In October of 2007, we featured stunt dog trainer and performer Kyra Sundance’s book entitled 101 Dog Tricks. The excerpt we ran included instructions for training a dog to carry a purse, and we advised readers that they could easily be adapted to trick-or-treat bags! Kyra’s latest book, The Dog Rules, is about training ourselves in the process of training our dogs, fine-tuning our attitudes and intentions so we can create fulfilling partnerships with our canine companions. We hope you enjoy the following excerpt. To learn more about Kyra and to order a copy of this fun and inspiring guide, visit www.kyra.com. – Ed.
Halcy is an experienced circus dog, and frankly she is less wary of bears and elephants that she is of our cat. So being hired to perform in an “animal extravaganza” circus in Bermuda gave me no particular concern. Little did I know that this circus would test my dog’s trust in me to its limit.
When I arrived for rehearsal I was shown to my dressing room by the circus promote who, in a thick Bermudian accent, informed tme that I would be sharing with grizzly bears and “de caw-gahl fa Sa’fasisco who be flyin’ in fa de show.” Wait… did he say call girl? Did he say grizzly bears?
I took Chalcy to the circus tent, where I was bewildered by her fearful behavior. She didn’t want to enter the tent, and she startled at every little motion or noise. I carefully guided Chalcy around the tent, attempting to reassure her.
After an hour of largely unsuccessful desensitization, I spoke with the other animal trainers, who unanimously agreed that it was the pungent scent of the tigers from their morning rehearsal that was causing Chalcy’s fear. Apparently it is a scent that evokes intense fear in all animals. The monkeys, I was told, would refuse to perform unless considerable care was taken to change the sawdust and keep them away from the tiger area. Great.
I had hoped to keep the tigers hidden from Chalcy, but on the first day, minutes before our act, the inevitable happened: Chalcy saw the tigers staging outside the tent.
Desensitization had not worked, avoidance had not worked. The only tool I had left was trust. “Heel!” I said authoritatively. Chalcy skitted to the side, not taking her eyes off the tigers. Once more, “Chalcy, heel!” and I drew my left wrist to my side, stepping forward with my left foot. Chalcy instinctively stepped alongside me and walked by my side. Chalcy responded, trusting in my leadership as she had always done before, and performed as I asked her to.
It was only through years of developed trust that Chalcy was able to overcome an intense instinctive fear and have confidence in my judgment and ability to keep her safe.
At the end of the circus run I had my picture taken with Chalcy, one of the tigers, and the “caw-gahl.” (Who, by the way, turned out to be not a call girl, but rather a trick-roping cowgirl. Who knew!) I laugh at the picture because I am hugging Chalcy – and she is obeying me – yet leaning as far as possible away from the tiger. Gotta love her!
The foundation of our relationship with a dog, as with a human being, is based on trust. When your dog trusts you, he believes in your strength and truthfulness and feels safe in following your direction. He believes you know, and will do, what is best for him. Chalcy trusted in my ability to keep her safe and my commitment to doing so, even in the face of an instinctive predator. Without trust, your dog may feel the need to override your decisions and make his own choices.
When we create physical pain in the relationship we lose our dog’s trust. Love and fear are opposites, and if your dog fears you, he cannot love and trust you without reservation. Although aversive techniques and fear tactics have traditionally been used in dog training, we have to acknowledge their negative effects on our overall relationship with our dog.
Some dog trainers advocate teaching a dog to stop jumping on you by grabbing his front paws during a jump and squeezing them to cause a bit of pain. It works. The dog certainly won’t want to give you the opportunity to touch his paws again. But the next time you try to trim his nails, he won’t want to give you his paw. And when he has a pricker in his foot, he won’t want to give you his paw. He no longer trusts you. Was this quick-fix for jumping worth the injury to your relationship? Do you want a dog behaving out of fear, or a dog working for you out of pleasure?
To encourage your dog’s trust, do what is in the best interests of your dog, yourself, and your pack. Be dependable, honest, and fair, so that your dog may have confidence in your judgment and abilities. Be consistent and firm in your rules, yet kind and instructional in enforcing them, not punitive.
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