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Combine the extremes, and you will have the true center. - Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlagel I had a client the other day, we’ll call her Sharon.  She had two dogs who were off-the-hook.  I call them “No No Bad Dogs”.  They weren’t bad dogs really; no dangerous behaviors like resource guarding or dog reactivity.  They were just hyper masses of entropy.  Totally lovable dogs, though.  I’m sure you know and/or own what I mean. Just So. Much. Energy. What is a “No No Bad Dog”? Right here. Their joy for life bleeds through into every aspect of yours: by jumping, barking and generally running amok. They tend to have a good nature…just at inappropriate times. Labs, Goldens and Pitties tend to be No No Bad Dogs, and I love ‘em! Part way through the training session, Sharon mentioned how she had never thought of interacting with her dogs using methods such as the Paw Method.  I asked her to give me an example. “Well, your training bag, for instance.  I notice that every time the dogs start to nose in there, you are using your body language to tell them 'no'.  That’s not what I would have done, ” she said. “What would you have done”, I asked. “Simply removed the bag.” Sounds like a simple enough answer.  If your dog is getting into something, remove what they are getting into.  Here’s the problem:  simply helping them to avoid something is different than actually training them.  For example, I personally have not been trained to never approach a rhino from their blind side, simply because I’ve never met a rhino.  See the difference?  Removing all interaction with something does not teach an animal how to appropriately interact (or not to interact) with something.  It merely removes their option to interact. It doesn't answer their question, though, "Can I go in your bag?". It also doesn’t work because, well, if they are on our couch and you don’t like it, how are you going to remove the couch?  Exactly. Poor Sharon had been through several other trainers before she worked with Darwin Dogs.  She had done the X amount of classes, Y times per week for Z hours each time, and still hadn’t seen much progress.  She seemed a little frustrated, but still determined, to get her dogs trained.  Unfortunately, it would seem as if she had gone to trainers who only used positive reinforcement or strictly negative reinforcement. One trainer had wanted her to deal with everything her dog did/didn’t do by using treats, which as Sharon pointed out herself, was ridiculous. She told me a story about how her one dog managed to steal an entire chicken off of her counter.  Her dog, Kally, was running around the house with this chicken!  Sharon knew that Kally could get sick from ingesting cooked bones, but remembered what her positive only trainer had told her:  offer her a treat!  So Sharon approached Kally with her favorite Milk Bone.  Kally took a look at the offered Milk Bone, and then promptly ate the chicken.  Some things are just higher value than other, and sorry, Milk Bone will never be an upgrade to a freshly roasted chicken.  Not everything can be dealt with using positives. Sharon had another trainer who was the Throat ‘Em and Make ‘Em Cower/Shock Collar/Fear Based kind of trainer.  Yes, you can get results like that.  However, why would you want to? The goal is to have your dog ask you questions that they accept, not to be so terrifying to your dog that they are afraid to ask you questions. Unanswered questions leads to anxiety. The PAW method focuses on gentle body language, and answering your dog’s questions.  ”May I please have the food you dropped on the floor?” doesn’t need to be answered with a tug on a prong collar, or an electric shock (no, not even at "the lowest setting").  A simple, “No” will suffice, using your body language as outlined here. Further, bonding occurs when you both share a good experience.  I love giving my dogs a positive reinforcement at every chance I can (appropriately) do so because it feels good! Considering all I was hearing about how many different techniques Sharon had been working with, and how many different trainers, I’m still amazed that she even called Darwin Dogs.  That’s what I call the triumph of hope over experience.  However, she did. We came, and two hours later, she had both dogs on a leash, and was literally skipping down the sidewalk, both dogs heeling right at her side. I kid you not.  (For tips on how to improve your dog's walk, click here.)Totally made my day. She’s got a long road ahead of her, but now she has tools in her toolbox.  Yes and no.  That’s all she needs.  You only need two things to know where you are in this world: latitude and longitude. Yes and no.  Catch the moments and behaviors you want with positive (latitude).  Answer the questions that are being asked, and use “no” every time you must (longitude).  Pretty soon your dog will know their place in the world:  with a kind, loving, Pilot who happens to be their best friend. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

Nothing else can quite substitute for a few well-chosen, well-timed, sincere words of praise. They’re absolutely free and worth a fortune. - Sam Walton As you may know from previous posts regarding The Paw Method, here at Darwin Dogs, we are all about answering a dog’s questions.  Dogs are full of questions: Can I eat that? Is that person a threat?  Can we play ball?  And as with any healthy relationship, communication is key.  In other words, you must answer your dog’s questions, or they will come up with an answer for themselves, and odds are you won’t like it. Dogs are binary creatures: every question they ask is a yes/no question.  Every answer you give them will be a yes or a no.  It’s like a giant game of hot/cold.  Remember, “no” doesn’t mean your dog is bad.  Your dog is incapable of being bad…they do everything perfectly, for a dog.  Unfortunately, they need some guidance in our human world.  That’s why we answer their questions.  But how can you tell when it’s appropriate to use positive reinforcement with your dog?  Simple:  it fits into one or more of these  categories: You are calling your dog (“come” command).    No matter what, the “come” command must end in a positive.  Give them a reason to come to you, not a reason to run away.  For hints on how to work the “come” command, read this. You are asking them to be human(ish).  Dogs will tell each other to back off; not to mess with each other’s toys.  They will ask each other to play, and will give an appropriate answer to each other.  Dog do not teach each other agility, nor do they teach each other English (as in “sit”, “stay”, etc.).  So any time you are asking them to be more than a dog, fun it up with positive reinforcement.  You are both trying to discover a behavior together…make it fun for both of you. When they are calm.  I know….Fido is super happy to see you after you’ve been gone all day (or in human terms, 1/2 hour).  It’s tempting to return their enthusiasm upon coming home, but you’re setting yourself up for a hyper dog – one who uses energy to get what they want.  Instead, wait until they’re calmed to give them positive.  As a matter of fact, any time you catch your dog calm is a great time to give them some positive reinforcement.  We want them to understand the calm is the key to a great treasure: what they want.  No matter if it’s a walk, a treat or just a pat on the head, calmly asking is the only way they will ever get it. Not jumping.  Not barking. Not slapping you with their paw.  Calm. Go ahead. Just try to ignore this sweet, calm face! Guess what? You don’t have to! Slather on that affection – this calm boy deserves it! Sometimes you want to create a behavior out of nowhere.  Teaching your dog a new trick or command.  For instance, I decided to train Sparta to hold random objects in her mouth so I could take a picture each day (you can view the hilarious results here).  I obviously used positive reinforcement for that behavior, but exactly how does one give their dog a positive? Simple:  We use Touch, Talk, Treat.  We created Pavlovian response.  Any time I gave Sparta a treat, or even her food, I gently pet her head and in a soft, calm, voice tell her she’s a good girl.  That’s it.  We are linking Touch, Talk, Treat so closely together that when we gradually drop off the treats, they’re implied by the Touch and Talk.  Just like if I said I was going to to make myself a peanut butter sandwich, what’s implied?  Jelly, right?  Because peanut butter and jelly always go together.  Once you get your dog to understand that Touch, Talk and Treat are linked, you can easily remove one (or more) of the components.  After all, who really wants to walk around with a pocketful of treats all the time?  Not very convenient! So when I was working with Sparta to get her to hold things in her mouth, it was quite obviously impossible for me to reward her with a treat while she had the item in her mouth.  Of course I could just give her the reward when she finally dropped the item, but dropping the item was exactly what I didn’t want.  In order to recreate a behavior, we have to catch the behavior, and then name/mark the behavior. I wanted her to hold the item.  That’s why Touch, Talk, Treat is so important.  While she held it in her mouth, I could give her all the positives she wanted, telling her she was a good girl and petting her.  I could catch the precise moment  she gave me the behavior I wanted.  As she held the item in her mouth, the Touch and Talk were both cues that the treat was (eventually) forthcoming, and that holding the item was the correct behavior to earn the reward. Same goes for agility.  Some dogs (*cough* Border Collies *cough*) over think everything. Suppose the behavior I’m trying to catch is merely jumping through a hoop (“hmmm… last time I went through the hoop, turned counterclockwise towards mom and sat down after blinking twice whereupon mom gave me a treat. She must want me to blink twice!”).  I can’t get food down their gullet while they’re jumping through the hoop, but I sure can yell out that positive word while they’re going through!  That’s catching a behavior. So much miscommunication between humans and their canine companions arises through not catching the precise moment of behavior we wish to see repeated. This form of verbal positive can come in very handy when you don’t or can’t have treats readily available.  For example, when I am on a walk with Sparta and she sees another dog.  Sparta is very dog reactive, and it takes a lot of trust in me for her to calmly pass that other dog.  I want to reward that trust she has placed in me.  Once we pass by that other dog, I give her that calm praise and a gentle pet on the head.  We just had an entire conversation using only body language.  Translation: “Mom, that other dog was scary.  Did I do alright?” “You did beautifully, Sparta.  I’m proud of you.” “Thanks for getting us through that, mom.” Note:  I will not bribe her past that other dog.  I will Pilot her, answer her questions, and then reward her for being calm through the whole “ordeal” (and yes, sometimes a Chihuahua can be an ordeal). Remember to use your positive reinforcement as much as you possibly can.  There are plenty of opportunities to use positive reinforcement with even the most ill-behaved dog.  Catch those moments.  I tell my clients that in order to know where you are in this world, you need latitude and longitude.  That’s it!  In order for your dog to understand what you wish from them, they must get both “yes” and “no”.  Don’t skip the positives!  If your dog is calm, for any reason slather those positives on them.  Teach them a new trick just for the sake of giving them some positives, (which is why I taught my cat agility).  The positives are what bind you together as pack.  It’s the glue that makes your dog want to learn.  Sprinkle it around generously. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

Happiness is not a matter of intensity but of balance, order, rhythm and harmony. – Thomas Merton If you know anything about Darwin Dogs, you know that we don’t think much of extremes of any kind.  Extreme thinking is, well…rather extreme.  Not every behavior issue can be resolved with a click and a treat, and not every dog behavior requires a shock collar.  There is plenty of room for moderate, balanced training.A few years ago I was presented with a very difficult dog named Chex to train.  Chex’s owner was very forthcoming with the issues.  He bites.  Everyone.  And not just a nip, it was all out aggression.  His owner, we’ll call her Annie, was concerned because she had already had another trainer out there.  I assured Annie that it was a situation that could be worked with. I walked in the door and met Annie’s partner, Susan.  Susan was being followed by a very calm-looking Border Collie mix.  This looked so much easier than what I had been preparing for! “Oh, this isn’t Chex!  This is Sadie, my dog”, Susan informed me.  “Annie is in back with Chex.  She wanted to make sure you were safely here before she brought him out.”  Great.   I asked her to bring out Chex. Out came a writhing 35 pound mass of dog, dragging his owner at the end of a harness.  Chex was out for blood. There was an intruder in the house (me!) and Chex felt the need to let everyone know that this wasn’t okay, and the situation was dire! This is what Chex looked like to me. Only a little less stable. Chex was in full-out panic mode.  His choices of flight or fight having been reduced by the fact he was restrained by a leash, he went all out on fight.  I knew I had to get him under control as quickly as possible.  That’s where I made a mistake.  See, Chex was on a harness. Harness. n1. an arrangement of leather straps buckled or looped together, fitted to an animal in order that the animal can be attached to and pull an item more easily and efficiently, such as a cart, or a human. A harness offers no control (read: safety) for a human. The dog is able to go teeth first towards whatever item they want, as there's no way to effectively stay clear of the business end of the dog. And believe me, Chex meant business.  That’s one of the reasons we use collars, so when held at arm’s length, a dog can’t put teeth to flesh quite as easily.  Unfortunately, Chex was looking for any place to put teeth, making this a very dangerous situation.  My choices:  ask them to take him into the back room again and put a collar on him that I had, or simply take the dog and work with him immediately, knowing full well I’d probably take a bite. Of course I chose the latter. As Annie tried to hand Chex over, he jumped up and bit me on the thigh.  It took some effort, but I managed to disengage him from my leg and kept him at arm’s length while using my body language to keep him from connecting.  After “dancing” with him for about 5 minutes, he calmed down enough for me to have his owners place the safety collar around his neck, and then we went for a walk. The aftermath. I called this bite The Eye of Sauron because of how it bruised. Yes, I name any bites I receive. But c'mon, it's a dead ringer. Chex tried to attack me at least 5 more times during our walk.  I maintained calm boredom in between attacks, but when he did attack, I simply Piloted him.  The first attack inside the house was the worst, and resulted in an impressive bite.  By the time he attacked for the 5th time, it was a half-hearted attempt on his part…at best. After our 10 minute walk, Chex and I went back into the house to meet with his astonished owners.  I explained to them that Chex was trying to protect them from everything.  He was actually a very frightened dog.  Nobody made him that way. Dogs have personalities, too, and they run from Hippie to Rambo, just like we all do.  Let’s just say that Chex wouldn’t have been caught dead at Woodstock. Peace and Love was not his immediate response to anything, but at the same time, he was merely asking how he should be responding to situations. Not being given any answers, he was choosing the "nuke" option. Annie and Susan were amazing.  They understood how important it was for them to get this right.  Their dog wasn’t attacking people because he was a jerk – he was frightened!  After explaining the need for positive and negative reinforcement, and the proper times to give each, I took Annie on a walk.  We passed by a crazy old woman with her dog  off-leash lunging at us – a situation that would have set Chex to nuke-mode.  Chex merely eyeballed the other dog, eyeballed the old woman (who yelled at us for walking our dog on the sidewalk in front of her house and thereby making her dog go ballistic).  It was extremely anti-climatic compared to Annie's previous experiences with Chex. After our session, they mentioned the other trainer they had gone through.  It was a click-n-treater.  Positive only.  They said she came in for 1/2 hour and was greeted with the same reaction from Chex that I had been treated to.  She refused to go near Chex, and proceeded to diagnose him from a distance.  Her expert opinion? He’s bi-polar.  Oh, and probably had a bad past life.  That’ll be $75 for the visit, please and thank you. I’ve heard from Annie since our session.  She said he’s a different dog now.  She answers his questions, and he doesn’t seem fearful any more.  He’s a dog now, instead of a mess of teeth and hatred for all life forms. He no loner subsribes to Guns & Ammo, and while not necessarily a pacifist, he looks to his Pilot, Annie, for answers rather than going commando. I train dogs.  I don’t train blobs of vanilla pudding with no personality.  Each dog I work with has a definite personality, from the “No-No Bad Dogs” to the heavy hitters like Chex.  The object is to retain the dog’s personality, but moderate it to accommodate a human world.  The “No-No Bad Dogs” need to have their questions answered (“Can I jump? Can I race around the house knocking things over?”) just as much as the Chex dogs do (“Should I attack that person before they attack us?”).  The nuance is not to create a robot in the process.  Chex is still Chex.  He hasn’t been turned in to a perfect little machine covered in fur.  He has his personality intact.  We’ve just skimmed the unsavory stuff from the top, and left the happy, mischievous dog in place it's place. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

I have a long history of standing by my statement that dogs are very simple creatures.  They definitely aren’t stupid. They’re refreshingly simple.  There’s not much subterfuge about them.  I’ve never thought much of traditional dog training, with it's long lists of "do’s and don’ts" and massive flow charts for the various "if/when" scenarios.  Why complicate such simplistically beautiful creatures, such as dogs are, with all kinds of clauses,  addendum and notations?  Dogs are beautiful because they are simple and pure. It's less about training them to specific behaviors than it is about communicating with them about those behaviors. Still, humans tend to fare better when at least given the general direction of where to start with dogs, preferably written down.  In stone.  So I therefore present to you the fifteen commandments of dog training Um, I present to you the ten commandments of dog training. 1) THOU SHALT PILOT THY DOG.  Thy dog is not savvy unto the ways of the human world, for thine canine is but a canine,though created perfectly, as a canine. In other words, if you want a square peg to fit in a round hole, it’s going to need some help. Both the square peg and the round hole may need to change and accommodate each other, but both need to change.  In most households, I see the dog is expected to adapt to living in a human world, whereas the humans are expected to merely expect the dog to accommodate them by changing into a human.  Dogs need Pilots.  Until they develop opposable thumbs, help them to understand this human world.  Answer their myriad of questions, whether it be as benign as “Hey, you going to eat that?” to as serious as “Is that other dog going to kill us?”.  Give them the answers they crave in the form of Piloting, and help them make sense of this place. 2) THOU SHALT KEEP THEY DOG IN MOVEMENT. For  thine canine is not a machine, it has a heart which loveth thou deeply. Keep it pumping. Your dog is not a mobile area rug, nor should you expect it to behave as one.  If you want a good dog, give your dog the Activity your dog craves. Not just for his enjoyment, but for his well being.  A dog who is not exercised has plenty of demons. Exorcise/Exercise those demons. Find easy ways to exercise your dog in this article. 3) THOU SHALT GIVE YOUR DOG A JOB.  Thy canine was created for a purpose, and a purpose he must have. The first thing you learn dog training is that your dog isn't stupid. He’s got a big ol’ brain in his head, designed to help him work with his pack to hunt his food.  Right now that huge cranium is being used to hunt down the last Cheerio from under the couch.  Treat a dog like a dog…like the intelligent, sentient being he is.  Give your dog food for his brain. Mental work: enrichment feeders, stupid tricks, scent detection, or even a silly game of agility in your living room. Learn how in this article. 4) THOU SHALT NEVER PUNISH A DOG FOR BEING A DOG.  Thy canine has been created perfectly, as a canine. Thou shalt not punish him for not acting human. You got a dog because you wanted a dog.  If you want another human, go on a date, realize it’s stupid, humans are dumb, and then get a dog, because dogs are so much better. Don’t punish the dog because it doesn’t fully understand a human world, and doesn’t do human things.  Punishment is sick and gross, and so overrated. 5) THOU SHALT USE POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT LIBERALLY, BUT ONLY AS APPROPRIATE.  Thou shalt Pilot thy dog, not bribe thy dog. You simply cannot use positive reinforcement for every single situation your dog gets into. Learn to identify when positive is merited (a lot more often than you’d think) and how to give it (it’s not just treats!).  Marking a dog's behavior you like (housebreaking, calmness, or a trick) with positive reinforcement is only half the answer.  Making sure you don’t mark unwanted behaviors with positive is the other half. 6) THOU SHALT REALIZE THE DEPTH OF DEVOTION THY CANINE HAS.  And thou shalt strive to be worthy of said devotion. Your dog will only live 10-15 years.  Some less, some more.  Most of their time is spent waiting for you. For that brief moment of happiness they get when you spend just a little bit of time with them. For that quick “Hi Fido. Miss me today boy?” that they get in that five minutes between you coming home from work to let them out and you going out again for drinks with you friends.  It means the world to them.  You mean the world to your dog.  Be worthy of it. They spend their entire lives waiting.  Don’t let it be in vain.  Love them. 7) THOU SHALT SCREW UP, AND THOU SHALT BE FORGIVEN.  Thy canine is but a canine, and thou art but human.  Forgive thyself as thy canine hast already done. I stepped on my dog's tail yesterday.  After I kicked him in the face during our walk.  I totally suck.  But he forgave me, and I forgave myself because I did the best I could. I look back at my first dog, Saint Darwin (he’s been canonized for this post), and I see so many things I would have done differently with him, but it was over 20 years ago when I got him.  I did the best I could.  If you can truly say that, then you’re forgiven.  Grudges are never held. That’s the beauty of the Church of Dog. 8) THOU SHALT NOT FEEL THE NEED TO LIKE THY CANINE AT ALL TIMES, FOR HE CAN TRULY BE AN ASSHOLE.  Yet thou shalt still remember to love thy canine despite his proclivity towards assholery. Sometimes you really want to murder your dog.  Usually over a new pair of shoes, or what is now 1 1/2 pairs of shoes.  Remember, your dog isn’t out to get you, your dog isn’t angry, and your dog isn’t “acting out”.  But that doesn’t help assuage your anger, though, does it? I have a saying:  ”I’d rather say a mean thing than do a mean thing.” I give you permission to call your dog is an asshole.  To not like him at the moment. To call him whatever name you want to (Hint:  ”Shitbird” was already been taken by my Orion; Sparta was“Crazy Bitch”). I will never yell these names  at my dogs, because my dogs are not ever to be demeaned by yelling.  But calmly acknowledging that I don’t like them right now …well, that’s imperative.  I’m not going to pretend that I love working with Sparta’s dog reactivity, or that Orion’s anxious nature is something I had long dreamed to have in a dog.  I may not like these issues, but I’m the human, and it’s up to me to deal with them. And it’s ok not to like them.  But I will always love them.  No matter what they’ve done, I love them still. 9) THOU SHALT LOVE THE CANINE YOU HAVE, NOT THE CANINE YOU WANT.  For the canine thou want is but a mythical beast which lives only in thy imagination. Sparta is dog reactive. Orion is hyper.  Not the dogs I necessarily wanted, but always the dogs I love.  I will never try to turn them into something they aren’t. Stop the comparisons between your dog and other dogs. 10) THOU SHALT KNOWETH THAT THY CANINE IS UNIQUE, AND SHALL REMAIN SPECIAL IN YOUR HEART FOREVER. One of a kind.  The best dog ever.  Mourn them when they’re gone.  Get a little weepy eyed when you see another dog walking down the street that looks exactly like your old dog, Rex. They spend such a brief period with us…physically.  In spirit, though, let them linger on for as long as you breathe for that is truly the best monument to give to a dog: memory of them. A small smile and a misty eye are the best shrine your dog could ever have, even 30 years later.  And they deserved it.  Even after everything, they always deserve it. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training and Dog Behavior Greater Cleveland Area Northeast Ohio

Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication. - Leonardo DiVinci Dogs are simple.  Not stupid…definitely not stupid.  But they keep things very simple and streamlined in their world.  Their communication is based upon a binary system of “yes” and “no”.  They don’t complicate their emotions.  Have you ever heard of a dog questioning why they love you?  They accept their emotions, be it love or fear, completely, without judgment or reason.  They feel a certain way because they do.  No need to siphon out a reason. That’s why it makes my eyes itch when I see people over-complicating their dogs. Behavior doesn’t necessarily need a reason.  It just is.  And that is completely wonderful.  As I’ve stated countless times, dogs are incapable of doing anything wrong.  They are absolutely perfect…for dogs. Now, unfortunately, not all behaviors are appropriate in our human world.  Take food-aggression for instance.  In the not-so-long-ago days when dogs lived in the wild, food-aggression was merely a way for a dog to keep whatever nutrients might stumble its way.  Dogs didn’t necessarily live in the land of milk and honey.  Sometimes each calorie was hard won, and therefore vigorously guarded.  In the wild, we call that survival.  (Regrettably, in the human world, I call this one of the very few good reasons to rehome a dog in certain situations.  Yes, this behavior can indeed be managed, but it is like keeping a loaded gun in the house.  With a family of children.) Back to simplicity.  The simple, wonderfully brilliant thing about dog is that you don’t have to know why they are evidencing a certain behavior to help them modify that behavior to be suitable in a human world. Example:  I had a client named Claire, and her beautiful Rottie named Bubbles (I kid you not).  Bubbles was a lovely, happy, drooling bubbly ball of fun with one pretty big issue.  On the walk, Bubbles would be going along just fine, with his head right by his owner’s leg, and the leash slack.  Suddenly, Bubbles would rear up like a dinosaur, desperate to get away from his owner, the leash, everything.  He turned into a snarling, writhing mess.  It was all the Claire could do to keep Bubbles under control during one of these “episodes”.  Medical issues were ruled out.  She couldn’t figure out what set Bubbles off.  Some days would be fine, others, she could barely make it around the block.  When Claire called me, she was at the end of her rope.  “I’ve tried everything.  I can’t figure out what’s making him react like this!” “Who cares why he’s reacting like that?  All we need to do is answer his question, " I told Claire. "Obviously, something is scaring him, but we don’t need to know what that “something” is to answer a question, do we?  And the answer is definitely, 'No, Bubbles. I'm not going to let anything hurt you.'" So we went to work.  Bubbles tried to react with me on the leash, but here’s the thing… I could read his intentions early.  Dogs are wonderful at projecting their thoughts.  Bubbles was no exception.  His ear pricked forward, a series of wrinkles developed along his forehead between his ears.  He stood on his toes and leaned forward as his tail went straight up. All of these signals of his intentions happened in less than 5 seconds, but I was ready for him.  I didn’t blink.  Just was quickly as he started to ask the question, I answered it.   I didn’t wait until Bubbles was in a full on tantrum of terror, lunging and growling.  I answered his questions the second I saw he was asking it. I honestly didn’t know what the question was, aside from a general, “Will that hurt us?”. I didn’t need to know what that was. I do that to my kids a lot, especially when I know they're up to no good.  “Mom, can we-”   “NO.”  End of discussion. Bubbles and I went around the neighborhood with no instances of lunging, but quite a few questions answered.  Then I handed the leash to Claire, who also started to answer Bubbles’ questions.  Everything went beautifully.  Bubbles’ now had his questions answered.  Claire realized that she didn’t have to know what Bubbles was reacting to in order to give him a “no”, making him feels safe.  I didn’t get dog drool on me (by some sort of divine intervention).  The whole situation ended with a “happily ever after”. Until. Claire called me about 6 months later.  She was excited on the phone. “I think I finally figured out what originally set Bubbles off!  I think I finally figured out the exact question he was asking me!!!!”   Of course I was dying to hear this.  “Well, as you know, I live in a rural area.  Mailboxes are at the end of the driveways.  I knew it wasn’t the mailboxes that were setting him off.  However, I finally discovered that if the red flag on the mailbox was up, he’d flip out. He was terrified of the little red flags!” Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

Last week I had a rather full schedule training, including a couple of dogs who were, for lack of a better term, “aggressive”.  And this is how my week ended. I really wish I could say I got it doing something exciting. It didn’t happen while I was training dogs.  It happened while I was painting. #MiddleAged Anyway, I’m supposed to rest it for at least a week, so as far as sprains go, it’s not too bad.  Now that brings to light a few questions, though:  how am I supposed to do this week’s training sessions, which includes one aggressive dog, as well as 3 super-hyper dogs, whom will undoubtedly need work on leash walking. The answer is that if I can’t walk dogs with a mildly sprained wrist, then I can’t walk dogs. The secret to working with dogs is to never make them feel restrained.  In other words, I shouldn’t need muscle to walk a dog.  If I am able to drive a car (which I am), then I am okay to walk a dog. The biggest complaint I hear about people walking their dog is that the dog is pulling the whole time, causing the owner’s arms to become tired very quickly.  But let’s think about it  rationally:  the dog physically can not be pulling you unless you are pulling back.  In other words, you are pulling backwards just as much as they are pulling forward.  You are trying to muscle your way through the walk.  Even worse, the reason why your dog is pulling is because you’ve restrained them…no, not with the leash, but with the tension attached to the leash.  You’ve engaged their fight or flight response, causing them to pull forward, which in turn engaged your flight or fight response, causing you to automatically pull backwards. But what if you didn’t fall into that vicious cycle?  What if you didn’t sink your feet into the ground, and pull back with all your force?  No, I’m not stating you should let your dog run amok while you follow meekly behind.  But rather than using brute force, have you tried answering your dog’s question instead? Dogs ask a lot of question, all the time.   Answering your dog’s questions is called “Piloting” them.  Some questions you can ignore (“Is it okay if I scratch my ear now?” or “Mind if I take a nap?”).  Others you want to give a profound, hearty “yes” to, (“Should I potty outside?” or “Should I sit politely to get that treat?”).  But the most important ones sometimes require a “no”, such as, “Can I jump on your guest?”, or, in this case, “Can I lead our walk?”.  The answer must be “no“. So how do you “answer” your dog with a negative? Easy. Stand up as straight as you can, pretend your dog is a lot taller, and simply invade their personal space.  I call this body language your "Piloting Uniform". Keep your feet like a letter “V”, so you don’t accidentally step on their paws.  The moment they are no longer “asking” the question, you are done.  So, for instance, if my Sparta were barking at something outside the window, I would simply stand up straight and get between her and the window she’s barking at, and back her off the window using strong, confident body language. Pretend your dog is snow, and you're a snowplow. I'm not mad at the snow, and it snow isn't bad it just needs to move. I can't say to the snow, "Go over there". All I can say is, "Not here, not here, not here....there is good". I’m “claiming” the window, or, as we put it, answering her question, “Should I be worried about that dog outside?”.  The answer is “no”. How can I tell when she’s accepted the answer?  She will stop barking for a moment, perhaps look at me, sit down, turn her head away, or even just walk away.  She is no longer actively engaged in the window, or what’s outside, therefore, I no longer have to answer her question.  I’m done.  No force involved.  I didn’t drag her away from the window, I merely crowded her out from it, using my body. So how does this work on a walk?  Well, let’s start with the three most important steps: 1) Control yourself. No anger, no yelling. Good, confident body language. Fake it if you have to. 2) Control the situation.  Did you just walk out that door with the dog dragging you, and then continue walking? Control each and every moment.  If you lost control, that’s okay, just reboot to regain control.  Don’t just follow the momentum. Create calm.  It’s okay to stop and start over. Then simply answer your dog's questions as they come up, using your body language. Okay, now you’re ready for your walk. Go to the front door.  Put Fido’s leash on.  Now I want you to “claim” the door.  In other words, Fido’s first question is going to be, “Do you want me to drag you out the door?”  Your answer is “No”, so simply pivot on your foot that’s closest to your dog, and now you should be facing Fido, with your back to the door. You yourself should look like you are a door that just slammed in Fido’s face. Using your body language, gently back him away from the door, using an occasional tug, tug, tug on the leash if necessary, but never holding him back physically. Think of it like gently pumping the breaks on your car if you're slipping on ice. Now he’s calm?  Okay then, you’re ready to walk outside. Take each step slowly.  If he tries to drag you down the front steps, stop, give a series of gentle tugs until he is close by you again.  His ears should never be past your knees – if they are, he’s leading you.  Simply answer his question; the moment his ears get past your leg, give a gentle tug on the leash, and/or pivot on your foot so you are now facing him, again, looking like you are a door that just closed on him. When Fido backs up to where he belongs, and/or looks away, you’re good to “un-slam” the door and move on.  No pulling, no yanking, and now restraining.  Merely answering questions. Remember, the walk isn't about distance or duration: it's about Piloting your dog and getting the money out of their Piloting Pigggy Bank. That's why the walk is the single most important thing you can be doing with your dog. So if necessary, instead of walking 10 minutes around the block, walk ten minutes up and down your driveway. Spend 15 minutes walking inside your house. You're still earning money from his Piloting Piggy Bank, but the questions are so much more manageable. True, you won't earn as much money with the smaller questions inside as you would outside, but you're saving money up so when you do go down your driveway and around the block, it's a lot easier. At first, Fido is going to have a lot of questions that need answering, because let’s face it, he’s always lead you on the walks before.  Stick with it.  Answer his question each and every time he asks you if he should lead/drag.  The first 10 minutes are going to be very frustrating for you.  The next 10 minutes will be less so.  The final 10 minutes are going to be like a whole new, positive experience. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

Aggression is fear turned outwards. - Kerry Stack Fight or flight?  Lady or the Tiger?  Both may be good choices…both may end the same way: badly.  It’s a choice your dog is always making.  For some dogs, the choice is difficult.  We label these dogs as “aggressive” or “dog reactive”.  Let’s take a look at what goes through the mind of a dog-reactive or aggressive dog. Technically speaking, there is more than fight or flight. Ignore:  Right now, Sparta is ignoring the yarn I have on my coffee table.  It is of no interest to her. Accept:  Orion was originally engaged with said yarn.  I answered his question (“Can I play with it?”), and he’s accepted the answer (“No”) and is drifting off to the “Ignore” category, which is right where I want him in relation to my yarn stash. Avoid:  Pixel, my cat, thinks I’m stupid.  He thinks he can get at the yarn if he goes around the coffee table, where he thinks I can’t see him.  He doesn’t want a direct confrontation, but he’s not quite ready to give up. Accept, followed closely by Ignore, are generally the places you want your dog to hang out.  The path to those places is sometimes paved with Avoid (sometimes you have to answer their questions more than once).  But where does it all start?  You guessed it:  Fight or Flight . FLIGHT Flight is typically any animal’s first choice.  It’s the one that keeps them alive.  You may call it cowardly, but it’s actually rather rational:  live to procreate another day.  Pass along those flight genes, and you’ve got Natural Selection working in your favor. Look at it like this:  a dog decides to kill a mouse, for no apparent reason.  The mouse, though losing the battle, manages to nip the dog on the muzzle, giving him a small wound.  Mouse is then promptly turned into lunch.  That wound festers, and the dog dies.   That’s a small case scenario.  Imagine the life span of a dog who decides to fight with everything.  Other dogs. Larger prey.  Just for the heck of it.  Pretty short. Dogs only choose aggression when they feel they are out of other options. FIGHT Fight Club: some 90's Movie Starring Brad Pitt’s Abs, not to be confused with That Other 90's Movie Starring Brad Pitt’s Abs There are very few reasons why a dog would choose Fight over Flight.   Typically, those revolve around resources (they need to eat or you’re trying to take what they need to eat), breeding (Hey! That’s my potential mate!), or defending their young or pack (don’t get too close to my family!).  Typically, the need to eat and the need to defend their young/pack are the strongest motivators of Fight. Imagine what it would take for you to become aggressive and decide to Fight.  What if someone broke in your house, would you shoot them?  What if they were taking family heirlooms? What if they started up the steps towards where your children were sleeping?  What is your breaking point, in other words.  We all have it.  Some would have pulled the trigger with the first provocation.  Others would only wait until they were certain they or their loved ones were in mortal danger.  Dogs are the same way:  we all perceive the same scenario as a different threat level, and will respond with violence when that level has been breached. REMOVING OPTIONS “So if every healthy animal would choose flight over fight, why is my dog reacting to other dogs/people aggressively?” - Because you’ve removed options.  They no longer have the option for Flight; they’re only left with Fight!  You have them on a leash. You have them in a crate.  Heck, you have them surrounded by the walls of your house!  Their option to run away is gone!  Ever notice how some dogs are crazy-reactive to other dogs when you take them for a walk on a leash, but at the dog park they’re fine? - For some dogs, even if you take them to a field and have them off leash, they still may be aggressive.  Why?  Because now they have pack to defend.  Meaning you.  You’ve made it abundantly clear that you aren’t going anywhere.  They can’t move you.  Again, their only option is to defend you.  Their young/pack. - Now take a look at your “aggressive” dog.  Are you seeing things a little differently now?  That other dog walking right towards you isn’t a cute little Golden Retriever.  It’s another predator.  Heading straight towards you.  Your dog starts to give “back off” body language.  The other dog doesn’t back off because they’re tethered to a leash as well.  Your dog realizes their warning is unheeded, and therefore decides to step up their game to all-out aggressive mode. A simple miscommunication between owners and their dogs has resulted in at least one dog being tagged as “aggressive”. THE ANSWER So, what is the answer? The answer is the answer!  Let me explain. - That scenario with the other dog coming towards you?  Your dog is actually asking a question:  “Is that other dog going to hurt us?”.  When that question isn’t answered, it can escalate to another question, “Should I back him off?”.  Obviously the answers are “No” and “No”.  To successfully work with dog-reactivity: 1) Control yourself.  If you are angry, tense, upset, yelling…basically anything other than bored and calm, your dog will pick up on it.  It’s okay to feel angry, upset, nervous.  Just don’t show it.  Take a deep breath, and release those clenched muscles (take a look at your arms…I guarantee they’re clenched with the leash as taunt as you can make it). 2) Control the situation.  You can not add stimulation to a situation you’ve already lost control of.  So, your dog regularly pulls you on a leash…how do you think it’s going to play out when you add the stimulation of another dog?!  Get control of the current situation.  Work with your dog on leash skills inside the house. Then in your yard.  Gradually add stimulation as you can handle it.  Hint: Don’t try walking past the dog park on the first day you’re working with dog reactivity.  Remember, we’re looking for progress, not perfection! 3) Start Piloting. Piloting is answering your dog's questions. “Is that other dog going to kill us?” "No, Fido, it isn’t.” The more often you answer questions successfully, the easier it will be to answer the question and the next. Piloting is a big piggy bank; who ever has the most money wins. To get that money, you answer questions. You are building up trust.  Learn the body language involved in answering a dog's questions here.  Remember, your dog will be asking questions with body language.  Answer as soon as you see them asking: Stiff tail, alert expression, standing on their toes. We refer to this as “Meerkat-ing” or “Prairie Dogging It”. I don’t know what the question is this dog is asking, but the answer is “no”. Again, stiff tail, “Meerkatting”, body stiff, wrinkled or furrowed brow. This dog is asking a question. Finally, you don’t always have to know what the question is to answer it. Sometimes you won’t be able to identify what your dog is concerned about.  That’s fine – just answer “no”. Congratulations!  You have successfully Piloted your dog. Teach them to trust you.  Trust for a dog means trusting you not to do crazy things, like, oh, …get angry because they are legitimately frightened.  Answer their questions rather than electrocuting them with a shock collar. Remember, they aren’t reacting because they are bad.  They are reacting because they are scared.  Let them know that yes, you see that dog, too, but you will protect them.  You will answer their questions.  You will Pilot them so they don’t have to be afraid any more. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

I object to violence because when it appears to do good, the good is only temporary; the evil it does is permanent. - Mahatma Gandhi Fuck shock collars. There, I said it. I know it's a "tool" that quite a few dog trainers feel the need to utilize. Basically, every time the dog engages in behavior you don't like, you zap the dog. Here's the problem with shock collars, as Shannon Duffy of Your Good Dog points out after watching a puppy being delivered shock after shock by dog training franchise Sit Means Sit: Every time this PUPPY (they start at 4 months) shakes his head he is being delivered a shock. Watch when he lies down and rubs his face trying to either ease the pain from the shocks of remove the collar. This is unacceptable for training a dog to do what amounts to circus tricks. To my friends (there are quite a few) that are now using this method to train I beg of you to see that this is inhumane. If you do not feel that it is then put a collar around your neck and you take the same level shock every time that you shock the dog. And not just the one time “I held it in my hand and it’s not so bad” shock but every time, same level. I guarantee you learn better training methods. Let me give a better idea to you how this type of negative reinforcement works. Sun Tzu, the master of strategy and war, was born in ancient China, roughly 544 BC. He has been the messiah of many a general and businessman, as his tactics and philosophies are still in use today.  He was described as a very genial and merciful man…off the field.  On the battlefield, however, he had only one objective: win. The most bad ass general ever to wear a skirt while contemplating the world’s largest blunt. There is a story about him that goes something like this: Sun Tzu was tested by the King Helü of Wu, and ordered him to train a harem of 200 concubines, turning them into soldiers. Sun Tzu put them in two groups, naming the king’s favorites as the company commanders. Sun Tzu then commanded the concubines to face right – but they just giggled. In response, Sun Tzu said that a general, (himself) was responsible for ensuring that soldiers understood the commands given to them. Then, he reiterated the command, and again the concubines giggled. Sun Tzu then ordered the execution of the king’s two favored concubines, to the king’s protests. He explained that if the general’s soldiers understood their commands but did not obey, it was the fault of the officers. Sun Tzu also said that, once a general was appointed, it was his duty to carry out his mission, even if the king protested. After both concubines were killed, new officers were chosen to replace them. Afterwards, both companies, now well aware of the costs of further frivolity, performed their maneuvers flawlessly.(1) Apparently the ends justified the means.  Or maybe not. There is no argument that shock collars work.  Of course it works.  You are causing an animal intense pain to keep them from a behavior.  Whether or not it works has never been the question.  Whether or not we should use such extreme measures has been the real question. It doesn't build loyalty, it builds fear and anxiety. Step out of line and Now I know quite a few trainers who claim there is no problem with shock collars. "I only put it on vibrate, never any higher." A big problem with that. If a training device should only be used on "vibrate", why does it go to 11? What's the purpose? That's like giving my kids a squirt gun, but telling them not to use the flame-thrower setting on it. Why would it be there if the makers of the collar didn't see it to be necessary? An animal abuse case in Las Vegas against notorious shock jocks, Sit Means Sit, resulted in the franchisee losing his license after repeatedly shocking a 7-month old puppy to the point of leaving burn marks on the puppy. Let me repeat that: they shocked a puppy so much that it resulted in burns. Repeatedly. I had a very difficult time getting through the video, and I hope you did, too.  Here at Darwin Dogs, we firmly believe in balance.  Not every question your dog asks can be answered with a treat.  However, no question can be answered with pain.  If pain is your first response, to a puppy’s questions, then perhaps you need to rethink your tactics.  If you’re looking for devotion through pain, well…wrong movie. So I urge you, if someone suggests using an instrument of pain, such as a shock collar or a prong collar on your dog, tell them you already know how that ends.  Shockingly awful. Dog Training vs. Dog Life By focusing on dog life, rather than dog training, our goals can become so much more attainable and clear-cut. Most of us don't want an obedient dog, we just don't want a dis-obedient dog. Robot-style dogs who are afraid of stepping out of line are for certain types of people I guess. But that's not my style. That's why I developed the Piloting method of dog training over 20 years ago, a force-free method of dog training and puppy training that didn't rely on abusive shock collars or cruel prong collars, yet didn't constantly bribe with non-stop click-n-treat style dog training. I want a bond with my dog based on trust and communication. Learn more about our Piloting method of dog and puppy training here. Find out more about our private in home 30 Day Best Dog Ever and 30 Day Best Puppy Ever training packages here. Have questions about our puppy training or dog training? Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training and Puppy Training Greater Cleveland Area Northeast Ohio Bradford 2000, pp. 134–135.

“With my last breath, I’ll exhale my love for you. I hope it’s a cold day, so you can see what you meant to me.”  – Jarod Kintz We all have our stories of how our dogs are our best friends, how their loyalty and pure love can save us from darker times. I think every pet parent knows what I'm referring to. A lot of people ask me how I started training dogs, and what got me interested in working with animals. That would be most likely be my childhood dog, Pebbles. The best dog ever. A scrappy little Border Collie mix my parents got from the Cleveland Kennel when I was a kid. She was small, only about 20lbs or so. But she taught me a lot about animals; how to respect them, to realize they are indeed capable of communication rather than just straight up training. But she was truly a hero, in the purest sense of the word. When I was a child of about 5, my mom took my younger brother (aged 2.5), and my older brother (aged 7) and me hiking with Pebbles.  She let my older brother and I climb some not-too-steep cliffs by the river while she held my younger brother’s hand at the bottom.  Halfway up, a man appeared from behind a boulder and tried to get me to come with him. My mother couldn’t release my younger brother’s hand for fear of him toddling off into the river, but she could see that her older two children were in terrible danger.  She threatened to the man to leave us alone or she would release our dog, Pebbles, from her leash. The man kept creeping forward, so she released our dog. Pebbles immediately scaled the slope and boulders. She herded my brother and me down the cliff, nipping at our heels as we went. Occaisionally she turned and snapped at the man, backing him off every time he’d come closer. With Pebble's help, my brother and I made it safely to the ground, whereupon our mother whisked us home and called the police.  The police found the man right were he had last seen him.  He had a little nest set up with blankets, food, etc. in one of the rock overhangs. He also had a warrant out for his arrest for molesting a little girl. I’d hate to think of what could have happened if Pebbles hadn’t been there.  I think of my poor mother, and the abject terror she must have felt.  Leaving her young son to rescue her older two could have resulted in his drowning.  Leaving us to fend for ourselves at the top could have ended in terribly as well.  How much hope did she place in Pebbles, desperately trying anything to get out of the situation.  And Pebbles came through. Pebbles weighed in at roughly 20 lbs., but definitely packed a lot of spunk into that small body.  A typical shelter rescue. There’s a reason many dogs are named “Fido”…it means “Faithful” in Latin. Thank you, Pebbles. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

In character, in manner, in style, in all things, the supreme excellence is simplicity. – Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Entering into a new training session, there are always a few consistencies.  I have only two hours to accomplish many things: Gain the trust of the humans. Gain the trust of the dog(s). Ascertain the situation. Develop a game plan for addressing the behavior issues. Create bonds with communication between dog and owner. Have fun. It doesn’t necessarily happen in that order, but that’s a pretty good synopsis of everything I can accomplish in two hours.  It seems like a lot, but as I’ve stated numerous times, dogs aren’t stupid. I also believe that (most) people aren’t stupid either. There are, of course, occasionally the incredible human exceptions.  Dogs, however, are amazingly simple.  That’s why I’m able to keep my training sessions short and simple.  Remember, there is nothing wrong with your dog; he just sucks at being human.  And most people are pretty decent humans; they just suck at being dogs.  So, simply put, we need some communication going on, not a bunch of rules and regulations about how the two species should interact.  Three steps to working with your dog; that’s all it takes for any situation involving a dog to be solved. I firmly believe dogs ask questions.  We’ve already agreed that dogs aren’t stupid, so of course they ask questions.  They’re curious creatures, and aside from wanting to know about their world around them, they want to know what you think of the world around them.  How should they react?  Should they react? And most importantly, is it time to eat?! All of their questions can be answered, but not all of them necessarily need to be answered.  There are simply some that must be answered.  But more on that in a moment. Working with your dog involves 3 components: Piloting, Activity and Work, or what we refer to as The PAW Method.  To break it down: Piloting: Answer your dog’s questions. They only ask “yes/no” questions, so it’s pretty easy to do! Activity: Keep ‘em moving and active.  Ever experience something called a runner’s high?  Yeah, well, neither have I, but I hear it’s wonderful, and dog’s are addicted to it. They need their Activity, and either you give it to them, or they figure out how to get it themselves, and that’s never a good thing. Work: Dogs aren’t stupid, nor are they merely knick-knacks strewn about your house to be idly admired: they are thinking beings with cognitive abilities that we still haven’t fully explored in the tens of thousands of years they’ve been with us.  In other words, keep them mentally engaged. A bored dog is truly a destructive force. That’s the groundwork, your foundation.  Make it a good, strong foundation, and you can build upon it by answering your dog’s questions. Dogs are binary, which means every question they ever ask you will require a “yes” or a “no”, which is different than “good” or “bad”.  Your dog is incapable of being bad: he will always choose what’s right for a dog, which may be in direct conflict of what’s right for a human.  Remember, you are merely answering questions for your dog, not punishing them, nor should you be inflicting pain or fear upon a dog. Using “yes” and “no” can be very confusing.  When do you give negatives, and when do you use positives?  Simple. Negatives/No 1) When you don’t like what your dog is doing.  Sounds simple enough, but you wouldn’t believe how many people don’t understand that “No” is a complete sentence and can be used liberally.  Ask yourself, “Do I like this behavior that Fido is doing?”  If the answer is “no”, then give them a negative.  Anything from jumping, barking, and getting on furniture to the simple questions Fido may ask on a walk: “Do we turn left here?”.  If the answer is “no”, then give them a negative!  Remember negative doesn’t mean bad, it just means “no”. So how do you answer a dog’s questions? Use your body language to answer these questions. If your dog is staring at a treat on the floor and then at you, he’s asking if he can have it. If you do not want your dog to have it, answer his question by walking in between him and the treat, facing him, with the treat behind you. This means that you are “claiming” the treat. You can move into his personal space to back him off it a bit.  Once he’s engaged with you, nothing, or everything (in other words, looking anywhere but at the treat), remove your strong body language by walking to the side or away from him. This shows him that he is giving you the correct response: accepting that the treat is yours. If he looks at your treat again, simply use the body language again. Think of it as a game of hot/cold.  His question is, “Can I have that?”  The answer is “No”. You answer his question using that body language.  When he accepts the answer (looking at you, everything, or nothing, but definitely NOT looking at the treat), then you’re finished.  Remove your negative body language.  You may have to put the negative body language right back on him if he immediately tries to go for it, but that’s natural – it may take him a few times to accept your answer.  Remember, remaining calm is the key.  Anger should never be a part of this exercise. So again, Piloting is answering a dog’s questions. You would answer the question in the same way if he is asking if something is a threat (stand between your dog and the perceived threat, facing your dog, and simply back him off while standing up straight). Pretty easy, huh? The more you show your dog that you are capable of being in control and the Pilot, the more your dog will be able to relax and actually be a dog. He’ll look to you for guidance instead of feeling as though he needs to protect you and your family from every garbage can, dog and plastic bag in the neighborhood. 2) When your dog is “Yo, Bitch”-ing you.  Wow….there’s a term.  What’s “Yo, Bitch”, anyway?   Symptoms include: slapping you with their paw, trampling you, pushing you out of your seat on the couch.  Basically, any behavior that would translate to : “Yo Bitch, give me a cookie”, or “Yo Bitch, pet me”.  It’s as detrimental to your healthy relationship with your dog as it would be in any human relationship!  Respect yourself enough to expect respect from your dog.  Your dog is perfectly capable of a “May I Please?” instead of a “Yo, Bitch”, and you know the “May I Please?” look.  It goes something like this: “May I Please” ….have a cookie?  Go for a walk? Jump in your lap?  All of these can be answered with a “yes” or a “no”.  Your choice.  But if your dog is “Yo, Bitch”-ing you, the answer must be a negative.  Don’t accept a bully dog‘s behavior. Positives/Yes 1) The “come” command.  Always, always, always…positive.  Give them a treat. Tell them how wonderful they are!  Scratch their belly.  Whatever it takes to get them to understand that what they did was wonderful.  If you need help with “recall/come”, check out this link. 2) Asking a dog to do a “human” behavior.  Your dog is a perfect dog, and can be expected to do dog things wonderfully.  Being a human, on the other hand…well, that’s a little different.  Any time you are asking your dog to do something that another dog couldn’t ask them to do, you must use positive reinforcement.  For example, a dog will tell another dog to go away, or play, or stay away from their toy.  But they don’t teach each other English (sit, stay, come, etc.), nor do they teach each other tricks.  If you ask a dog to do a human thing, make it worth their while. 3) When they’re calm.  This is the most important of all. I always tell my clients I want “calm” to be like a lottery ticket: 1) you have to play to win; 2) You probably aren’t going to win; and 3) But unless you’re holding a ticket, you’re definitely not going to win. I want your dog holding a many lottery tickets as possible.  Because the more tickets they have, the better their chances are at winning.  Reward calm any chance you get, and pretty soon Fido will understand that “calm” is like a magic button he can press that will (sometimes) get him exactly what he wants.  If you see your dog sleeping on the floor, give him a gentle scratch behind the ears.  If you’re cuddling on the couch, give him gentle praise for being calm. And remember, calm is about progress, not perfection. So if you’re dealing with separation anxiety, just reward progress.  If you are crate training, but your dog in the crate and walk into the other room.  He’s going to escalate to a decibel 11….simply wait him out until he goes down to an 8 before re-entering the room.  You are trying to catch a behavior: increased calm.  It’s not always immediate, and it is rarely perfect, but that doesn’t mean the behavior isn’t there to catch.  Make sure you reward it. So let’s break everything down: Your dog needs Piloting, Activity and Work (the foundation).  Only once you have given them what the need are you able to build upon that foundation by answering your dog’s questions using “yes/no”.  Pretty simple.  You’ll notice I didn’t give a lot of rules.  I hate rules.  They don’t take into account human and dog personalities.  I know many trainers who: -Insist a dog should never be on your bed.  Why not?  I sleep better snuggled next to a dog.  Just remember it’s your bed, and your choice who is in it. -Don’t give your dog people food. Because….?  My dogs get plenty of people food (in a healthy moderation, of course).  If it isn’t on the lethal list (grapes, onions, chocolate, etc.), and your dog isn’t “Yo, Bitch-”ing you for the food, go ahead!  Just remember, it’s their right to beg for food, (“Can I have some?”) just as it’s your right to answer “no”. - Never play rope toy/tug/wrestle with your dog because then they’ll know they can beat you.  News flash: She's 120 lbs and not stupid. My dog already knows she can beat me. Using that logic I should never run with my dog because they are faster.  Playing rope/tug/wrestling with your dog is all about setting your boundaries.  We bond through play, and this is a prime way to do it…if you wish.  Set your boundaries.  For example, when Sparta and I play, I have very limited rules:  she’s allowed to knock me down, grab the rope, even (carefully) bite me.  But the second I feel it has gotten too rough, I give her a negative, and she instantly stops.  Some days I’m up for a WWF-style match, other days I’m only good for a drastically diminished version.  Just because we romped hard yesterday doesn’t mean that’s what our game is going to be about today.  You set the rules for each and every match…anything from “no rules” to “not playing at all” is acceptable.  Think of it like Fifty Shades of Grey:  Anything’s okay so long as you are both okay with it.  That includes not wrestling at all. So stop complicating your bond with Fido.  No more lengthy list of rules and regulations trying to define your relationship with your dog.  Your bond is unique:  just as there will never be another bond like I had with my first dog, Darwin, there will never be another bond like the dog you have with your dog.  So no more One Size Fits All training style, nor endless rules for working with your dog..  Only you know what you need from your relationship with your dog, and now you have the foundations to build that relationship. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

Ever has it been that love knows not its own depth until the hour of separation. - Khalil Gibran Separation anxiety.  I hate those words so much, because those two short words encompass such fear and terror, inadequately describing the mental state of a dog who is experiencing the condition.  I personally believe that “separation trauma” or even “separation madness” may be better descriptions of this condition, even if only marginally.  Because after all, in order to work with a behavior, an adequate understanding of the emotions of, as well as empathy for, the poor creature experiencing the condition, is absolutely necessary. First, understand that dogs and wolves are virtually the same creature.  Running parallel along the same course, if you will.  Obviously there are some minor differences (appearance, not the least), but even the rather un-wolflike Cocker Spaniel can breed with a wolf, that’s how closely aligned they are. Humans can only procreate with other humans. Now, there are a few differences between dogs and wolves that need to be address.  Namely, that dogs are essentially wolves that are mentally adolescent or younger their entire lives. Some are mentally more immature than others.  Not stupid; nor backwards in any way.  Just not mentally matured to that of a wolf.  To put it in human terms, think of a Lab as a 5-year old child.  They ask a lot of questions, but mostly of a benign, if not mildly annoying nature. Think of the types of questions a 5-year old human may ask: “Can I have cake for dinner?  Can I play in the mud?” Nothing dangerous, just merely annoying. Think of your typical Beagle as more of a 12 year old kid. Definitely more money in their Piloting Piggy Bank, and the questions may not be as constant, but are starting to take a little more Piloting to answer them. They won’t just accept your answer “just because”, and their questions are a little more difficult: “Can I nip you if I don’t like your answer?  Can I make this intruder you call ‘Grandma’ go away?” Answering their questions with a “because I said so” isn’t going to work.  They are a little more mature mentally, and require good answers. Finally we have dogs like the Akita.  I hate that these guys get such a bad rep.  They aren’t bad dogs at all, some just have a lot of money in their Piloting Piggy Banks.  They are like a 17 year old.  They can take care of themselves.  Are they fully mature?  No.  But are they going to take any answer you give them?  Not unless you have have a better reason why they should? (Hint: it should never involve violence nor pain!) In other words, they will love you and be loyal, but they definitely aren’t your minions.  They will do things the way they think is best, not necessarily the way you wanted them to. Now, this is a very simplified explanation.  I prefer to know who a dog is as an individual, rather than what their breed is.  I’ve seen a mentally “5-year old” Akita, as well as Labs that mentally, were like wizened, sage old creatures.  But it’s a rough outline of where to start with dog behaviors.  “Mental age” is one of the first things I use to determine who your Fido is; breed is one of the last. That being said, if you are at an amusement park with your five-year old child, and they suddenly get separated from you and lost, how is that child reacting? Not very well, I daresay.  The world is big and scary, and they have questions.  Who will take care of them?  Who will keep them safe?  It’s pure terror until you’re reunited again. Let’s move on to that Beagle.  If you get separated from a 12-year old kid, they’re a little frightened, but they are mature enough not to immediately hit the panic button, and will most likely be able find an employee of the park to ask an adult how to handle the situation. Still scary, but not absolutely terrified.  They are still a little panicked, but can think rationally. They can cope better. But then we have the 17 year-olds, like the aforementioned Akita.   What happens when they get separated from you? Back to terror. Wait, huh?  I thought they were mentally more mature, you may ask.  Yes, but they may have so much money in their Piloting Piggy Bank that it’s more than yours.  Meaning they’re terrified for you.  Who will protect and care for you while you’re separated. Ugh.  It can be a vicious circle!  A dog who’s mentally too immature will be scared for itself.  A dog who’s mentally more mature is terrified for you.  How to fix the issue:  a frightened creature who is shredding their bedding and their crate just to get out so they can shred your couch.  Crying, whining, drooling, even urination and defecation in their crate. It’s horrible, and as I said, all driven by fear. Well, I’m not going to say it’s easy to fix.  As a matter of fact, it’s one of the most difficult behaviors to work with when addressing issues with dogs.  But it can be treated.  Never cured, for that fear will always be under the surface, but it can be managed.  Here’s how. 1) Become Pilot. I don’t care how much money your dog has in their Piloting Piggy Bank, you need more.  If your dog has $5.00 in their Piloting Piggy Bank, then I want you to have $2 million in your Piloting Piggy Bank.  If your dog has $100 (my friend's Jack Russell Terrorists Terriers) then I want you to have at least $5 million dollars.  In other words, you have so much money in your Piloting Piggy Bank that they start to accept that you answered the last 25 of their questions well (read: nobody died and they are now calm) that the next question they ask will most likely be answered well by you; calmly, and with love, but firmly.  You need to make sure you have a buffer of Piloting money, in other words.  Remember, working with separation anxiety doesn’t start when you leave Bella the Boxer to go to work.  It’s an ongoing, non-stop thing.  You’re working on it every time Bella asks if she can rudely jump on you and you give her a negative.  In other words, any questions you Pilot your dog through adds to the money in your Piloting Piggy Bank. Now, each question is worth a certain amount of money.  For instance, if I drop food on the floor, my Sparta will ask if she may have it.  I need precisely $0.02 in my Piloting Piggy Bank to answer her question.  My Orion, though, will ask the same question, but it’s worth more to him.  I need about $10.00 in my Piloting Piggy Bank to answer that question. It’s all good, though.  Because I’m rich.  I have millions in my Piloting Piggy Bank.  Enough to cover almost any questions my dogs may ask, including “Am I going to die if you leave me home alone?”  My answer?  No, honey, you’re not going to die. “Are you going to die if you leave?” No, I’m a big girl with lots of money in my bank.  I’ll be safe, too. So start saving that Piloting money! 2) Make the Abnormal into Normal Think about the times when you put your dog into the crate: when you leave and when you go to bed.  Both times you are separated from your dog, the thing they hate the most: separation.  So that crate has become a trigger for them.  The Worst Thing Ever is about to happen.  It energizes them, and not in a good way.  You haven’t even left yet, and they’re already starting with that anxious behavior. We need to change the ritual.  Put them in the crate when you’re home, anywhere from 30 seconds to 2 hours. Yes, I know you feel badly for doing that when they’re already crated so much while you work.  Too bad.  I don’t care how you feel: I care about getting your dog past their horrific fear.  You feel bad.  They feel like they’re having a panic attack.  So just deal with it.  It will be okay. I promise. 3) Red Light/Green Light In order to recreate a behavior, such as calm in the crate, we need to catch the behavior and give it either a positive or a negative.  Now, let’s set the game rules.  The object of the game isn’t to have your dog sitting calmly in the crate.  The object is to catch moments when your dog is just a little bit  calmer than they were a moment ago.  Respond to that with positives. So you’ve locked your dog in the crate, and they immediately start going bonkers.  Walk away.  Not out of the house, but out of sight.  There will be a moment when the barking, while not stopping, lessens.  Or even a split second where the barking stops.  You seize those moments to slowly move closer to the dog (the positive here). If your dog’s energy picks up, you will be responding to that with calm, gentle negatives.  Initially, it will be turning away from your dog when they start barking again, perhaps going into the other room. Keep working at catching each of these behaviors.  Red light (walking away, going into another room) when your dog has increased their energy.  Green light (moving closer to them in a calm manner, and eventually giving them a treat, and or releasing them) when your dog is calmer. Initially the red light/green light will be pretty fast.  But pretty soon they start to understand what behavior gets them released from prison and brings you closer.  Start to up the ante.  Put them in the crate and walk out of the house. Walk right back in.  Red Light/Green Light your dog as necessary, but adding very little of your own energy.  This should be the most boring thing you’ve ever done, according to your body language. 4) Remain Calm and With Bored Body Language This goes for everything from greeting your pup to saying goodbye to your pooch.  Everything is boring and normal.  We, like dogs, are gregarious creatures, often using others' body language to determining threats..  We meerkat, as I call it. We look around at what everyone else is doing.  If nobody else looks panicked, then we don’t panic. But if you’re in a crowd of people, and suddenly, 2 or three of them start meerkatting, you start doing it, too, because you want to do know what the big deal is. When it comes to your dog, the answer is nothing.  There is no big deal.  I want you to put your dog into the crate the same way you put your pizza rolls into a microwave. You don’t assure the pizza rolls that everything will be okay.  You don’t act differently, and meerkat before you put them in there.  You just, well…put them in there.  And then walk away. See!  Homer isn’t worried at all! 5) Remember the Seriousness of the Situation Your dog isn’t out to get back at you.  They don’t destroy things because they’re angry.  They are legitimately terrified. They have a phobia of being left alone without you. Think of your phobias.  For me, ironically, it’s a fear of heights. Being afraid of heights is legitimate to me.  Maybe you’re afraid of spiders.  They don’t bother me.  Live and let live, I say.  But the thought of a spider in your bedroom may render you unable to sleep in that room. I may not be able to empathize with your fear of spiders, but I can empathize with the fact you have fear.  I won’t mock you, nor will I think you’re being a baby. Now imagine your fear of spiders, and every day, I lock you in a cage with a spider for 8 hours.  Yes, it’s that serious. So rather than blaming the dog, or even worse, ourselves, we can start to empathize with the fear, and help Fido manage the fear.  Be constructively, actively working towards that management. I’m still afraid of heights.  I get woozy on the second rung of a ladder, and I white knuckle it over the Valley View Bridge.  Every. Damn. Time. But recently, say in the last year or so, I’ve been able to drive over the Valley View Bridge in the far right lane.  It may not seem like such a big deal for you, but it’s huge for me.  I no longer feel the need to race across the bridge just to get it over with.  I still hate it, but I’m no longer almost incapacitated by fear going over it.  I’ve successfully Piloted myself past my one huge phobia: heights. My fear isn’t gone, but it’s still with me, but it doesn’t rule me anymore. Don't let it rule your dog anymore.  Time to Pilot them through their fear. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get there some day.” -Winnie the Pooh My clients' biggest problem, according to them, is their lack of perfection.  They didn’t do such-and-such perfectly (first try, nonetheless) so therefore they are awful dog owners.  Perfection is over rated and somewhat silly.  Why would you burden yourself with such a load?  Focus on progress, not perfection.  And being wrong, or making mistakes?  Well without those mistakes, we’d be like hamsters on a wheel, going fast, always facing the same direction, but getting nowhere. But I digress from the purpose of this post. A story from a few years ago.   Essentially, I fucked up. I’m not only unashamed to say this, but proud, because making mistakes and recognizing that I have made a mistake, leads me to growth. I know I’m not perfect.  Actually, I’m glad I’m not perfect, because that’s such a high expectation to live up to.  A pretty big job that I certainly don’t want.  However, that doesn’t mean I can’t do the best with what I have.  Sometimes I don’t have a lot, either.  So let’s start with my frame of mind when I first started to go for a walk with Sparta, my dog reactive dog, on the evening of The Incident: My daughter (River, then aged 8) decided she wanted to be vegetarian.  River has problems eating to begin with, as she has some sensory issues, and it can be a struggle to get her to eat.  I informed her that if she was going to be vegetarian, she had to eat everything we made, because she could get sick, and possibly end up on the hospital. She promised she would eat. Everything was going very well, until that fateful day.  I had made something that she usually likes, but she was only picking at it.  I told her that she had made a promise to eat everything, other wise she could end up very sick and in the hospital. I told her that people who don't eat properly could even die. River looked me squarely in the eye, shoved her plate away, and announced “I choose death”. Actual footage of my brainwaves at that moment. Apparently part of “being the adult” includes not getting to smash things when you’re angry.  So I used the PAW Method (as I so often do) on my darling little child.  In other words, I followed the three most important steps to Piloting your demon child: 1) Control yourself. I didn’t immediately respond to River’s demand for death (which she was this close to getting).  Instead, I took a deep breath and controlled myself. Because, like, “adulting” and stuff… 2) Control the situation. There was no way I was going to be able to make her eat her food without a long, drawn out battle. I knew she was going to try to push my buttons, so rather than fight with her, I moved the fight to my desired location.  Meaning, I told River I loved her, but that if she chose death, there was nothing I could do about it, as I already tried to feed her.  I then told her to starve to death quietly in her room.  She went upstairs as she was told.  In other words, I diffused the situation.  I didn’t fuel it.  Gasoline and Fire went to their respective corners. 3) Answer the question/correct the behavior. I wasn’t there yet; remember, I had to send River to her room to keep from squishing her like a grape.  It’s okay to get angry, but you are responsible for how you act upon your anger.  In other words, I had control of the present situation (with River in her room)…but if I had added even an ounce of stimulation (say…an eye roll), I knew I could lose it.  And once words are said, they can never be taken back.  So I left River to stew in her room. Now.  Back to Sparta and The Incident. Sparta, as you may already know, is very dog reactive.  That’s why I choose to walk her at night if I’d had a rough day already. We mostly come out at night. Mostly. So we went for our walk.  I was not paying attention to how keyed up I still was about River trying to commit hari kari by not eating dinner.  Sparta obviously felt the tension and energy I had. We usually go for about 2 miles, and she did mostly well during those two miles, without a lot of Piloting needed.  However, the wind was blowing pretty badly, and of course it’s garbage day tomorrow, and debris was blowing everywhere, including right at us.  So now Sparta was on her toes, getting a little jumpy (to be honest, so was I – it was pretty bad). When I was young, I used to think this was my 3rd grade teacher. Now I know better. It was. Now for the dramatic twist.  Another dog.  I spotted the dog before Sparta sensed it.  It was about 1/4 block away from us, headed in our direction.  The owner seemed to be doing well with the dog, who appeared to have already caught a whiff of Sparta.   The owner was taking their time, and just looked calm and relaxed, helping their dog relax.  I answered Sparta’s question (“Is that dog a threat?”) about the dog when she spotted it, and once she accepted my answer (“No”), I took her across the street so as to control the situation better.  Considering the high energy we both had going into the situation, she did pretty well.  When she’d ask the question again, I’d answer, and because I was too keyed up myself to go right back to walking, I’d turn her around the other way to calmly take a few steps, almost like getting a running start before hitting the gauntlet, before starting again.  She was doing fine, until…..I tugged on the leash, which suddenly wasn’t attached to my dog anymore.  The clasp had completely come undone, broken from the main part of the leash.  Sparta immediately went running across the street after the dog. Now, I had a few choices:  I could either panic and start yelling and shouting frantically at my dog, but that would only add energy to a situation I didn’t have control of.  So I chose a different path. Thanks for the reminder, Liz. I took a deep breath, and speed walked my way across the street. I called Sparta’s name repeatedly, but not in a panicked fashion.  At this point, she had already gotten to the other dog, where she had started to bark at it, and essentially try to chase it away.  I grabbed Sparta, looped what’s left of the leash around her neck, and controlled the situation as best I could given the circumstances. In other words, she calmed down, and the other owner (#OhMyGodImSoSorryAboutThat), was able to safely take their dog away. Now, a word about the other owner.  He never lost his cool.  He was calm, and looked almost bored, He was essentially an amazing Pilot, especially given the circumstances.  Quite frankly, he was the reason the situation was resolved so quickly: he added no energy, and just diffused his dog, and ignored mine. To make matters worse, he didn’t lob (deserved) blame on me, nor did he verbally try to berate me.  He just took it as a situation that passed, and moved the fuck on.  Which made me feel even worse somehow. So, he continued on his way, and I took Sparta back home. I sat down in a chair, whereupon Sparta curled up at my feet, just like she always does.  The incident already out of her mind.  Yeah, it was scary, but either we could dwell upon it, or move on. And honestly, part of Step 2 (control the situation) is knowing when the situation is over.  Just let it go. Nobody was hurt. Nobody got hit by a car. I was able to Pilot Sparta pretty quickly, and we got home safely with 1/2 a leash.  I couldn’t be angry for Sparta for being who she was (fearful of other dogs), but I could be proud of her for trying so hard to move past her fears.  She’s an incredible dog who had come a very long way.  She’s not perfect, but I don’t want her to be.  That’s such a difficult thing to be: perfect.  She did the best she could with what she had. As I was sitting there, my daughter came back downstairs.  She said she decided she wanted to live, and that she loved me.  I told her I was very proud of her, and that no matter what, she’s always My Favorite Little Girl in the Whole Wide World.  We hugged it out, and I knew that I needed to control the previous situation: by letting it go. I didn’t lob blame at her for the situation (just as the dog’s owner never berated me for The Incident).  We just let it go. So there I was.  Another No Good, Very Bad (Rotten) Day that ended with my two girls, Sparta and River, both doing the best they could with what they had, just as I had tried to do. Not perfect, but who wants to be perfect anyway.    After all, it’s about progress, not perfection. Kerry Stack Darwin Dogs Dog Training in Cleveland, Ohio