The night before I sat down to write this column was “test night” for our students at the Dog Training Internship Academy. We run a four-month, part-time program for aspiring professional dog trainers. One component of our course involves students working with “project dogs” to teach increasingly difficult cues. This was our newest group’s very first experience of test night, so stress levels were a little elevated. In the weeks leading up to it, we talked a lot about the role that handler stress plays in derailing our dogs’ behavior. We talked about stepping back, taking a deep breath, and connecting with the dog in front of us. We’re not just training the dogs; we’re training ourselves, and that includes learning to reframe how we respond in stressful situations.
Forgetting to take these simple steps, students will often ask their dog to perform a well-practiced behavior at the start of the test, such as “down.” Often, the dog just looks at them blankly, sniffs the ground, or takes a moment to have a good scratch. The student is visibly tense—everything about his demeanor is different from a normal training session. They’re acting more formal, their voice sounds differently, they’re moving stiffly. The dog immediately picks up on it and backs away. Slowly. You can almost see the dog wondering “Hmm, have we met before?”
Why? Well, in training we are very aware of the important part the environment plays in influencing behavior. Locations like indoors vs. outdoors or busy neighborhoods vs. quieter neighborhoods play an obvious role, but we, the handlers, are an essential part of the dog’s environment, too. Changes in the environment radically alter behavior, and demeanor changes in the handler are no less influential.
Here’s another way to look at it: Ever been around someone who’s noticeably stressed out? How does that make you feel? You probably wonder what is causing the stress. You might even worry that it has something to do with you—did you do or say something to contribute to this person’s stress? Sometimes we don’t want to spend time with someone if they’re really tense; we make our excuses and bow out of the situation. When our dogs sense that demeanor change in us, how does that make them feel? How does that affect how they respond to our cues? And if this stress feedback loop can impact something as basic as a “down,” what effect must it have when we’re experiencing difficult behavior issues with our dogs?
Dr. Susan Friedman makes the simple and elegant point that if we want an animal’s behavior to change, our behavior must change first. Whether you’re getting up earlier to take your energetic dog out jogging, or readjusting your walk schedule so that you aren’t walking your reactive dog at “dog o’clock” (those times when everyone else is out with their dogs), you, the human part of this partnership, have altered your behavior so as to set your dog up to succeed. Finding ways to let go of stress when interacting with your dog is another example of changing your behavior so your dog’s behavior can change. If you’re experiencing a behavior issue with your dog, don’t let stress define your relationship. Seek out help in classes or private training. Do things to remind yourself how awesome your dog is: play games, teach funny tricks, reknit the bond that stress has been unraveling.
Our DTIA students’ experience testing with their first project dog is a valuable learning moment for them. Seeing firsthand how stress on their part can have an effect on their dog will make them aware of how the same thing can happen with their future clients. They will have more empathy and be better equipped to help their clients work through it. They will know how to teach others to step back, take a deep breath and reconnect. Because we’re not just training our dogs; we’re training ourselves as well.
Gee Hahn – CTC is an instructor at the Dog Training Internship Academy in San Francisco, a four month part-time program for aspiring professional dog trainers. Next session starts January 2016. For more information go to: dogtraininginternshipacademy.com
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Main article photo by: 123RF Stock Photo
