Author: Chris Howles

Categories
ownership

Eastside Tails

Is your Dog a Roller?

Why do some dogs love to roll in stinky stuff, and can training help?
dog rolling in mud in countryside is your dog a roller blog
If your dog could talk…

Ask yourself this, if your dog could talk, what would be the first thing you would ask them? Think of all those burning questions in those challenging or beautifully emotive moments together! Even better, tell me in the comments box below this post, I would be really interested to know! My first question would be Why do you like to roll in stinky stuff? How about you? Is your dog a roller?

Some of you who know me might know about my recent adventure into the sea – don’t worry only shin-deep – to clean off my four-legged companion. You see, my dog rolled in a decaying seal carcass on the beach. Really rolled. The smell was indescribable. And he looked so pleased with himself. Look at me! Wanna sniff? Of course it was comedy, but I did need to remember our “calming anchors” before I took a deep breath and decided what we had to do. Lead on, we cheerfully walked into the sea together…

For Roller owners, mysterious forests, sand dunes or just a patch of grass can hide something to be rolled in.

A Dog Roller: amateur or professional?

Let’s first of all discount what I would call the amateur rollers. Dogs going down and rubbing themselves along some silky grass because it feels, well, presumably silky and nice, is at the bottom of the scale. It might just be playful, or a precursor to rolling on their back in the sun. Rolling in a little mud because they like it or to clean themselves off or even attempt to rid themselves of parasites is a step up. Likewise having a roll in a puddle to have a clean or to cool off. All perfectly ordinary.

Now, for the professional roller, such things are merely rehearsals for the real thing! Not for them some benign mud or water. A dedicated roller will either seek out or significantly divert their path to find something organically marked (poo) or deceased. Fox poo is a common one in these parts.

Scent hounds, of course, are by their nature beguiled by odours. A bloodhound’s long, floppy ears even help to catch and waft the tiny odour particles into their face to help maintain the tracking. Breeding and evolution are powerful things… But your dog doesn’t have to be a scent hound to be really attracted to the stinky stuff. So why is this?

Scent as Information

We all know dogs live by smell, their nasal receptors amplifying the messaging to their brain to a degree us humans cannot remotely fathom. Odour carries a lot of information. This can be information about where the smell has been, where it has come from, literally what it is, or even who it is. A dog can be thoughtful, fearful or excited by a smell and the information it contains. Most of the time they simply process the information and move on (or leave their own scent before doing so). But some smells are so intense that it seems to awaken a more primal urge in a dog, and it is this we want to understand when we talk about the Roller. We don’t know exactly why of course because our dogs can’t talk (see question at the beginning!), but there are some good theories…

Motive

We always need to establish motive at the scene of the crime. Because we are talking about primal motives, let’s look at our domestic dog’s ancestors: wild canids and wolves. These theories can be complimentary, in other words, a wolf might roll in something stinky for more than one reason.

To Mask Their Own Scent. This idea is that when hunting prey, a wolf would disguise itself by rolling in something else that smells strong and not like a wolf. This doesn’t account for the prey still becoming alarmed by something stinky approaching, but still, there’s some logic to this idea.

To Leave Their Own Scent. Another theory is that a wolf becomes excited by the strong smell and therefore wishes to “join in” and leave their own scent on the dead thing. This would be to “claim” it as theirs’, perhaps ideally to return to it again and ward off other competitors. This too is logical, especially for carcasses. Probably less so for organic “inanimate” targets more commonly found today like fox poo. But marking that anyway might be satisfying.

To Convey Information. Wolves are pack animals and feed together. If one came across a carcass, rolling in the scent conveys the information back to the pack: “Hey, look what I found!” Or perhaps simply just to convey the information for its own sake: “Guess what I found!”

All these motives would potentially leave genetic markers in our modern pooches, no question. But there is also another possible reason:

They Like It. They just really enjoy or are excited about the smell. Do you need another reason? Let’s be honest, dogs are animals. They do a lot of things that humans find unpalatable, so why not?

Opportunity

How your dog behaves after the crime has been committed might give you some clues about the motive, but we still need the opportunity in the first place. Now we put our training hat on, because this is all about access to a resource, much like any other thing your dog may find desirable. We can train Recall, Wait, Leave and have an arsenal of diversionary techniques. We should do all these things anyway. But the most effective thing is managing the opportunity. You can’t see fox poo at a distance, fair enough, but when you do come across it, there is likely to be more in the vicinity. And it could remain ‘fresh’ for a few days. So next time, avoid that patch of grass!

Or if you’re on the beach like me, you might be able to spot the suspicious humps shallow-buried in the sand or recognise the suspicious profile. If you do see it before your dog smells it – that’s when you want to do a recall or a diversion. For me I didn’t clock it in time, but I have done before. So, let’s at least give ourselves a chance by being aware of our surroundings. (And keeping shampoo in the car.)

Be kind: we like different things

The most important thing is not to punish your dog or make them feel somehow ashamed. Yes, we might find it absolutely not funny at the time (maybe funny later). But your dog will only understand that you are angry and not associate this with the primal thing they are programmed to do. At the other end of the scale, but less likely, is to reward them for doing this by somehow adding to the excitement. Remember your dog will be in a very aroused state with that smell now on their coat. So having bitten my lip, I remained calm when I put the lead on and led my dog for a bath in the sea. Oh, look at you! Okay, let’s play a different game now and have a wash.

Incidentally, why do you like doing that?

So back to our question, what would be the first thing you ask them?

Categories
training

Eastside Tails

Dog Comms

Part 1: Our Tone of Voice

How does our tone of voice affect our communication with our dogs?
Dog and owner in countryside with speech bubbles communication tone of voice blog

This is the first part in an occasional series looking at aspects of dog communication. We will be looking at signals between humans and dogs in both directions and also of course dog to dog. Although body language is always top of the list, I am starting with our tone of voice when we address our dog, because this can be the most overlooked.

I was recently training with a couple and their dog responded quite well when person A asked their dog to do something. Person B suggested they could not elicit the same response. Intrigued, I suggested we swap over and try. The first thing I was looking for was actually their body language. Were they setting their bodies in the same way, or unwittingly transmitting different signals? They were indeed. The next thing was were they actually using the same word or words? (Surprisingly easy not to do this!) Yes, they were. With both those boxes ticked, and it was obvious to see, we are left with one thing: tone of voice.

Old School

Thankfully the old school way of doing things has long been debunked: shouting at your dog or “ordering” in a tone that suggests a threat. Many times I’ve seen a dog respond to a verbal cue not because they’re fine with it but because they are actually intimidated. Reining back our tone of voice is a more common scenario for me than taking it up a notch. At the other extreme though we can also over-compensate. And feel we have to ask our dog to do or not do things in the same tone of voice as if we were whispering sweet nothings to them snuggling on the sofa. So, is there a middle ground here?

Calm and Control

The answer is yes, but it depends. We need to ask ourselves two questions and your answer to each of them will tell you how your tone of voice is shaping (or not!) your dog’s response to you. We’ll look at both questions but first let’s briefly consider my golden rule. Whatever your unique tone of voice and regardless of the scenario, does your voice imply Calm and Control? This should not be mistaken for some misplaced idea of Dominance. By control I mean control for both of you, not just of your dog.

I’m suggesting our own behaviour should exude Calm and Control. I feel calm and I have this under control.

Does a panicky or shouty or angry voice suggest this? Absolutely not. Does your dog pick up on this? Absolutely yes. But what kind of voice exudes both these elements? Well, it can be both a gentle, soft voice, and also a firmer, more confident voice. (Note how I choose my words.) Which one it is depends on our answer to our two questions which we will now look at.

Q1. What vocal tone does your dog normally respond to?

This might sound silly. Of course he listens to my voice! But I’m talking about the more subtle variations. When I’m training, I always talk about asking rather than commanding your dog, because building trust is a key element of my training. And to build trust, we want your dog to want to listen to what you are saying. Not be afraid of your tone of voice for starters.

So if you are struggling with your dog’s response to your voice, think of the two C’s (Calm and Control), take a deep breath, and experiment with the same word like a Sit – making sure you reward each time. Observe your dog’s body language and how they look at you when you vary your tone from soft to a little firmer. You will find you should not have to ask too hard, and your default tone of voice should be on the softer side. We want to find the sweet spot.

If you do find your dog only responds to an aggressive tone, this will be because either the Sit is not trained in properly and they are trying anything to try to placate you, or you use that tone of voice for everything. In both of those cases, it’s time for a change.

Q2. What’s the emotional temperature?

In other words, what tone of voice does the situation merit? Advocating force-free training doesn’t have to mean we aren’t allowed to raise or firm up our tone if required. Our dogs actually expect us to. Because they do it themselves with their own vocal communication. They absolutely understand a changing tone and timbre. Lower, deeper growling and barking for example is a more serious level. Conversely, sometimes it might actually be more effective to go the other way and lighten our tone. Let me give you two of my own examples.

Same scenario: it’s dark, it’s raining outside, it’s bedtime, and the dog hasn’t toileted since the afternoon. Ugh! Same cue I use: “Let’s go outside”.

Variation One: the dog is fast asleep on his cushion and exudes an aura of having no intention of going anywhere at this moment. Rather than my normal and neutral tone of voice, I will actually whisper it near his ear, with a big “?”. I can see his eyes open and the brain engaging with the idea, whereupon I may add in my “pee” cue and repeat the whispered question. Almost always works!

Variation Two: if the above falls down, or more usually if he is wide awake and aroused with other things, my tone of voice will lower. This time I’m dropping the “?” and leaving no doubt: we are going outside! Unquestionably a statement of fact, issued in a lower, moderately louder tone of voice, is more effective for this emotional temperature.

This doesn’t imply males, females and children should all try to emulate the same unnatural scary voice – not at all. A dog is very adept at recognising subtle changes in your tone. If your tone is naturally quiet and high, simply lower your tone and raise your volume one notch. Subtle but unmistakable. If you are already boomy and scary with the everyday things, you have no room to go. Only sounding more desperate, panicky, or even aggressive. And that’s no way for you or your dog to live. It’s exhausting.

Balance in everything

It’s the same thing when we use a “Wait” or a “Leave”: my Wait means business if I am sensing real danger as opposed to simply hang-on-a-minute. But I’m not shouting or being aggressive, simply lowering my tone a notch, emphasising the syllables in the word. Your dog appreciates clarity and should respond in kind. We just need to keep a balance. And if our default voice is mild, we can maintain that trust. And we have room for variation when it really is needed.

Categories
training

Eastside Tails

Too Much Information!

Are you confused by the scale of accessible training information in popular media?
cartoon stop graphic with star too much information blog
We never had it so good

Information. It used to be just the internet, DVDs (remember them?) and of course books. Now we have social media, forums, podcasts, YouTube videos, and recently AI. The wealth of information available to us all is frankly staggering. And in some ways, it should be welcomed, for obvious reasons. In terms of specific areas like dog training, the same thing applies. There are some great trainers out there for advice, and even AI (I have been testing!) can make some helpful suggestions. But when does information become too much information, a hinderance rather than a help? How do we know what is good or bad information?

Information or knowledge?

For me knowledge is applied information. It’s one thing to know how to teach your dog ten different cues, but is their application appropriate for the dog in front of you? Is the way they can be taught beneficial to the dog’s general well-being, or is it aversive punishment in disguise? How do you know if the trainer on the telly or YouTube actually advocates violence against dogs? Some of the more famous unapologetically do so. Others promote psychological violence which is insidious and can also have devasting consequences. Even for professionals, it can be difficult to make informed decisions about these things. What is appropriate, what is actually not force-free, and so on? Confused? Read on!

The Dog in front of you

I was once on a practical course with the IMDT (Institute of Modern Dog Trainers). One of the best things I truly grasped was to learn from the dog in front of you. We studied lots of techniques for teaching different things, of course. But then we applied them individually in group settings with lots of different dogs. My instructor would observe and encourage me to adapt to how a particular dog was coping or not coping with something. Essentially I was learning to have the confidence to think on my feet. I had the know-how of doing a technique, but shaping it for a specific dog was taking it to another level.

Sure, you can find a Look At Me or a Stay technique on YouTube. Sounds good! Looks easy! But would you know that for a passively anxious dog, these seemingly benign things which may involve intense eye contact or a raised hand, can have awful consequences? Or your dog might be easily distracted, or a little reactive, perhaps. That’s not the one in the trainer video! One-size-fits-all learning? I don’t think so.

Wrong or conflicting information

Many people get in touch with me who actually have a good grasp of dog training. They may have read a lot of books or follow a favourite trainer on social media. I love that. I read and follow trainers too, just like anyone else. They might have taught their dog something using a very precise and “correct” technique. But often they are getting in touch with me because it isn’t really working.

This could be because out of the 5 ways we can teach a Down, they unwittingly picked the sixth one which I would never succeed with either. Because sometimes advice can simply be bad. Wrong. But how were they to know? Or it could be for a more subtle reason. The “Look” technique might be confusing their dog with an eye contact exercise they are also doing which is very similar (but actually very different). Here the information is conflicting. And this can be the hardest thing to realise if you are training on your own.

Good information, but how do we apply it?

When we are trying to address a behaviour, we are usually trying to re-shape that behaviour on an emotional level. To do this, we need to be very careful about diagnosing why your dog is barking, for instance, because an incorrect diagnosis will lead down us down the wrong path. Can AI or a video tip do this? Not really, because we are talking about the dog in front of you.

Or another way is to introduce an alternative behaviour, often by stringing together a sequence of “obedience” cues that form part of our strategy. But which cues are appropriate for your dog? And in which order? I am not generally a fan of a sit and a spin after a recall, but with certain dogs this might be a great idea to keep the engagement with you that little bit longer.

And it’s one thing for a dog to know how to make the right choice when asked to do six different things (and it looks impressive, sure). But in everyday life that dog may be struggling to cope with pretty much everything. What we might need here is guidance on how we apply all these amazing things we know. Before our brains explode with too much information! It’s all about the dog in front of you.

How trainers help

Professional trainers should be able to cut through the noise of too much information, and see truly the human and the dog in front of them. It’s their job. What might apply for one dog certainly won’t apply for another, even if we are trying to address a similar problem on the surface.

And sometimes it’s just a case of overthinking things. Our brains go into overdrive with too much information.

Training is a conversation

If you are going it alone, there is a lot of information at your fingertips about what to do to start training in something. But what happens next? Is your dog not understanding what you are trying to teach, or are they reacting differently from what the training manual says they should do? It’s always about the next step, it’s about adapting like I had to on that course. And to know what comes next. So let’s start the conversation!

Categories
ownership training

Eastside Tails

Lockdown Dog Generation – how big is the Problem?

Puppies adopted during the lockdowns are now fully grown 2-4 year dogs: are we now seeing an epidemic of problem behaviours?
close up of worried looking cocker spaniel puppy lockdown dog generation blog
What the studies are telling us

A recent study by the Royal College of Veterinarians* (RCV) has received a lot of media attention (*links at the foot of this post). Its findings and conclusions will no doubt be familiar to many dog owners, namely that a lot of dog owners are struggling to cope with their pet’s behaviour, to put it mildly. And for those of you who have come across the excellent annual PDSA* PAW report, it’s old news: their comprehensive survey has revealed the extent of the issue for the past three years. (The People’s Dispensary for Sick Animals is a wonderful charity, by the way. And their enlightening annual PAW report is published every spring).

In a nutshell, the RCV surveyed over 1,000 dog owners who adopted puppies in 2020-2022 and found that almost all owners had at least one issue, and for the majority of them, their dogs had up to five “problem” behaviours. One in five had eight or more, and nearly one in three listed separation anxiety as a significant issue. Quite staggering numbers when you think about it. The most common problem behaviours were pulling on the lead, jumping up at strangers, and lack of recall. From my experience I can also anecdotally add accepting visitors into the home as a common problem. Hardly surprising when you think a puppy’s formative months were likely spent with no visitors being allowed in their home during a lockdown.

Aversive “training” is still more common than you think

As a trainer, the most worrying aspect for me was that although most owners reported using at least one form of positive reinforcement such a praise, four in five reported using what would be called aversive or punishment techniques or equipment. This includes everything from choke chains and e-collars to pushing, shouting at, or domineering behaviours. And it seems the majority of those people are suffering in silence. Either simply giving up and rehoming the dog. Or living with these problems, settling for a pretty awful life for both dog and owner.

Is this all because of the lockdowns? Or is it a wider societal problem – a direction we are heading with fills me with foreboding? Is it all bad news, and what can we do?

A perfect storm

Many things have been said about the effect of a generation of lockdown dogs, and I won’t rehash the detail here. But we had a perfect storm of a lack of socialisation opportunities, restricted access to professional training help, illegal or grey market puppy supply that flourished under these conditions, and stay-at-home newbie pet parents who would one day be going back out to work after all. Add onto that a post-pandemic economic climate that was and remains very challenging for many people. Stress all around.

Puppies and dogs need to be socialised into routines and if those routines have to change (daddy gotta go to work!) then they need help to train them into the new routines so they are not so scary. And there is a lot of fear out there: dogs scared of their owners leaving, visitors entering their house, strangers walking outside…

If these dogs are being punished for their fear by being shouted at (or worse), then it is no wonder that we are making the problem worse.

The Rescue carousel

And consider the fact we added 2.5 million dogs into our households between the springs of 2020 and 2022. The total in 2024 now stands at around 11 million households who own at least one dog (officially). So for any given ratio of “problem” behaviours, it is now being magnified just by the significant increase alone in dogs.

It doesn’t take a huge leap of faith to see that with more dogs in circulation, and more of those having behaviour problems, then more are going to be rehomed (or worse). Well-meaning rescuers are taking on dogs with behaviour “problems” that have never been trained, and are often unable to cope. Sometimes, it just doesn’t work out. This, despite the best and kindest of intentions.

Pandemic, or just modern life?

A key question is did the pandemic really cause this, or simply magnify societal changes anyway? I think it’s both. Modern life is continually re-inventing itself in faster and faster ways. There seems to be little patience for anything. Screen-scrolling, next day deliveries, no tolerance for alternative views, the “insta” effect of appearance over substance…. How does dog ownership really fit into this? Dog training comes with the internet, YouTube and Channel 5? The survey highlighted a really interesting point: so many people “fell” into dog ownership for the first time, with unreasonable expectations of how easy it is for a puppy to be “compliant”.

Someone said to me about their puppy, “He didn’t come with Recall”, only half-jokingly.

We buy flat-pack furniture and pay for someone else to assemble them. We buy cars on the internet without physically seeing them first. And it seems a lot of us buy puppies “off the shelf” too.

Here’s where Force-Free training comes in

A foundation for my work is helping owners understand that their dog is not “bad” or “naughty” (Channel 5 take note). I dislike these adjectives because it both reflects and reinforces a certain mindset. Once we grasp the idea that our dogs either have never even been taught – properly –  to know any better, or are trying to communicate with us that they are stressed out, I see a light come on in an owner’s eyes. And it’s a wonderful thing to behold. A huge cloud lifting.

We can approach everything with sympathy and love, not punishment or dominance, which is so, so tiring.

I am not talking about embracing your inner hippie. I am talking about modern, proven training techniques that help you truly understand and bond with your dog. Enriching your life.

Some people do take their dogs to training, and should be applauded for this, but perhaps have unrealistic expectations. So many other things in life are box-ticking, and dog training is not one of them. Raising a child takes love, dedication and hard work. So does raising a puppy or helping an older dog. The good news is, not nearly so much!

A New Hope?

And I also see hope. First of all, we are admitting we have a problem. It’s now mainstream news. And with public awareness, it becomes easier to become enlightened or to know where to go to educate ourselves. But let’s not rest on our laurels and think, well, it’s on the BBC now, so it’ll be sorted. Re-share the links on social media, told you so, job done.

No, this should come from the ground-up, because the mainstream news is removing shame for anyone struggling. If you are struggling, you will suffer in silence if you think it’s only you. But it isn’t! As dog owners we should talk to each other. One of the dog community’s greatest strengths is it transcends other boundaries.

At least for the majority of us, we have dogs because we enjoy their company and respect them, and this common bond should bring us closer together.

Chatting in the park is commonplace. Obviously, some situations can become confrontational because of a dog’s behaviour. But where appropriate we need to communicate with each other that there is help out there.

Secondly, I think there is longer-term hope because of evidence of a shift in attitudes with the newer generations. The data is showing just this.  Amongst Gen Z and Millennials, for example, there is a greater tendency to regard their dog as an equal and companion, rather than as a robot or an inferior that should be “compliant”. There is much more interest in the detail of canine psychology, training, welfare, “happiness” and attention to diet. This is the new, younger generation of dog owners.

In the meantime, we need to get on top of the problem, because it affects us all. If you struggling, however old you are, or your dog is, please ask for professional help. Imperatively from a Force-Free trainer. We are here for you!

Pandemic puppy owners still struggling with their dogs’ behaviour, survey finds | Dogs | The Guardian

Pandemic puppy owners struggle with bad behaviour say vets – BBC News

PAW Report – PDSA

Categories
training

Eastside Tails

A Question of Trust

The mutual trust between you and your dog is the foundation for force-free training, but what exactly does this entail?
cartoon of dog lying on couch talking to doctor trust blog
A new thing experienced through your dog’s senses

Recently I found myself outside my normal comfort zone by having to use a muti-storey car park, and this proved the case for my dog too. I was reminded why I am thankful I don’t have to use them very often. The spaces always seem too small, and I always seem to end up on the highest level, which usually says “Level 4” even though we seem to have made those tight-turn ascents at least eight times. If my dog wasn’t car sick before, he probably was now. I know I didn’t feel great. And then of course we had to get down to ground level.

We confidently marched towards the exit where we weighed up our options. It only now occurred to me that using a lift would be a new experience for my dog. He seemed relieved enough to be out of the dizzying metal box on wheels. So I thought we should try a new metal box if he was willing to go in when those silver doors magically open…

The first thing we saw was the huge mirror on the opposite wall of the lift. Luckily there is no phobia for my dog with this, but it was a disconcerting start. He checked and re-checked our doppelgangers… Then the floor felt funny, it was very gently moving from side to side! This initiated immediate suspicious sniffing. Lastly of course we started moving down. My dog immediately dropped down then raised himself halfway in a sort of confused play-bow. Think about it: the floor could not be trusted – the very ground he was standing on. Before my instant regret could take hold, he seemed to gather himself, wagged his tail slowly and the doors soon opened. Once on solid ground – a good sniff to check it out to make sure, and we were off.

We shouldn’t take Trust for granted

With some relief the comedy of the moment wasn’t lost on me. And whilst making a mental note to add lifts to my puppy socialisation programmes,  something else occurred to me. We make dozens of decisions every day, especially when out in public, that either erode or reinforce trust. Life is not perfect and it’s an ebb and flow. But our goal should be for our trust account to be in credit by the end of the day.

Why is this important? Because trust is the Holy Grail of bonding with your dog:

  • Your decision either erodes or reinforces the trust your dog has in you. If it’s the right one, your dog is more likely to go along with you the next time.
  • You need to trust your dog to make the right decision when you are asking them something, such as a Recall. That way they feel satisfied, empowered, and confident. This what a “trained” dog looks like. (Not an “obedient” robot.)
  • Taken together, you can both make the right decision as a team, because you have complete trust in each other. Each correct decision reinforces your bond.
When Trust breaks down

Let’s think about an example of a leash-reactive dog. When they react to a trigger and pull and bark, we need to listen to what they are trying to tell us. In the case of a fearful, anxious dog, they are saying “I don’t like this, make it go away”. They are overwhelmed. Unfortunately the decision that is often made here will be the wrong one: continue towards the trigger, even closer, to get past it, or worse, to berate our dog for embarrassing us in public. Well, we just blew a huge hole in our trust account. The dog is left thinking, “Why did you put me in that situation? I’m so scared”. So guess what will happen next time? It will only get worse.

Another example is a “yappy” dog on a crowded beach. There are too many people. There is too much sensory input. The ground is hot…

Flooding our dogs does not mean “socialising” them and is guaranteed to germinate a seed of discomfort into a full-blown phobia.

Bang! There goes that trust again, disappearing over the horizon.

Those small decisions with big consequences

We can also erode trust in the most seemingly banal ways. Moving your dog’s food or water bowl around on a whim, or their bed, is not a good idea. For a dog to feel safe and secure they need routine and consistency associated with their basic needs. They construct meaning in living things, places and events in a positive way, as long as the other things are equal. So the water bowl stays where it is! Sure, life can get in the way and sometimes things have to be moved around. This is fine, as long as the routine is quickly re-established.

Answering the question of Trust

I was fortunate with the lift – my dog was okay with it in the end. But if he had refused to go in, we would have taken the stairs. Or if he had reacted differently once in, then we were never going to go into a lift again without some training together. In that way, I could rebuild his trust in me that I’m basically a good guy, so when I ask him if he can do something else, it will still seem like a good idea. The best start we can make with force-free training is to be mindful of these small decisions we always make. How does our dog think about them? How does it shape their trust in us? You will know in your heart the answer to make the right decision. Trust is precious, hold onto it with all paws!

And wishing all my readers a peaceful and easier 2024…!

Categories
training

Eastside Tails

What is safe play?

Dogs playing together fulfils an important social need, but can you recognise when play is escalating into something less safe?
Safe play blog two dogs approaching each other on beach
Here’s a quiz for you!

Imagine two dogs playing together. Can you identify what would constitute unsafe play? This means that the play may be developing into fighting, not pretending. Only one answer is correct.

  1. The dogs chase each other
  2. One dog seems more excited than the other
  3. They are grabbing each other’s necks
  4. They are performing air snaps (biting at the air)

Unfair you might say! If there are other things going on, all of them could be if-y. But indulge me. Pick one!

Chasing each other can be okay: often one dog prefers to be chased over another, or both dogs will take it in turns. One dog might seem more willing and engaged than the other – again this is okay if the play encounter is brief enough. Performing air snaps is normally okay too. This is a dog’s ultimate survival instinct and practicing their ability to self-defend. Biting empty air on purpose is a dog’s way of saying I can do this, but no way am I going to actually bite you.

So the answer is 3). Even two friendly dogs in the same household who exhibit this behaviour should be encouraged to play in a different way. It only takes a small increase in the jaw tension for this to start becoming dangerous. Nor can the other dog easily move away from this hold. It may not even be intentionally directed, i.e. aggressive, but merely from over-excitement. But if this is allowed to continue, at the very least the dogs will learn this to be an acceptable behaviour. If they then try this on another dog in the park, the outcome will likely not be a good one.

Try this one. Same question, what is unsafe play, but here, more than one answer is correct:

  • One dog uses body-blocking
  • One dog is always dominant and on top when the other is on their back
  • Both dogs are rather entangled with each other for more than a few seconds but both seem quite calm
  • One dog barks at the other’s face

The correct answer is all of them. If one dog uses their body weight to block the other dog’s escape, or to constantly pin it to the ground, this is not good. Neither are the longer silent entanglements: there can be skullduggery going on here but because it’s quiet, it may not be obvious. (A much noisier example but the same thing – think of a rugby scrum!) And even demand barking (play with me!) that is in the other dog’s face, well, that’s just rude and may elicit an aggressive response. Lower, aggressive barking: same thing, amplified.

A common question

A significant number of people I train have two or more dogs in the household (about 25% in fact). A question that often crops up during an assessment or training itself is regarding play. In other words, when the dogs play together and it seems to be getting increasingly out of control, at what point does the human intervene? Is the play safe? Is it safe for the human to break it up? The same thing applies to a single dog who enjoys playing with a buddy in the park. There is often an unspoken, questioning glance between the two owners as the play continues, develops and becomes more excitable: is this okay now, do you think?

Recognise safe play

The easiest thing to do is to recognise what safe play looks like. A common thread is that the play is roughly equal: both dogs take it in turns to be on top, chase or appear more ‘dominant’. So it’s a question of balance. Chasing itself or being on top is okay, as long as the dogs swap roles. It will never be exactly 50/50, but don’t settle for more than 60/40.

The other thing to do is recognise your dog’s body language. And this is why play is so good for training yourself to learn your dog’s emotional state by their body language. When you are outside you can still do this when you are chatting to the other owner. But let’s pay attention! Fun and safe play that might be okay for a few minutes does not become okay if one dog decides they have had enough. Things to look out for here would be when one dog shows submissive behaviour:

  • Repeatedly rolling on their back
  • Lowering their ears against their head
  • Averting their gaze
  • Making their body smaller: lowering themselves close to the ground
  • Moving their tail lower or between their legs (more extreme)
  • Trying to move away (Flight)

By proxy, if the other dog is pretty much doing the opposite: blocking access, making their body stiffer and larger, and so on, it is time to stop.

Another time to stop is when one dog starts a warning rather than a submissive behaviour: beginning to growl (or growl lower), bark, and so on.

What about puppies?

An important aspect of socialisation is for a puppy to learn for themselves how to read another dog’s body language and listen to their vocalisations. Play is hugely important not just as an outlet but also for their social skill development. A more mature dog will often tolerate a puppy play-pestering them and then tell them enough is enough! This is a highly valuable scenario for puppy learning, but do make sure you know the other dog and that the play here is closely supervised by both owners.

How long is too long for safe play?

I am generalising here but two dogs playing outdoors for longer than five minutes, or two dogs from the same household for longer than ten minutes, need a Time Out! Why?

  • Think about where YOU are in this triangle. The longer and more intense play becomes, the less significant you are.
  • Even with the most benign intentions, dogs can over-arouse themselves into a more frenzied state, and here you will have a problem. The longer play goes on for, the more likely this is to happen.

So it’s healthy to intervene and suggest a break.

How do you intervene?

It’s never advisable to try to get between two dogs playing. And chasing them or moving towards them will be ineffective. Guess what, they are having a good time and they are usually faster than you!

If you are out in public, using one or all of a Recall, Wait, This Way etc. along with a reward will go a long way, as will moving yourself away from your dog in the other direction.

If you are home, it is a perfect time to first try another distraction with some toys and/or a treat reward for a Sit etc. It’s actually good training (obedience under distraction) but it’s also important to let play re-commence so your dogs do not always associate your intervention (i.e. you) with always meaning play stops. No fun!

When you do have to stop it, whether outside or inside, do give them a treat for doing something else instead. And for when you are outside, remember your dog will be highly aroused. They may want to run up and play with the very next thing they see. And that thing may not be their best buddy this time! So lower the temperature for them with a short lead walk or just a calming minute being with them.

So as long as you know what to look out for, let the safe play begin!