The Art of Ignoring Part One: Negative Punishment is Positive!

Today we are going to talk about punishment (dun, dun, DUN!). The word punishment has very negative connotations, especially in the positive dog training world. But when we break punishment down, we can see its usefulness. Whenever we are working with an animal, it is helpful (and more accurate) to think in terms of rewarding or punishing a behavior rather than the animal. We aren't just rewarding our dog for sitting, we are rewarding the sitting behavior. We aren't punishing our dog for barking like crazy, we are punishing the crazy barking behavior. In training, we can increase a behavior with reinforcement or we can decrease a behavior with punishment. In general, positive dog trainers like to focus on rewarding wanted behaviors as opposed to decreasing unwanted behaviors. But punishment can be useful if done correctly. In fact, many people (and even trainers) punish behaviors without even realizing it!

Example: A puppy runs up to me on the first night of puppy class. She is very excited to say hello! She jumps all over me for a few seconds. I completely ignore her until she is sitting. Then I lavish her with attention. Hello cute puppy! By the second night of class, the puppy greets me by sitting politely at my feet.

Polite, sitting puppy

What just happened here? I obviously rewarded the sitting behavior and was rewarded myself with a polite puppy greeting a week later. But what about the jumping behavior? Did you notice that I punished that behavior?

In terms of animal behavior, negative means to remove and positive means to add. Positive reinforcement (again, reinforcement increases a behavior) adds something that the dog wants. Attention, verbal praise, food, toys, etc. I positively reinforced the sitting behavior with attention and verbal praise. Negative reinforcement removes something that the dog doesn't want. An example of negative reinforcement would be forced fetching, where a trainer pinches a dog's ear until they open their mouth. When the dog opens their mouth, the trainer lets go. This reinforces the mouth opening behavior by removing something that the dog doesn't want (pain!).

Rana's sitting behavior is positively reinforced with a doggy doughnut

Punishment follows the same rules. Negative means to remove, positive means to add. But in this case, the "evils" are flipped. Positive punishment adds something that the dog doesn't want. Pain, verbal or physical corrections, loud noises (like a can of pennies), spray bottles, etc. Negative punishment removes something that the dog wants. Withholding attention, treats, etc. are examples of negative punishment. Time-outs (which were discussed in another blog post) are another example of a negative punishment. The dog is removed from the situation (time-out) and then attention is withheld until the dog is released from the time-out. Most positive dog trainers use negative punishment, because it doesn't require the use of force, pain, or intimidation. A "positive dog trainer" is simply someone who refuses to use pain, force, or intimidation to train dogs. In this way, negative punishment is actually "positive!"

So look back at the puppy example. I applied a negative punishment (withholding attention AKA ignoring) to the jumping behavior. And I applied positive reinforcement (attention) to the sitting behavior. And absolutely no force, pain, or intimidation was used on the puppy! This is the art of ignoring, folks. In later blog posts I will address how to successfully ignore your dog in specific situations. We will also talk about extinction bursts (tantrums!) and cases of natural negative punishment in dog-to-dog interactions (hint: go look at the bite inhibition blog post. Do you see a negative punishment?). Have a great Memorial Day weekend and as always, thanks for reading! 

We Have an Instagram Account!

Need a Rana photo fix? Clicker Collies officially has an Instagram account! And I am currently in the process of filling it with lots of Rana pictures. Find us by searching for clickercollie or #clickercollie. Or follow this link------>https://instagram.com/clickercollie.

Browsing Instagram: Great for those mornings when you don't want to get out of bed ;-)

Feline Friday: "Dogs Annoying Cats with Their Friendship" Video

Rana and I are busy getting ready for my brother's wedding. She is getting ready to spend the weekend at my parent's house, and I am getting ready for my future sister-in-law's bachelorette party. So today's Feline Friday will be very short!

Today I am simply going to share a cute cat/dog video. You can watch it below or follow this link to the youtube page. Enjoy the video. But be sure to watch for body language in both the dogs and the cats. How do we know the cats are annoyed? At the end, how do we know the cats are happy? What about the dogs? Watching for the more subtle body language signs in animals is important. A tail flick in a cat can mean, "I am annoyed!" A tongue flick in a dog means, "I am nervous!" Whenever you watch an animal video, watch the body language. It will help you to better identify these signs when you are observing them in person.

Happy Spring!

Rana and I went to the neighborhood park for a little spring photo shoot last week. I WAS going to post these photos last Saturday before Easter but blogger crashed! And then I forgot :-P Whoops!  Oh, well. I hope you enjoy these photos as much as Rana and I enjoyed taking them!

Rana kept "herding" the eggs to one side of the basket!

I tried to get Rana to take the basket. This was the photo I got XD

I love her sheepish grin in this one!

Totally relaxed. Just chillin' with her fellow bunny.

Rana crosses her paws on cue!

Bunny Rana did some rock climbing :-)

We hope you all have a wonderful weekend! And Happy Spring!

Feline Friday: Scratching

Scratching furniture is a common "behavioral issue" that cat owners often complain about. This is a very serious issue and one that is near to my heart. Unfortunately, many cat owners resort to declawing their cats in order to protect their furniture. There are better ways to keep kitty from scratching the furniture! Today's topic of focus is protecting your furniture while letting kitty keep those claws!

Dib proudly shows off his claws!

First, I am going to tell you why declawing is awful. Contrary to what your vet may lead you to believe, declawing is not like a toenail trim. It is an amputation. When a cat is declawed, the vet cuts through the bone, tendons, skin, and nerves at the first joint. The vet removes bone. This is like having your fingers chopped off at the knuckle...only worse! YOU don't walk on your fingertips. But guess what? Your cat DOES! When you declaw a cat, you change the way they walk. This can wreak havoc on the cat's hips, joints, etc.

Picture retrieved from pawproject.org

Declawing can cause severe lifelong pain for the animal. This can lead to all sorts of other behavioral issues such as litter box avoidance and biting. For more information on why declawing should be banned, please visit pawproject.org.

So what are we to do instead? Well fortunately for our kitties (and our furniture), there are lots of wonderful, humane alternatives to declawing!

Scratching is a normal behavior for a cat! 

Train your cat to use a scratching post: Like I said last week, cats can be trained! Provide your cat with lots of appropriate scratching posts and praise your cat for using them. You can also rub/spray catnip products on the scratching posts to encourage your cat to use them. Scratching is a normal behavior for a cat. Just like we need to provide things for our dogs to chew, we also need to provide things for our cats to scratch! I personally love the cheap, flat cardboard scratchers. But there are lots of different cat scratching products out there. If your cat doesn't like one scratching post, then try another!

Dib LOVES his cardboard scratching posts!

Use double-sided sticky tape to discourage scratching on furniture: Cats hate sticky things! Place double-sided sticky tape on the corners of furniture to discourage scratching, and place an appropriate alternative nearby. The idea is to get kitty thinking, "YUCK! That couch is AWFUL to scratch! My paws stick to it! This lovely kitty post over here is much nicer. I'll use it instead." Eventually, you can remove the double-sided sticky tape. If you ever notice kitty scratching on the furniture, just calmly go get the tape and reapply it. The best thing about the tape is that it works when you aren't there. Cats are very smart creatures! When humans yell or use spray bottles to get kitty to stop doing something, she only learns not to do that thing when the humans are watching! The sticky tape lets the cat decide that furniture is no fun to scratch. And remember, training cats is much more effective when they think they are training you! Or in this case, when the cat gets to choose what it wants. We can help influence the cat's decision by providing appropriate alternatives (scratching posts) and deterrents (sticky tape). 

Dib would rather scratch on his cardboard post than a sticky couch corner!

Trim your cat's nails regularly: To reduce the damage that kitty's nails can cause, be sure to keep them nice and short!

Use nail caps: Nail caps ("Soft Paws") are a human alternative to declawing. Nail caps are soft vinyl tips that slide over the cat's nails. They are painless, and they allow the cat to extend and retract their claws naturally. Many cats will still make the motion of scratching while wearing nail caps! Nail caps can be purchased at most pet stores and can be applied by the owner, vet, or cat groomer. Nail caps are great in situations where the cat's nails are causing damage to themselves or others. For example, last spring Dib had very bad allergies. He was very itchy! He was scratching himself so much that he was actually causing damage to his neck! While his allergy medicine was kicking in, we put nail caps on his back feet to prevent him from hurting himself. Nail caps can also be used when a human member of the household cannot handle being scratched due to medical reasons. This means that human medical issues are not an acceptable reason to declaw a cat. Again, declawing can cause severe, lifelong pain for the animal! 

Play with your cat: Many behavioral issues in dogs and cats are caused by boredom. The saying, "a tired dog is a good dog" holds true for cats, too! Keep kitty out of trouble by playing with her until she is tired. But don't throw a 99 cent mouse toy on the floor and expect your cat to tucker herself out. Cats are natural hunters! Use interactive toys like "Da Bird", "Neko Flies" and "Go-Cat catcher" brand wands. 

"Keep Kitty Out Of Trouble" Kit: Cardboard scratcher, Neko fly wand, and go-cat catcher mouse refill.

So those are my tips for preventing problematic scratching, protecting your furniture, and keeping your cat's claws where they should be (on the cat!). As always, thanks for reading! 

Saying Hello! Part One: Rules for Greetings

Doggone safe is an organization dedicated to preventing dog bites. They regularly share links to articles on preventing bites. Today they posted an article about children greeting dogs. You can find that article here:
http://www.dogsandbabieslearning.com/2010/02/25/may-i-pet-your-dog/

It inspired me to make a series of blog posts about dog greetings. We want our dogs to greet other humans politely and safely. But to ensure the safety of everyone involved, the humans must follow some rules, too! Today's topic of focus: Rules for interactions.

Rana LOVES kids!

Rana LOVES attention, especially from children. But I still insist that everyone (parents, children, me and my dog) follow some rules during interactions. When someone asks, "Oh what a beautiful dog! May I pet her?" I say absolutely. Then I tell Rana to "go say hi." She knows to wait calmly for this cue. Without it, Rana is not allowed to greet a strange human or dog. When given the cue, she is to approach the human (NOT the other way around). This gives her and I much more control. I watch for loose, wiggly body language but also calm, polite behavior.

Your dog should look happy and relaxed when greeting others! 

Rules for the dog: You must be given the cue to "go say hi." You must be polite and calm. But enjoy yourself! No need to stay in a perfect sit, but four feet must be on the ground at all times. NOTE: In future blog posts we will talk about how to prevent jumping up during greetings. This DOES require us to ask our dogs to sit for greetings (a dog who is sitting cannot jump up). But when your dog is able to greet politely without jumping up we do not have to insist that they sit perfectly during interactions.

Rules for me: I will pay attention to my DOG during interactions with other people. I will watch for signs of stress (licking lips, yawning, stiff posture etc) and will remove my dog immediately if she shows any of these signs. I will watch her to make sure she is behaving politely.  I will also watch the human. If petting seems to rough at any time, I will remove my dog. If at any time the human or dog break the rules, it is my responsibility to end the interaction.

Rules for those petting my dog: Please get permission before petting my animal. Sometimes if I notice you admiring my dog, because she loves attention SO much, I may ask if you would like to pet her. You may say no. If you say yes or if you ask me if you may pet my dog, I will instruct my dog to go to you. Please pet her gently. Do not hover right above her face (scary for most dogs but for mine, an irresistible temptation to do a little hop to kiss your face. I will have to end the interaction if this happens as it is not polite behavior from the dog). If at any point I notice you petting my dog roughly, hovering above her face, or if at any point I notice stress signals from her, I will end the interaction.

So those are my rules for saying hello to a strange human! Everyone (dog and human) involved must be calm and polite.

Feline Friday: NEW Weekly Post! Cat Training Tips

I have decided to add a weekly segment on cat-related things. I want to focus on training of course, but Feline Fridays may also include posts on cat behavior or links to cat-related articles.

"We need to talk. Your blog is lacking in feline-related posts."

I will kick off our new Feline Friday segment with a brief post on cat training. Yes, it IS possible to train your cat! But there is definitely an art to cat training. Cats are certainly not dogs. They learn differently than dogs. Their motivation is different. I like to joke that the trick to training a cat is to make the cat believe he is training YOU! Cats take great pride in knowing that they have successfully trained their human to dispense a tasty treat when they cue them with a paw lift or a sit. In reality, cats are rarely motivated by a desire to please their human (unlike dogs). But like dogs, cats will work for the right treat. Which brings me to my first tip...

Tip #1: "Crack, not crackers." If you read my post yesterday about engaging your dog in a training session, you may remember this saying. Again, I apologize for the drug reference. But we want our animals to be absolutely ecstatic about their treats! This holds especially true for cats, who rarely care about pleasing their human. If your cat isn't excited about that piece of food in your hand, you're unlikely to get very far. The trick to training any animal with food is to find that "high-value" treat. Like dogs, cats typically find smelly, high-protein, high-calorie treats to be the highest value. I personally love dried bonito flakes. They are cheap, come in large tubs, contain only one ingredient (tuna), and are easy to break into smaller pieces for training. But you can use any food item that is safe for kitty consumption as long as your cat is excited to work for it. 

Tip #2: Follow that treat! I have found lure training to be very effective when working with cats. Lure training is when we use a piece of food or toy to get an animal to move in a way that we want. The key is to get kitty's nose right on the treat. Then eventually fade the lure by holding the treat in the other hand and moving your original treating hand as though you still have a treat. This hand movement then becomes the cue (more on that in another post).

Tip #3: Clicks for Kitty! I have also found clicker training to be highly effective when working with cats. Communication is especially important with cats, who will easily get bored and trot off if they get too frustrated. Which brings me to the next tip...

Tip #4: No mad faces during cat training! Cats aren't generally considered as intuitive as dogs when it comes to human emotions. But it is always a good idea to avoid training an animal when you are frustrated, upset, etc. The same goes for the cat! Try to end your training sessions before you or your cat gets frustrated. Also, avoid training Kitty when she seems like she is in a bad mood. Oh, and never use fear, intimidation, or pain to train your cat! This is true for any animal, but especially for your cat. Even yelling at Kitty may turn her off to training! 

Tip #5: Keep it short...really short! So in our last post, we talked about keeping our dog training sessions short to ensure that Fido stays actively engaged in the lesson. This is also extremely important in cat training. With dogs, I recommend keeping your sessions between five and ten minutes long. With cats, I recommend trying to keep your sessions under five minutes long. Cats have extremely short attention spans. If you bore your dog with a long training session, he may start to tune you out a bit. He may get distracted by a nearby toy, or decide that he reeeeally needs to scratch behind his right ear for awhile. Cats, on the other hand, rarely tolerate being bored. They will turn tail and trot off! So keep your cat training sessions as short as possible, end on a high note, and leave your cat wanting more. 

That's it for now. I hope you enjoyed our first Feline Friday post. As always, thanks for reading!