Jake's bad rap, poor guy

Notice no muzzle & he's right beside another dog but focusing on moi!

Jakey sure knows how to melt hearts!

I was digging around for background information on Jake and came across some behavioural issues with regards to snapping, that he bit his last owner and being told they use a muzzle when walking him.

Wow, that didn't describe the Jake that I've had in my care for the past month. I have not seen any snapping behaviour nor have I felt a muzzle was necessary. We're taking Out and About classes to teach Jake how to focus on a person and learn an alternative behaviour to lunging at certain dogs ( he's learning that if he's relaxed he can say hello, sniff and then be on his way but if he looks like he's tracking the dog, he is walked away, 'lets go" in a happy voice..no leash correction.  We then slowly work our way back,  at a pace where Jake shows no signs of stress, and can concentrate on what I'm asking of him.  Repetition is key. Positive associations of other dogs approaching is essential, so whatever it is in life Jake LOVES, it comes out when other dogs are around, goes away when they leave.

Jake has growled a few times but nothing more than a growl to warn you about his anxiety.

1- when Tiffany @ A Country Ranch went to open his kennel door to let him out in the morning he pushed himself to the back, growled and was shaking at the same time. she opened the door, sat on the floor and threw cookies and he came out on his own and went to her for reassurance

2- Francesca called him to come, and he obviously wanted to sniff more, so she went to get a leash to put it on him, and he growled at her, but she said his tail was tucked so far under his legs that she said he was afraid. She just talked calmly and clipped on the leash and then he was happy to come with her.

Both instances the growl let them know Jake needed their help to work through his anxiety. No snapping, no biting. All was resolved by their understanding his body language, and non confrontational methods to reassure him no harm would come.

I personally love dogs that growl, as it's their only way to let me know if they have anxiety about something. They growl when they're playing, if a scratch feels really really good....dogs growl for a number of different reasons, it's their way of expressing themselves. A way of communicating with us.

I'm not sure what type of training people have been using with Jake but I will be video taping our interactions to show people that sometimes all it takes is for someone to lead by example in a non confrontational manner using reward based training (making good stuff happen not making bad stuff go away) and those issues become non existent.

1-I use life rewards, treats, toys, going for a walk, cuddling, whatever the dog LOVES to do in exchange for polite behaviour from your dog ... what happens is that the dog repeats the polite behaviour as it is rewarding, so the undesirable behaviour is extinguished.

2-I also teach a dog to share by simply teaching "off" or "drop", 'trade" and "take" it cues and ALWAYS give them something of higher value when you take something away, or if you're asking them to get off the couch...so they learn that it's no biggie if someone comes close as there's something better on the way. I do not grab anything from dogs, as if I want something I just say the cue 'drop' or 'off" or "trade" and they're happy to oblige.

3-Counter-conditioning, desensitization, or asking your dog for an incompatible behaviour (ie. if the dog jumps up to say hello..........simply teach the dog to grab his favourite toy and bring it to you to say hello so he doesn't jump up) . These techniques change a dog's internal emotional state, and the non-confrontational methods keep the dog in a happy calm attentive = perceived "dominant' behaviour disappears.

If all a dog has seen is to be pushed around by a human, commanded, well.........some dogs can learn to diffuse the humans aggression (you read right) and frustration by offering up submissive behaviours. Other dogs react differently. It sounds like Jake falls in this category.

I do not use or find confrontational methods beneficial to building a trusting relationship with my furry pal. Maybe that's why I haven't seen any of the snapping or bite.

For those dogs who have not been taught to share and perceive the confrontation as a threat or just don't see the point in what is being asked and stand their ground....when confrontational methods fail....they end up at the vet's office as "idiopathic aggressive" dogs to be euthanized because the owners were misinformed and the dogs labeled as dominant and they need to be dominated = yanking, spraying lemon juice, squishing, scruff shaking....if I were a dog I certainly would not put up with that aggressive behaviour from humans, so I'm not surprised that dogs snap or bite in self defense.

These dogs are part of your family. They're not out to get you or have a master plan to over throw your home. They do what all dogs do, unless you teach them differently. If you use any sort of compulsion or force or fear, startle based hands on training, then a dog will only learn avoid your wrath in certain situations if you're lucky. The relationship will be limited to you enforcing the commands.

I've never physically, mentally, or emotionally tried to make them fear my wrath...the closest they come to being scolded is I'll say their name sharply then tell them what they should be doing. Once they do it they are rewarded with praise, treats, cuddles or life rewards. Their reaction to my sharp use of their name is one of pay attention as she's going to let me know what I should be doing instead.

They don't cower or anything fearful, they take note of their name and what I'd prefer them to be doing in the form of a "cue" , you can see that in two video's

1- "Jake gets his groove on" when Keegan starts to play to rough, I say "Keegan" "gentle" and the play continues nicely..Keegan doesn't cower or miss a beat playing, he just adjusted his playstyle...simple as that.

2-"Jake learning touch" when Taiki the pug is jumping all over trying to be the one to touch my hand. I say "Taiki" and he sits (a default behaviour ) and actually waits patiently after that for his turn to touch my hand and get a treat. He doesn't cower or look at all upset. He's just a bundle of happiness that needs to be reminded from time to time that the patient and polite dogs are the ones who get to interact first.

I am the keeper of all things tasty, fun, adventurous which they have access to in exchange for polite behaviours.  I use lure and shaping games to teach cues so I can communicate with them using handsignals and my voice.  No hands on the dog necessary, and with enough of a history of me being their source of everything wonderful...they naturally keep their eyes on me to ensure they're not missing out!  Simple as that.

This is all thanks to taking classes at Dogsmart, and attending seminars of Ian Dunbar, (www.dogstardaily.com), Patricia McConnell, Susan Garrett and reading everything I can from authors like Kathy Sdao, Susan Garrett, Pat Miller, Jean Donaldson, Ian and Pat's library, Karen Pryor and a host of others who have the same training mindset.

I wrote this to ensure that the people who are interested in Jake believe in the same training philosophy as I do as we have not seen any of the snapping or perceived "dominant" behaviour.

I don't mean to offend anyone, everyone is different and does what works for them. I can tell you that whatever training style that was used in the past did not treat Jake's issues.

What I have done so far, has worked. It would be nice to find a family that shares the same training philosophy and has time to continue the training so Jake can overcome his bad rap :)