Category: training

Dog Comms

Part 2: Dog-to-Dog Body Language: Ears

How do dogs interpret ear signals from each other?

This is the second 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. This month we are examining how dogs use their ear position to communicate.

Some dogs appear to get overly excited or aggressive at the sight of another dog. But not always. It can be perplexing. Sometimes owners tell me it’s difficult to fathom any pattern to this. And occasionally I agree! It can be a stronger than usual motivation to engage and play or equally a more aggressive reaction. Either way we are usually too focused on our own dog to notice the signals the other dog may be showing. Could there be some clues in dog-to-dog body language? Maybe their ears?

Often we can label things because we are so familiar with our dog’s perception: she doesn’t like black dogs, he doesn’t like bigger dogs and so on. But let’s take a moment to understand dog comms. Because often this can tell us what is making our dog excited or stressed, when it wasn’t so obvious before. A great starting point for this month is the ears.

Appearances alone

Appearances alone can be a powerful driver. Dogs of the same or similar breed can be very skilful at reading each other. Their anatomy is the same. They were born and raised by a mother who looked like them, as did their siblings. Their ears, tail, coat and mouth shape are the same. They use these to express their feelings and moods in the same way. Of course, dogs that are too similar in the same household can have competitive urges that can get out of control, particularly if they are of the same sex and similar age. But generally when seeing other similar dogs outside, they can at least read each other’s intentions well. Mishaps are less likely.

Through natural selection but particularly with managed breeding over many centuries, these days we now have a huge variety of dogs of all shapes and sizes. Different temperaments and skillsets too. But a powerful genetic constant from their canine ancestors is the way dogs use their bodies to communicate. This can’t be bred out and remains the same. Often we have bred a dog to look a certain way, and their appearance alone can sometimes lead to a breakdown in dog-to-dog communication.

Cocker Spaniel meets German Shepherd

A training instructor David Ryan talks about a real example to illustrate this, and here’s a short version. Two off-lead dogs in a park appear to each other 20 metres away, face-on. The spaniel is immediately alarmed at the shepherd’s appearance, especially those naturally pointy ears.

‘Why is this dog looking at me so alarmed and alert? This doesn’t look good. I’ll raise my ears too to show I am also on alert! Hopefully he won’t come any closer.’

The problem is the cocker’s long, floppy ears appear not to be raised, neither to her owner, nor to the shepherd. (They very subtly do lift, but her ears are so heavy and long it’s only barely perceptible close up.) To the shepherd, the spaniel’s ears are totally relaxed.

‘Hey’, thinks the shepherd, ‘you look pretty cool, think I’ll come over and say hello’.

‘Whoa’, thinks the spaniel, ‘those ears aren’t coming down and he’s coming over to me! This is really bad! Why is my human just standing there? I’ll need to take control and tell him to go away…’

Spaniel reacts aggressively, shepherd reciprocates out of surprise…

So here we have an incident based entirely on each dog innocently misreading the other’s intentions. Purely based on appearance, and a lack of fluency across breed recognition. A GSD’s ears always look pointy, a spaniel’s floppy. Of course their tails may have been telling a different story, but as they were face-on, this was by-passed. Both dogs had already made up their mind.  

But my dog’s ears are small/fixed

Of course different breeds have different anatomies and this can especially apply to the ears. And things like ear-cropping thankfully is illegal in the UK now and has been since the Animal Welfare Act in 2006. But because of selective breeding a lot of physical ‘manipulated’ ear traits continue to exist. Whatever, your dog’s breed or cross-type, you may find it difficult to read your dog’s ears if they are proportionally small or seem fixed in position. Your dog too will find it difficult to use them as an effective method of communication because of this, even though they will still be using those muscles to move them. But there will be subtle differences and changes you can notice if you observe your dog. Give it a go!

So what can ears tell us?

Here is general guide for what ear signals might tell us about our dog’s emotional state:

Erect ears

Alert, aggression, confidence, alarm, or intense listening

Raised ears

Curious, listening, confidence, intent, or playful

Lowered ears

Relaxed, tired, or playful

Low ears, flat against the head and/or ‘behind’ the head

Anxious, fearful, aggression (fear), or stressed

There can be subtle variations on this. And what your dog is doing with other parts of their body will complete the picture. But an important aspect of dog-to-dog body language is how they use their ears. The more you notice this, the better your understanding of dog comms. …Why they sometimes do the things they do…!

Three Basics of Training

The Foundation we can teach as a basis for change

“Where do I start with training my dog?”

Well, I can give you three basics of training. And this is a short post this month, because it’s actually quite a simple message.

I learned some useful ideas from an ex-police dog trainer called David Ryan. That sentence might surprise you, because you might think the words ‘police dog’ and ‘force-free’ don’t mix. Often they don’t! But the best dog trainers – who don’t believe in aversive methods – come in many varieties. He maintained that to change a behaviour, we need to have three things in our toolkit first.

If you can master these three basics of training, you have an amazing foundation. By master, I mean your dog being able to do them with distractions present. And from this foundation, many other things flow. So let’s get right to it.

1. Your dog needs to pay attention to you when asked.

It’s a simple thing isn’t it. You might use your dog’s name, or a specific cue like “Look”. Everyone says “Of course my dog knows their name!” But I wouldn’t take this for granted. Maybe they do ‘know’ it. But are they able to look up at you when you say it, no matter what else is going on? Can you get their attention when there is another dog in front of them? Or if they are aroused and animated with another sight or smell? To lead your dog away from danger, from something that is stressing them, or from disturbing someone else, we first need their attention. 100% focus.

2. Your dog needs to be able to Sit when asked.

Why do so many puppy classes start with the Sit? There’s actually solid reasoning behind this. Yes, it’s one of the easier things to learn. But when your dog performs a Sit, they are focussing on you. It’s a calmer poise rather than standing and jumping. It’s easier to learn other things by staying in place if their bum is on the ground. And above all, it’s the simplest, most powerful interrupter of another behaviour. Because they are now focussing on you, and in a calmer poise.

3. Your dog needs to be able to relax on a bed when asked.

A den, bed, or special place – call it what you like – is second only to food and water when we consider welfare. Welfare: safety and well-being. It is so important that a dog can truly rest, knowing they won’t be disturbed, distracted or stressed. And because we are there for guidance, it is important for us to be able to guide them there by asking. Either for safety (away from an open front door), or to help them settle if they are over-aroused (stressed).

Motivations

And there you have it, the three basics of training. And then we can introduce the magic. Because if we train in the right, positive way, our dog will find each one rewarding. If something is rewarding, they will be motivated to volunteer it. And not just when asked. So we can embellish the three basics of training:

To focus on you when they want something or are unsure about something.

To choose to maintain their equilibrium (calm) in their own way.

To seek out their bed or space on their own to rest.

But for now, let’s master the three basics of training.

Dog Comms

Part 1: Our Tone of Voice

How does our tone of voice affect our communication with our dogs?

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.

Too Much Information!

Are you confused by the scale of accessible training information in popular media?

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!

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?

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…!