A very happy ending here with all morals applicable 😀😃😄😆😁 Bibliography
Reference
Cited
'RESCUED BY RUBY' VS THE TRUE STORY OF DAN O'NEIL AND HIS K-9 DOG RUBY (2022) [Online] HistoryvsHollywood.com Available from: https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/rescued-by-ruby/
[Accessed: 27 MAR 2022]
Sandy has these same problems. After spending some time researching the internet, I come across this. I find this very detail, effective and passionate. I am unable to find such detail instructions on the internet until NOW. To the best of my knowledge, similar instructions ONLY come in the form of VERY pricey consultations! Other areas of this website have also boosted my understanding of dog behaviors.
When these methods work on Sandy, I am thinking, "I have to share this with those who seeking. These will save the lives of misunderstood dogs. These will also save their parents from guilt and wrong solutions".
"Some of us have a duty to those who are in trouble", from 'The Ghost Monument', Dr. Who 13, 2019
I am proud to be a part of this legacy!
82 | Posted:
By Dr. Sophia Yin
1966-2014 R.I.P.
Questions:
My adopted Chihuahua, Chico, has come a long way. However, if anyone comes to the house or if he is outdoors and meets a stranger and he is on the ground, he immediately wants to attack, following several displays of barking and aggressive lunging. One time he did clip a woman’s knee and drew blood. What do you advise for training Chico to be receptive to friendly people when he is outside and walking on the ground?
Gloria Aceti
Washington Crossing, PA
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We just adopted a terrier that is loving and sweet. Unfortunately, she exhibits extreme aggression at times. She does not do well with visitors coming into the house, and refused to stop barking and nipping at them. We encourage our guests to give her treats upon arrival, at the suggestion of our vet. We tell her NO firmly and attempt to grab her snout when she behaves this way, but nothing seems to work! She’s also aggressive when we try to wipe her feet. What do you suggest?
Reluctant to Return our Rescue Dog
Rocklin, CA
Answer:
Some people may read these descriptions and assume that these and other dogs who bite are just mean, but it turns out the most common cause of aggression in dogs is fear. It’s not fear brought on by abuse, but, rather, fear that developed because these dogs failed to receive the amount of socialization they needed starting before three months of age and continuing into early adulthood. Even from the short descriptions above, the telltale history is there. These dogs quickly got used to their adoptive families within a few days or weeks because it’s easy to get used to people who are constantly around them; but new people who pop into their lives fleetingly are another story.
Generally fearful dogs start off by trying to stay away from the things that scare them. But as they are confronted with scary situations repeatedly, they can learn that offense (barking, snapping, biting) is their best defense because it makes the scary people go away.
To see the body language of fear/anxiety, see Dog Bite Prevention Week: Poster on Body Language of Fear and Aggression and Dogs Bite When Humans Greet Inappropriately.
One approach to dealing with fear and aggression towards people is to train the dog to associate unfamiliar people with good things in a systematic/graded manner. This process is desensitization and classical counterconditioning (DS/CC),and it involves exposing the dog to the fear-inducing “stimulus” at a level where she barely responds and keeping her in a happy state, instead of a fearful or reactive state, by pairing the experience with things the dog likes (such as food, play, toys). The goal is that, as we systematically increase the level of the stimulus (how close the people are, how quickly they move, or how scary they look) while keeping Fido in a happy emotional state, the dog will systematically come to associate the scary people with this positive emotional state permanently.
Now, a lot of people try this method and have only partial success because they omit a few vital points.
the level of scariness where Fido barks, lunges or has any major reaction. This is referred to as staying below threshold. That usually means that the visitor must pretend Fido doesn’t exist. That is, stand sideways to the pet and look away as if the visitor is actually ignoring Fido even though he’s tossing treats. Ideally Fido just looks like he’s happy to get food.The second method for modifying behavior is to train dogs to perform appropriate replacement behaviors that are incompatible with the fearful behavior. This is called operant counterconditioning. The replacement behaviors we train must be ones the dog enjoys so that Fido is at the same time learning a positive association with the situation. For instance, when a dog is fearful, we can train the dog to focus on us and engage in fun behaviors such as heeling and other focus games that we have taught through reward-based training. Why do we have to be careful to avoid methods that use force or punishment to train or maintain the replacement behaviors? Say we train the dog to focus on us so he doesn’t bark or lunge and we do so using choke chain or pinch collar corrections. The dog may learn to focus but will do so out of fear of getting a correction. As a result, the dog is not likely to develop a positive association with the scary person/object/environment. The dog may outwardly look more controlled, at first, but side effects such as greater reactivity and fear are likely to occur in the near future. The dog may hide that he’s scared or that he wants to react, prompting us to put him in a situation where scary people are even closer to him. Then, at some point, he might not be able to contain himself and may break out in a reaction more severe than before.
As with the DS/CC we described in method 1, always start at a level where you can keep the dog happy and focused on you, keep the dog focused the entire time, end the session and remove the dog from the situation before he’s tired or you run out of treats. The better your technique and ability to train in a systematic fashion the faster the training will go. Technique is the difference between taking 10 minutes and 10 months to see a huge change. (For more information on technique, read Dog Training Classes Can and Should Be More Than Sit, Stay, Stand)
To learn more about:
Understanding How They Learn and The Principles that Guide Learning (Timing, Motivation, etc):
- How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Chapters 5-10, 13
- Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, Chapters 3-4 (includes video)
Why We Tend to Avoid Punishment and Aversives and Dominance Theory
- How to Behave So Your Dog Behaves, Chapter 12
- Low Stress Handling, Restraint, and Behavior Modification of Dogs & Cats, Chapter 2 (includes video)
These general approaches are pretty straightforward and, with good technique, you can get dogs through situations relatively easily. However, it turns out there’s more to these situations than just using the DS/CC techniques in the reactive situations. In fact, the first thing that we often have to do is address the dog’s impulsivity (lack of impulse control) and his lack of ability to look to the owners for guidance, especially when he’s scared or highly excited. How are these things important? Impulsivity is the tendency for animals to perform behaviors without first thinking and evaluating the situation. Dogs with high impulsivity or low impulse control tend to rush towards items they want (food, people, dogs) and react in an extreme manner when excited (jump, whine, pace, bark, lunge). The more they practice acting impulsively, the more likely they will react impulsively when scared. These dogs also have an inability to look to their owners for direction, especially when they’re scared or distracted.
Luckily, one program can address both of these issues. In my version of the Learn to Earn Program where dogs are required to automatically say “Please” by sitting for everything they want – every bit of kibble, petting, praise, attention, getting their leash on, going out the door—dogs learn that they can have what they want if they ask politely by sitting and looking at their owners for permission. In this intensive program, dogs can exhibit huge changes within a week. The trick is that the humans need to learn to reward the dog’s good behavior consistently and must be aware of their every interaction so that they don’t accidently reward unwanted behaviors, such as jumping, whining, and pushing for attention. So, at the same time, this program teaches owners how to give the right body signals and cues that their dog naturally understands and how to actually provide leadership and guidance through skill rather than force. As an added benefit, once owners have these skills they are better bonded to their pet and their pet feels more comfortable looking to their owners for guidance in the scary or highly exciting situations.
Now that you know some of the general approaches. Here’s the basic order of approach.
This is the overall approach to the fearful or reactive dog in a nutshell. It’s all about addressing the dog’s overall ability to look to you for guidance, and your ability to be aware of his emotional state and to reward desired behaviors and remove rewards for unwanted behaviors. Because the techniques do actually involve skill and technique, unless your dog is extremely easy, you will most likely need coaching. But now you’ll know what to look for and you’ll be aware of the common mistakes to avoid.
Dr. Yin passed away in 2014 but her legacy lives on.
For further references, hopefully this will help https://www.vetfolio.com/learn/article/understanding-behavior-dominance-versus-leadership-in-dog-training
[Accessed: 24 AUG 2020]
In relation to our lockdown situation, we MUST all play a role to overcome this pandemic. I came across this video randomly while browsing the internet in isolation. It motivates me the importance and reminds me the fun of teamwork. I would like to thank all those essential services teams for their dedication and sacrifices in keeping us safe at ALL times 😇
Being a combat aircraft enthusiast, this has been in my shadows for 20 years. It is only NOW I got to know this low profile combat aircraft even better. It has its hidden assets. Among them are:
1) US Navy Compatibility - The Rafale M is fully compatible with US Navy aircraft carriers and some French Navy pilots have qualified to fly the aircraft from US Navy flight decks.
2) Shared Engineering - The first jet fighter of a foreign navy to have its engine replaced on board an American aircraft carrier.
Constantly being in the shadow of mightier and more publicized navies, French Navy Aircraft Carrier inventory is worth a check out. They are, as the saying goes, "Still water runs deep".
Full afterburners catapult launch!
I like this Flottille 12F Unit 'Donald Duck' tail fin!
A Flottille 11F Unit jet leaves 'Tiger Meet' in full afterburners!
[Accessed: 1 APR 2020]
