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By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE
Dog training apps seem like a blessing for dog owners, so I decided to review a few of them and report back. I selected Puppr, Dogo, and GoodPup. The apps are available in both Apple and Android OS. I will list the apps individually, but before I do, here are the standard features. 

All the apps are lure-based training, which, you know, we do not recommend or use. Lure training does not teach the dog how to think, problem-solve, or improvise new behaviours. I am a firm believer in teaching a dog to learn how to learn. Lure training poses a few problems. 

First, the lure loses its modelling power when a distraction occurs. Secondly, the client becomes dependent on the lure and must always carry food. Thirdly, the value of the lures needs to be constantly increased in value to distract dogs.

Another downside to these apps is that the client does not learn to read dog language. If a person cannot decode behaviours, the person can get bitten. In-person training from a science-based trainer will provide you with feedback to avoid an accident. 

The prices listed below are in Canadian currency.

Dogo
The app offers puppy basics, basic obedience, tricks, and service dog training. Although I have only tried the trial version, my experience is that the integrated clicker often lags in timing, reinforcing the wrong behaviour. My phone’s OS (S21 Ultra) could conflict with the app. Maybe it is faster in the paid version; I do not know. The app offers access to dog trainers; you will receive feedback through video analysis; it is unclear if extra fees apply.

Price: 
Free: 7 day trial 
1 month: $7.99 
6 months: $34.99
1 year: $59.99

Overall, it is a good app for basic behaviours. I would not rely on this app to help with an unruly puppy or adult dog. Furthermore, puppy socialization is part of the app; unfortunately, all the training is lure-based. You must give your credit card information to receive your training plan.

Google rating: 4.6/5
Dogue Shop rating: 3.2/5

GoodPup
Plans are detailed yet simple, and the interface is user-friendly. Unfortunately, this app relies heavily on lure training. The app is free to download, and you will pay a weekly fee after the trial. The app offers access to dog trainers; however, extra fees apply. The website does not provide much information. After you fill in the information about your dog to get your personalized plan, you must provide your credit card information. If you do not, you are blocked. I find this problematic because you cannot experience the interface.

Price:
Free: 7 day trial
Weekly: $44$ 

Although the app is science-based, this platform relies on lure-based training. Hiring an actual dog trainer might be more cost-efficient in the long run because the professional will help prevent other problems.

Google rating: 4.1/5
Dogue Shop rating: 3.6/5

Puppr
The developer has not updated the app since April 20, 2022. The app does have an integrated clicker, and the timing is perfect. After answering a few questions, the app prompts you to give your credit card info. However, you can bypass it and try the interface’s basic behaviours. The platform is simple to use and pretty. The clicker can be problematic if your phone sleeps after a few seconds, as does mine. You must change your setting to use the app’s clicker.  

Price:
Free: 7 day trial
Monthly: $17.99
Yearly: $134.99 (after a 7-day free trial) paid annually in one payment.

Google Rating: 4.6/5
Dogue Shop Rating: 3/5

Conclusion
My experience with phone clickers is that your dirty drooling hands turn the phone into a mess. When Hariette is in working mode, she drools, and my hands get messy. Plus, keeping your finger on the phone while you work is highly impractical. An excellent old clicker works best. 

The fact that these lessons are all lure-based training is a big turnoff for me, so I will not recommend them. Hiring professional science-based dog trainers is far superior to any app, especially when dogs display undesirable behaviours.

I understand people’s desire to save money, but training apps cannot replace personal dog trainers. It would be unrealistic to expect them to do so. If you want to teach your dog tricks, YouTube is a better bet, and the platform is free. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The conflict between Ukraine and Russia isn’t a favourable way to solve problems, but I’m not here to talk about the war. Today, I want to discuss the articles I see on social media relating to the dog population in Ukraine. I wrote an article a few years back about free-roaming and feral dog management, and I feel it’s time to revisit the topic. 

New perspective 
North American people and a few other large cities around the world tend to view dogs in a very different light than we do. The WHO-WSPA’s Guidelines for dog population management (1993) classifies dogs as restricted, semi-restricted, unrestricted, and feral. 

Restricted: fully dependant, fully restricted, and supervised by a human 

Semi-restricted: fully dependant and semi-restricted 

Unrestricted: semi-dependent and unrestricted 

Feral:  independent and unrestricted 

Most dogs on the planet fall into unrestricted and feral categories. That is because culturally speaking, people view dogs as, well, dogs. They aren’t fur babies or fur kids, dogs are simply dogs. In Ukraine, the estimated feral dog population varies between 50 000 and 100 000. In Canada, the stray dog[1] population hovers around 20 000 dogs. The Ukraine human population is 44M and the Canadian population is 38M. You don’t need to do complex math to see how problematic feral dogs are in Ukraine. With that said, let’s look at management strategies. 

Why rescues fail
Rescues that fly to countries to import unrestricted or feral dogs have a very noble goal, decrease the dog population and save lives. Unfortunately, the opposite occurs. When you remove feral dogs from the population they open the ecological niche. By removing dogs the remaining ones will simply reproduce and fill the niche once more. Only this time around, the local dogs will produce even more puppies. 

According to Izaguirre (2011), when a country combines culling and sterilization, a country can effectively reduce the population. Combining sterilization and culling increases the effectiveness of the management strategy, which in turn,  guarantees the country's overall success. I know this sounds inhumane, but when we look at it from an ecological perspective, it is the most humane way to control dog populations. 

There are currently 471M dogs residing on earth of which 200M are strays. The unrestricted/feral dog population is estimated to be between 700 000 and 900 000 dogs (WHO, 1990; Statista, 2018; NPR, 2017). It becomes clear that international adoption as a dog population management strategy is ineffective. The international adoption practice represents another major problem, health. A few years ago Canadian rescues imported dogs from other countries which passed on diseases to the resident dog population. The increase in imports during the Covid-19 pandemic pushed the Canadian government to change its legislation in May 2021 (CFIA, 2021). 

I strongly believe new strategies need to be considered if we are to effectively, safely, and humanly control dog and cat overpopulation. A discussion needs to take place as to why dogs find themselves semi-restricted, unrestricted, or feral. Furthermore, accepting our cultural differences is mandatory to understand the foundation of the problem. Rescuing dogs from the meat market or other living situations isn’t viable. I think it’s very arrogant of one country to tell another nation what they can or cannot eat. Maybe people have no other source of food. In any case, it all starts with education. 

References 
- Bögel, K, Frucht, Karl, Drysdale, George, Remfry, Jenny, World Health Organization. Veterinary Public Health Unit. et  al. (‎1990)‎. Guidelines for dog population management. World Health Organization.  

- Bringing animals to Canada: Importing and travelling with pets. Canadian Food Inspection Agency. (2021). Retrieved 4 March 2022, from https://inspection.canada.ca/importing-food-plants-or-animals/pets/eng/1326600389775/1326600500578 

- Dog and cat pet population worldwide 2018. Statista. (2022). Retrieved 4 March 2022, from https://www.statista.com/statistics/1044386/dog-and-cat-pet-population-worldwide 

- In Ukraine, technology offers humans solutions to the problem of stray animals. (2021). Retrieved 4 March 2022, from https://emerging-europe.com/after-hours/in-ukraine-technology-offers-humane-solutions-to-the-problem-of-stray-animals 

- Izaguirre, E. R. (2011). WIAS PhD project proposal on ecology and society. 

- NPR Cookie Consent and Choices. (2022). Retrieved 4 March 2022, from https://www.npr.org/2017/12/29/574598877/no-easy-answer-to-growing-number-of-stray-dogs-in-the-u-s-advocate-says 

- Smith, Lauren & Hartmann, & Munteanu, Alexandru & Villa, Dalla & Quinnell, Rupert & Collins, Lisa. (2020). The Effectiveness of Dog Population Management: A Systematic Review. Animals. 9: 1020. doi 10.3390/ani9121020 

[1] Unclassified dog population; consequently, lost dogs fall into this category.

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

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

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, 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 and 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 is 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 occurring to others. Nobody wants to go to jail because 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 that another tantrum (behaviour) would occur. You might agree with the process or not, that is not the point*. The point is, that 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 well-being 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

I get many e-mails from people proposing their dog as an animal-assisted therapy partner in our programs. I also receive multiple messages each month from people who ask me to train their new puppy for emotional support. I do neither, and the following article explains why. Please note, I wrote this article from a Canadian perspective. 

Definitions 
Dogs cannot be made into a working partner just because someone decided to. Out of every ten dogs born, one might make it as a service or therapy work partner. Yes, training is an essential component, but it is by far the only one. Dogs have genes and temperament of their own, and humans absolutely cannot change these characteristics. Before I can answer the question “Will my dog be good at…” I must first answer what does the job description require; consequently, the following definitions serve to clarify the differences between a service dog, zootherapy, animal-assisted therapy, and emotional support are. 

Zootherapy: Not found in the Oxford dictionary; Merriam-Webster: veterinary therapeutics; Collins: 1. Medicine - the use of therapeutic drugs derived from animals, 2. Psychology - a type of therapy that uses animals. 

The English use of zootherapy does not mean the same as the French definition. In English, the term zootherapy refers to the use of a medicine or treatment made from animals, i.e. glucosamine made from shark cartilage or omega supplements made from salmon oil. In French, they use the word as an umbrella term to define pretty much anything that involves an animal. When professionals incorporate animals into their human science practice, we refer to the process as animal-assisted therapy. 

Animal-Assisted Therapy: Not found in the Oxford dictionary; Not found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary; Not found in the Collins dictionary; Wikipedia - Animal-assisted therapy (AAT) is an alternative or complementary type of therapy that involves animals as a form of treatment. 

When I conduct AAT programs, I often become a professional within a multi-disciplinary team such as social workers, psychologists, and specialized educators. The Dogue Shop’s program includes parents, teachers, and the school principal. Everyone collaborates in order to achieve specific goals and objectives such as communication, attachment, self-esteem, and self-awareness. 

Emotional Support: Not found in the Oxford dictionary; Not found in the Merriam-Webster dictionary; Not found in the Collins dictionary; Wikipedia: An emotional support animal (ESA), assistance animal, or support animal, is a companion animal that a medical professional says provides some benefit for a person disabled by a mental health condition or emotional disorder. 

The above definition is not present in the federal government legislature because Canada does not have a disability act. Each province is required to stipulate their position on the matter of assistance and service dogs. In Quebec, therapy animals are not covered by the legislature; therefore, the establishment a person wishes to enter with their dog has the right to say no. The only two service dogs protected by the Quebec provincial legislature are visual and autism assistance dogs (C-12, 1975). Other service dogs fall under Article 10 and are subject to interpretation by law enforcement. Cases are assessed one-by-one. 

Service Dog: Oxford: An animal, typically a dog, that has been trained to assist a person who has a disability; Merriam-Webster: a dog trained to assist a person with a disability; Collins: a dog that has been specially trained to live with and accompany a disabled person, carrying out such tasks as prompting them to take medication or assisting them to cross a road 

As mentioned above, visual and autism assistance dogs have the constitutional right to enter establishments and use public services. Other service dogs are covered by Article 10; however, they must get a medical recommendation for the service animal. Most of the following are accepted conditions: auditory impaired, visually, autism, physically impaired, and certain mental illnesses. Psychologists can diagnose mental illnesses; however, psychiatrists are medical professionals who can prescribe medication.

To be continued next week.

Cheers,
G.

By Gaby Dufrense-Cyr, CBT-FLE

I have not written in a while because I am very busy with the Dogue Shop, university classes, promoting the book, and raising a Broholmer puppy. All that said, there is a topic on my mind I wish to share with you. Too many people impose themselves into our dogs’ space to pet them, and these same people get angry when we tell them no. If you are one of those people, please read on carefully. If you respect others' space and retreat when dogs pass by, I commend and thank you. 

Unrealistic Expectations 
Humans expect dogs to behave flawlessly in any and every type of social situation. Well, guess what, people are unable to achieve that social norm themselves. Dogs are animals, and although our canine companions talk, most people do not understand dog language; consequently, our role as responsible animal caregivers is to translate for our dogs. When people ask if they can pet Hariette and I answer no, people tell me I am rude, and that is why my dog is fearful. Uhhh, what kind of logic is that? 

Frequently, people reach out and try to force themselves on our dogs to pet them, and I am here to tell you, this HAS to stop! First, how do people come up with the idea they can touch dogs whenever and wherever they want? By human standards, that is considered an assault. Secondly, do people not see most dogs do NOT want to be touched by random strangers? By human standards, that forceful behaviour is considered harassment. Thirdly, when someone tells you do not touch or pet my dog, there is a reason. Just continue on your journey and let us be. By human standards, that is the most respectful and courteous thing to do. Not all dogs are created equal. 

Insecure Fearful, Insecure Aggressive and Confident Aggressive Dogs 
There is no right or wrong reason why dogs do not want to interact socially. Some dogs are fearful and some are aggressive, just like people. There are three types of possible reactions in social situations involving dogs: they want to leave, they want you to leave, or they want to fight. 

- Insecure-fearful dogs will try to remove themselves from an unpleasant situation because they are afraid. The emotional response, in this case, is fear. For fearful dogs, strangers forcing themselves into their critical space (I will define this below) is considered unpleasant, hence the fearful reaction. The problem, from the dogs’ point of view, is that they are tethered to us and cannot effectively retreat. These situations increase their social fears and entertain the emotional response. 

- Insecure-aggressive dogs manage their social encounter with different emotions. Dogs who are insecure-aggressive want an unpleasant situation to go away, and they will be very adamant about making that happen. In these cases, the underlying emotion is anger, expressed as an aggressive response. There is no such thing as a fear bitter since fear and anger are opposite emotions and require a different set of chemicals to be expressed by the brain. 

- Confident-aggressive dogs are just that, confident. Such dogs might want to interact socially or not, it all depends on how they feel at that specific moment in that particular situation. Note that the situation can change in a fraction of a second. Confident-aggressive dogs are pleasant until they are not. It is touch-and-go with them. 

Critical Spaces 
All three categories of responses are problematic for dogs when they are outside in public situations. Fortunately, there is a simple concept every human can adhere to; it is called critical space. Humans have a critical space; it is called intimate space. The critical space of a dog varies based on its size (see image). Think of it as an invisible bubble around them that ensures self-preservation. The social space protects the dog's critical space. It is the tampon area between critical and public space and serves to evaluate possible incoming conflict. 

Take a moment to think about all this. Would you like a strange to come up to you unannounced and stroke your hair and say “you’re so cute; I just want to cuddle with you,” I guess not, so why do people force themselves into unfamiliar dogs’ critical spaces? I have a few ideas about why, but I will keep that for another article.

What I can say about people forcing themselves into and onto a dog is that it is dangerous and irresponsible. In Montreal, should the dog bite out of self-preservation because a person forced himself/herself onto a dog, city officials will most likely euthanize the dog. The municipal ruling means your irresponsible gesture has cost the dog’s life and created a traumatic event for the owner.

Effective Solutions 
When you see a dog, open the space around it and ask the person if you can pet the dog. Keep in mind, the answer can be no, and if you are offended by the negative response, some soul searching needs to take place on your part. Dogs are not universal properties. My dogs are my working partners that benefit many lives. If something happens to my dogs, I can no longer work, and the students in our animal-assisted therapy programs would suffer the consequences. Our dogs are our responsibility, and we need to make sure they avoid harm from others. So, one thing needs to be very clear, if we need to be rude and unpleasant because you are forcing yourself onto our dogs, so be it, we will bark at you and bare our teeth. 

If you are on the receiving end of the leash, please use the hashtag #MyDogToo in the comments. You can do so anonymously when you comment, so no worries, we will not know who you are. The idea is to raise awareness by showing readers just how many pet caregivers are harassed by strangers. 

Cheers.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Many dog trainers use lures to train dogs. Lures are most often food, but they can be toys or even safety. There are multiple reasons to use lures, but the most common motive is to teach new behaviours. I don’t use lures to teach new behaviours and you will read why in the following paragraphs. 

Lure Definition 
The Oxford dictionary defines lures as something that tempts or is used to tempt a person or animal to do something. The lure can be any primary need such as food, water, safety, sex (yes sex), social contact, thermoregulation (environmental temperatures), etc. In essence, a lure is anything the dog wants. Oftentimes, food is used as a lure. 

Lure Pros & Cons 
The following reasons are not an exhaustive list, but it does convey the main reasons for or against lure training. Furthermore, this is my list and doesn’t represent the entire Dogue Shop students or staff’s reasons to lure or not to lure. For my part, I can honestly say, I’m a lure-free trainer. 

Pros: 

- Speed: lures allow dog trainers to capture behaviours faster. 

- Efficacy: lures produce a desired or intended result. 

- Learning: models the dog into a behaviour. 

Cons: 

- Efficacy: unreliable if the lure is not faded out immediately. 

- Learning: doesn’t allow for problem-solving skills to develop. 

- Confusion: lures are cues and rewards at the same time. 

- Generalisation: We can’t lure exotic animals into behaviours. 

Why I Don’t Use Lures to Train Dogs 
Lures can, and often do, become crutches. When lures are not faded out in the initial capturing sequence, they become difficult to eliminate later on in the training process. I know many renowned dog trainers promote the use of lures because it’s easy, and there lies problem number one. I believe luring is lazy training because lures don’t teach dogs how to think and problem solve. Problem number two is co-dependency, which develops when trainers use lures.

It’s too easy to go back to luring when dogs don’t respond to the cue, and with time, the lures lose their efficacy and behaviour deteriorates. The third problem is found within the definition. The word tempt means to present a desirable stimulus (primary need) to someone (or an animal), but not give it to them in the hopes they exhibit the desired behaviour. The animal might not exhibit the desirable behaviour, thus, the trainer will repeat the lure sequence. 

Problem number four is, to me, the most compelling reason why I don’t use lures. Exotic animals can kill us if we bribe them, and in my practice, if I cannot use a technique with all animal species, then I’m not using it with our dogs. Lure trainers argue dogs are not exotic so we can lure them, it’s easier. It might seem easier (that is totally debatable) or faster, but I prefer to take my time and teach animals how to problem-solve and think for themselves, and that includes dogs. 

Dog Social-Cognitive Learning Theory 
If you think social-cognitive learning is just about imitation, then you do not understand social learning. Learning to learn is the foundation of social-cognitive learning theory, and let me tell you when you learn how to use the theory, your animal will present you with behaviours you never thought were possible. 

Social learning is easier and faster than luring, but to see the process, dog trainers must allow new ideas to take root. The same applies to exotic animals. Wolves that learn how to learn will offer new behaviours faster, their behaviours will be more reliable, and the outcome will be a deepened bond. Finally, social learning requires A1 capturing and shaping skills, which when compared to luring might take a tad longer, but in the end, the animal will outperform a lure trained dog.

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

The question I am most often asked is how do we teach a dog to stay. It does not matter which behaviour you teach the dog because stay will be trained the same way. It is important to teach stay because it allows us, humans, to manage situations more efficiently. In addition, a solid stay conveys feedback to the dog. So, how do we train a dog to stay at the Dogue Shop? Well, we do it the social-cognitive way of course. 

My dog will not stay 
Dogs are curious animals who love to meet and greet new people, dogs, and pretty much everything else. Dogs love novelty, so the question then becomes why would a dog stay in one position knowing he loves to explore. Exploratory behaviours are a section in the dog ethogram, aka dog dictionary. Without exploration, canines would not find food, mates, shelter, water, etc. so it becomes mandatory to move. If your dogs do not stay, rest assured, they are normal. 

The environment is also a determining factor for the stay behaviour to occur. If distractions are present, the stay behaviour will undoubtedly be difficult to succeed. This is where most pet owners fail: practice. It is important to generalize the behaviour through variable environments at variable times. 

How to train a dog to stay 
I will make it very easy and describe, in the lowest amount of steps possible, how to train stay. For the sake of this article, we will work on the behaviour sit-stay. I chose the sit behaviour because it is the most common behaviour people wish to train. Therefore, here is the recipe to train the perfect dog sit-stay behaviour. 

1. Teach the dog to sit. We wrote how to train sit the social-cognitive way in our past blog article. 
2. Practice the sit behaviour everywhere you can: inside and outside. 
3. Once you have a consistent sit, name the behaviour and practice the command everywhere. 
4. Once you achieve the previous steps, you can address stay. 
5. Ask the dog to sit, count in your head Mississippi one and reward. If you are a clicker trainer or owner, count Mississippi one click and reward (R+ for short). 
6. Repeat step five, this time count Mississippi one, Mississippi two and reward or R+. 
7. Repeat step six, this time count to Mississippi one, Mississippi two, Mississippi three, Mississippi four and reward or R+. 

In summary, you will repeat step five and double seconds each time. When you hit your dog’s threshold or the maximum length of time he can stay, you will remain on this number till you can push through in seconds. You will push through by increasing one second at a time and then try to double it. If he succeeds, continue with the original number. Here is an example for visual learners. 

Mississippi 1 + R+ 
Mississippi 1, Mississippi 2 + R+ 
Mississippi 1, Mississippi 2, Mississippi 3, Mississippi 4 + R+ 

Fast-forward to 26 seconds. 

On Mississippi 26 the dog stands or moves away. Ask for sit and go back to 24 seconds and R+ for 5 to 10 times. Try 26 seconds again. If he succeeds R+, if he fails, go back to 24 seconds and R+ another 5 to 10 times. When you get to 26 seconds, R+. From here, you will not double time; you will work on 27 seconds, then 29 seconds, and 33 seconds, so on and so forth. 

You will only name the behaviour, in this case, stay, once the dog has reached your target time, say 30 seconds and can exhibit the behaviour 10 times in a row, in 10 different locations, hence, the practice part. It is easy to teach stay the social-cognitive way because the dog will notice your body. 

Sit and stay does not mean move away 
Did you notice the stay plan does not involve you moving away from the dog? If you did, congratulations! If not, here is why. Distance, as it goes, requires the passage of time. If your dog cannot sit and stay in one place, he will likely stand and follow you as you leave him. 

You will only add one of the 3Ds once your dog masters your target stay length ten times in 10 different locations. The 3Ds are duration (stay), distance (you, moving away), and distractions (life in general). Start with duration, followed by distance and end with distractions. You can practice inside first and move outside as soon as possible to generalize the behaviour. Remember to only practice one behaviour at a time. People tend to jump the gun and set up their dogs for failure, and we would not want that.

My dog can sit and stay 
I hope you will enjoy our nice little DIY sit-stay training plan. If you did or would like precision, leave a comment. We like to read what worked, did not work, or maybe you would like to add to the plan. We are always open to new ideas. 

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

As more and more people discover social cognitive learning theory (SCT), I’m reminded just how slow the dog training and behaviour industry evolve. I practice and teach social learning on a regular basis. Actually, I’ve been writing about SCT for over a decade now. Although people claim social learning is new, rest assured, it’s not. The science of imitation in the form of Do As I Do (DAID) has been around since the 50s. 

Social Learning Brief History 
Once upon time, two scientists by the name of Keith Hayes and Catherine Hayes did a research on a chimpanzee's ability to imitate (Hayes and Hayes, 1952). In their paper, the researches mention their chimp learned the rule of imitation and would copy a signal after the request “Do this”. From then on, the Do As I Do protocol was born. More recently, advances in dog imitation come from Ádám Miklósi’s leading team of researchers, more specifically, Claudia Fugazza (2014, 2015). For those who don't know, Claudia gave a weekend seminar at the Dogue Shop during the summer of 2017.

Social Learning Experience
My experience with SCT via imitation proves to be the fastest, most efficient training approach, and proves to be a wonderful complement to other training methods. Eleven years ago, I foretold my clients and students SCT would revolutionise dog training. It does. Science finally caught up, and we are happy the Dogue Shop school is leading the way. Every other day, Albear and I  work on a special SCT project and will share info once available.

Meanwhile, We use SCT to teach many aspects of behaviour varying from emotional control to cognition, trust, and attachment. Because social learning requires cognition and memory, certain dogs will outperform others. That should not come as a surprise. The environment is also a predictor of learning; therefore, we modify space as needed to facilitate animal learning. 

The side effects to SCT are resilience and fatigue, the good kind. I’ve talked about social learning and resilience in the past, so if you follow my blog you know what I’m talking about. Resilience serves to heighten emotional threshold, which allows dogs to evolve in their environment as best as they possibly can. DAID will help us achieve that prerogative, faster and more efficiently.

Future of Dog Social Learning
Social learning will not replace behaviourism; it will complement it. With my experience, I foresee other learning theories, which will benefit dog training in the next decade, hopefully the sooner the better. People need better human intervention strategies, clients need a less expensive and time consuming training method, and dogs need clarity and direction from people, not commands and reprimands. 

The future of dog training will change in the next ten years, and I’m very excited to see other trainers and schools embark on the social learning bandwagon. Until then, I’ll keep you posted on new learning theories which will undoubtedly change the forthcoming decade. 

Cheers.
G.

Reference

- Fugazza, C. (2014). Social learning and imitation in dogs (Canis familiaris). Doctoral Thesis. Eötvös Loránd University Faculty of Science Doctoral, Hungary. 

- Fugazza, C. and, Miklósi, Á. (2015). Social learning in dog training: The effectiveness of the Do as I do method compared to shaping/clicker training. Applied Animal Behaviour Science. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.applanim.2015.08.033 

- Hayes, K. and Hayes, C. (1952). Imitation in a Home-raised Chimpanzee. Journal of comparative and physiological psychology. Vol. 45, 5.  pp. 450-459 doi: 10.1037/h0053609

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

As the busy season comes to an end, I’m happy to blog again and hear what you have to say. This week, I want to talk about delinquent clients, and by delinquent, I’m referring to clients who don’t do their homework. You know, people who say “Yes, we’ll practice”, but each week have an excuse for why they didn’t. I don’t know about you, but I don’t like to waste my time, even if it brings in money. So, let's look at the delinquency problem and talk about solutions.

Occurrence of Delinquency 
Delinquency often occurs because training exercises are perceived as too difficult, time-consuming, or outright ineffective. From my professional point of view, training exercises might seem simple, but from clients’ perception, they can be hard. Some people start off with a bang only to stop after a week or so because of, well, life. Training stops for a multitude of reasons; however, the most common explanation is motivation. 

Another reason clients become delinquent in regards to training exercises is the benefit. What will I gain from conducting such and such practice? The reason might seem obvious; we wish to solve a problem, but do we really? Training is responsible for about 30% of the problematic situation; the other 70% has to do with communication and understanding. 

In other words, professionals work with clients to build or re-build, functional relationships. If, as a professional, you don’t address the relationship, you will fail. Without a true connection, humans eventually stop training their pets. That is an inevitable fact. 

Client Motivation 
There are countless theories that address possible ways to modify and maintain human behaviour which I won't address today; however, you must know human motivation is hard to tap into and even more difficult to maintain. Just think of exercise, nail-biting, drinking, smoking, gambling, or any other psychologically or physically destructive behaviour and you’ll see just how hard it is to change human behaviour. At Concordia University, the wellness class which addresses human behaviour change is a 6 credits class given over 2 semesters.

Knowing human behaviour is difficult to change, we can now look at ways to motivate clients. You motivate the client, the client motivates the dog. Sounds easy right? It’s not. We need to tap into delinquent clients' limbic systems; these are the same pleasure structures found in dogs' brains. Furthermore, we can motivate clients with the same reinforcers we use with dogs, plus, we can add psychological reinforcers: cognition and social proximity. 

Motivation Method 
First, when you design a training plan, make sure the exercises are broken down into small approximations to facilitate training and learning for both humans and dogs. Once completed, implement the following ideas to tap into your delinquent clients' motivation. Here’s how it works. 

1. Explain the exercise in all 3 encoding memory types: visual (picture), acoustic (sound), and semantic (meaning). Why: because each person learns differently. 

2. Make sure the client tries the exercise before you part. Why: to set the client up for success and to correct exercise if need be. 

3. Send the client off and ask them to check in with you 48h later for an update. Why: to make client accountable, and to receive verbal praise from the professional. 

4. Send an e-mail or text to check-in. If the client is successful, send a reply filled with emojis celebrating the 3rd or 4th (you pick) day of training. 
          - If the client was unsuccessful, ask why and adjust the training plan to make it easier or shorter. 
          - If the client is feeling overwhelmed, tell them to take a break and celebrate the day off. 
          - Offer a 5min drop-in or stop-by to clarify the exercise.

5. Encourage clients to softly pet their dogs while the dog receives reinforcement. Why: social proximity will motivate both humans and dogs. 

6. Send a tidbit of information relating to the species of dog they have, i.e. “Did you know, Boxers originate from Germany?” or “Did you know, dogs can taste a smell?” Make the client feel smart through camouflaged education. 

7. Send a “massage day” virtual certificate to remind clients to simply massage and enjoy their dog. Why: believe it or not, many clients forget why they actually have a pet. 
          - If it’s sunny, tell them to go out and play, run, or just hang with their dog. 
          - If it’s rainy or cold, tell them to play a social game. 

8. Finally, when clients attend the following session, have a few human treat options already set out: cookies, candy, chips, fruits, granola bars, cheese, etc. to celebrate the end of a hard work week. Why: food serves as a reinforcer for people too. 

Partnership 
If you support your clients and they feel you are sensitive to their condition, they will do the work. People who contact us need help, but if you simply address the dog’s problem, you aren’t doing your job. Working with animals means you always work in a triad: trainer, client, dog. 

A professional doesn’t rehabilitate dogs and train humans; a professional teaches human clients how to train their dogs, and we, in turn, reward clients for doing the work. Our job is simple; we change dysfunctional relationships into functional ones through predetermined cognitive exercises destined to enrich both partners' lives. 

Cheers.
G.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT-FLE

Someone asked me a pertinent question the other day: “Why do some trainers feel they need to dominate, punish, control, choke, or even electrocute* dogs?” The following is my summarised answer. As is the case with most of my articles, I invite you to comment but please leave your egos at the keyboard. 

In Dog Training Profession – Part 3, I discussed different possibilities we could endeavour in order to standardize our profession. The purpose of today’s article is to open the discussion about the dog training profession. How does this piece tie in with the series on dog training? By exploring why we need recognition in the first place. 

The entire question you saw above was in fact a series of questions that went like this: “If trainers love animals, which I believe they do, why do some trainers feel they need to dominate dogs, punish, control, choke, electrocute, or treat them with force and fear? I mean, we know dogs aren’t pack animals, so why treat them like wolves? Why don’t these people pursue their education?” The answer lies within the trainer’s motivation and education. 

Motivation 
Why are some trainers motivated to treat dogs as competitors who should be controlled is a valid question, and concern. Certain groups of dog trainers believe dogs are out to dominate humans; consequently, these disobedient canines require a firm hand in order to put them back into their inferior to a human place.
 
We know dogs aren’t pack animals, we know they don’t strive for world domination, and we unequivocally know dogs don’t need a firm hand. The only motivation which can drive a human to believe an animal, a much smaller animal (well maybe except Great Danes), can and would dominate them stems from human defence mechanisms: denial, repression, displacement, projection, reaction formation, regression, rationalization, sublimation, and identification. 

Humans develop defence mechanisms in order to avoid emotional pain or control unacceptable inner drives, desires, urges, or feelings. Humans have many defence mechanisms in place, but we’ll stick to the projection for now. Humans unconsciously project onto their clients, the domestic dog, for many reasons, but the majority of the time the process evolves either from who we think we are or who we think we should be. 

Unconsciously, if a person thinks aggression is an unacceptable emotion within them, they project the emotion onto dogs and see the client as aggressive, and aggressive dogs need to be controlled, right? Or, if a person unconsciously believes an aggressive behaviour is a sought-out trait, they will view the dog as aggressive, an emotion that needs to be expressed. The best way to ensure dogs express aggression is for the person to treat dogs aggressively. Are you still with me? 
  
Education 
Attachment and education greatly contribute to the creation of defence mechanisms. People with insecure type attachments combined with a lack of education (say in dog behaviour and training) will more likely revert to negative and punitive training approaches because they will unconsciously see themselves in their clients’ dogs. 

The only way one can stop the projection is to realize it exists. Once the defence mechanism is discovered, education, and possibly therapy, can contribute to its demise. One has to bring the once unconscious process into the realm of the conscious. To achieve defence mechanism recognition, a skilled professional uses a technique called mirroring. In essence, professionals send triggering emotions back to dog trainers to address motivations for their behaviours. 

Dog trainers don’t use negative training methods and tools because they're bad people. I don’t believe dog trainers wake up one day and think today I’m going to choke or electrocute dogs for a living. I believe most dog trainers simply don’t know their inner-workings are playing them. Plus, we all know dog training isn’t regulated which contributes largely to poor, or lack thereof, education.

Dog Trainer Awareness 
The problem with inadequate education is it’s self-sustaining, AKA self-reinforcing. Let me explain. If dog trainers point out to other dog trainers their techniques are outdated and wrong, the observation is perceived as an attack which, guess what triggers the defence mechanism observers are trying to avoid in the first place. By telling or calling out irresponsible, dangerous, or unethical practices, the well-intended observers just triggered and reinforced the defence mechanism system. Not only have they closed the door to change, but they’ve also justified resistance to it. 

Pointing out inadequacies is not mirroring, it’s attacking. To mirror is to show the actual emotion occurring within the animal and let trainers see the truth for themselves. Once perception is achieved, the underlying emotions which motivate the defence mechanism can be challenged. Then, and only then, will we see changes in dog training practices? 

Dog Social Learning 
Social learning between humans and dogs will revolutionize the dog training industry because defence mechanisms will no longer interfere with learning. Dog training will be faster and behaviours will become more resistant to extinction. 

The Dogue Shop team strongly believes in social learning and we're proud to have incorporated the theory into our practice over ten years ago. I sincerely hope you join us in building a brighter future for our furry friends. If anything, man's best friend deserves that much. 

Cheers.
G.

* E-collars, electric, vibration, citronella, or whichever battery-operated device collar is used to inflict pain. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT/FLE

There’s never a dull moment at the Dogue Shop and this week is certainly no exception. Monday I was on Breakfast Television to talk about dog safety. After the show, it dawned on me people simply don’t know what a dog is. It shouldn’t come as a surprise since science has only recently started to answer the question. People fear dogs, but is a systematic ban of Terriers going to fix the problem? The only true answer to this question is no! 
 
Dog 101 
The dog is an opportunistic predator who has shared our homes for many centuries. It’s our companion, alarm system, work partner, soldier, police officer, security guard, service provider, and yes, a weapon, yet most people don't know what dogs can or cannot do. The reason people fear dogs is because they don't understand the animal behind the word.
  
The dog (Canis familiaris) has 42 teeth in his mouth and an average of 500 pounds per square inch of pressure in his jaw. The American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, and Bull Terrier are no exception. Compared to wolves at 1500 pounds per square inch, it’s actually not that much. Terriers don’t have more bite force nor do they have magical jaws that lock. 
  
All dogs come equipped with a propensity to bite, and when the stars align, they do so equally. Some will say Staffies never let go when they latch on but did you ever consider that the people who are trying to remove the dog are actually making the problem worse. Screaming and hitting a dog will just make it madder. If you don’t believe me just Google Schutzhund training video or click on this link. The dog in this video is a Belgium Malinois. 
  
Dogs are pretty amazing animals in general, but terriers can work in extreme conditions, pull 1000X their own body weight, jump over fences, leap into the air like planes, and pull down objects in motion, this group of dogs is the epitome of working breeds. But guess what, they didn’t become this way on their own. Lest not forget, humans made dogs. 
  
Future Dog 
I see more designer dogs and Huskies in my practice than any other breed put together, Staffies included. Designer dogs account for more problems and bites than you are led to believe. But, I’m not here to talk statistics; I’m here to tell you ALL dogs bite. The three most dangerous cases I’ve seen in the office involved a Jack Russel, a Colley, and a Bulldog. All three humans required facial reconstruction. 

Our safety and the future of dogs don’t reside in lawful bans. Our safety will come from education and legal responsibility. If you think you’ll be safe when Staffies are all gone, you are seriously delusional. I invite you to play the Pit Game and identify which dog is the actual breed you wish to see annihilated. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, ALL DOGS BITE and all dog breeds kill. 
  
Gun Ban 
For all those pro-kill pitbull people, I invite you to read the following reference list and open your eyes to reality as it presents itself. All dogs bite and kill, yes ALL DOGS. Need I say it a fourth time for you to understand, the problem mainly resides in the fact that a large percentage of the population has no working knowledge of dog behaviour.

The problem is equivalent to giving loaded guns to people, asking them to play with it and shoot in front of themselves every now and then. Some people will take a weapon handling class before they start randomly shooting at people because they don’t want to kill anybody, while others will just go by luck.

Canadian politicians were smart enough to require weapon handling classes in order to possess a gun. The same should be asked of dog owners. All dog owners should be required to take a dog handling class. 
  
Many Prayers 
I know this article comes at a bad time, so I wish to offer my sincerest condolences to the families and friends who lost a loved one in the mass shooting of Orlando late Sunday night. My heart feels for you and hopes you find solace in this very painful situation. 

Maybe the time has come for United States politicians to consider gun control, just like we are faced with dog control. These are certain situations we need to reflect on...
  
References
Labradors 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ihXq_WwiWM 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Gse2J5bqWw 
http://patch.com/new-jersey/belleville/nutley-dog-attack-lab-mix-bites-boy-6-police-say 
http://www.inquisitr.com/2642813/florida-dog-bite-law-unconstitutional-padi-the-labrador-wont-be-killed-for-biting-a-childs-ear-during-attack/ 
http://www.wptv.com/news/region-c-palm-beach-county/lake-worth/5-year-old-bitten-by-labrador-recovering-says-her-pit-bull-saved-her-from-being-seriously-injured 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2003849/Boy-3-left-horrific-facial-injuries-Labrador-savages-Poole-Harbour.html 
  
Golden Retriever 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_CydSqoOFiQ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Y9W-X1s8rQ 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eaUdbLZNLY 
  
Designer Breeds 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1rwCymZhiI 
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/richmond-dog-attack-yogi-sentencing-1.3389365 
  
German Sheppard 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5DTmtzUh6IQ 
  
French Bulldog 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_efQp2YqSUk 
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PerOmnky0kA 
  
Husky 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3406620/Siberian-husky-attacks-schoolgirl-leading-horrific-injuries-face.html 
http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/perth-toddler-mauled-by-pet-siberian-husky-in-westminster-20151224-glukul.html 
http://wspa.com/2015/08/02/child-attacked-by-dog-in-henderson-county/ 
http://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2016-02-05/peterborough-mother-given-suspended-sentence-after-husky-attacks-young-girl/ 
http://www.newsherald.com/article/20160524/NEWS/160529542 
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/justice-et-affaires-criminelles/201006/08/01-4287783-bebe-tue-par-un-chien-la-mere-accusee-dhomicide-involontaire.php 
http://www.tvanouvelles.ca/2010/06/07/un-bebe-tue-par-un-chien 
http://ici.radio-canada.ca/regions/alberta/2012/02/16/004-husky-bebe-airdie.shtml 
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2529831/Family-war-girl-three-left-needing-EIGHTY-stitches-husky-attack-grandmothers-house-owner-refuses-down.html 
  
Dog Breeds and Their Behavior, Chapter · January 2014, DOI: 10.1007/978-3-642-53994-7_2 
  
Human directed aggression in domestic dogs (Canis familiaris): Occurrence in different contexts and risk factors. Applied Animal Behaviour Science 152 (2014) 52– 63 
  
Andrew U. Luescher, DVM, PhD, Ilana R. Reisner, DVM, PhD. Canine aggression toward Familiar people: A new look at an old problem. Veterinary Clinics of North America: Small Animal Practice, Vol. 38, Issue 5. Sep 1, 2008 

If we want to make things happen, we have to stand up and make our voice be hear. I’m officially standing up, but I’ll need your voice to be heard. I want to present to you, pet owners, trainers, consultants, vets, vet techs, politicians, pet store owners, and every single person who works with animals a dangerous dog project proposal. 
  
Dangerous Dogs 
I often hear people say that dogs aren’t the problem, humans are. I disagree because some dogs are dangerous, just like some people are dangerous. Some canines are born with bad genetics and display behavioural problems such as extreme fear or aggression. These dogs should systematically be removed from the breeding pool, and yes some dogs should be euthanized. 
  
Did I shock you? If I did, here’s why. As a professional, I know exactly how much time and money people have to invest into training their dogs in order to make them socially acceptable. By acceptable I mean capable of walking on the sidewalk without reacting to people or dogs. I’m not talking about a dog who can accept affection or can do dog-dog interactions; I mean simply walk past a person or canine without reacting. 
  
Project Proposal I 
Education is the best medicine. When people are educated they tend to make better choices because they know they could be held accountable for their actions. So, here’s what I propose. If you have ideas, add them in the comment section.  

1. All dog owners will need to take a basic training course in order to acquire their red city tag. City tags are already mandatory. 

• Yellow and green city tags are obtained on a voluntary basis
• Yellow and green tags provide benefits to pet owners

• Each breed is different and requires specific skills
• Dog behaviour research changes rapidly so too does dog training

3. People will be held criminally accountable for their dogs’ actions. 

• Enforce leash laws with stiffer fines
• Dogs without tags will be immediately seized 
• Mandatory jail time for convicted criminals

4. A dangerous dog law will be equitable for all dog owners. 

• A bite is a bite
• No discrimination
• Mandatory education

Project Proposal II 
The project proposal is simple and effective; all the city mayor or provincial government needs to do is make education mandatory. The infrastructure is already in place and wouldn’t cost the city a dime. Furthermore, this project proposal would create jobs and save lives. 
  
Mandatory classes would be paid by the dog owner. People would acquire their red tag in designated training centres (who by the way already sell city tags). Yellow and green tags could be acquired in the same establishment. Yellow and green tags would also be financially covered by the owner. Again the city doesn’t need to invest in infrastructure because we already offer the service. All the city needs to do is make education mandatory. 
  
The law seriously needs a facelift. People should be made accountable for their dogs’ actions. I see too many off leash dogs out of control and/or aggressive. Furthermore, old school trainers use force and punishment which increases dog aggression; new laws would insure they too are held accountable for their actions towards clients. 
  
Consideration 
People talk a lot about physical damage from small vs. large dog breeds, yet no one takes into consideration psychological trauma. The largest percentage of the population victim of dog bites is children under 9 years old. Children can be traumatized by their grand-mother’s Lhasa Apso, so too can an adults experience panic attacks from a Golden Retriever attack. 
  
If you have read my blog in the past, you know I stand for education and equitability. We need to make changes and we have the resources and research to make the best choices possible for all parties involved. Dogs are dogs and yes some dogs kill, but with education and new laws we can prevent accidents from happening in the first place. 
  
I’m going to ask you to share this article. Share it till it reaches municipal and provincial governments. Heck, if we can reach the federal government and make this a nationwide project, go! We can save many, many lives with education, so let our voices be heard and scream the word EDUCATION with me. 
  
Cheers.

The study of dog behaviour and training is evolving at the speed of light. Learning theories are presently studied, and with a new understanding of our canine companion comes a new training approach. In a few years from now, I believe we won’t use many treats to train dogs. 
  
Behaviourism 
At the moment most dog trainers use behaviourism as the corner stone of their training approach. Classical and operant conditioning have been well documented and used for decades. We use these two principals of learning to modify animal behaviour, but what if other models of learning could benefit dogs. I’m talking about an outside the box approach. 
  
New fields are currently studied in order to determine if dogs, and other animals, can learn within these new models. The following theories are not only being studied, they are now used to train animals, more specifically the dog. I’m talking about social cognitive and mimetic learning theories. Attachment theory is also studied and research papers seem to confirm this model applies to canines, and possibly equids too. 
  
Practical Application in Dog Training 
The practical approach is jaw dropping. We can now train complex tasks with a simple mimetic approach. Dogs look at us and learn. You’ll tell me you knew that, and I’ll say you’re right, but to which extent this was possible was unknown till now. Same thing goes for social cognitive theory. Ten years ago, no research papers could be found on the topic of dog cognition, yet I managed to incorporate this theory with amazing success. 
  
The impact of these new learning theories on dog training is twofold. One, we work with a reduced amount of treats. Two, training sessions are greatly reduced in time and frequency. Consequently, clients and dogs experience an improved human-animal bond. In other words, we can address the attachment between human and dog and modify it from an insecure to a secure connexion. 
  
Endless Possibilities 
Think about it for a moment. Fearful and anxious dogs that don’t eat during training sessions would now be able to learn. Tool and treat management would be so much easier for clients. No clickers to carry around. No more struggles to create behaviour modification protocols that work in any given situation at any given time. No more frustration from clients. And best of all, no more ambiguous training tools made to punish and torture dogs. 
  
At the Dogue Shop not only do we teach these learning theories, we use them to train our animals, from rats to horses. Dogs are amazing animals and we have denied their full potential for way too long. The time has come to give dogs the place they truly deserve. Dogs are our buddies and our co-workers, so why not treat them as such. 
  
Albert Einstein said “The dog is very smart. He feels sorry for me because I receive so much mail; that’s why he tries to bite the mailman.” Dogs are amazing partners who make sure we remain true to ourselves. I, for one, am truly grateful for their gift. 

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

The No Reward Marker (NRM) makes our list of the top ten taboo topics in animal training. I honestly don’t know why though, so today I decided to explore the subject matter with you. I know this topic will make people react, but then again, most of my articles do. Before we start, let me define NRMs. 
  
NRMs are usually sounds or words that tell animals, yes people too, the behaviour they just performed will not yield a reward, but they should keep trying because a reward is available. Seems pretty straight forward doesn’t it? But here’s why some debates get nasty, people don’t agree on the efficiency, or lack thereof, of NRMs. Another hell-raising question is Are NRMs true punishers or informational feedback? The answer depends on how, why, and when you use it. 
  
Research on NRMs 
Simply put, there aren’t any, even according to Simon Gadbois, PhD, Canid Behaviour Research Team, Dept. of Psychology & Neuroscience Dalhousie University, in the Facebook group Canine Behaviour Research Studies “There are none published on the topic addressing this [no reward marker] directly.” 
  
The only paper I found on the topic of no reward makers is cited below. Naomi Rotenberg conducted research that involved twenty-seven dogs. The task was to teach the dogs to touch a cone with their paws. The method is described in the paper which I highly recommend you read because it’s important to understand all the information, not just convenient passages. 
  
Training 
In her paper, Training a New Trick Using No-Reward Markers: Effects on Dogs’ Performance and Stress Behaviors (2015), Rotenberg concludes her research with the following statement “The results of this study indicate that when training a dog to perform a new behaviour on cue, using a NRM can be detrimental to how efficiently the dog is able to acquire the new trick.” 
  
One can easily jump to the conclusion and say dogs trained with a NRM are stressed; however if you read her paper and continue slightly past the previous quote, you will also read “However, there was no overall difference in the number of stress behaviours exhibited by the dogs in either condition.” Trained with or without the NRM.
  
I don't recommend the use of NRMs when new behaviours are trained; however, the dog’s experience and motivation should be taken into consideration if the choice to use NRMs is made. Both motivation and experience are unmistakably important. Another important factor to consider when you train an animal, and this one is often overseen, is the environment. The place in which you train is unavoidably part of the equation, for the dog and you. 
  
Stress 
I don’t know why stress is such an ugly word. No reward markers create stress, that we know, but dogs are stressed regardless of what or how we train. Some stress is good and some stress is bad. The problem is that stress and eustress are generally manifested in the same way. The unfortunate problem is no one knows which form of stress dogs are exhibiting during training sessions. 
  
I believe some stress is actually beneficial in the development of problem-solving skills. Professionalism resides in how well one can handle all the factors we’ve discussed so far, without going above the animal’s pre-determined stress threshold. If an animal is too stressed, it will not learn, if it’s too relaxed, it might learn without you knowing (Tolman, 1948; Rotenberg, 2015). 
  
The Real Question 
The real question is how, when, or why use NRMs. If you understand the science behind no reward markers, the decision becomes a personal choice. What I’m really trying to say is your choice to use, or not use, a NRM is OK. If you use no reward markers and you are making headway, continue what you’re doing. If on the other hand you find yourself struggling with the behaviour, or worse yet, are regressing, then maybe you need to stop and reassess the situation. 
  
Do I use NRMs? Yes, but rarely. Do I know how to use them? Yes, totally. Was my no reward maker purposefully trained? Yes, I use try again when faced with very difficult tasks. Am I punishing my dog? No, my dogs know what it means. If anything, they get more frustrated if I leave them in a vacuum, or without a reward. Does that make me a bad person or trainer? No. You’re not either. 
  
Be Yourself 
All I’m trying to say is be yourself. Stop worrying about definitions, research papers, or social pressure. Learn your science and work with it. If you do, you’ll be the best trainer you can possibly be. If you don’t, then we need to talk. 
  
Cheers. 
  
References 
- Jensen, R. (2006). Behaviorism, Latent Learning, and Cognitive Maps: Needed Revisions in Introductory Psychology Textbooks. The Behavior Analyst, 29(2), 187–209. 
  
- Rotenberg, N. (2015). Training a New Trick Using No-Reward Markers: Effects on Dogs’ Performance and Stress Behaviors. CUNY Academic Works. Retrieved from http://academicworks.cuny.edu/hc_sas_etds/12 
  
- Tolman, E. C. (1948). Cognitive maps in rats and men. Psychological review, 55(4), 189.

When compared to other species, C. familiaris (dog) research is still in its infancy; therefore, it shouldn’t come as a surprise a behaviour we once thought held a certain meaning has now changed. Research serves to clarify our understanding of the world, so let’s discuss the significance of those changes. 
  
Dog Play Bow 
One example quickly comes to mind when we talk about dog research, the play bow. The idea behind play bow has always been thought to mean one dog invites another dog to play by tilting his head and dropping the front part of his body down. My entire life has been focused around this significance, even if I always doubted its meaning. 
  
In their research, Byosiere, Espinosa, and Smuts (2015) describe Mark Bekoff’s (1995) hypothesis Canines use play bows to reinforce ongoing social play and to clarify the bower’s intentions so as to maintain a playful atmosphere. The following hypotheses are drawn from Byosiere, Espinosa, and Smuts paper (2015). In italic, you’ll find my laymen description of the behaviour. This is strictly to provide you with a better understanding. 
  

- Hypothesis 1: play bows often functioned to stimulate play after a pause. 

After this pause everything I’m going to do is just for fun. 
  

- Hypothesis 2: play bows function to clarify easily misinterpretable behaviours. 

I’m going to allow you to attack me. 
  

- Hypothesis 3: play bows might function to better position the bower to escape from the play partner. 

I’m going to run away after you pretend attack me, so chase me. 
  

- Hypothesis 4: play bows in general may help partners to synchronize behaviours. 

I’m going to do this behaviour after I bow, you should do the same as me so we can play fair. 
  

- Hypothesis 5: play bows would almost always be limited to times when the bower and partner were within one another’s visual field. 

Look at me, I’m gonna get you, or are you gonna get me. 
  
In summary, research shows that bowers normally exhibit this behaviour to demonstrate they will be the victim. In other words, a dog who positions himself in play bow is trying to convey cooperation through victimisation. I’ll end this paragraph with an interesting side note on play from Byosiere, et al. (2015) Of the 1656 behaviours recorded for both the bower and the partner before and after the bow, only 99 (5.97%) were [play] bites. 
  
Professional Adaptation 
The play bow is one example amongst many researched behaviours to change in significance. New papers are published on a regular basis which means trainers and behaviour consultants need to continue their education if they want to stay up to date on behaviour problems, learning theories, training techniques, and behaviour modification protocols. 
  
Professionals who don’t comply with new animal wellness, cognition, and emotional demands will be considered dangerous, and, hopefully by then, will be prosecuted. Sorry, I was daydreaming for a second, but I do believe one day our profession will be recognised and regulated. Till then, we need to continue our education, remain professional, and strive to implement scientific discoveries into our training protocols. 
  
Expectations 
One thing is clear, dog behaviour, more specifically our understanding of it, will undoubtedly change within the next decade. From these changes, we can expect an increased division between old school and science based trainers. 
  
I know my view and approach of dog behaviour and training keeps changing. This phenomenon occurs because I download and read upwards of twenty research papers each week.

When I was a kid, we did things differently. As a young teenager and emerging professional, my view drastically changed once again, and as I get closer to the halfway mark of my life, my views have changed yet again. The last ten years have radically modified my approach. 
  
I don’t think I’ll stop evolving, especially with a slogan like Doing It Differently, Doing It Dogue Style! But most of all, I hope we’ll be doing it together. 
  
Cheers! 
  
References 
Bekoff, M. (1995). Play signals as punctuation: the structure of social play in canids. Behaviour, 132, 5–6. Retrieved from http://cogprints.org/158/1/199709003.html
  
Byosiere, S.E., Espinosa, J., & Smuts, B. (2015). Investigating the function of play bows in adult pet dogs (Canis lupus familiaris). Behavioural Processes, 125, 106–113. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.beproc.2016.02.007

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

In the light of recent events regarding a dog named Simon and a pig, I would like to address beliefs. You might wonder why I wish to chat about convictions when I could discuss aggression, trainer qualifications, ethics, or even training. I feel a sense of urgency amongst professionals, faced with a punishment-type persona, to talk about ways we can educate trainers and clients. 
  
Beliefs 
A belief is something we hold true to ourselves without proof. The dictionary defines belief as confidence in the truth or existence of something not immediately susceptible to rigorous proof. The problem is that some people don’t or won’t seek proof and, to that fact, there’s nothing you can do about it. 
  
Beliefs can be held onto because the concept of changing one’s mind about an idea, a principal, or thought creates discomfort, insecurity, or fear; therefore, letting go of the belief, even for just a moment, produces emotional distress to that person. In other words, we cannot change someone’s belief if they, themselves, don’t realize the belief they hold is questionable. 

Educational Foundation 
People who believe punishing dogs is acceptable are not bad people, most of them are responsible dog owners and seek help when things go wrong. And yes, some people believe in punishment just as they believe the sky is blue. The sad news is, you cannot change a person’s belief system if they fundamentally believe their ideas to be true and genuine. 
  
We are taught from day one that punishment is the way of life If you don’t eat your broccoli you can’t watch your favourite movie or You didn’t take out the trash so go to your room without diner! and this goes on for the rest of your life. Work isn’t any better. When have you received a Great work, happy to have you in our team! or Awesome job on that account! or even What awesome problem-solving skills you demonstrated! That’s what I thought. 
  
Our entire social fabric is based on punishment, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that people love and adore trainers who use punishment, even when science demonstrates better results with reinforcement. I'll say it again, people fundamentally believe punishment is the right thing to do.
  
What Now 
We can strive to educate trainers and the general public; however, social media is not the place to set the stage. People need to see us in action. People need to experience the process and emotionally connect. Without the sensory experience, people won’t change their beliefs. 
  
We can be proactive about change and demonstrate how dogs learn. As the old saying goes Be the change you want to see. Professionals, yes you, go to your local parks and work with your dogs. Be active in your own field, demonstrate what it is you do best and clients will come to ask what you’re doing, but more specifically, how you’re doing it. You can train next to punishment-based trainers to demonstrate, without attacking, how fun, pleasurable and interactive training can be. 
  
Be The Change 
I have an idea, let’s regroup and create a flash mob training event. If every positive or force-free trainer in North America were to coordinate a global training event on a specific day and time, we could, we would make a difference, and we would do so without hitting, kicking or pinning our dogs to the ground. 
  
Trainers and pet owners would be more open to change their beliefs if such a global experience were created. I’m ending this post with a challenge. I challenge every positive, force-free, and clicker trainer to put your money where your mouth is and partake in a global event during which we will simultaneously train our dogs to perform a given behaviour. Who’s with me?

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

It's snowy and rainy today. The overcast weather is predicted for the entire day, ugh! This is the type of day I dread the most because I feel grumpy, tired, and unproductive. I look at my dogs and like to imagine they too feel the same way. They sleep curled into a ball, and I, on the couch, wish I could do the same.

I don't know about you, but sometimes I just want to stop and discover new worlds. Living your passion is like living in the same clothes year round, but at some point in time you just want to wear a dress. What does this have to do with dog training or dog behaviour? Everything! 
 
Passionate Dog Job 
Our moods influence training and our ability to judge efficiently. When the weather, family, friends, or our health affects our person, we have to acknowledge these changes and work with them. As mentioned before, it's overcast, rainy, grey, and somewhat depressing. If I tried to train my dogs, I would be setting us up to fail. When dogs feel dreary, it's best to leave them be.  

If clients are scheduled for the day and I feel like I'm feeling at this very moment, I have two options: reschedule or proceed with caution. The former is self explanatory, the latter not so much. Let me explain. When I see clients on days like today, I know I won't be at my best, then again, the client won't notice and we'll still reach our session's objectives. However, with time my professionalism might suffer, and without notice I might start to work at a diminished level of competency and productivity.   

Dreary Dog Trap 
The dreary dog trap is the phenomenon by which professionals inadvertently and subconsciously accept mediocre performances from themselves. Clients then train their dogs and obtain, well, mediocre results. Catching one's self working at an impoverished level of satisfaction isn't easy. What are some ways to counter the dreary dog trap? Here are a few pointers. 

- Reschedule you session if you feel physically sick, are emotional, suffer from brain fog or confusion, are stressed, or simply are not at you best. 

- Film your sessions or client sessions (do get their permission first). 

- Thirty minutes before a session, do a few yoga or other physical exercises to stimulate your vitality and mental awareness. 

- Have a fellow professional watch your session and give constructive feedback.
 
- Summarise your session carefully writing down weather conditions, room conditions, your state of being and other influential factors.  

Doggone Good  
All of the above should be practiced at variable times throughout the year because these methods will further develop your professional skills. I film myself regularly and can honestly say I am not productive on rainy or snowy days. If I can, I will reschedule the session and curl up next to my dogs on the couch.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Lately, it seems, people want their dogs to be perfect. More and more people register for puppy classes to start their dogs off right. Then people register for private sessions, enroll in dog sports, obedience training. Pet guardians go out of their way to socialize their dogs. They visit dog cafés, bring them to the grocery store, the bank, in public transport, to work, or participate in all kinds of dog-related activities, and with Christmas just around the corner, too much of a good thing can become a bad thing.

Stress Curve
People strive to offer an environment rich in stimuli to their pets, but sometimes it's simply too much for our canine companions to handle. Overexposure to dogs or people can create stress and distress in animals not equipped to deal with overstimulation. Dogs need time to recuperate from stressful encounters like training or outings.

When I say stress, you should also read eustress, the positive, or workable, form of stress. When you're in the zone (the orange part of the curve), a little stress can motivate an individual, but too much of it for too long can create distress. Optimal performance will vary from one dog to another, but overall the signs will be similar.

Stress Signals
In general, we can determine dogs are stressed by observing some of the following behaviours: restlessness, pacing, unable to settle, stretching, repetitive yawning, over-drinking, trembling, panting with tongue inside the mouth, ears slightly pulled back, tail in a tight neutral position, and dandruff reaction. If you see these signs in your dog, it's time for a break. Offer a day or two of off time to your pets, especially if they're getting older in age.

Balance
Life is a matter of balance. As mentioned above, too much of a good thing can be a bad thing. When our animals work intensively for two consecutive days, they require as much off-time to rest. Obviously, each dog is different and you might find that one dog bounces back faster than the other. Respect your dogs' rhythm and avoid clustering their activities because it suits your schedule better. When the famous Albear works for two straight days he needs at least three to four days off.

I do bring my dog to work, but when he needs downtime, I place him in a confined area behind the counter, door closed. The door will only open if he gets up to actively greet someone, normally a friend. I can tell you that Albear is behind the counter today and he hasn't moved since we came in this morning. This is normal since he spent two nights and an entire day at work teaching students the intricacies of dog training.

Break Time
Be creative when it comes to days off. Move the dog bed into a sunlight area and allow your pooch to bask in its rays, offer them a nice treat, let them sleep in, cover them with a blanket, or place their favourite toy in their bed. Be creative, but most of all, remember that dogs need to rest to re-establish their stress levels. People also require downtime, so why not join your dogs in the process and snooze together. Oh, and with Christmas a month away, you might want to make plans to assure your dog has enough time off.

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Statistically, the number of pet professionals who read my article each week represents approximately half of the people who visit my blog; consequently, I try to write about various topics to satisfy the wide range of readers that you are. It's not always an easy task. This week, I'll talk about the ABC model of behaviour for both professionals and non-professionals readers.

ABCs
The ABC model of behaviour is a simple to remember acronym which helps professionals identify the cue an animal follows to perform a behaviour. ABC also determines the consequence which results from the behaviour. The model can be used to train new behaviours or to modify old ones. To understand the model, let me explain the acronym.

A= Antecedent: cue, signal, sign, word or condition that influence the occurrence of the behaviour. Basically, it's what happens right before the behaviour is performed.

B= Behaviour: any action that can be quantified or qualified. Basically, it's the actual performance of an activity.

C= Consequence: outcome that occurs immediately following the behaviour. Basically, it's what happens right after the behaviour is performed.

Here's an example. The dog sits at the door and barks. You go to the door, open it, and let the dog out. The dog exits and immediately urinates. We know the pressure on the bladder prompted the dog to go to the door and bark, so the antecedent is bark at the door, the behaviour is exit and pee, and the consequence is bladder release, or simply put, the dog feels relieved. In this example, we can say that bark is the cue to urinate which makes the dog feel good; consequently, the dog will bark at the door again when it needs to urinate. The example is simple and straightforward, but what happens when it's not.

Behaviour Problem
Here's a more complex example. Let's see if you can solve this one. Fido and Rex play in the yard. Fido escapes from the yard and runs around the neighbourhood for about an hour before he returns. He does this a few times a week. Rex never leaves the yard. You are called to modify Fido's escape behaviour because he could get stolen or injured. The client doesn't want to chain Fido because he plays with Rex most of the time and stays in the yard.

What questions would you ask? What training plan would you implement to keep Fido in the yard without leashing him? With the ABC model it becomes obvious we need to learn more. We need to identify the A= Antecedent before we can address the behaviour and its consequences. 

Behaviour Modification & Training Plan
If I can't observe the antecedent, it might be wise to ask the client to film the dog. The client could follow the dog to see where and what he does during outings. In this case, a GoPro camera might come in handy. If I can't observe the antecedent, the ACB model falls apart. Without motivation or signal to perform the behaviour, it becomes almost impossible to establish a functional behaviour modification or training plan.

The basics are often the easiest and most efficient ways to address dog issues. I suggest you film your dogs and start practicing behavioural analysis. What was the dog doing right before the behaviour? and what happened right after the behaviour? This simple little exercise teaches you the intricate workings of your dog's mind.  

By Gaby Dufresne-Cyr, CBT

Professional recognition is one of my life goals. I believe Dog training and behaviour consultation are at a turning point in history. Too many improvised professionals or outdated practitioners are inadvertently causing harm to animals and people. Consequently, we must pull together and make a stand. Bellow, you'll find information by which we can unite and create a new reality for domestic and exotic animal professionals.  
 
Dog Training Description
Although the Canadian government mentions a high school diploma is normally required to exercise the dog training profession, the  National Occupational Classification doesn't stipulate why it's required. This is where dog training and behaviour consulting fall into the unregulated cracks. High schools and other post-secondary institutions don't offer such programs. You'll find on the Canadian government website, under the NOC, the following description: 
 
6 Sales and service occupations

• Major Group 65 Service representatives and other customer and personal services occupations
  • 656 Other occupations in personal service
    • 6563 Pet groomers and animal care workers

Unit Group
Animal care workers feed, handle, train and groom animals and assist veterinarians, animal health technologists and technicians and animal breeders. Pet groomers clip coats, bathe and otherwise groom pets. Workers in this group are employed by animal hospitals and clinics, animal shelters, breeding and boarding kennels, zoos, laboratories, retail pet shops, dog training schools, pet grooming establishments, or maybe self-employed.
 
Example Titles
Animal care worker (except farm)
Dog groomer
Dog trainer
Kennel attendant
Laboratory animal attendant
Pet groomer
Pound attendant
Veterinary attendant
Zoo attendant
 
Main Duties
Workers in this group perform some or all of the following duties:

• Prepare food and feed animals, fish or birds at scheduled intervals
• Clean and disinfect cages, pens and surrounding areas
• Shampoo, clip and groom animals
• Assist veterinarians and animal health technologists and technicians to inoculate and treat animals
• Assist animal breeders to handle and nurture animals
• Assist scientists and researchers in conducting laboratory tests with animals
• Monitor and document animal behaviour
• Train dogs to obey commands and perform specific duties in response to signals.

Employment Requirements
Completion of secondary school is usually required. Depending on the type of work performed, training courses in animal handling, grooming or dog training are usually required. Animal health or veterinary assistant college courses may be required for animal care workers.
 
High Schools
Dog training is clumped in with the following groups: 6561 Image, social and other personal consultants: colour consultant, fashion, etiquette consultant, fashion and wardrobe consultant, image consultant, make-up consultant, public speaking consultant, wardrobe consultant, wedding consultant, weight loss consultant, 6562 Estheticians, electrologists and related occupations: beauty treatment operator, cosmetician, electrologist, electrolysis technician, esthetician, hair replacement technician, manicurist, pedicurist, scalp treatment specialist, tattoo artist, and 6564 Other personal service occupations: astrologer, chat line agent, dating service consultant, fortune teller, psychic consultant, psychic reader.

While groups 6561 and 6562 require high school diplomas and college degrees, group 6564 requires no educational background. Our trade isn't taken seriously because of the lack of educational standards. I would like to change this reality because our clients have animals that can and do cause harm. Let's face it, our profession is a dangerous one. As such, I believe it's our responsibility to make sure the general public remains safe from potentially dangerous interventions.
 
Dog Trainer and Behaviour Consultant Future
I have a dream. I wish trainers and behaviour consultants would come together to design a certification program. School boards could implement the program and call it a professional high school diploma in dog training and behaviour consultation. From there, professionals could pursue their Red Seal Endorsement which would ensure a national standard for our professions.

I certainly hope I'll see our respective fields become standardized. I'm still young and have great aspirations we'll change the future. We simply need to come together, sit, and design a workable field of study. What do you say? If you're from another country, what are your government, if any, standards when it comes to dog training or behaviour consultation? Leave a comment or link below.

References
- Government of Canada. National Occupational Classification 2011. Retrieved from http://www5.hrsdc.gc.ca/NOC/English/NOC/2011/QuickSearch.aspx?val65=* 09-2015
- Red Seal Program. Retrieved from http://www.red-seal.ca/c.4nt.2nt@-eng.jsp?cid=22 09-2015