So I think the real issue is not to tell people “don’t take it personally” (although maybe that would help) but to educate people on what pushes dogs to bite, why do they feel the need to bite and understand that it doesn’t mean the dog “hates” the person it bit. Most dogs that bite a level 1-3 (Ian Dunbar scale) aren’t biting out of anger, they are biting from fear, anxiety and/or the misunderstanding that it is their job to control the person (frequently why dogs do level 1 bites).

One statistic I found particularly interesting is the stat on city dogs VS rural dog bites. Do more city dogs bite or is it just that when rural people get bitten they aren’t as upset by it. Maybe living with more animals gives you an inherent knowledge of animal behavior. Or perhaps rural people really don’t get bitten as often because they have more respect for the animals themselves and don’t put them in positions where they feel they need to bite to defend their space.

I agree with the worry that not taking bites seriously enough might mean that people stop trying to prevent bites. But I doubt it will go that far. A dog that bites will always have to face consequences. I just hope that through education more people will see a bite for what it is, a preventable behavior that does not need to be taken personally but still needs to be addressed, because it means that something is wrong.

Step 1 Introduction

You can introduce a new behavior to your dog’s repertoire a number of different ways. I prefer to help dogs figure out what I want by luring them into a new behavior, capturing the behavior with a clicker, or shaping the behavior. All of these methods help the dog figure out what they are doing right by providing feedback through rewards (treats work best for teaching new behaviors for most dogs).

Step 2 Generalization or “He did it perfectly at home why won’t he do it in class?!”

After your dog has worked out the complete behavior you want, you must help him realize that he can do that behavior anytime, anywhere, and whenever you cue it. This surprises most people. They tend to think that once their dog has demonstrated a perfect recall once, he should be able to repeat that at any time. It would be great if this were the case, but sadly it isn’t. It takes awhile for dogs to realize which cues are important,  and it takes practice to be able to perform the cue with distractions or in new locations.  So after you have introduced a behavior you must generalize it. This means practice in many different situations, with different people, facing different directions, on different sides of your body, at different times of day, in different locations, inside, in the yard, at the park etc… Generalization is what you will spend MOST of your dog training time on.

The best way to generalize a new behavior is to raise your criteria for that behavior in VERY small steps, but raise it quickly. If the recall is the behavior you want, then start it from only 1 meter away. When he has done 8 perfect 1 meter recalls, ask for a 2 meter recall! If he can’t do 2 meters try 1.5 meters. Each session you practice, start two levels below where you think he can be successful then quickly work your way back up, then encourage him to do just a little bit more during each practice.  But remember it takes PRACTICE! The prefect recall is not learned in a single session.

Step 3 Maintenance

Occasionally you need to remind your dog that he can still do the behavior. If he goes for a long period of time without practice he will “forget”. If your dog has forgotten a behaviour you will have to start all over again at introduction. The good news is that  he should learn it much faster the second time around!

This is one of the most important books on dogs I have ever read. When I decided to commit myself to becoming a really excellent dog trainer and behaviourist, Suzanne Clothier really clarified for me what kind of trainer I wanted to become.

As I first started reading this book I initially thought, uh-oh this might be a little too touchy-feely for me, just a little too soft hearted. I have never felt that you needed to be mean to be a good trainer, but I also had a strong influence (growing up in the time of dominance theory) that you had to be extremely firm and assertive when working with dogs.

While reading “Bones” I realized I had been much too focused on what to do if the dog “got away with something”, instead of why the dog might be trying to get away! Suzanne talks a lot about the importance of trust in the relationship with your dog and that has come to be a very important part of how I teach people to communicate and build the bond between them and their companion.

If you have ever longed for that complete understanding, or that ability to communicate that is almost supernatural some people seem to have with their dogs, then this is absolutely the book you need to read. It is a real eye opener into the reasons why some relationships work and others don’t. Suzanne talks about not just being your dog’s leader, but being their trusted, benevolent leader who they would do absolutely anything for.

Basically anyone who owns a dog or is thinking of owning a dog would benefit so much from the ideas presented in this book. If you are a dog trainer yourself and haven’t read it, then do, you will have so much fun!

Suzanne Clothier’s Website

Tamar asserts her methods are a “Playful, nonaggressive way to teach your dog good behavior”. Indeed they are. She feels it is never OK to use abuse or violence to teach your dog good behavior. Too back this assertion up, many studies have shown that using games and encouragement to teach proper behavior works better than violence and discouragement for adults, children and dogs! This being said many of her methods are based on dominance theory she has picked up from watching desert wolves in the wild. Unfortunately having no actual behavioral observation training, she makes some assumptions about what she saw that are faulty if not dangerous. She also misuses some key behavioral definitions that make her look more uneducated than she probably is. As an example she talks about teaching dogs “English” rather than teaching dogs  word association. To her credit she also really drives home the point of how to teach your dog word association “learning English” rather than just saying “good girl, or good boy” you can actually give the dog feedback by saying “Good Sit or Good Down”.

She also uses the idea of domesticating your dog with coaching,  although dogs have been domesticated for thousands of years, so I can only assume she means teaching your dog manners. These misuses of terminology aside she has obviously had much success with her training methods and coaching humans in alternatives to physical violence can only be a good thing!

I think my biggest criticism of this book is the pathetically blatant name dropping of her LA clients.

My favorite thing about this book is her idea of showing your dog a range of emotions, make sure he knows when you are happy with his behavior and when you are disappointed. Too many people forget to praise the good behavior and overreact to the bad behavior which doesn’t help the dog to actually learn anything!

Tamar Geller’s Website