K9 Talk Dog Behavior Workshops

02/02/2025

Reinforcement or punishment? How should we train our dogs?

The photo on the left is of a dog being trained with a shock collar to walk on leash. The photo on the right is of a dog being trained with food rewards to walk on leash. The dog on the left is exhibiting body language of fear and anxiety and not focusing on the handler. The dog on the right is exhibiting body language of a dog that is alert, and focused on the handler. Why are these differences so important? Let's take a look at what goes on in the brain during training when the dog is trained with the shock collar, and when the dog is trained with rewards. And which would you rather do to your dog?

Last week I did a post on why letting our dogs sniff is so important to their physical and mental well-being. The sniffing is part of the seeking system of the brain which stimulates the production of dopamine. When a dog is being trained using reinforcement based training methods, the result in the brain is the same. Seeking the reward is the same thing.

But what happens if the dog is being trained using punishment based training methods rather than reinforcement, using tools such as shock collars or prong collars?

Here is an article from the National Institute of Canine Ethics: The Role of Dopamine and Cortisol in Dog Training, which explains the differences. It's only a 2 minute read but it gives us valuable insights into why using shock in dog training is detrimental to our dogs:

"When it comes to training our canine companions, understanding the roles of the neurotransmitter dopamine and the hormone cortisol is essential. These two chemicals are key players in the learning process, and how they interact with each other can have an impact on the effectiveness of training. Let’s take a closer look at how these two chemicals influence the learning process.

What is Dopamine?

Dopamine is a neurotransmitter in the brain that plays a major role in motivating animals, including dogs, to seek out rewards and reinforces behaviors associated with them. When our dogs are rewarded for a behavior dopamine is released, which reinforces the behavior and makes it more likely that the dog will repeat it in the future. This is why rewards-based training methods, such as positive reinforcement, are so effective – they encourage our dogs to repeat desirable behaviors in order to receive a reward.

What is Cortisol?

Cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress in mammals, including dogs. It can have a negative effect on learning and behavior when it is released in excessive amounts, as it can interfere with the release of dopamine and other neurotransmitters that are essential for learning and reinforcement. In addition to interfering with learning and reinforcement, excessive cortisol can cause physical and psychological damage to the dog, including digestive problems and anxiety. Therefore, it is important to manage stress levels in dogs in order to ensure a healthy learning environment.

The Link Between Training Methods and Dopamine and Cortisol:

Training methods are linked to dopamine and cortisol in that rewards-based methods, such as positive reinforcement, will lead to the release of dopamine, which reinforces behavior and motivates dogs to seek out rewards. On the other hand, punishment-based methods can stress a dog and lead to the release of cortisol, which can interfere with learning and reinforcement, as well as cause physical and psychological damage. Therefore, it is important to use rewards-based methods when training dogs in order to ensure positive learning outcomes.

The Takeaway:

In conclusion, when it comes to training our canine companions, understanding the roles of dopamine and cortisol is essential. Dopamine is a neurotransmitter that motivates our dogs to seek out rewards, while cortisol is a hormone released in response to stress that can interfere with learning and reinforcement. Rewards-based training methods are linked to the release of dopamine, which make them an effective tool for training our furry friends. On the other hand, punishment-based methods can lead to excessive amounts of cortisol, which can be detrimental to the learning process."

01/26/2025

Cautious dogs can exhibit subtle signals that are often missed or misunderstood. The dog in the drawing is showing us his stress by keeping body posture low and his weight shifted back, but he's also wagging his tail. The tail wag is one of the most misunderstood body signals. Just because a dog is wagging his tail doesn't mean he's happy to see you. In this instance, the tail is low and wagging quickly. Some wagging tails of a cautious dog look like they're vibrating they move so fast. A more relaxed or friendly tail wag would be one that comes out of the body level with the spine and has a wide sweeping motion to it.

The photo shows a dog that has similar body language to the one in the drawing and is proceeding slowly and cautiously in reaction to something in the environment.

01/25/2025

Subtle signs of stress and anxiety are often missed. A casual look at the dog in the drawing might not find anything remarkable. But a closer look tells us what the dog is trying to say. His stance is neutral enough and his tail is down, but his ears are back and facial muscles are tense. His mouth is closed and the tip of his tongue is sticking out. The lip lick or flick of the tongue is a subtle sign of stress in dogs.

The dog in the blue sweater has neutral enough body signals but his face tells us his emotional state. Ears are back and eyes are wide. His mouth is closed and his facial muscles are tense. His uncomfortable and telling us he's not approachable.

The yellow coat on the Lab tells us exactly how the dog is feeling. His body language backs it up. Although not very dramatic, his signals are subtle but clear.

When the little Chihuahua isn't sure of the dog approaching him, he shifts his body weight away from the dog and flicks out his tongue. His ears are back. The big dog notices the small dog's reluctance, shifts his weight back, and raises a front paw. He also approaches from the side, not head on.

The red Aussie shows his discomfort with the camera by licking his nose, not just flicking his tongue out. His face is tense and he's keeping a low body posture.

So what body language does a truly neutral/relaxed dog exhibit? For comparison, I've added a photo and explanation of a neutral dog for comparison.

01/24/2025

The paw raise is an important signal of how a dog is feeling. An appeasement gesture, it can lower the tension between 2 dogs if an interaction is heating up. If no other dog is present, it's an indicator that the dog is feeling uncomfortable with the environment or something in the environment. It can be accompanied by other signals such as ears back, tension in mouth and face, low or tucked tail.

The first picture looks like an interaction between a puppy and mom. The pup has a paw raised and also has ears back, and is approaching his mother from the side, not from the front. All signals show appeasement and deference to the adult dog.

The second photo looks like an interaction between 2 adult small dogs that has the potential to escalate. The brown dog is on high alert, elevated on his paws so his body weight is firmly in the center. Head high, ears up, mouth closed, tail so high it's extended over his back. Reading the situation correctly, the white dog is panting, ears down, with front paw raised. It might look like he's raising a paw to move forward, but his rear legs tell what's really going on. He has shifted his weight back so he has no intention of moving forward. He's also approaching slightly to the side, not a full frontal orientation, also indicative of how he's reading the brown dog.

The third picture shows a dog reacting to something we can't see. Front paw is raised and head turned away from the situation. Mouth closed, tail down, and slight backward motion noted in the hind legs.

Can a paw raise mean other things? Of course. It might indicate a sore paw or leg. Is the dog limping or favoring the raised paw? Does the dog react when the paw or leg is touched? Usually reading the dog as a whole and the environment will help assess what's going on.

01/23/2025

Some anxious dogs prefer not to turn away, but would rather keep an eye on the thing that's making them feel uncomfortable. They keep looking forward but exhibit other changes in body language. Body posture and weight can be shifted backwards, tail tucked, ears down and or back, mouth closed and tense. Both dogs here are giving off the same message - I'm unsure and want to be left alone.

01/22/2025

Dogs that exhibit body language like the dog in the drawing are usually trying to avoid a situation that is uncomfortable to them. Looking away, leaning away, turning the head, or turning with the body to change direction are all signs of a dog being stressed and anxious. These signals can be accompanied by squinted or closed eyes, yawning, ears down and/or back, tail tucked. These actions can help relieve the pressure that the dog is feeling.

Dogs that are being held and can't escape someone approaching have no choice but to turn away to avoid. If that doesn't work, it's not unusual for the dog to snap at the person they want to avoid.

Humans can help out their dogs by increasing the distance between their dogs and the stressful situation, rather than forcing the dog to stay in the situation and putting more pressure on the dog.

01/21/2025

Today and for the next 5 days I will be posting information about stress and anxiety body language in dogs. Some signals are subtle, others are more obvious. But much of the time, these signals are misinterpreted as meaning something different than the emotion being expressed by the dog.

The first drawing is one that is frequently misunderstood. When this picture comes up in my first dog behavior workshop on canine body language, I often hear laughter from the audience. While it might look cute, the way the dog is feeling is the opposite.

In reality, it's neither funny nor is it cute. This dog is working very hard to get people or other dogs to leave him alone. The squinted eyes, the broad grin with teeth showing, ears back, all show how uncomfortable this dog is feeling.

The 2nd picture is a photo that shows a dog in a real life situation putting the signals to work. Although these signals are being ignored, the middle dog is exhibiting the grin and eyes squinted shut. His tail is tucked. He has also plastered his belly to the ground, afraid to move in any direction, even afraid to show his belly to get his point across. He's terrified.

This picture always gives me a sick and uneasy feeling. The first thing I think of is where are the humans that belong to these dogs? Or at the very least, the human associated with the terrified dog? The dogs on either side are being rude and basically ganging up on him. Now is a good time for an intervention of all the humans involved. The middle dog has good reason to be afraid.

Has your dog ever shown signals like this? What was the situation how did you handle it?

01/20/2025

Is your dog an excellent watch dog like the one in the cartoon? It's a totally natural thing for dogs to do. Most of us associate dogs with barking, right? Or at least we should. When someone asks me why their dog barks, the obvious answer is, he's a dog! So expecting our dogs to not bark is unrealistic, but that doesn't mean we can't come to some agreement on how much barking is reasonable and how much is not.

Years ago, a fellow dog trainer offered a valuable insight on how to deal with barking. She said when her dogs barked at something out the window, she would say thank you for letting her know, and then taught them to 'leave it', come to her, and then have them down and stay next to her. At first she leashed them so it was easy to guide them away from the window. But it didn't take long for them to learn the routine. She was able to accomplish her goal of letting them use their natural means of communication and not drive her crazy in the process.

I have since recommended this to lots of students and clients and it seems to work pretty well! Some dogs take longer than other to learn the routine. And for some dogs, it's easier to manage the behavior and just block the dog's eye view out the window so there is no visual stimulus to bark at. But most humans come to the conclusion that it's unrealistic to expect their dogs never to bark and that there can be a reasonable accommodation for both species.

01/02/2025

Are you looking for exercise ideas for you dog? Here is an article from out friends at Cattle Dog Publishing with some suggestions.

Dog parks and day cares aren't for every dog, but if you're wondering about it as a way for your dog to get some exercise, there are some things in the article to consider before you make a decision on them. If your dog does not like other dogs, it's not the place for him to get exercise.

Some great ideas that don't involve a crowd are sniffaris, training and brain games, and fetch. Fetch seems to have fallen out of favor with some dog trainers and veterinarians because of the risk of injury. If you have questions about its suitability for your dog, ask your dog's veterinarian. Always better to be safe than sorry.

The important thing is to have some active and safe fun with your dog. Now's the time to plan some new activities with your dog for 2025!

When it comes to getting fresh air and exercise for your dog, you have plenty of options. However, some of the most popular choices might not be the best fit for every dog.

12/25/2024

December 25th! Dog #25 wishes you all the very best for a Merry Christmas!