Los Angeles Dog Trainer answers frequently asked questions.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What does it mean when a dog wags its tail?
2. I can't get my dog to stop pulling?
3. Why does my dog bark at me when I say "NO!"?
4. What is the biggest misconception owners have about their pets?
5. Do dogs think?
6. How should I introduce a puppy to an older dog in the house?
7. My pup seems be doing fine, why should I train it?
8. When is a good time to start training?
9. Beagle Wins Westminster: a buddy for you?
10. How is the training conducted?

A tail-wagging discovery

Tail_wag_dog There is a newly discovered, feature of dog body language that may surprise attentive pet owners and experts in canine behavior. When dogs feel fundamentally positive about something or someone, their tails wag more to the right side of their rumps. When they have negative feelings, their tail wagging is biased to the left.

A study describing the phenomenon, Asymmetric tail-wagging responses by dogs to different emotive stimuli, appeared in the March 20 issue of Current Biology. The authors are Giorgio Vallortigara, a neuroscientist at the University of Trieste in Italy, and two veterinarians, Angelo Quaranta and Marcello Siniscalchi, at the University of Bari, also in Italy. Read the entire article in the New York Times here:

I can't get my dog to stop pulling?
Dogs pull on leash because they have an 'opposition reflex' which forces them to lean against pressure applied to their body. Pulling back only increases the reflexive response; if you can get to the side of the dog, at 90 degrees, you can pull your dog off balance, then quickly release the tension on the leash to disengage the reflex, then call to him, affectionately, to come to you. Brian Kilcommons in his book, My Smart Puppy, gives a clear explanation. This hard to explain in print, but once you see it demonstrated it is easier to understand. Back to Top

Why does my dog bark at me when I say "NO!"?
Dogs are not born knowing human language. A primary characteristic of dogs is their tendency to mimic the behavior of others. Barking is a short, sharp sound similar to our reprimand "NO." Thus, many dogs mimic their owners by barking with them. Many mistakenly perceive this as defiance. Here is another example of the power of allelomimetic ("act-like, be-like") behavior, courtesy of William Campbell, author of Behavior Problems in Dogs.

What is the biggest misconception owners have about their pets?
The dominance concept. The necessity of being the "pack leader" probably interferes with a satisfying relationship more than any other single aspect of dog ownership.
It is accepted in the training community at large that there is no such thing as a "dominant" dog because dominance is about relationships, it is not a personality trait - and social status is much more fluid than was once believed. So a dog may be higher ranking in one relationship or in one context, and lower ranking in another. You can have status-related behavior in interactions between two or more dogs. You can have an assertive or confident dog who tends to assume higher rank in relationships, but standing in a room by himself he can't be dominant. So even labeling a dog as 'dominant' is meaningless. For example, 'jumping up' is usually erroneously defined as a dominant behavior, but is usually a 'greeting behavior" that many dogs simply like to do and since it always gets a strong reaction becomes habitual. Jumping up is a behavior and can be easily changed by teaching the dog to do something when you arrive, sit or go to your place for example. To change jumping up start with an activity or behavior that your dog likes to do. Then start teaching your dog to do it when you say a word. For instance: fetch as many dogs instinctively run and and get a toy when the owner arrives; so teach Fetch. First, the statement is simply not true. Operant conditioning (let's broaden the terms a bit) can and does work on any animal regardless of temperament. Second, the comment incorrectly lumps "dominant or aggressive dogs". A dog can be "dominant" without being particularly aggressive, and can be aggressive without being dominant. Third, the traditional trainer has a set of tools available to him (or her) that seem to provide a ready ability to respond to and control the "dominant or aggressive dog". Included are electronic collars, pinch collars, and the like. The operant trainer must rely first on a simple truth: if the animal is physically and mentally capable of performing a given behavior then it can be shaped using operant conditioning. So if a dog is physically or mentally capable of responding to other dogs or people other than in a reactive (I prefer this more general term), then one can shape those non-reactive behaviors using operant conditioning. It is not necessarily easy, especially if the dog has a successful history of being reactive. But it can be done. The limitation, or the difficulty if you prefer, lies not in the dog, but in the trainer. Clicker training works very well for this because there is no physical contact with the dog. For someone to say that "clicker training does not work well on dominant or aggressive dogs" is simply for that person to say that s/he has no idea how to make it work. That is not the same thing at all.

Do dogs think?
Yes, but not the way we do. One significant difference is our tendency to generalize an experience to many situations. Dogs are highly discriminating and do not readily generalize their experiences.

"Skinnerianism can no longer account for the extraordinary things animals do spontaneously. Thus, we now know that animals form cognitive maps of their environment, compute numerosities, represent the relationships among individuals in their social group and most recently, have some understanding of what others know. The question for the future then is not, 'Do animals think?' but 'What precisely do they think about, and to what extent do their thoughts differ from our own?" Dr. Marc D. Hauser, professor, evolutionary psychologist, Harvard.

For more discussion see Bill Campbell's site

How should I introduce a puppy to an older dog in the house?
Introducing a puppy to an older dog in a household is usually problem free but, to make the best start, here are some guidelines:

1. First, a note of caution. It is unlikely that introducing a puppy to improve the behavior of an older dog will work. It is more likely that the older dog will teach the younger one the same unwanted behavior and you will have two dogs with the same problem.
2. Try to make the dog's first meeting away from the places where the older dog has his bed, toys, and food bowls, preferably outside your home.
3. If there is a problem, it is likely that the older dog will be frightened by a small puppy running around his legs and jumping up against him. So provide the older dog with an escape route to an area where the younger dog cannot go.
4. Supervise the two dogs when they are together for the first week or so until they form a good relationship and they can be trusted when left alone together.
5. As a general rule, you should play with your puppy twice as much each day as he is allowed to play with your older dog. Provide the puppy with lots of toys and play with him yourself rather than let him think that the older dog is a toy.
6. The younger dog may like to play rough and tumble games. Playing this way teaches your pup to continually raise the level of aggressive postures and challenge other dogs.

My pup is doing fine; why should I train it?
Training is communication. Through the process of training your dog will fine tune its responses to you. You become a conduit for what is important. The dog must offer behavior to get what it wants (when rewards are used), and over time, your relationship becomes more rewarding. Your dog's attachment will become deeper as it realizes it gets what it wants by paying attention to you. Of course, you won't miss this if it doesn't do this. So training is often a leap of faith, so to speak.

Dogs (and all animals) become more confident when they can predict events and outcomes ('if I do this I can get that') in their environment.

The trainer learns how the dog expresses it emotions. For example, my Aussie expresses frustration differently from my terrier cross bred dog.

When is the best time to start training?
Training is formal learning. Your dog is learning the moment you bring it home. You can formally teach pups from eight weeks of age.

Use feeding times to teach your pup to sit. Hold the bowl of food with one hand above your pup's head and smile. Grab several pieces of kibble in your hand, close your hand to make a fist and put it in front of his nose, so he sniffs and then licks your fist. As he sniffs and licks your fist, slowly move your fist up and over his head toward his tail as he keeps sniffing and licking. Just as his hips start to sink down and as he sits, say 'SIT,' then move your fist under his chin, open your hand and let him lick the kibble from your palm.

Feed a couple pieces of kibble at a time by hand for as long as he sits. If he stands or jumps up, let him sniff your fist as you move it toward his tail again. As he starts to catch on, watch him wag his tail a couple of times before you open your fist. Soon, your pup will sit when he sees your fist out in front of you. When he anticipates his treat and sits in front of you, even without your fist out in front of you, smile, say ‘Good Boy!’, wait for a couple of tail wags, then hand him a tidbit as a reward. You can feed his entire meal this way.

(Don't become frustrated; it will take less than five minutes.) The other lesson the pup learns is to wait (be patient) and good things will come to it.

All family members and friends can take turns training with the pup. The quick success is lots of fun and helps the pup become more confident. Your pup can learn sit, down, and down-stay by the time he starts class.

A buddy for you?
Best in show at Westminster in February 2008, Uno was a Beagle, not a wimp; baying, jumping, and excited which is amazing considering he's been trotting around show rings for almost three years.
To help you decide if you are considering getting a Beagle now, I've translated some of the common phrases you'll see as you surf the internet.
1. "tendency to follow his nose...." This really means he is compulsive about using his nose and will walk around for hours with his nose to the ground. On walks he will sniff all the time.

2. "breed does extremely well with children..." Right, a beagle has virtually no aggressive tendencies, but that does not mean it will comply with them, take direction from them, respect them, not bark at them, run in circles around them, nip at their heels, or jump up to grab a cookie from their hand.

3."If properly trained, the Beagle should listen." Ha, Ha, Ha.
This comes right after another typical illogical statement: "breed tends to lose interest and focus on something that catches his attention." Obedience training is a non-starter unless you have a piece of filet mignon in your hand. You'll have to smell a lot more exciting than anything and everything else in the environment.

4. "The beagle is an energetic and lively dog, with a curious and excitable personality." In terms of training, think about it; you want to teach a curious, excitable, lively member of another species to repeat boring, meaningless movements just because "he wants to please?" There only two ways to teach (train.) Make it pleasurable and in the interest in the dog to perform, or make it unpleasant (reduce liveliness and curiosity) if it doesn't. We're talking about a field dog; a dog that was bred, as in the sense of created, to run, and run a long time.
To sum it up: I like the breed; Beagles are a lot of fun, cute, playful, and they sniff a lot! :-)

How is the training conducted?
I train with you and your dog in your home, as dogs learn more easily in familiar environments. I can easily demonstrate and coach you and your dog in a way that your dog enjoys the training session. If it is necessary to work with a piece of equipment, I am confident I can introduce it to your dog with clear explanations about what to look for and expect from this tool. My goal is to help you become a confident knowledgeable handler with a happy, relaxed, responsive dog.

Bill Stavers | 310.500.9156 | b...@billstavers.com
2001 S. Barrington Ave. Ste 110 Los Angeles CA 90025