Your New Puppy is not a Buffet

Congratulations! You just brought home a new bundle of smushy, fluffy joy. So now what? There are thousands of articles, books, and pieces of advice—solicited or otherwise—that tell you how to raise your puppy right. Even a seasoned dog owner can easily become engulfed by the torrent of contradicting dos and don’ts. The stakes are high and so is the tidal wave of misinformation. But when you finally emerge, gasping for air, you’re likely to remember at least one major buzzword—socialization.

So what exactly is socialization? Simply put, it’s the process of preparing your pup to feel comfortable in a variety of situations and when interacting with other animals and people. Like a newborn baby, your puppy is experiencing everything the world has to offer for the very first time. Car horns, the clatter of pots and pans, and even balled up newspaper can be new and scary. To ensure that she becomes accustomed to these everyday objects or activities, it is your responsibility to introduce them in a safe, positive setting. Careful planning during this critical period of discovery helps to forge a well-rounded, confident adult.

As you introduce your puppy to all of the sounds and sights she’ll encounter, it’s essential to acknowledge that socialization and mere exposure are not the same thing. Effective socialization does not rely on experiences alone. Each new item or event must create a positive association. The erratic swing of a broom may seem threatening until you couple it with boiled chicken. A roaring vacuum is far less terrifying when she gets to enjoy a Kong in the safety of her pen. As your pup gains confidence, you are preparing her for a lifetime of tranquility while you etch away at the blanket of fur that now covers everything you own.

The same principle applies to socialization with people. Taking your pup to a parade may ensure maximum exposure to strangers, but overwhelming her can actually cause more damage than good. This is where the buffet analogy comes into play. Your puppy is not a willing participant in this all-you-can-pet special that every “dog lover” seems to think is their natural right. Few dogs actually enjoy being hugged by their owners, let alone by a random stranger. If passerby are constantly making her feel uncomfortable during this critical period, she will learn to defend herself with whatever means necessary. As her teacher and advocate, it is your job to step in. If you can overcome the cultural stigma that all dogs are public property, you can control the quantity and quality of your puppy’s interactions. By keeping strangers’ daunting hands away, you help to prevent your dog from developing fear-based reactivity or aggression later in life.

It’s also important to monitor her interactions with guests inside the home. If your boisterous Uncle Peter corners your puppy, bellowing in her ear and hoisting her into the air to give her a sloppy, unsolicited smooch, she learns that Uncle Peter’s presence leads to bad things. Just like with the outdoor buffet enthusiasts, this experience can easily develop into a negative association with any stranger who enters the house. While you may not be able to keep Uncle Peter from visiting, plan ahead and have tons of string cheese and frozen treats prepared. As soon as your puppy lays eyes on the formidable person, she is rewarded with an onslaught of mozzarella. Maybe you can even sway him to toss her a few treats and/or interact more politely. While prevention is preferable, positive reinforcement helps her tolerate unavoidable, inappropriate interactions. And to offset this unnerving stranger, make sure to invite calm, attentive friends over too. These respectful guests, who wait for your puppy to initiate contact, will help her learn that—for the most part—strangers are good.

Finally, it’s important to recognize that individuals eager to help themselves to your puppy are not limited to exuberant uncles. Other dogs are perhaps the worst offenders during the socialization period. Because your puppy is just learning about other dogs, it’s essential that you avoid possible negative interactions. Unfortunately, there are tons of dogs who behave aggressively, or even just inappropriately, towards their canine counterparts. Whether they have had altercations that left them behaviorally scared or simply weren't socialized properly as puppies, these dogs will not teach your pup what you want her to learn. In order to help your puppy create a positive association with other dogs, it’s essential that you carefully pick the interactions she has. Sorry folks, that means no dog parks. Where unsupervised dogs run rampant, so do bad behavior and dog fights—not to mention germs!

Instead, set up one-on-one playdates with another young dog that mimics your puppy’s play style. Start with an on-leash greeting and a tandem walk around the neighborhood. Once both dogs are displaying friendly body language—bowing, mid-level wagging tails, loose and wiggly bodies—you can let them play in a neutral, supervised space. If these meets are going well, introduce your puppy to well-mannered, tolerant, adult dogs. The ideal candidate can withstand puppy antics without being a total pushover. While playing, adult dogs will try to rectify a puppy’s inappropriate behavior by curling a lip, growling, or air snapping. These corrections teach the puppy good manners and serve a function only another dog can provide. Despite the importance of these interactions, make sure to keep a close eye on body language during play, since the same signals can also indicate that one or both dogs is no longer having fun. As with any step during socialization, if your puppy displays signs of discomfort or fear, immediately remove her from the situation. Try not to be too hard on yourself—you are both learning! Just focus on altering the environment to ensure a more positive experience next time.

Dogs communicate with subtle signs, and your puppy is on her way to speaking the canine language! As she interacts with friendly strangers, playful dogs, and exciting novelties like bicycles and rain puddles, her world expands exponentially. Despite the high stakes and competing literature, socialization is a time for exploration and creativity. Your puppy is eager to eat, and what you choose to serve will define her world for years to come. If you can forgo the unpredictable buffet in lieu of carefully-crafted, bite-sized experiences, you’ll soon be rewarded with a happy best friend who’s down for just about anything.

If you’re looking for personalized help setting your puppy up on the right foot, check out our Puppy Essentials training options!

Your Dog isn't Stubborn, she's Petrified

Although it’s easy to apply human emotions to dogs, it’s important not to anthropomorphize your pup. A dog’s world revolves around good things—food, play, and attention. Thus, her behaviors are geared toward the acquisition of these rewards. Since disobedience has the opposite effect, obstinance does not naturally occur in your dog’s repertoire. If she isn't following your cue, it’s not because she’s stubborn or trying to assert her dominance. More likely, the distractions in her environment are simply not conducive to the behavior you want to see.

Before you write off your dog’s behavior as disobedience, consider the environment. Can you hear or see other dogs? How about strangers? Are there loud trucks or high winds?

A subtle change in the environment might not seem distracting or scary to you, but imagine the same stimuli from your dog’s point of view. For example, yesterday, I came across a man walking a husky during a thunderstorm. The man was trying to lead his dog down a sidewalk that fringed a busy, four-lane road. Cars honked, the wind howled, and tires splashed water onto the pavement. Alarmed, the husky tried to pull in the opposite direction. When his owner tugged him back, he sat down and would not continue walking. The man yanked the leash, but the dog stayed put. He maneuvered the dog into a standing position, but still, the dog would not budge. He was getting frustrated and began yelling commands—which, unsurprisingly, proved futile. When I turned to leave, he was dragging his dog down the sidewalk. From where I stood, I could see the husky reluctantly follow, his tail tucked, ears flattened to the sides of his head.

In reading this, it seems obvious that the dog was terrified. But while it is apparent to us that sitting was the dog’s way of shutting down, the owner probably thought he was being stubborn. He’s a husky for goodness’ sake—it’s just a little rain! But the rain, coupled with the loud winds and whipping traffic, sent that stressed boy right over his threshold.

A dog’s threshold is the distance at which a given trigger will not impact her behavior. When the trigger becomes overwhelming, the dog crosses from one emotional state (readiness to learn and follow cues) to another (fight or flight).

If your dog has ever flown to the end of her leash at the sudden wail of a firetruck, she was choosing flight. It’s easy to become annoyed by this behavior and continue to usher our dogs in the direction we were headed. But when we don’t give our dogs the option to flee when they are triggered, we push them to shut down. The husky could not retreat, so he simply froze up and glazed over. He went to his “happy place,” which of course, wasn’t really a happy place at all.

If your dog is not prone to shutting down, the other option is to fight. We see this most often with strangers and other dogs. If your pup fears another dog and she has not learned that she can move away on her own, she will use whatever behaviors have worked in the past. She might bark, growl, and even lunge at the other dog. She is shouting “get back,” because she has no other options. You can help her make the right choice by creating distance between her and the other dog before she reaches her threshold.

The same situation applies with strangers. By paying close attention to your dog’s body language, you can identify when she’s approaching her threshold. If someone is walking towards you and your dog’s tail stands straight up, her body tenses, she gets a fur mohawk down her back, or she begins to vocalize, it’s time to turn around. These are all signs that she is about to lose her ability to make the choices you want to see. When you move her away from something scary, you build confidence and trust. You teach her that—to the best of your ability—you won’t force her into environments that test her limits. In the case of the overwhelmed husky, it was the owner’s responsibility to get his dog out of that situation. Whether that means allowing the dog to choose the route, or picking him up and rushing to a safer space, concessions must be made in favor of your dog’s wellbeing.

Owning and training a dog is a partnership. If your dog’s unwillingness to work or follow cues feels like you’re on different pages, you probably are. Do you perform at your best when you’re tired, stressed, hungry, or anxious? Consider possible triggers and think like your pup. In the right environment, a relaxed dog will show you how eager she is to please.

Shaping—A Game of Hot and Cold

Have you ever wondered how people teach their dogs to fetch a TV remote? Do you wish your pup could open the fridge to retrieve a cold beer? The answer is easier than you might think. It all starts with clicker training—brush up on your skills here!

Once you’ve got the basics of clicker training down, the sky is the limit. With the right reinforcer—whether that’s string cheese, lunchmeat, or a squeaky tennis ball—you can teach your dog almost anything. Before we get started, the most important thing to recognize is that each individual dog determines the value of a reinforcer. A given reward will only increase the desired behavior if your dog actually finds it rewarding. While some dogs will work for kibble, others might need freeze dried liver treats to get their heads in the game.

Once you’ve identified effective reinforcers for your dog, it’s time to load the clicker. Begin to click and treat for desirable behaviors your dog offers—sit, touch, even eye contact. Once your dog associates the click with the delivery of a treat, pick an attainable goal for your session. When teaching your dog a new behavior, you’ll rely on shaping. Shaping breaks down a behavior into small steps that can be individually reinforced. Each incremental approximation builds until the dog is practicing the full behavior. For example, in the case of a dog fetching a TV remote, shaping might look like:

Dog approaches remote ——> Dog picks up remote ——> Dog carries remote to you ——> Dog drops remote

The difference between shaping and luring—using food to position a dog—is that shaping relies on the dog offering behaviors on his own. Driven by the promise of reward, the dog tries different behaviors and repeats those that you reinforce, eventually establishing a new behavior. Because retrieving a TV remote is probably not something that your dog already associates with reinforcement, you’ll likely need to shape even smaller steps than the simplified version above. Clicking and treating your dog multiple times for each step communicates to him that he’s on the right track. Thus, shaping will look more like:

Dog approaches a specific area ——> Dog sniffs objects in that area ——> Dog sniffs remote ——> Dog puts mouth on remote ——> Dog picks up remote ——> Dog carries remote around ——> Dog approaches you with remote ——> Dog allows you to reach for remote ——> Dog drops remote

It’s essentially an elaborate game of “hot and cold.” To your dog, the click says “warmer,” and the absence of a click says “cold, try something else.” Just like in the children's game, don’t wait to communicate with your dog until he’s “on fire.” Each approximation keeps him interested and plays a key role in building the bigger picture.

As you explore the exciting world of shaping, just remember that learning takes time. Try to keep training sessions short and sweet—you can always pick up where you left off. As long as you follow a plan and communicate effectively with your pup, the possibilities are endless. Now go have fun and don’t forget to comment the new things you and your dog have learned!

Eeek! Is my Dog Aggressive?

Aggression is one of the most loaded and stigmatized terms in the dog training world. People are quick to use the label, which only leads to circular logic:

Why did a dog bite someone? ——> Because they are aggressive ———> Why is the dog aggressive? ——-> Because they bit someone

Circular logic might make us feel better in the short term, but it’s ultimately unhelpful in diagnosing the problem or finding a solution.

The vast majority of “aggression” in dogs occurs when a dog uses an undesirable behavior to make someone or something go away. Dogs follow the ladder of aggression or, as I call it, the ladder of “get back.” These are specific behaviors that a dog will use to create space between themselves and something they find scary or aversive. These behaviors include lip licking, whale eye (showing the whites of the eyes), and yawning, which escalate to a growl, an air snap, and—ultimately—a bite.

Of course if a dog growls or bites you (not while playing), most people understand that he or she wants you to go away. The issue arises when people are not familiar with the lower level behaviors on the ladder, depicted as the green behaviors on the infographic found here. If a dog is uncomfortable, and yawning or lip licking does not work—i.e, the person does not step back—the dog has no choice but to escalate his behavior to the next wrung on the ladder. Thus, a dog whose yawns go ignored will climb to a growl the next time he finds himself in a similar situation. A dog who continues to be pressed after growling might skip the growl altogether and go straight to a bite. The owner sees this behavior as unpredictable aggression, but the dog was making his desires clear with safe and more desirable behaviors all along. If people do not reinforce a dog’s low level behaviors by creating space, he or she will stop practicing them in favor of behaviors often labeled “aggressive.”

As someone who has worked in the shelter world for a number of years, I have been bitten dozens of times. Each time a dog bites me, I leave. I bet you would too. But the problem is that once you leave, the dog learns that the biting behavior works. The dog desperately wanted to create space, he bit, and you moved away. Unfortunately, this is a bell that can never be unrung. From now on, the bite will always be in the dog’s repertoire. Just as reinforcing a dog’s low level behaviors makes him more likely to rely on them, the unintentional reinforcement associated with a bite serves the same function.

If biting is part of your dog’s repertoire, an extensive management strategy, combined with a training program, is paramount to keeping everyone in the home—including the pup—safe.

If you’re experiencing issues with your dog exhibiting any of the behaviors on the ladder, don’t hesitate to reach out to a qualified behaviorist as quickly as possible so that the behaviors don’t escalate. Review our Behavior Change section to get started. Prevention is key.

Clicker Training

You have probably heard of clicker training, but you may not know what it is or how to use it effectively. New research from the University of Lincoln illustrated that clicker training—relying solely on positive reinforcement—is the most effective way to train a dog. Read more about the study here!

But what is clicker training? We use the clicker to mark the behavior you want your dog to learn. The sound captures a moment in time and prevents accidental reinforcement of any other behaviors your dog may offer. For example, if you intend to reinforce your pup for a sit, but then she stands, wags her tail, and backs up before you deliver the treat, how will she know which behavior actually earned her the reward? By marking the exact moment her bum hits the ground, you’re taking away all the guesswork. 

Not only is clicker trainer very efficient, it is also a great way to build a strong bond with your dog. Because clicker training is fear-free and offers access to rewards, it builds your dog’s confidence.

So how exactly does it work? 

Your pup needs to know precisely what behavior is earning the reward.

1. Give your cue (a.k.a the antecedent).

2. Click when the behavior happens.

3. Give a reward (reinforcer).

4. Repeat.

It’s as easy as that. Always remember your ABCs—antecedent, behavior, consequence. Something incites a behavior (a verbal cue or the sight of a dog), the dog displays the behavior (sits or looks at you), the dog earns a reward (cheese!). That’s how learning takes place. Juggling a clicker, leash, and treats takes practice—humans need training too—but you’ll get the hang of it. Once you get the timing right, results will quickly follow. Just as your dog practices her manners, practice the accuracy and speed of your treat delivery. You have two to five seconds after a click, when key learning takes place, to deliver the food. If you are overwhelmed with the idea of clicker training, take a moment to mime out the action and count one, two, three—it is longer than you might think. A few test runs will prove you are capable and reward you with a happy best friend.

Will I have to use the clicker every time I ask my dog to sit?!

Nope! The beauty of clicker training is that you only use the clicker when you are teaching a new behavior. Once your dog understands the cue and offers the behavior reliably, you no longer need to use the clicker. As she learns, you also won’t need to feed your dog every time you ask her to do something. Over time, thin out your schedule of reinforcement so that you only need to give her an occasional treat but the behavior sticks. Not knowing when the next treat will be delivered will actually strengthen the behavior.

Test out your clicker skills in an Obedience class!