"ALPHA DOG" AND ALL THAT JAZZ....

I love discussing training... Especially from the science behind operant conditioning standpoint... But I think it helps to clarify what we are talking especially in terms of "+R",  purely positive and balanced methods.

Just because I am a positive reinforcement trainer (+R) does not mean my dogs don't have guidelines to live by or I never tell them "No" -  this does class me as not "purely positive" however.  For their safety,  desire for routine and basic sanity - of course there are rules.

But here is the key difference for me. My entire goal in training is to identify and reward when they are doing something right, whether that means I see them doing it and acknowledge it (Capturing) or whether it means I set them up to be successful through a training exercise that I can reward with any of the FAB 5 key reinforcers (food, toys, praise, affection or access to resources). What I don't do is wait for my dog to make a mistake to then give a correction.

If you look at the example on the chart about loose leash walking that explains it pretty well.  Below are my thoughts on this... and like opinions on everything else , I am not saying I'm right I just wanted to really explain the difference for me between my style of training and what some are calling Alpha/Pack training...

Alpha/Pack Theory Training:

"My dog is pulling me on the leash when we walk and we go out of doors.  This means he does not respect my authority. He wants to be in charge. That's why he tries to walk in front of me,  run down the stairs in front of me, or burst out of the door. 

I'm going to stop this behavior by proving that I am Top Dog/Alpha.   I do this by making sure that he never walks in front of me, doesn't ever go out the door before me,  I eat before him etc etc... If he does pull me or walk in front of me,  I will correct his behavior by (insert training tool or correction here). 

Once he respects my authority and moves to a Beta or Omega roll,  he will no longer challenge me and will therefore walk on a loose leash beside of or behind me."

(I do not agree with this theory,  as explained, for many reasons that I am happy to discuss... I think what people are seeing and how they're explaining it is inaccurate. I'm not saying that using these steps to correct the problem don't work,  I'm saying I don't think people actually understand what's going on)

My Training Theory:
This dog is pulling me and can't focus. Instead of correcting my dog because he is pulling, I need to teach my dog where to be so that he doesn't pull in the first place.

I teach loose leash walking completely off leash in the beginning so that the leash is simply a safety strap between me and the dog. It's not a tug-of-war, it's not a battle of wills, it's not who is stronger, smarter, more dominant - it is about making sure that the dog understands what we want before we start correcting them for something that they don't necessarily understand.

More than one person has said to me:  "Oh they know what they're supposed to be doing - they just choose not to do it."

And maybe that's the case. But then why would they choose not to do it?

Because there's something more interesting / distracting? Then you haven't worked enough on proofing around distractions...

Because they're being spiteful / want to rule the world? Doubtful...

So what do you do when they don't do what you ask them to do?
I always go back and evaluate my clarity in the situation.

Have I taught them in enough variables such as location, around different distractions, with different durations etc in order to be sure that they know exactly what I'm asking for when I asked for it?

You can't take a dog who just learned SIT at home, in the kitchen floor without distraction and expect that same dog to SIT the first time you ask them to outside with cars going by and squirrels running up a tree and think "But they know that!"

It doesn't work that way, dogs do not generalize in the same way that people do.  In this instance, in my opinion, the fault lies on me as a trainer. I have not provided my dog with enough information to know that the behavior is expected to be the same inside the house, in one certain room with no distractions, as it is outside with a tremendous amount of environmental distraction.  Being inexperienced in a certain situation and "giving attitude" is not the same thing.

You are not a dog. Your dogs know that you're not a dog.  They do not see you as their "Superior" because that's comparing apples and oranges.

Can they recognize that you are the giver or the taker away of resources? Absolutely!

Is this a sign of "respect"? - That's anthropomorphizing...

Can you lead your dog without being a "pack leader"?  Absolutely!  Leadership comes in many forms and having a dog that looks to you when uncertain or for direction in a given situation - that's a key form of leadership.

However trying to compare dogs to wolves, especially captive wolves, is just inaccurate and then putting humans in the dog equation is the same as putting chimpanzees and humans together and saying that it's all the same thing. 

It just doesn't work that way... and I think a large part of the problem is terminology.

We could be saying the exact same thing and someone uses a certain phrase to explain what they're doing and that becomes either a trigger or a clichéd catchphrase and what they're actually doing gets lost in the terminology.

I would love to open a dialogue about how you train, and how you think the dog processes that information. Let's use Loose Leash Walking as an example since this is something that many people have struggled with.  Does your dog walk on a loose leash?  How did you train it?  How do you think your dog learned it - as in what do you think you did and how did they process that information?

Comment below - I'd love to hear your view.

SERVICE DOGS vs THERAPY DOGS vs EMOTIONAL SUPPORT DOGS

Do you know the difference between Emotional Support Animals (ESAs), Therapy & Service Dogs?  There is a lot of misinformation and scams out there - be careful!

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMAL (ESA)

DEFINITION:  A companion animal that provides emotional support to a handler who has been diagnosed with a verifiable mental or psychological disability and has been prescribed an ESA, by their mental health professional, as being needed to assist with daily living.  Just knowing you are anxious or depressed DOES NOT mean you qualify for an ESA.

TRAINING REQUIRED:  No training is required

PUBLIC ACCESS PRIVILEGES:  NONE - they are not allowed in non-pet friendly places.
HOUSING:  You can apply for reasonable accommodation in no-pet housing under the Fair Housing Amendments Act of 1988 or Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, depending on which applies to your situation.  Having an animal declared an ESA DOES NOT guarantee they will be allowed in all housing.
TRAVEL:  ESAs may also travel with you on flights (no other form of transportation) if they meet the requirements as laid out in the Air Carrier Access Act (ACAA).

ADA law does NOT apply to housing or air travel. 

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THERAPY ANIMAL  

DEFINITION:  A working animal that provides emotional support to a number of people through therapeutic visitation, assisting in trauma counselling, providing support in courtrooms for victims (especially children) who need to give a statement or testify, encourage physical therapy activity and assist in confidence with reading skills .

TRAINING REQUIRED:  Extensive training in Obedience and Manners

PUBLIC ACCESS PRIVILEGES:  AS INVITED - Once a dog is certified through the organization they are going to work with (and therefore covered under their liability insurance), they are allowed in places such as hospitals, schools, rehabilitation centers and nursing homes upon invitation of the business or group.

We train to the standards set out by Therapy Dogs International (TDI), Delta Society/Pet Partners and Love on a Leash. (see more about the PAWsitive Hearts Therapy Program here)

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SERVICE ANIMAL 

DEFINITION:  A working animal (dog or miniature horse) that has been individually trained to assist their handler with a legally diagnosed disability.  The task(s) performed by the dog must be directly related to the person's disability.

TRAINING REQUIRED:  Extensive work in Obedience and Manners, Public Access and Task Training

PUBLIC ACCESS PRIVILEGES:  FULL - All handlers of a trained service animal are granted full access rights to have that animal accompany them.  (The animals themselves do not have rights - it is the handler).  Some states extend that to Service Dogs in Training as well but it does vary from state to state.

Handlers and their service animals must be allowed access to anywhere that the general public is allowed, that their presence would not fundamentally alter the course of the business.  There are still exceptions to where a dog must be allowed such as sterile medical environments/burn units, private homes, private clubs, food preparation areas the public has no access to, places like federal agencies and religious institutions that are exempt from ADA law.



And YES you can be asked to leave if your service animal is not housebroken and under control (including excessive barking/whining, aggressive actions, disrupting other patrons of the business etc).

"Under control also means that a service animal should not be allowed to bark repeatedly in a lecture hall, theater, library, or other quiet place. However, if a dog barks just once, or barks because someone has provoked it, this would not mean that the dog is out of control."

Regardless of all the sites advertising "Take your dog everywhere!" - only SERVICE DOGS trained to assist their legally DISABLED handler are allowed in non pet-friendly places.

In 2011, the laws changed to specifically state that assistance animals that provide comfort or a calming influence to their handlers by their mere presence - while helpful indeed - are NO LONGER GRANTED PUBLIC ACCESS PRIVILEGES.  

SCREENSHOT DIRECT FROM THE LATEST 2015 ADA FAQ

The only thing registering your pet as an Emotional Support Dog does is put you on that companies registry.  People have registered everything from paper clips to plastic dinosaur toys to prove that there is NO regulation behind this and it is just a money making business.

SCREENSHOT DIRECT FROM THE LATEST 2015 ADA FAQ

REGISTRATION HAS NO LEGAL STANDING whatsoever and using it to gain access to public places when your dog is not a service animal as defined by the ADA - can in an increasing number of states actually lead to fines or legal action for essentially claiming your pet is a service dog when they are not.

MORE INFO CAN BE FOUND HERE

Make sure whatever source you are using for your information is based directly off of the applicable laws and not a source of opinion or a website trying to sell you anything.

DEPT OF JUSTICE - 2015 ADA REVISED FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
SERVICE AND EMOTIONAL SUPPORT ANIMALS - ADA NATIONAL NETWORK

JUST NO! - IMPORTANT WARNING FOR DOG/CHILD INTERACTIONS

PARENTS - SERIOUSLY - THIS IS HOW YOUR CHILD GETS BIT - THIS IS NOT FUNNY, CUTE, OR ACCEPTABLE IN ANY WAY!!!

Please do not let your child hit, pull, ride, bounce on or otherwise annoy the dog and then get mad when the dog reacts!  This is so very damaging to dogs hips and backs especially in dogs whose growth plates have not yet closed.



Lip licking, yawning, squinting eyes, closing their mouth when panting - they are all signs that the dog is stressed...and just because the dog has allowed it before doesn't mean it is okay...

SIMPLE RULE OF THUMB - If you wouldn't want someone to do it to you or your child - don't let your child do it to a pet!

DO YOU KNOW HOW TO STOP A DOG RUNNING AWAY FROM YOU?

In an emergency situation - this could save your pet's life - as crazy as it may look - DO NOT CHASE - drop to the ground and squeal/squeak/yelp - make whatever noise is super high pitched and they have not heard before - NO WORDS...it works!

CRATE TRAINING 101