Sometimes It’s the Best – and Simplest – Option
“If you are scared or feeling down
flip the thought and turn it ‘round”*
Canine Hopes and Dreams
My dog Skipper said to himself at a young age, “when I grow up, I want to learn how to crawl backwards.” Yeah, right. You could replace that with, “fetch something for a human,” “walk on a loose leash,” or even “sit for a treat,” and those things are just as unlikely to be featured in nightly canine hopes and dreams. In fact, there aren’t many behaviors we expect our dogs to do which they would do without some form of learning. These behaviors are human-constructs, and it’s unfair to assume dogs would share the same desire to behave in these ways unless they are relevant to them, too.
I have trained Skipper to crawl backwards, and he does it well, briefly. There isn’t much joy in it for him, though, and his tolerance for practicing is low. Yesterday he barked at me in protest: a rare but clear sign I’d asked too much of him. There’s a very fine line between learning and frustration/quitting for him, and I knew this. I misjudged. I could have pushed for more after that, but more would have put us at odds, increased his discontent, and further damaged future practice sessions.
I decided to Change the Channel to something he loved to do instead - hand targeting with chase me. We will revisit (maybe) the backwards crawl. It’s obviously not a behavior I will need often, and it should be fun. [If you’d like to see a previous Logan pup demonstrating a joyous backwards crawl, check out my first ever freestyle routine from 10 years ago titled, “Logan & Astro King of the Road” on YouTube.]
“Change the channel, switch your brain
You don’t have to stay in the pouring rain”
Why we should Change the Channel
“It’s like a garden – what you grow
comes from the seeds your thoughts will sow.”
We are continually building a relationship, helping our dogs form emotional responses to the world around them, and helping build their skills and knowledge. The more we can do to facilitate these things in a positive way, the better. This means knowing how far to go and when/how to interrupt.
When to Change the Channel
“If you feel nervous, angry or low
stop and ask, ‘what made it so?’
Now find a thought that makes you smile
and sit with it for a little while.”
When to change things requires us to be expert observers of our dogs and understand how they are feeling at any moment. When I work with pups, I tune into what their body language is saying, so that I can adjust what I am doing. The end goal is always to ensure the pup is feeling safe and learning, happily. Conflicts and resistance don’t serve anyone well in a relationship; in fact, they erode trust and the potential for success.
Here are a few example situations for when to switch channels:
• Before signs of overstimulation start to emerge
• Over-exuberant play. In my puppy day school, we carefully managed group play sessions. Before puppies started to indulge in inappropriate, over-the-top play, we interrupted them with a happy group recall and invited them to practice something totally different, such as “puppy picnic” (settling on individual mats) or perching with attention.
• Proximity to exciting thing, whatever that might be at the moment
• Before frustration sets in, for human or dog
• See Skipper’s example above
• Before a fearful response
• Don’t wait for your pup to have a panic attack before you intervene; adjust your proximity to the object of his fear, help him engage in something fun at a distance at which he is no longer fearful.
• Before a “bad choice” is made
• Do you have an enthusiastic player? Practice calling and rewarding the pup generously to interrupt play and help your pup learn to modulate his emotions.
You probably noticed that I recommend interrupting before. If we wait until the dog has made the “wrong” choice, such as putting their paws on the counter or on people, we have just enabled our dog to practice the very behavior we don’t want, to have a fearful reaction instead of gaining confidence, to get frustrated with us and sour on training.
How to Change the Channel
Positively! If you are going to change a channel, the “new” channel must be something worth paying attention to. Be your pup’s activities director.
• Gamify!
• Train and ask for a different, non-compatible behavior
• Add distance if fear is involved
• Know what your pup would value at that moment and use it
Now, let’s channel all this info and see how well we can do together!
*Quotes are from “Change the channel in your brain”, children’s song, Amanor Tales & Tunes
It’s remarkable how well the lyrics to this children’s song apply to training a dog.
Happy Training!
Diana Logan, CPDT-KA Certified Professional Dog Trainer, Knowledge-Assessed
Pet Connection Dog Training, North Yarmouth, Maine
www.dianalogan.com | 207-252-9352