My Dog Bites Me!” -- a suggested cure for dogs
who bark at, bite or bump their agility handler.
- Marsha Houston, Country Dream Training Center (Feb.‘02)
The theory we’re using in this training protocol is that these
barking, biting, bumping dogs are trying to get their handlers’
attention, and that, by removing that attention, we can extinguish the
unwanted behavior.
Our mission: to reward the dog for running quietly without
biting. One side-effect of this training is to increase motivation and
“obstacle focus” (that is, the dog becomes more interested in the
sequence and less focused on the handler).
We’ll be using negative punishment, i.e. the removal of something (your
attention and the reward) to eliminate a behavior (the barking, biting
and jumping) -- what we often refer to as a “neutral correction.” The
key is to turn your back on your dog without malice or harshness, and go
back to the start line immediately when the dog barks, bites or bumps
you. You do not speak to your dog, either sweetly or harshly, during
your walk to the start line. You simply turn your back and walk. This is
harder than it sounds, especially if you’ve used correction-based
training.
Using a simple circle of obstacles (we use a tunnel at each end to
create turns, but at home you can simply put all your equipment in a
circle), we do a simple sequence, always starting with #1 and going in
the same direction. The length of the sequence you do is based on your
dog’s ability to run without barking and biting. The sequence always
ends at the table, where you’ve placed a sealed stash of treats (dog’s
entire meal, for example).
Sample series: #1 tunnel to the table. Put the dog into the tunnel and
run to the table to give them their treat. Go back and do tunnel-table
again, treats. Repeat this tiny sequence several times, to establish in
the dog’s mind that something is going right. Then add a jump, making
the sequence tunnel-jump-table. If the dog jumps on you, bites or barks
in this sequence, quietly turn your back on your dog and go back to the
start line, doing tunnel-table and rewarding. After a couple of these,
try tunnel-jump-table again.
Again, if the dog jumps on you, bites or barks in this sequence, quietly
turn your back on your dog and go back to the start line, doing
tunnel-table and rewarding. This is the toughest part of the exercise,
as you’re passively explaining to your dog just what behaviors are
undesirable, and what is rewarded. Try tunnel-jump-table again. If your
dog manages to do all obstacles without barking or biting or jumping,
reward at the table and return to the start line. Add an obstacle. So,
now it’s tunnel-jump-jump-table. If the dog jumps/bites/barks it’s back
to the start line, and the last level at which they succeeded, or
tunnel-jump-table.
The goal: To do the entire circle, then run to the table for treats,
without barking, jumping or biting the handler. This may take several
(3-4) half-hour sessions, but the hardest part for the dog is the
initial understanding of what’s required for reward. It’s not prudent to
rush the tunnel-jump-table sequence, as that’s where most of the
learning is taking place. Once the dog figures it out, it’s simply a
matter of building longer sequences, backing up to where the dog was
last successful, then building longer sequences.
Marsha Houston lives in Ostrander, Ohio, with her husband, Bud, 2 Shelties, 5 Aussies, and a serious little BC. Their Country Dream Training Center is located in Waterford, Ohio. She can be reached through their website: www.dogagility.org
