By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Nearly two years have gone by since the beginning of the Covid pandemic, and people are still in a rush to get a dog. Unfortunately, the current situation reveals a much darker side to the pandemic. Almost every dog professional on the planet saw it coming, so let’s look at where we are in the Covid dog saga. 

A lot of people are still on the hunt for a dog and are desperate to find one. They shop online, adopt from shelters, or acquire dogs from overseas. I firmly believe we don’t need dogs from other provinces or other countries. We have plenty of dogs in shelters and rescues, which brings me to my first argument. Shelters and rescues are overflowing with returned covid dogs. People got dogs thinking it would be a love affair only to realize it’s not. Dogs are time-consuming, especially when they are puppies. Consequently, when dogs transition into adolescence and their behaviour becomes even more rambunctious, pet owners don’t want to deal with the situation and return the dog. 

Puppies are hard work. 
I constantly hear pet caregivers say I didn’t know a puppy would be so much work. Clients call in dog trainers and soon realize that the cost of a professional is higher than they estimated. Their expectations are also unrealistic. Puppies require time to mature and are physically unable to hold urine or feces until they are approximately 3 to 4 months old, sometimes for even longer. 

Young canines have critical phases of development, and sociability is the most important of them. When a person doesn’t expose their dog to the elements, such as people young and old, dogs, cats, animals in general, and things such as buses, traffic, sounds, and smells, the dog will most likely fear these living and non-living things FOR THE REST OF ITS LIFE. Unsocialized or improperly socialized dogs can also display insecure aggression. My workload has undoubtedly increased during Covid, and I only deal with aggression cases. 

Another contributing factor to misbehaving puppies and teens is the lack of sleep. Puppies need to sleep anywhere from ten to eighteen (18) hours a day. You read that right. Because people work from home, puppies don’t get enough sleep, and by 3 pm, they turn into little monsters biting and barking. Sleep-deprived dogs are grumpy and highly unpleasant to be around. The biggest complaint pet owners have is that they can’t work because the dog keeps barking. They leave the dog out of the crate for this reason; however, a free-roaming puppy doesn’t sleep. Furthermore, puppies chew on anything and everything when they are not supervised. 

A doggone problem is a dog gone 
The easy way out of a problem when it comes to animals is to get rid of it. Releasing an animal into the wild, to a rescue, or a shelter is simple. The first approach doesn’t require any effort whatsoever, whereas the other options mean facing your guilt, and who would want to do that, right?! I know I’m generalizing; however, I see posts for lost dogs so often that one must wonder what’s going on. I believe some of these runaways are simply peoples’ easy way out. Leave the gate open. Problem solved. 

For those who do face their quilt, rescues or shelters are the options they choose. I see so many dogs between 3 months and 1.5 years, having had 3 to 5 families. They are adopted and soon returned because pet owners realize how much work they have to put in. One client adopted a dog and two days later wanted to go to a dinner party expecting the dog to be calm and quiet in its crate. Guess what, it wasn’t. The person complained about the situation, and all I could say was, what did you expect? 

I wish I could get a few Aibos and lend them to people who think about adopting a dog. The AI behind this fantastic toy can teach people just how demanding a pet can be. Until I can get the funds to buy a few of them, I can only say the following; if you are thinking of bringing a dog home: 

1. Make sure EVERYONE in the family wants a dog 
2. Fill the breed questionnaire attached to this article and bring it to your future trainer 
3. Pay a trainer to help you find the right breed for you or your family 
4. Please DO NOT get a dog because it’s cute 
5. Do the math to figure out the monthly or annual cost involved with housing a pet 
6. Buy everything you need BEFORE you get the dog 
7. Ask the veterinarian for expenses related to healthcare 
8. You will need between 2 to 5+ hours a day to devote to the dog (feeding, walking, training, grooming, etc.) 
9. Make sure you have the financial resources if an accident happens 
10. Think about what you would do if you didn’t like the dog 

Cheers.

Dog Breed Questionaire - Work with a dog trainer to find out which dog breed is better suited for your lifestyle.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

What is FAST dog training, and why should you care?! I spend a lot of time coaching people on how to change undesirable behaviour, namely aggression, into more desirable behaviours. The best way to accomplish this goes is to FAST train. Let’s look at what that means and how it relates to dog trainers. 

Functionality 
Think of functionality as what works and what doesn’t work. If you are training a dog to stop reacting to other dogs by counter-conditioning sit, will this behaviour work in the long term or not? The answer depends on the environment, attachment style, and cognitive abilities of both dog and person. Remember the SCAT model? All determinants have to be present for learning to occur; however, that isn’t enough to guarantee long-term adaptable behaviour. 

If the consequence of the behaviour doesn’t work, we need to change it into something that does. Before we can do that, we must consider the antecedent of the behaviour and its consequence (ABCs). What comes before the behaviour and what comes after it is vital to a functional training protocol. When you can identify A and C, you can let the dog choose what B will work. 

Adaptability 
Behaviour adaptability is the process by which the dog can change its behaviour to suit the situation. Let's say your dog is reactive to other dogs. You are walking in the park when you see an approaching canine. You ask your dog to sit to avoid the behaviour that doesn’t work, lunge and bark, but the dog refuses to comply and goes off to sniff a fence post. Now you think the dog is disobedient and untrainable. This problem begs the question, is the dog genuinely unruly? 

From the dog’s perspective, sit might not work in the situation, but increasing the social distance by using a redirecting behaviour might work. The dog has thus chosen to disobey to obey. Dog behaviour needs to be adaptable to satisfy what works from what doesn’t work for itself. Our job is to provide for such adaptations. Training adaptable behaviour is more important than simply training operant behaviours. 

Sustainability 
Functionality and adaptability result in sustainability. Sustainable behaviours are functional and adaptable actions that work overtime. I teach dogs to learn how to learn and allow them to change their behaviours as they see fit for success. The key role here is to let dogs adapt their behaviour to problematic situations. Trust is the process that gets the task done. I might see dog behaviour that works, but my dog doesn’t. If I allow it to adapt by offering a different behaviour, my training becomes sustainable. 

Putting behaviour into maintenance isn’t a real-world process if you don’t consider the environment and your relationship. I see this way too often. People ask dogs to perform behaviour rather than let them chose what works from what doesn’t work. I see dogs making those decisions all the time; unfortunately, people demand the behaviour they want the dog to execute, and everyone fails.   

Trainability 
The SCAT model focuses on the social cognitive learning theory. The FAST model occurs between the social and cognitive determinants and directly influences the attachment style between dogs and humans. When I allow my dog to choose a behaviour it prefers within a situation, we have both succeeded. Trust is the consequence of choosing what works and what doesn’t work from the dog’s perspective, not the human’s. 

The choice of behaviour to execute also relies on its training. If the dog cannot perform the behaviour because of a physical, physiological, mental, emotional, social, cognitive, or environmental problem, we need to rely on other behaviours. Let’s take the reactivity example again. I like to train dogs to jump on higher surfaces to get out of problematic situations, but if the dog is a Chihuahua, that won’t work, so either I ask something else or allow the dog to choose which behaviour works for it. The Chihuahua might decide to sniff the fence post or walk the other way, in which case both behaviours would work for me too. 

I often find humans ask very little of their dog’s cognitive abilities. Trainers and clients train but don’t allow for functionality, adaptability, and sustainability. Professionals and pet caregivers both need to revisit training behaviours and how dogs problem-solve and make decisions. There needs to be more trust in the process and flexibility of execution. When dogs refuse to perform behaviours, maybe it’s because they ultimately know what works and what doesn’t work for them.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

I haven't written in a while because the Dogue Shop and Dogue Academy have been super busy this year. But, with a drastic increase in dogs worldwide and behaviour issues sky-rocketing, I decided it was time to speak up about lures and their negative effect on Covid dogs. 

Why Lures are problematic 
Everybody, it seems, uses lures to train dogs, and it's highly unnecessary to do so. It is counterproductive. Top trainers and behaviour experts worldwide all use lures to teach dogs, so I know I'm swimming against a powerful current, so be it, it won't be the first time; plus, I know how to swim, so I'm not scared. 

Lures are used to model dogs into desired behaviours; unfortunately, the dog doesn't need to think about what it's doing; it just needs to follow a cookie to get rewarded. Here's the problem, the lure becomes the cue and eventually the prompt to do the behaviour, AND it serves as the reward. Sometimes, the lure also becomes the conditioned stimulus and the reinforcement. If you're confused, imagine your dog. 

When lures are not faded out as fast as possible, they become crutches. Trainers come to rely on lures to train, distract, and modify behaviour when the lure in questions no longer serves as a distraction. Dog trainers then teach their clients how to use lures, and the cycle of behaviour problems start. 

The ultimate reason why luring is so problematic is because it doesn't teach the animal how to think. There's no room for creative thinking and problem-solving. In lure training, the desired behaviour can't be modified, changed, adapted, or substituted by the animal. 

Avoid Using Lures at All Cost 
Lure training is lazy training. Some professionals say it's a fast way to train animals, but is it? Trainers with excellent shaping skills can train a complex series of behaviours much faster than lure trainers. One ABA student just trained a dog to fetch a beverage from the refrigerator in 20h without using a single lure (watch the video to the right). 

With social cognitive learning theory (SCT), animals are encouraged to think, problem-solve, and develop new strategies to make desirable behaviours better. In the beverage behaviour, the dog was initially trained to pull a rope to open the door, but he offered a new solution to use its nose. Seeing the dog preferred his solution, the trainer changed behaviours and moved along much faster in the training process. I always wonder what a lure trainer would do in this scenario. 

Lure training doesn't create a secure attachment, and without a secure attachment, it's almost impossible to train a dog. Let me rephrase that. Dog training that uses shaping is much faster than luring because the dog has learned that we, as a team, can work our way through difficult problems. After all, we have built a relationship based on trust. Plus, a dog trainer that uses shaping and the SCAT model doesn't have to fade lures at each step; thus, he saves training time. 

You might have noticed that lures don't work when dogs are faced with difficult problems. There's no amount of food, play, or petting that will break a reactive dog's focus. Conversely, when dogs are encouraged to offer new solutions, dogs quickly learn they have decision-making power that can work its way through complex situations. 

Social Cognitive Learning Theory and Attachment in Dog Training 
The social cognitive attachment training (SCAT) approach to training explicitly requires dogs to think and problem-solve their way through behaviours because it's the essence of a secure attachment and cognitive development. George, the dog in the video, was taught using the SCAT model, and as an animal-assisted therapy partner, he loves to solve his problems. We can see the joy in his prance when he breaks through a physical or mental barrier. 

The SCAT model states that to build a secure attachment, the dog first learns to solve problems cognitively with the trainer's direct help and, eventually, the owner. It also describes how people must surrender their beliefs and projections about the animal and concentrate on the cognitive task. In turn, mental stimulation generates trust between the dog and the human. Trust nourishes the attachment and changes it from an insecure to a secure one. This interspecies problem-solving and decision-making connection generates a level of behaviour you never thought possible. 

Covid dogs have not been socialized because of isolation regulation, and with Canadian winters being what they are, an entire generation of dogs is now heading towards winter isolation. Spring 2021 will bring a dog population out of isolation and nearing adulthood; these dogs won't fair well in society. Lures will be of little use, and insecure attachments will yield frustration and anger. 

Dog Lure Training is Lazy Training 
To summarize this article, here's a bullet point on what has been discussed. 

• Lures don't teach dogs how to think or problem-solve 
• Lures are useless in behaviour modification 
• Lures require fading out, thus adding an unnecessary training step 
• Lures do not create or change attachment styles 
• Lures quickly stop working as distractions 
• Lures can be dangerous when dealing with aggression 
• Lures tend to become conditioned stimuli, cues, prompts, and rewards 
• Lures don't build trust between trainer and dog 

Professional trainers with decades of experience that use lures sadden me. There is no reason to use them. Lures are unnecessary, and I wish everybody would stop using them and teach others how to use them. I've been teaching puppy classes in Montreal's busiest park for decades, and we have never used lures. When clients come to us using lures, we stop them immediately. In five weeks, puppies learn to work for people, despite lures, not because of them. 

I urge you to stop using lures because Covid dogs won't respond to treats, and you'll be left with devastating consequences. Dogs are exceptional when it comes to creative thinking, problem-solving, and decision-making, so why not encourage them to learn.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE 

With the import of dogs from around the world, there is a growing concern for people's safety and that bothers me tremendously. Today, I want to discuss the ins and outs of dog aggression. I am warning you, you might not like what you read, but that does not change the truth or the facts. Emotions almost always get in the way when assessing and working with aggressive dogs, therein lies dangerous situations and unethical practices. Dogs are dying and people are getting injured or killed. Journalists point to the Staffordshire breeds all the while omitting northern breeds kill more people each year. This is unethical and biased reporting.  

Aggression is considered morally unacceptable in dogs, yet people tolerated aggression from other humans. Guy Turcotte admittedly killed both his children and yet it took two trials to convict him. Montreal by-laws state that a dog that kills a cat will be euthanized, yet a cat that kills birds and other wildlife is free to walk. Why does an aggressive biased view exist within the animal kingdom? If people feel the need to carry guns for self-defence, why are dogs not allowed to defend themselves with their teeth when threatened?  

Aggression Defined  
We discussed in past articles how fear and anger are opposite emotions; consequently, a dog cannot be fearful and aggressive at the same time. Aggression is the expression of anger, not fear. Expressed aggressive behaviours serve to either kill a threat or make it retreat. When a dog is confident, it will try to kill the threat. When a dog is insecure, it will display behaviours that make the threat go away. A fearful dog will retreat while displaying fearful behaviours. In summary, we have three types of reactions: confident aggressive, insecure aggressive, and insecure fearful. In true ethological description these three reactions are dominant aggressive, submissive aggressive (active submission), and submissive fearful (passive submission).  

Aggression Categories  
Depending on who you read, there are between thirteen and sixteen aggression categories. I like the thirteen list because it groups a few categories into one, for example, pain aggression includes illness and disease aggression. When I evaluate aggressive dogs it is important to determine which category they belong to (see list below) because behaviour modification protocols and euthanasia recommendations are dependent on proper assessments. I know, I said the taboo word, euthanasia. I will get back to that later. Some categories are easier to determine and yield a higher success rate than others. Redirected aggression and conflict aggression can be categories; however, redirected aggression is normally the consequence of another aggression category. Most aggressive displays are indirectly based on conflict, hence, I removed the conflict-related aggression from this list for simplification purposes.

• Dominance aggression  
• Possessive aggression  
• Sibling rivalry  
• Territorial aggression  
• Inter-male aggression  
• Predatory aggression  
• Play-induced / Excitement aggression  
• Excitement induced aggression  
• Insecure aggression  
• Maternal aggression  
• Learned aggression  
• Irritable aggression  
• Pain-induced / aggression*  

Other categories to consider:  

• Intraguild aggression  
• Human directed aggression  
• Idiopathic aggression  
• Genetic predisposition to high aggression (non-breed specific)  

Idiopathic aggression relates to aggressive displays or attacks towards non-living objects and people for no reason. In an example, a dog sees rubber bins and attacks them ferociously. Of this list, intraguild aggression is the least known and discussed. I wrote two articles on the topic called My Dog Killed My Other Dog Part 1 and Part 2. We receive e-mails daily and the articles, pre and post-hacking, still generate the most attention. Before hackers, we had over one hundred comments and just as many private e-mails. We crunched the numbers and it turns out one dog kills another dog in the same household every 1.3 days, year-round.  

Aggression Cases  
Once I have identified the category of aggression a discussion takes place. During the session, clients and I discuss time investment, financial investment, emotional investment, public and private risk assessment, and possible outcomes. Euthanasia is normally discussed in this meeting. I do not recommend euthanasia often, but on the upside, I do know how long and time-consuming the behaviour modification process can take. Pet owners are not animal trainers; consequently, their life can become consumed by an aggressive dog and the training process. Furthermore, my training has prepared me to remain emotionally neutral when animals display aggression, that is not the case for clients. Clients are often afraid of their dogs.  

Public and private bite risks need to be considered in aggression cases because the dog and its caregiver become liabilities to the public. I know it can be heartbreaking to learn that the family dog poses a very high risk to the human and non-human population; therefore, euthanasia is considered as a solution. If the dog has a biological issue and medication is not an option because of cost, side effects, values and beliefs, or inefficacy, then euthanasia becomes the most ethical decision.  

Aggression Adoptions  
Too many dogs are surrendered with known aggression issues each year. Rescues and shelters, through no fault of their own, are often unaware of aggressive behaviours because people abandoning their pet's lie. Furthermore, an animal in a crisis often exhibits its best behaviour, but once relocated and the three-month adjustment period is over, aggressive behaviours emerge and people are left with difficult decisions. I have seen a rescue take back an aggressive dog I classified as dangerous only to make it available for adoption the very same day, without the mention of aggression. That is highly unethical and dangerous.  

Some people adopt a second dog and as time goes by, adopt another, and another. A year or two down the line, the young confident dog kills one, two, or three other dogs within the same household. Intraguild predation is one of the least known aggression types because it is not well documented or discussed. Often, this type of aggression falls into the sibling rivalry category, yet these dogs are not siblings; normally, a noticeable age gap separates the dogs. Intraguild predation does not necessarily mean your dog will kill again or is a vicious killer. A predatory brain does what a predatory brain does.  

Aggression Is What Anger Does  
By calling dogs fur babies or fur kids, people have come to anthropomorphically reduce the dog to a plush toy unable of any wrongdoing. Regrettably, people have forgotten that when the stars align, dogs will bite, or worse, kill. That is their nature and that is their function. To forget dogs are predators capable of hunting, capturing, killing, dismembering, and eating prey puts humans and non-humans at risk of such a fate. Aggression is not necessarily a bad thing; it is simply part of the genetic makeup of an animal. Organisms need a certain level of aggression to stay alive, thus, the emotion should not be ignored, but rather discussed and effective solutions implemented. One such solution is highly effective and already written into by-laws. Mandatory leashing dogs is a law; consequently, law enforcers simply need to enforce the law without biases to reduce dog bites and attacks to nearly zero.  

To the questions asked at the beginning, I will let you share your thoughts. In the meantime, I propose a long reflection as to why dogs no longer have the right to exhibit aggression; why dogs cannot display their species-specific behaviours; why are dogs systematically killed because of people's ignorance; why cats can kill wildlife but not dogs, why cats who bite people are not euthanized, and why are people allowed to breed dogs who physically and behaviourally suffer their entire lives without any form of reprimand?  

Cheers, 
G. 

References 
- Casey, R. A., Loftus, B., Bolster, C., Richards, G. J., & Blackwell, E. J. (2014). Human directed aggression in domestic dogs ( Canis familiaris ): Occurrence in different contexts and risk factors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science, 152, 52–63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2013.12.003  

- De Oliveira, T.G. & Pereira, J.A. (2013). Intraguild Predation and Interspecific Killing as Structuring Forces of Carnivoran Communities in South America. Journal of Mammal Evolution. http://.doi.org/10.1007/s10914-013-9251-4  

Echterling-Savage, K., DiGennaro Reed, F. D., Miller, L. K., & Savage, S. (2015). Effects of Caregiver-Implemented Aggression Reduction Procedure on Problem Behavior of Dogs. Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science, 18(2), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888705.2014.977383  

- Siracusa, C. (2016). Status-related aggression, resource guarding, and fear-related aggression in 2 female mixed breed dogs. Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research, 12, 85–91. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jveb.2015.12.001  

* Pain aggression includes illnesses, diseases, and accidents.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

If you are a Dogue Academy subscriber, then you have read our Newsletter and know about COVID dog syndrome. Yes, I termed that title because it reflects the entire 2020 dog population. A generation of dogs that will, for the next ten years, display behaviour problems due to non-socialization during self-isolation and quarantine. 

Socialization periods 
I have talked about critical periods of socialization many times before, in case you have not read our past articles, here is a little recap. There are many critical periods in dogs’ physical and psychological development; to make things easier, we summarized them as the neonate, socialization, adolescence, and adulthood period. The period we are most interested in is socialization. 

The socialization period starts at four weeks and is at its peak at eight weeks (Scott & Fuller, 1965), after which it starts to close and be completely closed at sixteen weeks. Critical periods are not on-off buttons; therefore, the onset of transition periods varies from individual to individual. For the sake of argument and simplicity, socialization occurs mostly at the breeders. Once people acquire their puppy, the critical period has started to close, and there is little time to expose the dog to social encounters and habituate it to life’s multitude of stimuli. 

During the pandemic, many people introduced a puppy to their family, and because of quarantine, did not expose their dog to other people, animals, objects, sounds and smell. Four months into the pandemic, people are coming out of isolation and want to take socialization classes. Unfortunately, four-month-old puppies will start to transition into adolescence, leaving socialization behind. 

What does this mean? 
Socialization is the result of exposure to stimuli. The effect can be positive or negative. During this critical period of development, dogs learn that people, animals, objects, sounds, and smells are regular occurrences; hence, they are non-threatening. The more exposure to life during this time, the better adjusted a dog will be in society. 

When dogs are isolated or shielded from stimuli, the outcomes are usually insecure-fearful dogs or insecure-aggressive dogs. Insecure fearful dogs want to run away, and insecure-aggressive dogs make people, animals, objects, sounds, and smell go away. Unfortunately, COVID dogs are highly likely to fall into an insecure category. This process is similar to the Winter Dog Syndrome I discussed in a previous article. 

COVID generation dog outcome 
Every dog professional saw this wave coming; unfortunately, we do not know what the overall outcome will be. I suspect we will have very insecure dogs that will require patience, training, compassion, and patience. Society might start to view dogs as they were before, dogs. The surrogate child and the anthropomorphic view of animals that have possessed humans for the last two decades might finally dissipate. Dogs are not people, children, kids, or babies. They are domesticated opportunistic predators and scavengers. They display fear and anger through passive or active threats, and we should view and care for dogs as such. 

Do not get me wrong; I love dogs. However, my view and approach have always been a symbiotic partnership and trustful relationship. I complete my dogs, and they complete me in return; I trust their hearing, and they trust my sight. They help me with my illness, and in return, I feed them for all their services, open doors, pick up what I drop, film for YouTube, and allow me to train them for all crazy ideas I have. 

SARS-CoV-2 will have lasting effects on people and dogs alike; consequently, the next ten to fifteen years will be incredibly different than previous centuries. For my part, I am anticipating an increase in aggression and fear cases. If you are a professional, be prepared to help, if you are a pet caregiver, be patient and seek help. 

Cheers 

References 
- Scott J.P. and Fuller J.L. (1965). Genetics and the Social Behaviour of the Dog. Chicago, IL: Chicago Press.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The most common question we get when people call in for help is Can you fix my dog? First things first, for the most part, dogs are not broken. They are not objects we can repair, and they do not have parts we can change. Dogs often display desirable, aka normal behaviours or the occurrence of species-specific behaviours that occur the majority of the time. So, why are so many people calling in for behaviour problems? Let us look at the fundamental reason, and I am warning you, you might not like my answer. 

My pet peeve, and yes, the pun is intended!
One of my pet peeves is when trainers and other behaviour consultants write on their websites that they can address behaviour problems such as barking, biting, jumping, digging, stealing food, display aggressive behaviours, etc., and they can change your problematic dog into a well-behaved member of society. Here is the problem; none of those behaviours are problematic behaviours. The majority of dog behaviour problems are human problems. 

Dogs bark. In fact, humans breed dogs to bark. Compared to their wild counterparts, dogs are hyper-barkers. Any occasion is a vocalization opportunity in Fido’s head, so too are jumping, running away, digging, growling, and biting. Dogs love to react and pull on the leash; they enjoy chasing small animals; they like to eat trash or poop; canines roll in disgusting things; in essence, dogs display whatever behaviours they find enjoyable, and to them, that is not a problem. 

True dog behaviour problems
Problematic behaviours, or what professionals call clinical behaviour problems (CBP), are genuinely dysfunctional behaviours. We define a CBP as an action or reaction that prevents the organism from functioning normally. For example, a dog that guards its food does not suffer from a CBP; food guarding is a healthy dog behaviour. If a dog did not guard its food, it would have nothing to eat and it would die. A dog that guards its food to the point where it cannot eat can, and often does, suffer from anorexia. The dog’s weight will be dangerously low and will need pharmacological and behavioural therapy to help modify its eating habits. The same can be observed when a dog eats so fast it vomits and eats the food again. When the cycle goes on, the dog can suffer from bulimia and anorexia, and its overall health will suffer. 

Another common dog behaviour problem that is not a problem is aggression. Dogs are predators and function under different rules when it comes to conflict management. When dogs tell other dogs to get out of their space, or face, they do it with growls and teeth, not with flowers and chocolates. Those behaviours might be problematic for people who are unfamiliar with dog behaviour, but in reality, these behaviours are necessary, thus, considered healthy behaviours. Aggression-related CBP often results in self-mutilation or phantom conflicts with a body part. You most likely have seen these behaviours on television, or YouTube, most often labelled funny dog video. 

Animal Behaviour Professionalism
In my professional experience, people do not know the difference between desirable and undesirable dog behaviours, and that is perfectly fine. That is why clients hire us. That said, I have an issue with websites that list dog behaviour problems that are not. The downfall with this type of approach is that clients are led to believe their dogs can be fixed when, in reality, they are not broken. When a human goes to a psychologist or psychiatrist, do we expect the person to be fixed? No, we do not! So, if we cannot fix a person, how can people claim, as dog professionals, to be able to fix dogs? 

Throughout my thirty-four years in the dog training and animal behaviour industry, I have seen and heard many strange things; however, I have never lost my direction when it comes to transforming a pastime into a professional business. Exotic and domestic animal trainers need to step up and answer the professionalism call. Trainers need to educate clients and tell them what are the differences between normal and abnormal behaviours. 

There needs to be a discussion on why training goals are critical components to outcome expectations. If you are training or modifying animal behaviour in exchange for money, your criterion need to be realistic and professional. To tell a client their Australian Cattle dog’s ankle-biting behaviour can be fixed is unrealistic and unethical. Working to eliminate dog behaviours that were created by humans is unfair to the dog, and in my opinion, cruel. 

Cheers.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Captive domestic and exotic animals, which include dogs and cats, live a very different life when it comes to environmental stimuli. Humans directly or indirectly control every single aspect of an animal’s environment. People allow animals to roam, or not, and interact, or not, with other living beings and objects. Consequently, animals in captivity lack essential stimuli that allow them to thrive psychologically. To compensate for undesirable behaviour like pacing and chewing, people have designed and offered enrichment and brain games (BG) to animals to improve their overall wellbeing. That said, there is a misconception about brain games that I need to clarify. 

Enrichment 
We define enrichment as the action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something. In this case, the improvement directly correlates with wellness. Enrichment strives to increase basic physiological needs ophthalmoception (eye), audioception (ear), gustaoception (taste), olfalcoception (smell), and tactioception (touch). 

Enrichment should be part of every captive animal’s daily regiment of behaviour expression. If Maslow’s basic needs such as air, safety, water, food, play, walk, reproduction, and thermoregulation are fulfilled through fixed action patterns (FAP), then enrichment serves as a natural expression of those needs. Thermoregulation is the only exception to the rule in warm-blooded animals.

When we place hay in a weaved firehose contraption, the animal does not need to solve a problem; it merely needs to use its foraging FAP behaviours. When we throw a ball, and a dog retrieves it, there are no problem-solving skills involved. The dog does not need to think or plan on how to get the ball; it solely needs to run after it, catch it, and bring it back. 

Brain Games 
We design brain games to satisfy psychological needs. When we offer a BG to an animal, the goal is to stimulate processes that naturally occur in an environment; but are lacking in a controlled space. Domesticated animals do not need to think about anything because people provide everything to them. Dogs do not need to find food; conversely, wild animals rarely stumble upon freebies thus have to satisfy the eating FAP. Yes, a lion might discover a dead zebra and get to eat for free, but that does not usually happen. Most frequently, lions have to find, chase, kill, and eat the zebra. 

We design BG to teach animals how to problem-solve. There are multiple steps involved to solve the game, and domestic animals might require our guidance and feedback to accomplish the required actions. A crow can get a piece of food when it solves all eleven steps of the BG. A dog removes a bone to unlock the drawer, then opens the compartment to receive the reward. 

A well designed BG includes more than a one-step process. Depending on the animal species and their cognitive abilities, BGs can consist of thirteen steps or more. Birds are notorious for solving lengthy procedural sequences. Dogs are good at solving two or more steps within a problem. The critical part to remember about BGs is that they teach the learner how to learn. Eating from a weaved firehose apparatus does not teach the animal how to forage; the animal already knows how because it is a FAP. 

Overall Differences 
To summarize the differences between enrichment and BGs, I have created a table with yeas and nays on the goal of the object/s used. Brain games are enrichment opportunities; however, the opposite is not true. Brain games are usually too difficult to be considered as enrichment. When designs are too complicated, animals simply give up. It is not worth the effort. 

Although both terms are used interchangeably, enrichment and BGs are not the same. Most enrichment designs serve to stimulate physiological needs, BGs address psychological needs. I often give the following analogy. Going to the movies is enriching, playing sudoku is mind-stimulating: movies = Enrichment and Sudoku = Brain Games. 

My point is not to make one seem better than the other; my goal is to differentiate them, so you know what your design is doing to your animal. Enrichment does not tire out dogs as efficiently as BGs, yet, we do not give dogs BGs thinking they will solve the problem on their own, our direct influence, guidance, and feedback are required. 

In other words, use what is best for you and your animals and have fun. 

Cheers.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr

Over the last few weeks, I have been wondering about what to write for this blog. What could I possibly say about dogs that could relate to SARS CoV-2 and COVID-19? The only thing I am prompted to discuss is our inter-species connections. As animals of the earth, humans have placed themselves way above the species totem pole, yet, in the blink of an eye, a microscopic organism brought us down, really fast. 

I live in front of a giant park and each day I see how nature and dogs are pulling humans out and forcing them to reconnect with their humanity. People cannot come close to one another, yet have found talking grounds to connect. It is as though the very worst gave rise to the very best. A balance. A dichotomy. The dog: our stable mind throughout this pandemic. 

A virus is causing humans to rethink their life choices, prioritizing family time, dog time, and inevitably outside time. Mother earth, once taken for granted, now becomes the beacon of hope. Every day, for the last twenty-two days, we get excited about going outside like we once did when we were young. Every day, for the last three weeks, the dog has been requesting to go out, and we are grateful it does so. People have stopped fast-tracking their lives and now reflect on priorities. What humans are and what they should be, now holds in the balance. 

The planet screams climate change as pollution kills its inhabitants, and then a viral infection attacking the human lungs is sent. The irony!!! It is a blessing and we can thank mother earth for this gift, for I am reminded how life is precious no matter what species, race, culture, education, size, sex, social status, or wealth one is or has because SARS CoV-2 does not discriminate. In the micro-world of viruses, BSL does not exist. 

Today, I took both dogs out for a long walk. Our daily pleasure is taken to a new level of enjoyment. The sun was shining and for the first time, my neighbour and I said hello. We did not say hello because we needed to, we said hello because another organism made us do it, our dogs. We were rallied outside at the same moment for the same purpose. Our dogs do not like each other but we both love our dogs, and today, the call of nature imposed on us by SARS CoV-2, made us greet each other. Dogs made us say hello because we now acknowledge the value of being outside and having a wonderful park to share with them. 

Animals however big or small, all play an important role in the dichotomy of the universe. As they did many times in the past, micro-organisms keep humans in line with earthly rules, reminding us that we are a part of earth no apart from it. It reminds me of my favourite poem by Emily Dickinson.

 We never know how high we are
Till we are called to rise; 
And then, if we are true to plan, 
Our statures touch the skies. 

The heroism we recite 
Would be a daily thing, 
Did not ourselves the cubits warp 
For fear to be a king.

Our day ends as the sun goes over the horizon setting the stage for another adventure. One in which families anticipate that moment when they get to go outside and play together with the kids or with the dog. I deeply wish COVID-19 did not kill people, but I also wish it never goes away. Just like dogs make us feel connected to nature, coronavirus makes us feel connected to each other. 

As I look at my dogs sleeping, I can only be thankful for this pandemic because it reconnected us to our humanity. Our dogs will not remember this historical event, but our children will; consequently, share with them how important their creativity, thoughts, ideas, solutions, and dreams impact humanity. 

Please stay home and stay healthy. 
Cheers

P.S. You might not know, but my first career was in the arts, more specific design; consequently, I returned to my creative roots and started The Creative Dog depicting life through a dog's eyes. True to form, there is a hidden code in the logo, can you find it?

A few weeks ago, I launched a series of apparel and accessories to support healthcare workers around the planet. The series is called I Support Thee! 

This line is not for profit, as such, I am giving a -25% discount (the actual profit margin) on all purchases. Simply use the promo code SUPPORTTE.

It's an amazing gesture and god knows healthcare workers around the globe need encouragement, or what we call reinforcement.

I can't wait to get my hoodie.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

My answer to the article that passed on the CBC website (see sources) 

The rules, first announced last December, are aimed at preventing dog attacks and maulings. Really? Nowhere on earth where this type of law exists has their been a decrease in dog bites. 

Under the law, municipalities are required enforce the province's regulations, which includes ordering dangerous dogs to be euthanized. A municipality can also pass its own stricter rules. Montreal adopted its own bylaw in 2018. Please consult your own municipalities.

Doctors and veterinarians will be required to report dog bites. People will now avoid veterinarians or lie about what happened. 

If a person is bitten, the doctor who treats them has to tell the municipality about the bite. Fair enough, we do need that, but are municipal inspectors truly professionals and can they actually assess aggressive dogs?

In the case of a veterinarian, if a dog that has been bitten is brought in for treatment, the veterinarian will be forced to report it. What good will that do? If no one knows the perpetrator, that's just inefficient. Most people involved in these situations just leave. Will the city or the province be hiring detectives? 

Dr. Caroline Kilsdonk, the president of the Quebec Order of Veterinarians, said vets can report bites that happen in the vet's office or waiting room. So stress and critical space invasion are reason enough to have dogs euthanized? Today, my dogs reacted to a dog who appeared from behind, silent like a hawk, and entered our critical space while I was doing a training exercise. Under this new law, if the person complains, my dogs could risk the death penalty because an untrained vet or city clerk can decide if my dogs are aggressive or not.

She said vets will probably not report small bites that can happen during an examination since the dog can be frightened or in pain. Well, this is just another form of BSL. I am seriously against that. ALL bites should be reported then. PERIOD!!! 

"[But if] we're doing a basic manipulation and the dog bites four or five times, you know, it's not proportional," she said. "So that could be reported." Again, BSL!!! 

People who have aggressive dogs and seek out veterinary advice may also be reported if their dog has bitten before, Kilsdonk said. We now know what's going to happen. People will simply not ask veterinarians. People don't want to lose their dogs, so I predict vet visits will decrease significantly. 

Once a bite is reported to a municipality, the municipality will order an assessment by a veterinarian to see if the dog is actually dangerous. OK, this is where I have a huge issue. Since when are veterinarians equipped to assess aggression? Will they have to come with my clients and I on walks? Will they ask me what clients and I have been doing to address the problem? You are asking medical doctors to be professional psychologists and psychiatrists. This is the worst decision EVER. So many dogs are going to die. 

"Dog owners with dogs who bite will want help from veterinarians that are experts on dog behaviour," she said. "[But] there's a possibility that the veterinarian will have to report." Again, such a wrong decision. Regular vets received a weekend workshop on aggression and are now experts? Sorry vet friends, but we both know that's just a flat out lie. 

Dogs deemed dangerous will face restrictions 

If a dog is deemed potentially dangerous, restrictions on the dog will apply. 

A potentially dangerous dog must be sterilized, microchipped and have all its rabies vaccines up to date. The dog will also need to wear a muzzle in all public places. I agree with this. It's just basic common sense. But what about enforcing leash laws??? 

The animal will also be prohibited from being alone with kids under the age of 10 without adult supervision. Why 10? The actual age should be 18. 

If the dog owner's home does not have a fence, or does not have a fence that will adequately contain the animal, other measures will be required. There must also be a sign warning people that a potentially dangerous dog is on the property. I agree with this too because it's just common sense. 

If a dog is declared potentially dangerous in one municipality, the ruling applies to the entirety of Quebec. Sounds reasonable. 

Dominique Alain lost her triceps in after being attacked by three dogs last spring. The incident left her disfigured and left her arm weak. (Denis Gervais/Radio-Canada) If you're going to use scare tactics, at least write the circumstances of this situation. 

Dogs can be euthanized under specific circumstances 

If a dog bites or attacks a person, leading to serious injury or death, the municipality can order that the dog be euthanized. With or without an evaluation? I'm assuming the latter. I have a question. Who will evaluate the dog? With only three veterinarian behaviourists (verified March 4, 2020 - see names below) for the entire Province, I wonder how Quebec will manage dog aggression evaluations?!  

A serious injury is defined as a physical injury that could result in death or "significant physical consequences" to the person. 

The rules also leave the door open to euthanasia if the dog presents a risk to the "health of public security" of the population. We have already seen this happen. If your neighbour makes a complaint stating your dog is dangerous, the city patrol (read non-professional person trained by another non-professional clerk) can decide if your dog lives or dies. WOW!!! That might open a pandora's box. Wait, it did actually open just a few months ago.

What if an owner doesn't follow the rules? 

There are penalties for owners who fail to comply with the new rules. 

The owner can have their dog seized and be banned from owning or keeping a dog for a determined period of time. Let's get real here, "seized" and killed, you forgot the word KILLED!!! What happens if your dog bit you? As in the image to the left. Is the dog reported? Seized? Killed? Again, people will lie because they don't want to lose their pets.

Owners can also face hefty fines, up to $2,500 depending on the infraction. If an owner hinders someone enforcing the regulation, including by giving "deceiving" statements, the fine can go up to $5,000. Sounds good to me. 

Fines can also double if it applies to a dog deemed potentially dangerous. 

Will this actually make things safer? 

Kilsdonk, the president of the Order of Veterinarians, thinks so. She said there has been a "major improvement" in how governments tackle the question of dangerous dogs. Here you need to read the sentence properly. The sentence talks about the government's actions, not an actual decrease in dog bites "there has been a "major improvement" in how governments tackle the question of dangerous dogs." translates to We, as bureaucrats, are doing good, but dogs still bite. All this political nonsense will do is build a data bank on dog bites. 

"There was some level of just letting things go, and some municipalities did not have any regulations. Some did not apply it seriously," she said. 

She said that most dog attacks in recent years took place in areas that did not have basic regulations for dealing with dangerous dogs. If there were rules in place, some of those attacks would not have happened, she said. Excuse me, if every municipality enforced leash laws, all this would be unnecessary. The vast majority of bites and attacks would not have happened if dogs were LEASHED. PERIOD!!! 

Kilsdonk also said there was some concern about how veterinarians are supposed to get in touch with their municipalities since every city and town will likely have a different system. Good luck with that. 

But she said she's optimistic that things will be better than they were before. Sweet dreams people. USA doctors and vets have been obliged to report dog bites for decades and guess what??? Bites did NOT decrease. 

"I think just the fact that now we will have a basic regulation everywhere … that there will be an improvement." Again, NO there will not!!! The government and veterinarians need to get real. Seriously!!!  

Gaby’s Two Cents. 
All of this means people will go underground, and some vets will accompany them. People will stop going to the vet because they will be afraid of a potential bite. With this law, dogs that are bitten will need to be reported, but what happens when these “bitten” dogs start to defend themselves? They will eventually be reported and die too?? I’m so disappointed, not to say angry, about all this. This law was not the original proposal. 

The weekend workshop veterinarians received a few months ago on aggression is by FAR adequate knowledge to evaluate dogs and decided on the outcome of their life. What happens if a veterinarian dislikes, not to say hates, certain dog breeds? I would like vets to contact me before they assess aggression cases, that way I know it’s done properly. Go to a vet behaviourist you say. Turns out we don’t have enough of them around; consequently, they are booked solid, sometimes months away. 

Maybe I should design a test for vets, just to see if they are indeed qualified to assess aggression. 

So many things are wrong with this law... 

Original Text Source - 
Quebec's new dangerous dog law comes into effect today. Here's what you need to know. 
https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/dangerous-dog-explain-1.5483630 March 3rd, 2020.

Ordre des Medecins Veterinaires du Quebec
https://www.omvq.qc.ca/trouver-medecin-veterinaire.html 

* Board Certified Veterinary Behaviourists in the province of Quebec:

Centre Veterinaire DMV, Montreal
- Isabelle Demontigny-Bédard
- Sabrina Poggiagliolmi

Globalvet, Quebec
- Martin Godbout

Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

A topic that often comes up in professional group meetings is how do you deal with difficult clients, social media, and avoid burnout. There is no cookie-cutter answer to that question. However, l have nearly 35 years of experience dealing with people, animals, self-care, and a degree in family education. Let me share my experiences with you, and hopefully, my recommendations can help you. 

Difficult Clients 
Some people tell me during their interview to become a professional that they do not like working with, people; unfortunately, every single animal on earth is, in one form or another, controlled by humans. In our field, clients are those people. Some people are nice, while others are not. It is how we deal with each unique situation that makes us professionals. If clients can hire us, we can fire them because the client is not always right. Deviant behaviour from people places our professional reputations on the line. I have a few rules in place to help guide me when potential problems occur. I base my professional relationship with clients on these critical rules. 

1.    Clients must remain respectful even when emotions run high.  
      I.    Verbal and physical abuse are NOT acceptable. And by physical abuse, imagine a client asking you to walk their dog at -35°C with a windchill of -41°C, that is abuse to the dog and you.
2.    Clients must do their homework. 
      I.    Investing time in clients and dogs means we expect changes to occur. We get remuneration in return, but when people do not help themselves help their dog, we have a responsibility to ask ourselves is this acceptable to me.  
      II.   Dogs are your business card, so imagine a client with a reactive dog that meat another person. That person says You should get a dog trainer and the client answers I do; I've been working with them for eight months now! Each case is different, but if you know the client is not working on the behaviour, then your credentials go flying out the window, especially if the stranger asks for your name.
3.    Clients must be on time.  
      I.    There must be a plan in place to avoid late-comers, no-shows, or overstays. Trying to deal with a problem as it unfolds is difficult, not to say impossible, to manage. We have terms and conditions waiver each client must sign. On the waiver, it states how we will deal with each situation and the financial compensation that we expect. 
      II.    Firing clients who are chronically late, show-don't-show, or stay longer because they arrived later is reason enough for me to cease our professional relationship. I do not want clients that do not take their dog's behaviour issues seriously.
4.    Clients cannot take two types of training simultaneously. 
      I.    Over the years, I have had many clients to take two classes at once, our class and a punishment-based class. I ask these clients to stop, and if they do not wish to do so, then they will have to go. Remaining passive is contributing to an out-dated dog training practice.    
5.    Birds of a feather flock together. 
      I.    Saying no to future clients is OK. I understand the need to make a living, but money often buys into problems (all four previous ones), and that is NOT how professional service providers should think.  
      II.   Think of your job as a psychologist and ask yourself, Would I tolerate this or that situation?  Is this situation acceptable? Is anybody (dog or human) getting emotionally or physically hurt? Would a psychologist do this? Listen to your answer and go from there.  
      III.   If you have never dealt with a psychologist, I suggest you see one and ask him/her how they deal with certain situations, or better yet, consult the following link to read up about their professional order's ethics and rules.  
6.    Seek out mentorship when necessary. 
     I.    If you are new to the trade, find a professional that shares your core values and ideas and understudy your mentor during their sessions. The experience is enlightening and rewarding.  
     II.   How to interview and be interviewed are fantastic assets in our profession.  

Social Media 
Social media is a new reality, and unfortunately, most professionals do not know who, what, when, where, why, and how to use it, which can lead to the following topic or even ruin someone's career. When social media started to take on its own life, I decided to study it and establish a rule for myself, the Dogue Shop, and now the Dog Academy. Here are some of those rules. 

1.    Post on your social media content that reflects who you are and walk away.  
      I.    Remove the notifications and let your army do the rest. Your followers will fight your battles for you. This way, you do not risk screen captures taken out of context. 
      II.   Negativity affects us whether we want it or not. Social media can quickly explode into a chaotic situation and find yourself in damage control situations. 
      III.  Check your ego at the virtual social media door. Flared opinions destroy careers in an instant, i.e. Don Cherry  
2.    Think before you post, comment, like, or share. 
      I.    Make 100% sure what you are about to do is positive and educational.  
      II.   Some people like catchy news titles but do not read the actual articles. If that is the case, your comment should include a I did not read statement. 
      III.  Sometimes ranting is necessary; therefore, do it with someone you trust 200% and do it in private, ideally over coffee. 
      IV.  When you upload a client's video or photo, make sure you have their written consent in e-mail, text, or paper form. You are sharing a third party's information, and their privacy needs to be respected (see rule 5-II in the previous section).  
3.    Never go live on social media with animals. 
      I.    It can get you into sticky situations. Random photobombers can ruin your moment and your career, for that matter. Should a dog bite you, that too can mean the end.  
      II.   Stay clear of compromising associations. If you want to have a different private life on social media, create an alter ego profile. 
4.    Do not mixe professional and personal profiles. 
      I.    Your personal profile should include people you know, if not, make lists and choose your privacy setting when you post.  
      II.   I have three lists: friends, family, and acquaintances. Depending on what I share, I select the appropriate list. 
      III.  Your professional profile should be for everybody else. I direct friend requests to visit the Dogue Shop page and tell them how they can get our notifications in their feed.  
5.    Get to know your preferred social media's rules. 
      I.    Facebook rules, for example, do not allow for certain topics, words, or content. 
      II.   Social media algorithms work differently for different companies; make sure you know the basics to avoid redundancy and get negative feedback. 
      III.  Post different things on different platforms, it helps prevent viral defamation. 
      IV.  There is no need to share past posts; you are at another place and time.  
      V.   Report negative posts, whether they are directed at you or not.

Burnout 
Why are all these rules necessary? Because the number one reason people stop working with animals is that they burned out. We love animals, and we love to help, but taking on too much does nobody any favours—most people burnout within five years of becoming a professional. Trainers, groomers, vet techs, dog walkers, and dog sitters want to help; conversely, they cannot say no, fear not making ends meet, think they will fail, or do not know how to deal with clients and social media.

In a nutshell, professionals do not have effective coping strategies and rules set up beforehand. To avoid burning out, think of the above rules and try to adapt them to your specific service. You can also add the following rules to your list. 

1.    Learn to center yourself. 
      I.    Yoga* is an excellent place to start because its core philosophy is about centring the mind. Yoga in Sanskrit means to unite the mind with the divine.  
      II.   Meditation is all about clearing the ego's nonsense blabbering. You know, that voice inside your head that never stops, well it turns out you can quiet the chatter. 
      III.    Try mindful meditation classes or apps such as Calm or Headspace. 
2.    Learn to center your body. 
      I.     Asanas, aka physical poses found within the yoga philosophy, refers to being comfortably seated/established/rooted within yourself. Learning to center the mind by first centring the body can only be beneficial.  
      II.    Learning to breathe, aka prayanamas in yoga, can help clear one's head when other techniques are not available.  
      III.   Massages and acupuncture are beneficial too. 
3.    Learn to center your emotions. 
      I.    Healthily evacuate your emotions: movies, music, screams, cry, or flip through photos; do whatever it takes. Wine does not count. 
      II.   Art therapy is another fantastic option for emotional release. Animal-assisted therapy does not count. 
      III.  Go running, jogging, or do any other solo physical activity except going for a walk with the dog. You need to distance yourself to create a new mind space.  
      IV.   Write or journal then burn your paperwork; it helps to evacuate stored emotions.  
4.    Evaluate your Umwelt (oom-velt) 
      I.    The world experienced by the experiencer refers to how you evaluate your experience of any given situation. On a scale of 0 to 10, zero being dead and ten being euphoric, where do you find yourself. 
      II.   When events occur in our daily lives, we can assess our Umwelt by merely telling ourselves the number that corresponds to the feelings and emotions you are having at that exact moment. 
      III.   When your Umwelt in under five, it is time to go, make a change, reassess, move on, etc. 

If you feel you are on the verge of tossing everything out the window and screaming Screw you life! then you are already burned out. You need to make drastic changes. Ideally, do not wait until that moment to make adjustments. Preventing burnout is so essential I highly recommend you set up your own rules as soon as possible. Over the last thirty years, I have seen many talented professionals toss the baby out with the bathwater. I know first hand how our jobs wreak havoc on emotions, minds, and bodies, but I have never burned out because I have set rules for myself. Please consider doing the same. 

I hope this article was helpful and that you can start creating self-care strategies that work for you. The dog world can be a cruel one, but it can also be rewarding, not to say reinforcing when the right strategies are in place. In the meantime, try to find another professional that can lend an ear and empathize with you. 

* There are eight limbs to the yoga philosophy, they are Yama, Nyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Samadhi

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

There is an old saying that goes too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. You are probably thinking how does this apply to our profession, and with just cause. If you have read my articles in the past, you know I am not one to hide behind controversy; hopefully, the title got your attention and you will continue to read about why science and beliefs both influence dog training and behaviour. 

Positive Reinforcement 
Positive reinforcement (R+) is a quadrant within operant conditioning, which is part of a bigger learning theory called behaviourism. The other three quadrants are negative reinforcement (R-), positive punishment (P+), and negative punishment (P-). For the sake of this article, we will focus on R+ and P+. 

The definition of R+ is to add a desirable stimulus in order to increase the probability a behaviour will occur again. R+ is an effective and ethical way to train animals and humans. When the dog has exhibited desirable behaviour, it receives reinforcement and subsequently a reward. The reward is whatever the ANIMAL wants: water, sex, food, safety, shade, warmth, air, affection. Obviously, some of these elements are unethical to use such as air or sex, but for the most part, the other basic needs can and are used to train animals. Whether you are aware of it or not, animals can and do reinforce themselves with rewards you are unconscious of. 

Positive Punishment 
Positive punishment (P+) is another quadrant within the operant conditioning learning theory. The definition of P+ is to add an undesirable stimulus in order to decrease the likelihood a behaviour will occur again. This requires precision timing and efficacy, which are very hard to administer. In essence, punishments, both positive or negative, serve to make behaviours go away. When you think about it, punishment does make much sense when we are trying to create new behaviours. For example, to teach a dog to sit, P+ trainers will pull on a choke chain in order to teach the dog the behaviour; however, what it truly occurring, scientifically speaking, is people are punishing standing. From there, the dog is supposed to guess that a down sit is required. To summarize P+, dogs go through life avoiding pain and guessing which behaviours yield no pain. 

Human Reinforcement 
Humans acquire information from the same learning theories we utilize to train dogs and animals in general. Whether we are conscious or unconscious of our actions, P+ occurs in our lives on a daily basis. Red lights make you stop; social media notifications make you operate your cellphone; cold coffee makes you get up; a child crying makes your usher shushhhhh; your chronic lateness gets you fired; whatever the punisher is they all serve to make behaviour decrease. Unfortunately, people have associated punishment with severe pain. Most likely because they were victims of physical punishment or have seen or heard of physical punishments occur to others. Nobody wants to go to jail because is we like our freedom; therefore, the severity of the punishment regulates our behaviour. In other words, we behave because we want to avoid jail. 

Two and Two Together 
Our entire society is based on punishment; consequently, the vast majority of people believe in punishment, and a smaller and smaller amount of people believe in corporal punishment as a means of education. Whichever way we look at it, we were punished as children. When my son tried his first tantrum in a store, I looked at him and said Stop or I’m walking away! He threw himself on the ground, so I walked away. By doing so, I removed myself thereby adding vulnerability in order to decrease the likelihood another tantrum (behaviour) would occur. You might agree with the process or not, that is not the point*. The point is, my son never attempted a tantrum because the punishment was well-timed and effective. Punishment does not need to be physically or mentally painful to be effective. Thankfully reinforcement is on the rise, but let us be honest for a moment, R+ is lagging behind. This brings me to the introduction point. 

As professionals, we are required to change behaviours, normally from undesirable to desirable, for the wellbeing of our clients. Herein lies the problem which raises a serious ethical question. When dogs have learned from a punishment approach and we are called in to readdress behaviours that have gotten worse over time, we go in confident R+ will positively change the dog’s behaviour. Unfortunately, that is an extremely false and dangerous assumption. 

A P+ taught dog living with a P+ human will suffer greatly in the hands of an R+ trainer. Why? Because for X amount of years the dog learned by being told what not to do, therein comes an R+ trainer who starts to teach the dog that it has control of its reinforcement. The dog now learns what to do, and finds it pleasurable, but at the end of the session, the dog will return to a P+ home. The dog now finds itself in a desirable and undesirable conundrum. Obviously, some people can shift their beliefs and start R+ training the dog; however, there is a big proportion of the owner population for whom punishment is not only a rule, it is a belief system deeply ingrained within themselves and no amount of R+ dog training they receive, their punishment behaviours will not change. Reinforcement is simply unattainable and the dog will suffer. 

Ethically Speaking 
When we are confronted with owners who firmly believe in punishment, our roles shift from dog trainer to wellness agent. We now have to assess if it is ethical to keep training or not. We must ask ourselves Is it ethical to teach a dog for one hour a week that it can get all it wants (so to speak) in exchange for reinforcement, but the rest of the time it will continue to be punished? Pleasure vs Displeasure. Humans who strongly believe in punishment are refractory to change, consciously or unconsciously; consequently, dogs in these situations become very conflicted and aggression can inadvertently increase. By no fault of their own, R+ dog trainers are making matters worse. As professionals, what should we do? Here are some ideas. 

1. We walk away after advising the caregiver you can no longer work with them if they are unwilling to change their belief system. Explain why behaviours will worsen. 
2. Advise owners to stop training altogether and offer a management approach for the behaviour problem. This way, everybody wins by not learning. 
3. If they are adamant about working with their punishment tools, teach them how to use them effectively. The goal is to decrease the use of punishment. 
4. Demonstrate how to say good boy and pet the dog after the behaviour, this way there will be some reinforcement in the dog’s life. Obviously, the dog should like being petted. 
5. Propose rehoming or surrendering if undesirable behaviours require such a solution. 

I have worked with hardcore clients who unconditionally believed people and animals could solely learn from being punished. I once worked with a 79-year-old woman who owned an out-of-control Belgium Sheppard. The lady refused to use R+, even after I demonstrated its efficiency, and made it clear I was not there to teach her otherwise. Before I told her I could not work with her, I did demonstrate how to use the choke chain efficiently ad effectively. For all matters of purpose, it was upsidedown and creating more pain by getting tangled in the dog’s fur. 

My approach has always been nonjudgemental. I prefer to explore both sides of a situation, problem, or belief system and come up with an ethical solution for all involved. Sometimes difficult decisions have to be made, but one thing remains, we all strive to improve the well-being of both humans and dogs. In certain situations, R+ is simply unethical, thus, we need to cease and desist. Our profession dictates the use of science; consequently, to deny one or all three quadrants of learning because they do not reflect our belief system causes more problems than it solves. Extremism never benefits anyone. I am not saying you should go out and use P+, that would be unethical nonsense. What I am suggesting is to think about how being narrowminded and unscientific affects animal and human wellness. I am suggesting we discuss science in its integrity and apply it ethically, even if sometimes it requires going against our own beliefs because too much of a good thing is a bad thing! 

* When my son reached the end of the aisle, I was there to greet him with open arms and a kiss (R+). The explanation of that process is an entirely different article.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

We know dogs have emotions and form bonds with us; however, sometimes human-animal attachments seem broken, or worse, unable to develop. Today, we will explore the various reasons why this happens, but more importantly, how can we change an insecure emotional attachment into a secure one.
 
John Bowlby was highly influenced by Konrad Lorenz when he decided to research and discuss attachment theory in the late sixties. His model proposed three attachment outcomes: secure, avoidant, and resistant. During the same time period, Mary Ainsworth added a research method to assess different forms of attachment, she called it the Strange Situation Classification. Her conclusion gave way to three types of attachment styles: secure, insecure avoidant, and insecure resistant.
 
Although similar, Bowlby focused on attachment as a fixed action pattern (FAP), whereas Ainsworth focused on acquired emotional connectedness. Both psychologists contributed to our understanding of attachment, but what about the human-dog bond? Can we form secure or insecure attachments with dogs? When you read the following definitions, simply replace the word infant or children with the word dog and see for yourself. I purposefully omitted sources to help readers make a non-scientific judgment.
 
Secure Attached dogs -
"Such children feel confident that the attachment figure will be available to meet their needs. They use the attachment figure as a safe base to explore the environment and seek the attachment figure in times of distress. Securely attached infants are easily soothed by the attachment figure when upset. Infants develop a secure attachment when the caregiver is sensitive to their signals, and responds appropriately to their needs." (Bowlby, 1988)

Insecure Avoidant dogs -
"Insecure avoidant children do not orientate to their attachment figure while investigating the environment. They are very independent of the attachment figure both physically and emotionally. They do not seek contract with the attachment figure when distressed. Such children are likely to have a caregiver who is insensitive and rejecting of their needs. The attachment figure may withdraw from helping during difficult tasks and is often unavailable during times of emotional distress." (Bowlby, 1988)

Insecure Resistant dogs -
"Here children adopt an ambivalent behavioral style towards the attachment figure. The child will commonly exhibit clingy and dependent behavior, but will be rejecting of the attachment figure when they engage in interaction. The child fails to develop any feelings of security from the attachment figure. Accordingly they exhibit difficulty moving away from the attachment figure to explore novel surroundings. When distressed they are difficult to soothe and are not comforted by interaction with the attachment figure. This behaviour results from an inconsistent level of response to their needs from the primary caregiver." (Bowlby, 1988)

If you believe these attachment definitions apply to you or someone you know, you are not alone. Most dog owners fall under one of these attachment styles. The good news is we can change insecure attachments to secure ones because dogs are cognitively and emotionally eternal infants, so to speak.

Insecure Means Behaviour Problem
When dogs exhibit undesirable behaviours, the problem often resides in an insecure attachment. The important thing to know is behaviour cannot be modified if the human-dog team has an insecure attachment; therefore, dog professionals will assess and address attachment issues first. Remember the Social-Cognitive article? We need to change dysfunctional units into functional teams through social-cognitive exercises before we can address the behaviour problem. Attachment functions in the same way.

Brain Games increase emotional control and through direct positive associations between game and human, secure attachments develop. In other words, when humans help their dogs solve problems, dogs learn to connect, bond, relate, attach to their humans; consequently, securely attached human-dog teams display better problem-solving skills and desirable behaviours.

To help you grasp the idea further, imagine you are in the kitchen and your dog rolls his ball under the couch. Your dog barks or runs back and forth from the couch to you. You realize something is wrong and investigate. You then see the dog heading to the couch and bark at it. You quickly understand there is something wrong. You bend over, see the ball, and grab the toy with your extremely long paws to solve your dog's problem. If you see yourself in this situation, kudos, you have a secure human-dog attachment.

Secure or insecure attachments are neither good or bad, they are what they are. I see attachment issues as tools to help us understand how dog behaviour evolves and why. As the old saying goes, once we recognize the problem, half the work is done.

References
Bowlby, J. (1988). A Secure Base. Oxon, UK: Routledge.
Boyd, D., Bee, H., & Johnson, P. (2009). Lifespan Development (3ed.) Toronto, ON: Pearson.
McLeod, S. (2007). Bowlby's Attachment Theory. Retrieved from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/bowlby.html
McLeod, S. (2008, updated 2014). Mary Ainsworth. Retrieved from: http://www.simplypsychology.org/mary-ainsworth.html
Horse Attachment - http://www.horsemagazine.com/thm/2013/12/andrew-mclean-on-attachment-theory/

P.S. The beer bottle contained water. I use this image to visually represent behaviour problems. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE 

I have been told by students, over the years, Thanks to you, my dream has been destroyed! I am here to tell you why I did it and why am happy I did. As a teacher and educator, my role is to make certain your career in the animal world is safe and long-lived. That process is based on the time we share together. The Animal Behaviour Apprenticeship (ABA) and Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) programs are respectively 200 and 100 hours, which is a very short amount of time to become a professional, but that does not mean it is impossible... 

Why I Broke the Dog Trainer 
The first thing people write on their letter of intent when they apply for a program is I've been around dogs all my life or I just want to work with animals. The first realization that comes with being a student is you will always work with a human and an animal. It is not the other way around. Breaking the dream refers to the reality check future animal behaviour professionals get when they take one of the Dogue Academy’s programs. 

The second break comes when future professionals realize how little they actually knew about dogs. Even though a person might have been around dogs all their life, dog behaviour is far more complex than one imagines. Dog behaviour is an actual language canids use to communicate. When you learn it, you cannot unlearn it, and all the innocence of joyfully playing with dogs now turns from an emotional to a cognitive perspective. When students learn this harsh reality, my job here is done. 

Learning to work safely with animals is also a belief crusher. Once a person learns what dogs are truly saying, they realize just how much dogs really do not want to serve us unconditionally. Dogs are living organisms and at times, they have an agenda of their own. Dog behaviours are not always the direct result of human intervention or lack thereof. Dogs do have clinical behaviour problems, and dogs do not love everybody unconditionally. When students learn to work safely with dogs, my job here is done. 

In my class, you are faced with the realization that you do not have a special connection to animals, you just had luck, thus far. When the stars align, bites happen, regardless of the number of papers on the wall, and when aggression manifests itself, careers can end abruptly. So the question becomes, do you prefer a short pleasant emotional passion or a long cognitive animal career? When you can answer the question, my job here is done. 

Why I Am Happy I Broke the Dog Trainer 
I am happy I break my dog trainers because the process ensures a long and healthy, bite-free, career. Broken trainers are able to professionally safeguard the public from possible disastrous situations. I am happy I broke my students because they can uphold objective discussions void of emotional interference. I am joyful of the fact that future professionals improve the lives of dogs and people who take care of them. That statement is actually part of the Dogue Shop's mission statement. 

Finally, to my past, present, and future Dogue Academy students, I must say I am happy you are living your dream, but most of all, I am delighted you will have a long and safe career because I Broke You! 

My job here is done.

Cheers,
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The following is factual information. When you need information about something, you should never ask your friends and learn how to actually use Google. Anecdotes and stories are not scientific. Science is not opinion-based, it is a tangible, measurable, quantifiable, and qualifiable information gathering process, also known as data collection. This article might seem controversial to some people, but facts are facts. The time has come for people to return to the time when dogs were treated as such and when being approached or touched by complete strangers was NOT acceptable. Remember that time in history when people educated their children on how to respect dogs as sentient beings? That is where these 25 facts will take you. 

1. Taxonomy (see photo)
2. Designer dog breeds are NOT hybrids. Your doodle, pomsky, poky, Skidoo, etc are NOT F1s or even F4s. They are mixed breeds, NOT hybrids.
   - A hybrid is a cross between two animals from the same genus -> dog and wolf = F1 or wolf and coyote = F1
   - A cross-breed is a cross between two animals of the same species -> Labrador and poodle = cross-breed dog or -> red wolf and grey wolf = cross-breed wolf
3. Dogs are NOT pack animals. 
4. Dogs display dominance. 
   - Wolves display dominance. 
   - Humans display dominance.
   - Birds display dominance.
5. Dogs are NOT omnivores.
   - Canids do NOT have flat molars to chew plants and extract vitamins and minerals.
   - Dogs are NOT vegetarian or vegan. 
6. Dogs see yellow and blue. 
   - Dogs do NOT see in black and white only. 
7. Dogs do NOT transpire through their skin. They excrete heat through their feet, ears, and panting. 
   - Pomeranians do NOT need a winter jacket. 
   - Huskies do NOT need winter jackets.
   - Labradors do NOT need winter jackets. 
   - Shelties do NOT need a winter jacket. 
8. Salt does NOT corrode dog footpads during walks. Moisture freezes upon contact with cold snow, ice, frozen cement, etc. That is painful.
9. Dogs are 15 000+ years old as a species. Dog kibble hit the market in 1951. Dogs did NOT evolve a new digestive system within 68 years. 
10. Dogs are opportunistic predators. 
11. Dogs are NOT humans.
12. Dogs are NOT like people. 
13. Dogs bite. 
14. Dogs kill. 
15. Dogs die. 
16. Dogs have emotions: anger, anticipation, disgust, fear, joy, sadness, surprise, trust.
    - Dogs are not jealous.
17. Dogs CANNOT physically release tears, aka cry. 
18. Bladder size is proportionate to dog size.
    - Chihuahuas can hold their urine as long as Irish Wolfhounds.
    - Retention is a learned process. 
19. Dogs can eat 10% of their body weight in one sitting. 
20. Training does NOT cause obesity. 
21. Overfeeding and lack of exercise cause obesity. 
22. Dogs do NOT like being hugged. 
23. Dogs do NOT have fail-safe mechanisms. 
24. Canada has four official dog breeds: Labrador Retriever, Newfoundland, Nova-Scotia Duck Tolling Retriever, and the Canadian Eskimo Dog. 
    - The Tahltan Bear Dog is extinct. 
    - British Labradors are  NOT a dog breed 
    - American Labradors are NOT a dog breed.
25. Labradors are from Labrador, CANADA.

Five bonus factual tidbits of information for those curious minds

1. Dog jaws do NOT lock.
2. The Canadian Kennel Club recognized 175 dog breeds
   - The FCI recognizes 344 dog breeds.
   - The FCI has 98 member countries. Canada is NOT one of them.
3. Dogs can taste a smell.
4. Behaviourism is NOT the only learning theory applicable to dogs.
   - Social-cognitive learning theory in animals has been studied since the 1950s. 
   - Dogs learn by imitation
   - Dogs learn by cognition
5. The clicker originates from WWII.

Cheers,
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is a human intervention system that serves to connect two individuals in order to facilitate therapeutic goals and objectives. The process can also be preventative in nature. When I tell people what I do for a living, the first comment I get is “I wouldn’t be able to do that, I’d get too attached.” Actually, the goal of AAT is getting attached. In my upcoming book, I will discuss the role of animal-assisted therapy on attachment.

My teams and I work very hard to attach to the participants in our programs because we are there to make a difference in their lives. The goals are to build secure attachments between ourselves and teenagers, to communicate their emotions, develop confidence and self-esteem, and to experience positive exchanges between people. Animals facilitate the process because of their non-judgmental personas. Dogs simply do not care about social status, branded clothing, vocabulary, finances, and other artificially created concepts. Dogs express joy or they do not, it is that easy. Similarly, we do not care about those things either. Our egos are checked at the door during AAT and teens appreciate that, which in turn, solidifies the bonds we are trying to build. In AAT, teens are allowed to be tired, frustrated, angry, joyful, fearful, or even disgusted. When people have issues, we simply encourage them to keep trying until they make a choice. We will do the same the next time around and remain consistent throughout the process. 

It takes on average six to eight weeks to create secure attachments with teens. Rats accelerate the process by one to two weeks. That said, time is of no concern to my team or me. Actually, it is the opposite, we pride ourselves on the connections and changes we see in students. School personnel also appreciate the changes they see in students, especially on the days we are physically on location. I enjoy working with each teen even if results are negative, for, we never truly know the impact we have had on a person. The exercises we propose to the participants are not always easy, but we do it together and that is what builds attachments. We never let a person fail, and in return teens never let animals fail. The cycle is one of deep connections based on mutual agreements of non-abandonment. In our social-cognitive triangle, we build the foundations of secure attachment. Rats a very proficient at creating secure attachments. 

Some cases are more poignant than others; consequently, when the end of the school year approaches, sometimes we need to swallow our tears, not because we are sad, but rather because we are happy to have experienced such positive changes. I believe it is inhumane to purposefully allow distance between people. In AAT, I build connections along the way to eventually hug the teens. That being said, we ask before we hug and totally accept no for an answer. Some students prefer not to be hugged and we respected their wishes. The end of the 2018-2019 school year was particularly hard for me because we were seeing off three students that had been in AAT for some time. I hope one day to cross paths with them and chat about their lives since AAT, but I remain extremely joyful to have shared the time we did. 

I love adolescent energy, the mind is so creative during this period of development. Erickson’s called the developmental phase of adolescence Identify vs. Role Confusion. If we want teens to become welladjusted adults, getting attached is easy when you know the outcome is a positive one, even if results seem like a failure. In reality, we can never know or say we failed because we tried. To me failing a teen comes in the form of detachment, not caring, or avoid bonding with them altogether.

Cheers,
G.