relationship between height and size, and some problem behaviors (e.g. touch sensitivity, fear, attention seeking), where problem behaviors increase as size decreases.

BARKS: What do you think can be most damaging to a puppy in terms of their experiences at the veterinary clinic?

PE: Godbout et al. (2007) identified a small proportion of puppies that displayed ‘extreme’ avoidance behaviors in a mock veterinary visit.

Which suggests that a percentage of dogs will be fearful of the vet from the start. Other than that, we just don’t know enough about all the dif­ ferent factors that can influence a dog’s veterinary experience, to be able to say for sure.

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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interview I would hazard a guess that frequent and painful visits, or visits in­ volving hospitalization (without their guardian) might be factors, but we just don’t know. In any case, we can only try to mitigate the impact of these things as life happens despite our best efforts – a preventative training plan for puppies with lots of positive, fun, safe, confidence building experiences (and even practice of short stints in crates at home or in the hospital before any planned surgeries) would likely be very beneficial.

BARKS: What do you think is the biggest risk factor for fear during a visit to the vet?

PE: I imagine that previous experience and the current environment in­ teract to result in a greater or lesser fear response. Previous experience, because it fuels anticipation of another bad experience this time, and stressors are in the eye of the beholder – individual perception of the stressor causes the stress response, rather than any actual danger in re­ ality. And the current experience, because things can add up quickly if the guardian or veterinary staff aren’t watching the dog closely and re­ sponding appropriately. These are educated guesses, based on what the research is suggesting right now. And it would be great if previous expe­ rience and current environment were the main factors linked with fear at the vet, because (unlike demographics) there is lots we can do to change them.

BARKS: Do you think negative vet experiences can lead to puppies learn‐ ing to bite?

PE: I think there could logically be a tenuous link between fearing as­ pects of veterinary care like handling or restraint, or greeting strangers, and fear of those things in ‘real’ life. But that doesn’t mean that dogs that are fearful of their veterinary care are more likely to bite.

I believe, although we need more research, that the veterinary

© Can Stock Photo / famveldman

Although Godbout et al. (2007) identified a small proportion of puppies that displayed ‘extreme’ avoidance behaviors during a mock veterinary visit, suggesting that a percentage of dogs will be fearful of the vet from the start, we don’t know enough about all the different factors that can influence a dog’s veterinary experience to be able to say for sure which of them may have a negative effect

context is specific enough that dogs can learn the difference, but also that there would be a proportion of dogs that are fearful of the vet and of many other things in life and may be at higher risk of aggression to­ ward humans. However, correlation does not equal causation and I’m not sure that any aggression toward humans would occur solely be­ cause dogs are scared of their vet. n

There isn’t enough research (yet) to be confident in an overall strategy to reduce stress in a veterinary context. However, being able to identify and respond to body language appropriately, identify the dog’s triggers for stress or fear at each step of the visit, non-slip mats from home, positive reinforcement training for cooperative care, using lots of reinforcers (food or toy) to help the dog remain calm and focused in the waiting room and during the examination will help.

Study Article References Edwards, P.T., Smith, B.P., McArthur, M.L., & Hazel, S.J. (2019a). Fear­ ful Fido: Investigating dog experience in the veterinary context in an effort to reduce distress. Applied Animal Behaviour Science (213) 14­2 Edwards, P.T., Hazel S.J., Browne, M, Serpell, J.A., McArthur, M.L., & Smith, B.P. (2019b). Investigating risk factors that predict a dog’s fear during veterinary consultations. PLoS ONE 14(7)

Showcasing the best of the pet industry to chat, chuckle and share Join hosts Niki Tudge and Louise Stapleton-Frappell with their special guests discussing news and views on force-free training, behavior, and pet care!

barksfromtheguild.com/podcasts

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

About Petra Edwards Petra Edwards holds the Professional Canine Trainer accreditation through the Pet Professional Accreditation Board and has a Bachelor of Science (Hons), with a specialization in animal behavior. She is also a Fear Free certified professional and has her CAP 1 and 2 qualifications in clicker training.

She has been involved in the dog training industry since she was 12, when her mother, Mim Edwards, started Adelaide Pet Dog Training. She is passionate about animal behavior and welfare and the amazing achievements and relationships that force‐free training facilitates. She is currently undertaking a Ph.D, analyzing how dogs experience veterinary clinics and looking at strategies to reduce or prevent stress.

She and her partner share their home with their Rottweilers, Gus 41) and Gwen.

interview References Csoltova, E., Martineau, M., Boissy, A., & Gilbert, C. (2017). Behavioral and physiological reactions in dogs to a veterinary examination: owner-dog interactions improve canine well-being. Physiology and Behavior 177 270–281 Döring, D., Roscher, A., Scheipl, F., Kuchenhoff, H., & Erhard, M.H. (2009). Fear-related behaviour of dogs in veterinary practice. The Veterinary Journal 182 38-43 Godbout, M., Palestrini, C., Beauchamp, G., & Frank, D. (2007).

Puppy behavior at the veterinary clinic: a pilot study. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research 2 126–135 McGreevy, P., Georgevsky, D., Carrasco, J., Valenzuela, M., Duffy, D., & Serpell, J. (2013). Dog behavior co-varies with height, bodyweight and skull shape. PLoS One 8(12) 1–7 Vaisanen, M.A.-M., Valros, A.E., Hakaoja, E., Raekallio, M.R., & Vainio, O.M. (2005). Pre-operative stress in dogs – a preliminary investigation of behavior and heart rate variability in healthy hospitalized dogs. Veterinary Anaethesia and Analgesia 32 158-167 Van Vonderen, I.K., Kooistra, H.S., & Rijnberk, A. (1998). Influence of Veterinary Care on the Urinary Corticoid: Creatinine Ratio in Dogs.

Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 12 431-435 Zapata, I., Serpell, J., & Alvarez, C. (2016). Genetic mapping of canine fear and aggression. BMC Genomics 17 572–591 DOI: 10.1186/s12864016-2936-3

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Resources Nilson, S., & Steinker, A. (2020, November). Overcoming Fear of Vet Visits. BARKS from the Guild (45) 32-36 Susan Nilson BA (Hons) DipCABT PCBC-A is editor of BARKS from the Guild and a Reuters-trained journalist with over 10 years’ experience in print journalism in Europe, Asia and the Middle East. She also studied feline behavior at the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology (COAPE) in the United Kingdom and completed her diploma in companion animal behavior and training with COAPE in 2005. She is also an accredited professional canine behavior consultant through the Pet Professional Accreditation Board. In 2018, she co-authored Pet Training and Behavior Consulting: A Model for Raising the Bar to Protect Professionals, Pets and Their People.

Angelica Steinker M.Ed PCBC-A, president and founder of Courteous Canine, Inc., has specialized in dog training methods that create “Results the Fun Way” for more than 20 years. Using consent testing and empowerment training, she and her team have successfully trained thousands of puppies and adult dogs in basic manners/obedience, trick training, problem behavior modification, agility, dock jumping and other skills, all while increasing the bond of trust between dogs and their human companions. She is also a published author in the field of dog training and agility. Her books, Agility Success: Training and Competing with Your Dog in the Winning Zone and Click and Play Agility, address the handler of the agility team and the use of clicker training techniques in the sport respectively, and emphasize the importance of playing and bonding in order to train agility behaviors to the highest level. Her newest project is on dog aggression, something she is particularly passionate about. Her current book Play Therapy for Dogs is due to be published this year and addresses how to use play to create optimum behavior change. She a former member steering committee and founding member of the Pet Professional Guild, and co-founder and former faculty of DogNostics Career College. She has been published in the Journal of Applied Companion Animal Behavior and the Journal of Veterinary Behavior, and as a regular columnist in BARKS from the Guild, the Association of Pet Dog Trainers’ Chronicle of the Dog, and Clean Run. She is also a former advisory board member and faculty at the Companion Animal Sciences Institute (CASI) and a CASI dog behavior program graduate.

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f e l i n e

Eat, PURR, Love Andrea Carne investigates how feeding regimes can help meet feline behavioral needs, particularly those of indoor cats, while deliberating the findings of a recent study on the same topic

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ead the next sentence very carefully (and with a large pinch of salt): Feeding your cat one meal a day might be best. I can almost hear the gasps from cat guardians across the world! “Feed my cat once a day? Are you crazy?” I hear you say. “What do I do when I get the 5 a.m. ‘wake up and feed me’ paw in the face? Calmly explain that there’ll be no food until 6 p.m.?” And I can also imagine what feline behavior specialists may have to say too.

For example, Dr. Liz Bales of the PPG Cat Com­ mittee wrote recently in BARKS: “Cats are ex­ quisite hunters. They need to be. One cat needs to hunt, catch, kill, and eat 8­12 mice every single day to stay alive. It takes about 80% of a cat’s waking hours to accomplish this.

Nature gave cats a strong innate drive to hunt to ensure they stay alive, even if there is plenti­ ful food (iCatCare, 2019). A cat’s stomach is only the size of a ping­pong ball, just right for a mouse­sized meal, one at a time.” (see Cats: In Crisis, BARKS from the Guild, September 2020). © Can Stock Photo / nataly0288 And yet, a new study suggests just that — Cats have adapted well to domestication but still have an innate need to hunt, scratch, and maintain by claiming that some cats may benefit from territory, among other things being fed just one meal a day. The paper, by Ca­ After all, our domesticated cats of today are not that far removed mara et al. (2020) at the University of Guelph, Canada, was based on a (genetically speaking) from their wild cat forbearers and still carry with study involving a small group of eight healthy adult cats who were fed a them a range of behavioral “tics” that hearken back to that wild ances­ regime of commercial adult maintenance canned cat food either once try. Yes, they have adapted very well to our human­centric worlds, but or four times daily. Subsequent tests were carried out over a 21­day pe­ they still have an innate need to (among other things) hunt, scratch, riod, including monitoring of appetite­regulating hormones, insulin, glu­ maintain territory – and to eat – in ways which resemble how they cose, etc. as well as observation of physical activity levels. would act in the wild.

In the end, the study concluded that “feeding once a day may be a In terms of eating, that innate behavior leans towards a preference beneficial feeding management strategy for indoor cats to promote sati­ to eat little and often. Out in the wild, without the luxury of a human ation and lean body mass.” (Camara et al., 2020). feeding them at will, cats rely on their hunting abilities for food. Their Well, that’s all very well but, biological and physiological needs prey is often small – birds, mice etc. – and so they must successfully aside, as a professional cat behavior consultant, I find this study rather capture several of these small items a day to fulfil their appetite, as so troubling in terms of meeting the behavioral needs of cats, particularly eloquently explained by Dr. Bales. This transfers to many of our domes­ those with an indoor­only lifestyle. Apart from the fact that it involved a ticated cats who, when given the choice, will eat small amounts of food very small group of cats who were studied over a relatively short space at several points in time throughout the day, rather than devouring a of time, it, unfortunately, pays no attention to whether the behavioral huge meal all at once. needs of the cats were being met in terms of the feeding regimes.

By providing feeding through things such as puzzle feeders and treasure hunts, you are not only providing your cat with the opportunity to eat little and often, but you are also engaging other important cat behaviors in the form of seeking out food and using their brains to solve problems.

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Frequent Feeding Atkinson (2018, p.52) states that “[m]any cats prefer to eat ad­lib or lit­ tle and often, which mimics the natural feeding patterns of wild and feral cats that are most likely to kill and eat several small prey animals at varying intervals throughout the day and night.”

But, despite this, the Camara study makes the following conclusion: “Overall, feeding cats once per day presents several promising out­ comes to improve the quality of life of indoor cats, as feeding regimen could reduce the incidence of obesity in cats, by controlling appetite

f e l i n e Offering choice in feeding methods and receptacles gives cats a sense of control over their environment, and a sense of control makes them more relaxed.

and limiting feed intake.” (Camara et al., 2020).

In my humble opinion, while I am not discrediting the study’s find­ ings, this conclusion is what I’d term the “easy way out” when it comes to combating obesity in our indoor cats. We can still “fight the good fight,” so to speak, while fulfilling the behavioral needs of our cats when it comes to feeding. There are ways to limit a cat’s food intake AND meet their behavioral needs without having to resort to feeding just one meal a day.

This is not to say that cats won’t eat a full meal in one sitting, espe­ cially if it is highly palatable or if there is a real or perceived element of competition, particularly in a multi­cat household and/or when the cats are fed in close proximity (Atkinson, 2018, p.52). But part of meeting the behavioral needs of cats is to reduce the feelings of competition by increasing resources and enrichment so they do not feel the need to de­ vour all of their food in one sitting.

Environmental Enrichment If the cat is a single pet in the home, there are lots of options. Measure out the food quota for the day and offer small amounts at several inter­ vals. If you are not at home, you can still provide several feedings via an automated food dispenser, or a variety of food puzzles, or by hiding food in a treasure hunt throughout the home for the cat to seek out.

If there is more than one cat in the house, automated feeders can be set for each cat via their microchip or a tag on their collar. Alterna­ tively, if the home is large enough, each cat can have their own area of the house while the guardian is out, with their own treasure hunt and puzzle feeders.

By providing feeding through things such as puzzle feeders and treasure hunts, you are not only providing your cat with the opportunity to eat little and often, but you are also engaging other important cat be­ haviors in the form of seeking out food and using their brains to solve problems. This helps keep them active both physically and mentally at various points throughout the day and provides enrichment which is crucial in an indoor­only lifestyle.

It is true that feline obesity is an ongoing problem, particularly when it comes to indoor­only cats, but I firmly believe the solution lies more with guardian education about healthy weight ranges, correct feeding amounts and providing opportunities for increased physical activity, than it does with restricting food to once a day.

Cats that are just fed ad­lib with no regard for how much food they are actually consuming – and then have little or no means of expending energy via play and other enrichment – may well get fat.

In my opinion, feeding cats once a day is not going to solve this problem, unless food is carefully measured for each cat and more op­ portunities for exercise are provided. And, if guardians can do this, then they can also provide ways for the cats to eat little and often, subse­ quently meeting their behavioral needs. Yes, it takes more time and ef­ fort from the guardian, but their cats will love them for it!

Cats and Food Some other things to remember when it comes to cats and their food:

Cats Like Food that Smells Good: You may have noticed cats move up to food and usually always sniff it first. This is an innate behavior to ensure the food is not tainted. Their sense of smell is actually much bet­ ter than their sense of taste. Olfaction “plays a major part in food

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

47

f e l i n e Olfaction “plays a major part in food acceptance; cats will often reject food if they cannot smell it.” (Atkinson, 2018, p.52). bowls, food bowls and sleeping areas should all be well separated. In the wild, a cat will not eat near his toileting area for hygiene reasons and will not drink near a feeding area in case the water is tainted. Some cats may prefer to eat from a raised area where they feel safe and se­ cure.

Cats Like Choice: Offering choice in feeding methods and receptacles gives cats a sense of control over their environment, and a sense of con­ trol makes them more relaxed.

To conclude, then, I’d like to thank Camara and her colleagues for taking the time to research feeding regimes for cats. The more feline re­ search we have, the better informed we are about the many facets of their health and behavior. But I really feel we need to do more in this area – perhaps using a larger group of cats and a longer period of time – to provide more answers on combatting the obesity problem while still meeting the behavioral needs of our feline family members. Too often, the behavioral needs of cats are overlooked when it comes to tackling health problems and I think both need to work hand in hand so that our cats can lead not only healthy lives, but happy, contented ones as well. n © Susan Nilson

Food toys give cats the opportunity to engage in important behaviors such as seeking out food and using their brains to solve problems

acceptance; cats will often reject food if they cannot smell it.” (Atkinson, 2018, p.52).

Cats Generally Prefer Food at Room – or Blood – Temperature: Some believe this equates to the temperature of prey when it’s eaten. If you store canned food in the fridge, perhaps warm it up a little before giving it to your cat. Warming the food will also increase the smell, which may be beneficial for fussy eaters.

Cats Like Variety and Novelty: If your cat is seemingly fussy at times, provide a completely novel food that they haven’t had for some time – a different flavor or different texture.

Cats Need Safe Places to Eat and to Eat Away from Their Other Resources: Ensure all resources are separated – litter trays, water

BARKS from the Guild

References Atkinson, T. (2018). Practical Feline Behaviour: Understanding Cat Behaviour and Improving Welfare. Oxfordshire, UK: CABI Bales, E. (2020, September). Cats: In Crisis. BARKS from the Guild (44) 12-19 Camara, A., Verbrugghe, A., Cargo-Froom, C., Hogan, K., DeVries, T.J., Sanchez, A., Robinson, L.E., & Shoveller, A.K. (2020). The daytime feeding frequency affects appetite-regulating hormones, amino acids, physical activity, and respiratory quotient, but not energy expenditure, in adult cats fed regimens for 21 days. PLoS ONE Andrea Carne is a graduate of the University of Southern Queensland, Australia where she majored in journalism and drama before, later in life, following her dream to work in the field of animal behavior. She is a qualified veterinary nurse and dog trainer and member of PPG Australia. Her special area of interest is cat behavior and her passion for it led to the establishment of her own cat behavior consultancy Cattitude, based in southern Tasmania, through which she offers private in-home consultations.

BARKS from the Guild is the 64-page bi-monthly pet industry trade magazine published by the Pet Professional Guild, available internationally to Pet Professional Guild members, supporters and the general public via a free lifetime digital subscription.

Widely read by pet industry professionals and pet guardians alike, BARKS covers a vast range of topics encompassing animal behavior, pet care, training, education, industry trends, business AND MUCH MORE! If you would like to reach your target audience, BARKS is the perfect vehicle to achieve that goal.

To contribute an article, please contact the editor, Susan Nilson.

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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leporine

Trick Bunnies Emily Cassell explains that she became a certified trick dog trainer so she could apply the same principles to bunny training, thereby creating a fun way for rabbits and their guardians to interact, build trust and increase their mutual bond. Enter the Bunny Spark Coach...

© Emily Cassell

Tula takes on the agility course: Rabbits have the ability to quickly thread environmental events together in a pattern and have a highly perceptive understanding of what is going on

So, where do you plan to hold your trick classes?” asked the in­ terviewer from Do More with Your Dog! I hoped she was ready for the answer: “I don’t actually plan to hold in­person classes,” I explained. “The reason I am trying to get certified is so that I can cre­ ate a Spark group for bunnies.”

If you aren’t familiar with Do More with Your Dog! or their trick ti­ tling program, let me fill in some gaps for you. Do More with Your Dog! was the first sanctioning body for dog tricks. They offer five tiers of ti­ tling for dogs, in the spirit of providing an avenue for those individuals who simply can’t enjoy the public sports ring: the dog­reactive, the fear­ ful, the ones afraid of getting in a car, the ones with clinical behavior dis­ orders, the ones whose parents simply can’t afford (or aren’t old enough) to do the “dog sports thing.” The goal is, as the name of the or­

“

ganization implies, to encourage people to do more with their dogs!

I had discovered the fun in trick titling with my dog, Maddie, who was the first Labrador retriever to earn the Champion­level title. She lit­ erally lost her mind every time I began to rifle through trick props and set up for a training session. Back then, I worked late hours, and this girl would stare at me to begin a training session at 2 a.m. Tricks are addic­ tive.

Building Trust Enter Hemingway, my first rabbit. Abused, neglected, and just a medical disaster of a creature, he looked and behaved like the survivor of a house fire. After spending countless hours, days, weeks, and months earning his trust, I didn’t believe I would ever actually teach him any­

Enter Hemingway, my first rabbit. Abused, neglected, and just a medical disaster of a creature, he looked and behaved like the survivor of a house fire. After spending countless hours, days, weeks, and months earning his trust, I didn’t believe I would ever actually teach him anything. It was a few years later that I realized he had learned more than enough behaviors to qualify for a Novice Trick Dog title. So, I submitted. Later, Hemingway became the first bunny to earn an Intermediate title.

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leporine thing. It was a few years later that I realized he had learned more than enough behaviors to qualify for a Novice Trick Dog title. So, I submitted.

Later, Hemingway became the first bunny to earn an Intermediate title, and he began a movement that has had ripple effects for many bunnies and their humans.

Rabbits are prey animals. Prey animals don’t just try things. That’s the kind of recklessness that results in becoming the dinner of another animal. Domestication of rabbits hasn’t exactly focused on behavior as much as it has focused on meat production, fur quality, and science ex­ periments. Rabbits have as much reason not to trust us as they have not to trust a fox. Of course, that creates an issue once they arrive in our homes, where those of us who are lucky enough to share a home with them want nothing more than to be friends. Many rabbits learn to relax and trust their people.

I’ve been a professional trainer for nearly 15 years, and I’ve been working on specializing in rabbits for the last seven. Bunny husbandry (care and keeping) is rapidly evolving, as is pet husbandry in general, to have the bunnies be more of a part of the family. Outdoor hutches that you visit once a day are a thing of the past, as much as leaving a dog tied to a tree in the yard is. However, people still often center their spoiling around providing things for their rabbits: toys, treats, special herbal blends, fancy beds, elaborate houses, even castles! Those of us that train animals know that, while this is wonderful, what our pets re­ ally need is for us to do things with them. My goal in spending nearly $400 to become certified in dog tricks so that I could officially title bun­ nies in tricks through a free Facebook course (known as a “Spark Team”) was literally so I could help people do more with their bunnies!

Teamwork Tricks are frivolous to some, and some even consider “trick” to be a dirty word. I’m not sure why. My definition of a trick is a behavior that is fun. It may or may not have a utilitarian function or purpose. However, tricks take the pressure off the people because they are silly and not im­ portant. Teach someone to train their rabbit to get on a scale, and the pressure is on. If they don’t get this behavior, then they can’t get weighed, then their health can’t be monitored, then they might get sick and we won’t know about it, or we’ll have to pick them up and stress them out and they’ll get mad and it might cause them to not eat and go into GI stasis and…whew. Spirally, right? It’s a lot for a new trainer who is a learner themselves!

Tricks have no pressure. Who cares if the rabbit doesn’t spin a cir­ cle? Does it matter if they won’t “sit pretty?” Nope. This allows the trainer to relax, making them a better trainer by default. Once they get

Rabbits have as much reason not to trust us as they have not to trust a fox. Of course, that creates an issue once they arrive in our homes, where those of us who are lucky enough to share a home with them want nothing more than to be friends.

a few tricks under their belt, then they can work on some more pressing behaviors.

Tricks have this great quality of allowing the trainer and the animal to have fun together. The communication required to build an odd be­ havior like “ring a bell” or “go through a tunnel” helps create a new di­ mension to the bunny/human relationship. Suddenly, you aren’t just a provider for the animal. You are a team. You work on creating some­ thing together. The benefit of that is not lost on the bunny, and it’s won­ derful to see and hear in the human. That’s why I love being a Bunny Spark Coach!

Confidence and Creativity Rabbits get the opportunity to make a choice and get reinforced for it.

They learn that operating on the environment is a safe thing to do. It builds confidence. It inspires creativity. It creates moments that are truly so connective between two species that you forget that you are differ­ ent from them. Being human doesn’t matter. Being a bunny doesn’t matter. You are just two Earthlings working on this group project and having fun together.

There have been countless times in my training sessions with my bunny, Tula, where we have been working on a behavior and she sud­ denly ad­libs and does something completely off the wall with a prop we’ve been using. It’s hysterical, I laugh with her and always reinforce it, and she usually runs back to me to be snuggled­she is happy. Those mo­ ments are unlike anything else in the world. We are just two best friends having fun and enjoying our time together. I had to bring that to more people, and Do More with Your Dog! had created the format to do it: the Spark Team. Spark Teams are private groups on Facebook led by certified trick dog instructors. The groups provide free tutorials for stu­ dents and offer to witness and support them in getting their pet’s trick titles.

I started my TrickBun Spark Team a little over a year ago, and I sur­ veyed my first class. A full 100% of them remarked that their relation­ ship with their bunny had improved through teaching tricks. Many of

© Emily Cassell

Tricks have the enviable quality of allowing trainer and animal to have fun together

© Emily Cassell

Tula takes on the target stick: Rabbits are smart and enjoy the mental stimulation of learning tricks

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

51

leporine Tales from the TrickBun Spark Team Cocoa

Clover

© Beatrice You

© Sam Schmill

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ere’s my baby Clover with a painting she did herself! I use Clover’s meals to train her and she always gets so excited when I bring over her pellets.

She knows how to spin [on cue] and now spins every time I walk over to her with pellets in my hand. I’ve also noticed an increase in bunny binkies on days when we do training in the morning. ­ Sam Schmill, guardian.

Zumi

T

wo weeks before this picture was taken, I brought this stray girl home. Every time I came in to feed and clean her pen, she’d cower in the corner and pee herself. Then a couple days later, she gave birth and was even more skittish and nervous around humans. I knew that being that skittish would not make her an attractive adoptable pet.

I started training her to recall when bringing her favorite pel­ lets and that really got her out of her shell. She started associating humans with yummy pellets and would even put her paws up on my hand for more pellets! I posted her progression and how she responds to her name and this cute paw trick on my local rabbit group and she got adopted as soon as SPCA put her up. She’s now living a happy life bonded to her husbun! ­ Beatrice You, foster.

© Nicole Wieland

C

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Beatrix © Emma Rider

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rick training with Beatrix has been a huge help in our relationship.

Her aggression has almost completely gone away! Some days she is still moody, but I believe that’s because she isn’t spayed [yet]. Our relationship is much more mutual. Now, we both seek each other out to see if the other wants to play.

I love that trick training helps her use her brain and I’ve noticed she has started problem solving lots of things! And it’s always a bonus that all the mental stimulation makes her a bit more tired! She is also way less destructive when we keep up with our short daily training sessions (and give her lots of toys). ­ Emma Rider, guardian.

© Can Stock Photo / vectorshot

licker training has completely changed my relationship with Zumi for the better. I knew she was a smart bunny, but I had no idea how to keep her challenged. I would buy puzzle toys for her but she would figure them out and I had no idea how to keep her motivated. She be­ came very lazy and standoffish and I just thought she wanted to be alone. It came to the point where every time I was coming to her it was for food or grooming. She does not love to be touched like my other bunnies. If I didn’t have food she wanted nothing to do with me. I felt helpless. I loved her so much but didn’t know how to connect with her.

Starting clicker training through Bunz of Steel, [a clicker exercise class for bunnies offered by the TrickBun Spark Team] I saw a whole new personality emerge from her. She was coming out from her bed more and seeking out training time. I would find her under my feet searching me out and doing binkies and zoomies like never before.

We finally have a project together that we can really connect on and that has brought us both so much joy. ­ Nicole Wieland, guardian.

leporine Rabbits respond quickly to the environment, which makes them perfectly suited to learning patterns and chaining behaviors, which often means that the rabbit has learned the behavior before the trainer even realizes it.

them stated that their nervous bunny was now running up to the side of their pen when their human walked by, or that they began to sit in the area where their training props where. They binkied (a rabbit expression of pure joy, where they hop into the air and kick out their legs) more in general, but especially when the training session was about to begin.

This is exactly what I’d experienced with my rabbits, and I was thrilled to hear that others were experiencing these amazing benefits as well.

All of my students, who put the time and effort into teaching their buns, however, have no doubt about the intelligence of their learners.

They will tell you that they are already well aware of how smart they are. This brings me immense joy, because I know that they are spread­ ing the word about how smart bunnies are to those who don’t know them like we do.

Rabbits are highly sensitive, smart, and sensible. They quickly thread environmental events together in a pattern and have a highly perceptive understanding of what is going on. Teaching them is not un­ like teaching puppy class, where you watch the puppies catch onto the behavior more quickly than their humans realize they are learning something. Rabbits respond quickly to the environment, which makes them perfectly suited to learning patterns and chaining behaviors, which often means that the rabbit has learned the behavior before the trainer even realizes it.

“Untrainable” Our team has rapidly grown, and the species that we are hosting has grown with it! Guinea pigs, goats, cats, and even sheep have shown up

in our group, working on their trick titles. All of these “untrainable” ani­ mals are learning to do things like target, spin circles, and jump hoops.

Their humans are building relationships that are trusting, loving, and fun. As the cliché goes, it’s not the destination, it’s the journey that mat­ ters.

In TrickBun, our destination is a trick title. Our journey is the rela­ tionship. Tricks are our roadmap. Trick bunnies are happy bunnies, and trick trainers are happy humans! Pet guardianship is no longer about providing, it’s about doing. For too long, training an animal other than a dog or horse has been associated with “having too much time on your hands.” My goal for the bunny world is for bunny training to become as commonplace as dog training, because the bunnies are smart, they enjoy it, and mental stimulation is just as important as veterinary care and a proper diet. So, if you are a rabbit guardian, grab a clicker, and Do More with Your Bun! n Emily Cassell is a zookeeper and professional pet trainer based in Tampa, Florida. She began her career in 2010 with dogs before expanding to fish, guinea pigs, cats, rabbits, and other pets while operating her own training business, Phins with Fur Animal Training. While pursuing a degree in Animal Science at the University of Florida, she worked with Class Act for Dogs in Gainesville before returning to Tampa to work at Courteous Canine, Inc. After completing internships with Tampa’s Lowry Park Zoo and Clearwater Marine Aquarium working with manatees, dolphins, otters, and birds, she landed a job as a full-time keeper and trainer at one of world’s most respected zoological institutions, located in Tampa. Her primary responsibilities now include orangutans, tigers, gibbons, bats and various other species. Despite her career with much larger animals, she has always maintained an interest in small pets. She has presented multiple webinars and written various articles on small pet care and behavior. In addition, she operates Small Animal Resources, a service providing free help for those needing assistance with small mammal care as well as private behavior consultation for small pets.

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e q u i n e

A Resilience-Friendly Lifestyle Kathie Gregory discusses the importance of putting a resilience program in place to ensure horses have access to a range of activities that cater to their individual physical, psychological and social needs

F

or many of us, the term ‘resilience program' implies that there is a set timescale and an endpoint when, in reality, what we really want to implement is a ‘resilience­friendly lifestyle.’ After all, the mind is not the same all the time. It develops through life and is subject to experiences that change perceptions. How resilient we are can also change depending on our age, experiences and perception. Promoting resilience, then, cannot be simply a case of completing a program.

Establishing a strong bond with your horse can go a long way to­ wards teaching him resilience, or the aspects of it that can actually be taught, at least. None of us know everything or are good at navigating all aspects of life, nor have we experienced all the possibilities. But if we have some emotional resilience, we are better able to cope with the things life throws at us.

Stress Whatever the species, some individuals are naturally more resilient than others. But however much natural resilience we have, we can all find that it reduces over time if we are in ongoing stressful situations. Mak­ ing sure our lives are set up to minimize the impact of stressful situa­ tions and events helps us to deal with them more efficiently, and remain able to cope during longer term difficulties.

As I mentioned in my previous article, Understanding Emotional Re­ silience (see BARKS from the Guild, November 2020, pp.52‐54), the three elements of emotional resilience are physical, psychological, and social. Each of us will find it easier to naturally look after one element over the other two; one element will be in the middle, and the other will be least considered.

For humans, this is often a choice – albeit not necessarily a con­ scious one. However, many of us are in the position where we can do the things we feel we need to in order to stay healthy. For example, if you are the type of person who enjoys activity, you are more likely to make exercise part of your regular routine. But you may not pay as much attention to the psychological and social elements. Sometimes our circumstances dictate which of the three elements we are able to utilize and which one is pertinent at present, as in the ongoing restric­ tions necessary to keep us safe during the pandemic.

© Can Stock Photo / Antonio_Diaz

Just like humans, horses need social interactions and it is important for them to interact with humans as well as other horses

While many of us are now living under restrictive circumstances due to the pandemic, some, or even many, horses experience such restric­ tions for most of their lives. Some will have one element provided for over the others, with the others being far less accessible — or perhaps not being addressed at all. And some, unfortunately, may not have any of the elements of emotional resilience catered to at all. Now, while we may be unable to change the place where our horse is kept, it doesn’t mean we are helpless to improve his situation. Indeed, caring for our horses by doing everything we can to promote the three elements of re­ silience will make an enormous difference to their quality of life.

Physical Activity Natural Preference Let’s now consider our horses. They, too, will have a natural preference.

Knowing what that is tells us which of the three elements they find most important and will, thus, take the time to engage in for their own self­care. At the same time, we need to be sure we understand what we are seeing. For example, does a horse engage in one of the elements be­ cause he has a preference for it, or because of a lack of it? It is impor­ tant to know the difference because what we do about it needs to be based on the individual animal. To break it down, then, a horse that en­ gages in one element due to personal preference means that, as long as he has access to that element, we don’t need to do much more. On the other hand, a horse that engages through a lack of exposure means we need to find a way to make this element a part of his life.

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Let’s start by looking at the physical element of emotional resilience.

Ideally, we need to provide an environment which allows our horses to move about and exercise freely. How much this is possible depends on the individual situation, of course. Some horses will have huge environ­ ments while others will only have limited access to small areas. So we need to compensate for this and provide specific exercise opportunities.

We also need to be aware that just because a horse has the ability to ex­ ercise, it does not mean he will. Just like us, horses have preferences but can lack motivation. Think of how many times you have decided to get fit and enthusiastically taken up some form of exercise only to lose the motivation for it a few weeks later. This is often compounded when we are in a limited environment.

Due to the current situation with COVID­19, many of us have found

e q u i n e ...just because a horse has the ability to exercise, it does not mean he will. Just like us, horses have preferences but can lack motivation. Think of how many times you have decided to get fit and enthusiastically taken up some form of exercise only to lose the motivation for it a few weeks later. ourselves newly appreciative of the downsides to being contained in a small space. There are always those of us, me included, that find com­ mitting to an exercise program difficult, and we are probably going to find it even more so when we are in the same space all the time. It can really sap your motivation and enthusiasm. So here’s an idea: how about combining your exercise with your horse’s exercise? Doing physi­ cal activities with your horse gets you both motivated and fit. There are also plenty of static strength and stretching exercises you and your horse can do together. Or you may just be spending time with him while you do some other physical activity, which ties into the social element of resilience.

Just like humans, horses need social interactions and it is important for them to interact with humans as well as other horses. This will really strengthen the bond between you and your horse. Just spending time with him, not asking anything of him, is an important part of contentment.

Adapting Many of us have busy lives. As such, it could easily happen that the time spent just being with our horses and doing nothing is the one thing that suffers. But rather than that time being wasted, we can use it to our ad­ vantage. For example, I split my time between writing and static exer­ cises when I am out with the dogs or horses and am not actively engaging with them. It has taken me a long time to figure this out! My friends have all heard me say that I don't have enough time to get things done, as I have to spend a good portion of my day with the dogs and horses. There is no real solution to this — other than not spending the time with them, thus compromising their lifestyles and happiness.

We can all be self­limiting, but I think for some of us, the COVID­19 situation has highlighted this. If we are resourceful, we have found ways of addressing it. This is a good thing. Taking myself as an example, I tend to be self­limiting in the sense that I think to myself, ‘I can't change where I am. I also have to spend time with the animals, so am not able to be at my computer. Therefore I cannot write.’ I also have trouble see­ ing myself being able to adapt to a different way.

It's only recently that I was highly motivated by a new writing proj­ ect and started to explore whether I could write on my phone while I was out. I did start, but my mind resisted, saying, ‘Well, you can do a bit, maybe make some notes, but you really need to be at your desk and on the computer to write properly.’

© Can Stock Photo / nazarovsergey

By becoming aware of a horse’s preferences for self­care, we can make changes to his environment that can be enormously beneficial to his physical, emotional, mental and social well­being

Perception Fortunately, I have been so motivated by this project that I have contin­ ued to write while I am out, and now I see that I am not limited at all. It was just my perception that told me I was. I can write whatever and whenever I want to. And of course, I now have a solution to the feeling that I didn't have enough time to do anything as I can combine activi­ ties. There's another benefit too. When I am at the computer I feel I must write. This puts stress on myself, which leads to the displacement activity of looking at Facebook every couple of minutes because I can't think of what to write! And I don't progress well because the pressure means inspiration does not come easily. But if I am not inspired when I'm out in the fields, I stop and do something with the animals. My mind is then free to ponder, which means it usually finds some inspiration, as I'm not trying to force it. I find I am much more productive like this.

We all need variety in life and the current situation has shown many of us how difficult it can be when we don't have that. It seems obvious that our mental health will suffer. The lack of a change of environment can make us feel despondent or withdrawn, and that there is no point in doing anything. This can stop us looking after our physical health, affect­ ing if and how we exercise, what we eat, and whether we make an ef­ fort over our appearance.

Getting up and going out, filling our days with the things that need to be done along with what we want to pursue gives us a sense of satis­ faction and achievement. It helps us feel good, gives us a sense of pur­ pose and, in turn, a more interested perspective on life in general.

While, obviously, the specifics of what we need to do to boost our own resilience are not what exactly what horses need, there is some overlap in that they too need variety, a range of activities, both physical and psy­ chological, and social interaction, to feel content. So look at their envi­

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55

e q u i n e If the mind is to be resilient, the horse must feel able to cope and this is not going to happen if he is afraid. Just like us, horses need time to adjust to new things, process the information and find a way of coping. You can aid in this with how you support your horse when he is faced with something he is not sure about, doesn't like, or is outside his experience.

ronment, and take inspiration from yourself. We've all had to make changes and adjust to spending most of our time at home, and this has resulted in some creative thinking and changes that are better for us.

Now apply this mindset to your horse’s environment and ask yourself what you can do to provide him with a situation that better serves him.

If the mind is to be resilient, the horse must feel able to cope and this is not going to happen if he is afraid. Just like us, horses need time to adjust to new things, process information and find a way of coping.

You can aid in this with how you support your horse when he is faced with something he is not sure about, doesn't like, or is outside his range of experience. You can also build new experiences into your training ses­ sions in a familiar environment, and give him choices and ways to cope, along with your support. Then, you can start to apply those strategies when you are faced with new situations together. Essentially, you are giving him the knowledge that there is always more than one option, and that he can adjust and adapt.

Structure A resilience program is not a set of rules or exercises. Rather, it is how you live your life and how you structure your time. It is making time for self­ care and building coping strategies for dealing with stressful situations. It's about managing how you react to stress, anxiety, and fear when things go wrong. It is also knowing that you are not alone. There is always support, whether that's just taking your mind off things with friends or finding someone who can help you deal with a specific situation. It's also know­ ing that you are better off finding a solution than ignoring a problem and hoping it goes away. These same principles apply to your horse, and these are the things that build the parts of emotional resilience that we can in­ fluence, ultimately leading to a more content and healthy life. n

Resources Gregory, K. (2020, November). Understanding Emotional Resilience.

BARKS from the Guild (45) 52-54 Kathie Gregory is a qualified animal behavior consultant, presenter and author, specializing in advanced cognition and emotional intelligence. Passionate about raising standards and awareness in how we teach and work with animals, she has developed Free Will TeachingTM, a concept that provides the framework for animals to enjoy life without compromising their own free will. She has authored two books, A tale of two horses: a passion for free will teaching, and A Puppy Called Wolfie: a passion for free will teaching, and her work is currently divided between working with clients, mentoring, and writing.

Pet Training and Behavior Consulting: A Model for Raising the Bar to Protect Professionals, Pets and Their People Pet Training and Behavior Consulting: A Model for Raising the Bar to Protect Professionals, Pets and Their People is a newly published book in which the authors present their views on: • •

• • •

The need for a level and model of oversight in the fields of pet training and behavior consulting and for those choosing to practice within them.

The prevalence of individuals who hold no credentials, formal education, knowledge or skills, yet who are today working across the nation with full responsibility for the well-being and welfare of their unknowing clients’ treasured pets.

The lack of consumer protection and transparency across the marketing and operations platforms of many pet-related businesses.

The inherent weakness in how pets are legally classified.

How the current lack of reported and enforced animal cruelty laws means there is insufficient protection when it comes to holding pet professionals accountable for their methods, approach and philosophies toward their craft and the pets they serve.

The authors advise on the pertinence of all these issues to the development of an infrastructure for oversight to support the professional evolution of the pet training and behavior industry while providing a complete recommended implementation model from which to do so.

"I would urge anyone interested in the direction of the industry to get a copy. It has been invaluable for a project I am involved in, and identifies and clarifies really important aspects of the industry that desperately need addressing. Even as an individual practitioner it provides a great resource for identifying best practice." - Andrew Hale, chair of association of INTOdogs "Check out this groundbreaking new resource for the pet training and behavior consulting industry written by the best in the business." - Paula Garber, owner of LIFELINE Cat Behavior Solutions and chairwoman of the Pet Professional Guild Feline Committee "Reliable, scientifically accurate behavioral information from experts in the field."

- Gallivan Burwell, owner of Upward Dog Training & Counseling

Online: petindustryregulation.com Available in print and ebook format from: Facebook: facebook.com/petindustryregulation bit.ly/PetTrainingBehavior Twitter: twitter.com/PetTrainingReg Available in pdf format from: petindustryregulation.com

56

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

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business

Ask the Experts: Innovation, Creation Veronica Boutelle of PPG corporate partner dog*biz offers a positive outlook for dog trainers in this new year

Q

: I’ve been working really hard to keep a positive outlook through this last crazy challenging year (it hasn’t always been easy). I’m trying to focus on moving forward into the new year. What advice are you giving R+ trainers about their businesses for 2021?

Thanks for any inspiration you can provide for a positive trainer trying to be positive!

A: What a year! So much stress, heart­ break, loss, fear, and overwhelm. But in © Can Stock Photo / cynoclub Dog training can be isolating work, but the pandemic has seen professionals coming together to support each other our industry, also some real opportu­ nity. To answer your question, I’ll focus Lean into Each Other: We do a lot of teaching and guiding in THRIVE!, there. Because it’s that opportunity that we’re focusing our advice but Gina and Tia [Guest] and I really believe that what’s creating the around these days. Here’s what we’re teaching and learning in our tremendous success of our members is our members. One of the real THRIVE! membership program, born from the chaos of the pandemic as opportunities created out of the mess of this past year is the chance we rushed to help R+ trainers find a way through the crisis: and the drive to come together. Dog training has long been an isolating profession, but the pandemic pulled the walls down. With everyone in Lean into Creativity: As my dogbiz colleague Gina [Phairas] says, the the same boat, we let down our collective guard and found that by sup­ pandemic essentially hurled our industry into the future as trainers were forced to adapt quickly to continue to serve dogs and their people. porting each other we’re each individually stronger.

So my 2021 advice to you, Positive Trainer, and to all R+ trainers, is We probably would have gotten here eventually, but at our industry’s simple: Step outside the box of what your business looked like before to usual snail’s pace the things we’ve learned (such as the benefits of boldly reimagine what you do and make it work better for yourself, your working online and all the lessons learned there) would have taken far clients, and the dogs. Reach for other trainers doing the same because longer. we are better and smarter and more creative together.

The fast track may have been a bit discombobulating, but many I think you’re spot­on to be keeping a positive outlook. It isn’t easy trainers who stepped outside the box and took a good look around have decided to put that box in the recycling bin. This isn’t just about working every day, to be sure, but there is plenty in our industry to feel positive online. It’s about how we package our services, price them, design them about. Here’s to a successful 2021 for you and all your R+ colleagues everywhere! n for the immediate needs of our community. It’s about how we market them and talk about them and even how we feel about the value of them. Ultimately it’s about finally freeing ourselves of the fear of doing Editor’s Note: The dogbiz THRIVE! group coaching membership program things differently, and finding our creativity, our innovative streak, our will open briefly to new members this month. Don’t miss your opportu‐ boldness. nity to join!

Hybrid Packages We’re loving watching trainers experiment with video as a teaching tool, create hybridized packages combining online and in­person training for both private training and classes (and even combining the two), use the scheduling flexibility offered by working online to see clients and stu­ dents more frequently, and explore new ways to more actively support them, too (like office hours and shared online task docs, just to name a couple of emerging strategies).

We’re seeing this kind of innovation in spades among THRIVE! mem­ bers. The businesses trainers in this community are building and refash­ ioning to take into a new era are astounding. The ideas being generated are awe­inspiring. And the confidence and boldness growing there blows my mind.

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Veronica Boutelle MA Ed CTC is founder and co-president of dog*biz, and author of How to Run Your Dog Business and co-author of Minding Your Dog Business. dog*biz offers professionally designed positive reinforcement dog training class curricula, including Open-Enrollment Puppy, Open-Enrollment Basic Manners, and short Topics classes built for retention.

Do you have a question for the business experts at dog*biz?

Submit your question for consideration to: barkseditor@petprofessionalguild.com

Learn how

can help your business:

www.dogbizsuccess.com

p r o f i l e

Promoting Companion Bird Education In our ongoing series of PPG member profiles, this month BARKS features Sheila S. Blanchette of Heart of Feathers Education & Training, LLC in Atkinson, New Hampshire

S

heila Blanchette has had lorikeets as companion birds for over 25 years and started learning more about behavior and training when the only resources she could find were books that con­ tained outdated methods.

Q: Can you tell us a bit more about yourself, how you first got into animal behavior and training and what you are doing now?

A: About 10 years ago, I began volunteering at the Massachusetts So­ ciety for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (MSPCA) – Nevins Farm, a multispecies rescue in Methuen, Massachusetts. Over time, I be­ came an assistant dog trainer, which I did for four years. It was during my sessions doing positive reinforcement training for dogs that I de­ cided to start researching to see if there was a way to become a pro­ fessional companion bird trainer.

In 2015, I earned my certified parrot behavior consultant certifica­ tion via IAABC and opened Heart of Feathers Education & Training, an in­the­home or online behavior consulting and training service for companion birds. And now here I am celebrating my fifth anniversary in business.

Q: Why did you become a trainer/pet care provider?

A: I have been involved in the companion bird community for over 20 years. While volunteering in the exotic bird area at the MSPCA – Nevins Farm, I noticed how many companion birds were surrendered because of behavior issues (e.g. biting, screaming, and plucking). I wanted to find a way to help people keep their birds or assist those adopting compan­ ion birds with behavior issues.

Q: Tell us a little bit about your own pets.

A: ShiAnne, a fawn pug; Tuque, our yellow streak lorikeet; an adopted peach­face lovebird; and a very old adopted quaker parakeet share our home.

Also, when assisting local rescues in my area, I foster companion birds. When fostering these birds, the goal is to address any behavior is­ sues before the bird gets adopted. We fostered the peach­face lovebird because of medical issues and we fell in love with her. I was hoping she would be my education bird, but although she loves to perform in our house, she does not enjoy doing so outside the home.

The quaker parakeet was surrendered because of biting issues.

While in foster, I brought her to my avian vet for a checkup and we dis­ covered she had cataracts. Since she was so old, we decided to just let her retire at our house. She still happily hangs out with us after being adopted four years ago.

Q: What is your favorite part of your job?

A: Speaking, i.e. promoting companion bird education, whether at a res­ cue, schools, conferences, or anywhere else.

Q: What do you consider to be your area of expertise?

A: Assisting clients on biting and “aggressive” behavior, along with work­ ing with newly adopted companion birds. I also enjoy teaching clients about foraging and enrichment.

Sheila Blanchette with yellow streak lorikeet, Tuque after they had finished training – the reinforcer for Tuque is spending time with his trainer

© Sheila Blanchette

Q: Are you a crossover trainer or have you always been a force‐free trainer?

A: I am force­free trainer, but I call it “Choice Training.” I would prefer the bird to have choice to participate in the training and do so only if they wanted to.

Q: What drives you to be a force‐free professional and why is it impor‐ tant to you?

A: In my experience, dog guardians are increasingly looking for force­ free professionals to assist with canine behavior issues. In my opinion, this should be the case for all companion animals, especially birds. My mission is to promote companion bird education to understand how positive reinforcement can promote the human­avian bond. Heart of Feathers Education & Training promotes education, enrichment, and empowerment for companion birds.

Q: What are some of your favorite positive reinforcement techniques for the most commonly encountered behavior issues?

A: My favorite positive reinforcement technique for “biting” behavior is teaching off­contact training, like targeting and stationing in the cage.

Q: What is the reward you get out of a day's training with people and their pets?: A: During an in­the­home or online behavior or training consultation, my reinforcement comes from the person seeing their bird’s behavior change when they do the training (not me).

Q: What is the funniest or craziest situation you have been in with a pet and their guardian?

A: After a speaking engagement at a local rescue, a woman came up to me and thanked me for all the information. She then said, “Could you come to my house and do a consultation for my condor?” I repeated, “Condor?” “Yes, my condor,” she replied. “He likes to attack feet.” Again I asked, “Your condor?” (to make sure I was annunciating the word properly) and again she said, “Yes, my condor.” Still not convinced I

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

59

p r o f i l e “My mission is to promote companion bird education to understand how positive reinforcement can promote the human-avian bond.” - Sheila Blanchette made the letter C with my hand using my finger and thumb and said “conure” and then opened both my hands really wide and said “condor.”

She started to laugh and said, “oh right, sorry, my conure.” She contin­ ued, “You must have wondered if I still had any toes, if a condor was chasing my feet!” We both laughed and it still makes me chuckle. [A conure is a small­ to medium­sized parrot; a condor is the common name for two species of New World vultures, the largest flying land birds in the Western Hemisphere – Ed.].

Q: What awards or competition placements have you and your pet(s) achieved using force‐free methods?

A: My companion birds have not won any awards or competition. I do not show them because they are not comfortable away from home, so of course I do not force them. Instead, I promote them in online semi­ nars or articles.

Q: Who has most influenced your career and how?

A: Lara Joseph of The Animal Behavior Center, Barbara Heidenreich of Good Bird, Inc, and Dr. Susan Friedman of Behavior Works. Without these pioneer women promoting avian education, I would still be in that cultural fog that I was in 20 years ago.

www.petdogambassador.com

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BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Q: What advice would you give to a new trainer starting out?

A: I would recommend contacting colleges to see if they have a small business development center. These centers can sign you up for free courses, assist with project plans and loans, and give advice on starting your business.

I would also recommend networking with other trainers (whether in your field or not) to see if you can join them at a client session or ask them for assistance, if ever needed. When you build a good network family, you can reach out when you need someone to bounce things off in a tricky behavior case. A trainer in your network may also send clients your way. Conversely, as a new trainer, you can send more challenging cases to someone who is more knowledgeable and experienced.

Q: How has PPG helped you to become a more complete trainer?

A: The logo: No Pain, No Fear, No Force applies not only to all animals but also people. When I attended the annual PPG summit in 2016, the speakers, participants, and staff all treated me (a bird behavior consult­ ant and trainer) just the same as they did the dog trainers. I felt no fear about speaking with people about companion bird training. I did not have to force myself to become a part of PPG family, I was accepted in­ stantly. With its network of trainers, PPG has assisted in improving my abilities. I feel that I am not alone. n

Heart of Feathers Education & Training, LLC is located in Atkinson, New Hampshire.

To be featured in the BARKS Profile section, please complete this form: bit.ly/2y9plS1

comment

Changing Career Paths Dr. Sheryl L. Walker details some of the lessons she has learned throughout the trajectory of her career and why it pays to expect the unexpected

L

ife is never a straight path. And much to my dismay, when I was 18 and a freshman at Michigan State University (MSU), my lifelong dream of being a veterinarian was completely dismantled: I passed just one point above flunking chemistry in college. I was aiming for ei­ ther a zoology or pre­vet med degree but both required several hard sci­ ence courses, including chemistry, biology and physics.

So, after a very young midlife crisis, or so I thought at that time, I changed my major to psychology. I decided I wanted to be either a child/school psychologist or criminal psychologist. That is, until I trav­ eled to Australia and did an independent study on the communication/ behavioral differences between dingoes and wolves. The animal behav­ ior flame was ignited yet once again, and I took all the animal behavior, animal welfare, and applied anthrozoology courses that I could fit into my last three semesters at MSU.

2006: From East Lansing to Kalamazoo, Michigan Three weeks before graduation, fascinated by my professor’s knowledge and expertise as he talked about indicators of behavioral welfare in chickens, I received a call from a contract research organization in Kala­ mazoo, Michigan. They invited me to interview for a research technician position in reproductive toxicology working with rats and mice, and within a week, I received an offer.

© Sheryl Walker

Having taken a somewhat circuitous route, author Dr. Sheryl Walker (right) is now close to applying to be a certified applied animal behaviorist, a goal of 19 years

ral skills of being organized, detail oriented, and in control over my workload. During that time I became a certified registered quality assur­ ance professional – good laboratory practices (RQAP­GLP).

2010: From Kalamazoo to Lafayette, Indiana 2007: From Psychology to Behavior Analysis I have always loved learning and loved school. I took a year off formal education and attended my first professional conference. It so hap­ pened that Western Michigan University was 20 minutes away and had a behavior program in their psychology department. Before too long, I had begun the adventure of a master’s in behavior analysis. Full time in graduate school. While working full time. While raising a puppy during the last 10 months of my program. Some say I was crazy. I say I was (and still am) goal oriented. It’s all about perspective!

2008: From Research Technician to Quality Assurance Auditor About a year into my master’s, I changed departments and was intro­ duced to the field of quality assurance. I loved it. It catered to my natu­

I wasn’t quite satisfied with my formal education, so I started looking for companion animal­related Ph.D. programs. I contacted Dr. Janet Sieg­ ford at MSU to see what type of animal research programs were there – all large animal. Interesting, but my passion was companion animals.

She sent me towards Dr. Andrew Luescher, a board­certified veterinary behaviorist and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Purdue Univer­ sity’s College of Veterinary Medicine. I emailed him, and within five months, I had accepted a graduate research assistantship in the Mad­ die’s Shelter Medicine Program at Purdue University.

I spent four and a half years learning how difficult a Ph.D. really was as well as seeing some of the worst of humanity at an open admission an­ imal shelter. Nevertheless, it gave me the chance to combine dogs, shel­ ters, and academic research and I was grateful to be doing what I did.

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comment 2014: What They Don’t Tell You During a Ph.D.

2020: What the Future Looks Like for Me

Of the 500+ jobs that I applied to I was only asked to interview for a dozen of them. And while to be told that I was “overqualified” was a great compliment for the first few times I heard it, it became classically conditioned to mean “Dear Jane: For whatever reason, the Universe does not want you to have this job.” I spent a year and a half unem­ ployed post graduation. They definitely don’t tell you THAT in a Ph.D. program! And so I took the opportunity to start the Karen Pryor Acad­ emy – Dog Training Professional course in 2016.

I celebrated my one­year anniversary last July with one of the best jobs that I’ve ever had. It doesn’t quite have the camaraderie that I had with my people in marketing, but it sure does give my husband and me a lit­ tle bit of financial freedom.

I am now on the Canine Committee of the Pet Professional Guild, and writing articles for this professional publication. Something that I al­ ways wanted to do, but never thought I would be able to with the way my life’s path was taking me. I’m months away from applying to be a certified applied animal behaviorist, a goal that I’ve had for 19 years.

I’m now taking my business, WAGS, in the direction of being proac­ tive and setting families with puppies on a path to success. My sheltering experience taught me that it was too stressful for me. So I’m taking what I learned during my Ph.D. and making it into something that I can call my own. I also am really interested in research, so if anyone out there read­ ing this wants to collaborate with puppy research, please contact me!

2017: From Unemployment to Something Completely Different I was tired of the direction my life was going in, so I gave in and tried something new: a staffing agency. Within a few days I was placed with Purdue University’s marketing and media department as an administra­ tive assistant/assistant project manager. I loved it! I learned so much about an industry I knew nothing about, and I completely embraced their work ethic and social culture.

I was also back to being able to pay my own bills again. And for someone who is as independent as I am, that was a huge step for my self­esteem. So much that I eventually took my Uncle Fred’s advice to start my own company, using the skills that I learned during my Ph.D. and utilizing it as a paid hobby. He created the name Wonderful Animal Guidance Services (WAGS), and it stuck. I am now the sole proprietor of my own business, with complete control of where I want to take it.

2018: From Marketing to Institutional Review Board Because I was a temp, there was no way for my job in marketing to be full­time. Soon I was on the job hunt again, although this time, I only needed to complete a few job applications, instead of 500. I quickly was hired into a human subjects research protection program, where I was a protocol analyst for the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Life brought me back to the world of regulatory compliance. I enjoyed the work re­ sponsibilities, but found the work environment somewhat toxic. I felt I deserved better, so I fought for better.

2019: From IRB back to the CRO World I have always been a natural observer with an eye for detail. I applied for a quality assurance auditor position at a local bioanalytical company.

I was denied for the position. I was denied for all 20+ jobs that I applied to. I started thinking back to advice that I received from a fellow Ph.D. graduate while we waited in line to walk across the stage: “Take your Ph.D. off your resume. Downplay yourself. It will get you further.”

I was shocked. Wouldn’t you want to boast to the world that you conquered a Ph.D.? Fast forward five years. I took my Ph.D. off my re­ sume so that I wouldn’t look too “overqualified,” applied for the quality assurance auditor position again, and I was hired two days later! It was the biggest salary I’ve made as an adult. I played the game, and I won.

62

BARKS from the Guild/January 2021

Final Thoughts So in closing, here are some parting words. Consider the following: • Where do you want to take your career? Be prepared for something completely different. Something that you may not have ever imagined. Something that may not be related to ani­ mals. But it might be the best thing for you and your wellness.

• Although I’m an introvert, I would not have gotten where I am today without networking, professional conferences, asking questions, pushing myself outside of my comfort zone, build­ ing my resume/curriculum vitae, and letting go of what I thought my life would look like when I was 18.

• By talking to people I normally wouldn’t talk to, I have created lifelong friendships and professional connections.

• Open yourself up to ALL types of opportunities. Pitfalls are in­ evitable. Learn from them.

• Things often come down to the right timing. If it feels like you’re forcing something, think outside the box and try to un­ derstand why. It may not be the right time.

• Whether your interests include veterinary medicine, zoology, marine biology, training, behavior consulting, breeding, shel­ tering, insects, or large/small/companion/wild/exotic animals – wherever you want to take your career, in my experience at least, everything will work out the way it’s supposed to. n Sheryl L. Walker holds a master’s degree in behavior analysis and a Ph.D. in animal behavior and sheltering. She also operates WAGS: Wonderful Animal Guidance Services in Lafayette, Indiana, specializing in puppies. She is currently working toward her Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) certification, and her current research interests are puppy socialization and training.

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