MIND OVER MATTER: Part Four
 How Life Outside the Obedience Ring
Affects Performance Inside the Obedience Ring
 

            It's interesting to note how a handler's relationship with his dog in "real life" (a.k.a. life outside the obedience ring) affects obedience training and competition.  If your personality, temperament and lifestyle are not compatible with, or do not complement, your dog's personality and temperament, then you may find yourself facing some difficult training situations. 

            I've recently helped several students and other instructors work through problems with obedience exercises that were actually symptoms of relationship problems between the handlers and their dogs.  In one case, I received a phone call from another instructor, asking for help in solving a sheltie retrieving problem.  It seems the sheltie had been working on the forced retrieve for several months.  The dog was doing fine reaching for the dumbbell in the air, but totally refused to pick the dumbbell up off the ground.  The instructor said they had tried "everything," from single ear pinch to double ear pinch to food and motivation, with no results.  I asked for a description of the dog's body language when the dumbbell was in the air vs. when it was on the ground.  With the dumbbell on the ground the sheltie developed "brain lock:" my name for "eyes glazed over, totally shut down, no one's home."  The handler had "lost" her dog mentally--a common dog reaction to too much stress.

            I then asked about the handler's personality:  Young woman, 20's, student, still lives at home, rowdy younger brothers & sisters at home, loud & overbearing parents.  Handler is very domineering, loud voice, strong eye contact, very demanding.  Next, I inquired about the dog's personality:  lacking in self-confidence, low energy, easily overwhelmed at home--in fact the dog chose to spend most of its time at home in its crate in the handler's upstairs bedroom. 

            It then became obvious that the dog and handler didn't have a retrieving problem; they had a relationship problem.  The dog was living with and being trained by one of the most domineering pack leaders a dog could find.  The handler's normal commands overwhelmed and over-intimidated the naturally submissive dog (strong eye contact, loud voice, forceful body language).  What the handler considered petting and praise, the sheltie found uncomfortable (too physical).  At home, everyone towered over the dog, intimidated the dog, so the poor dog just withdrew. 

            I recommended that this instructor tell her student to forget the retrieve for a couple weeks and just work on building a relationship with her dog.  I suggested the handler whisper to the dog, stop making direct eye contact with and towering over the sheltie, soften all physical contact and spend a lot of time sitting on the floor letting the dog climb all over her.  In other words, I suggested the handler portray more submissive body language, thereby increasing the dog's self-esteem.   I also recommended that the handler have a serious discussion with her family about their interactions with the dog.  Within 48 hours there had been a total change in the dog.  It was no longer hiding in the crate and was much more solicitous of its handler's praise and attention.

            I cautioned this instructor to be careful when returning to obedience work, and the retrieve in particular.  I suggested backing up a bit, then progressing forward, using MILD corrections as necessary, limiting the number of repetitions and preventing the dog from "shutting down" by giving the dog lots of opportunities to succeed.  If an ear pinch was necessary to make the dog retrieve 12 inches, then the following retrieve should be 6 inches so no pinch was required.  Within a couple of weeks the dog was retrieving full distance and over the high jump.

            I also recommended the handler find something that the dog considered "praise" and worth working hard for.  It amazes me at the number of people who "praise" their dogs into withdrawal or avoidance.  My definition of "praise" is anything the dog finds enjoyable and rewarding: food, toys, tug-of-war, scratching of the chest, jumping up, etc.  However, I believe "praise" should require handler involvement.  Throwing a toy for a dog to retrieve is not praise--it's a release that takes the dog's attention off the handler.  I may throw a frisbee for my dog at the end of a training session, after we've quit working together, but never in the middle when I want to the dog to continue interacting with me.

            A dog should look happy during this "praise" session--not withdrawn.  I see a lot of handlers who think they are praising their dogs, and judging from the dog's body language, the dog doesn't agree.  The handler is rubbing or pounding on the dog's body and the dog is pulling away.  I also see handlers who praise their dog for ignoring them.  I never pet or praise a dog that is not paying attention to or interacting with me.

            Neither the handler nor the instructor realized how deeply rooted this poor sheltie's retrieving problem was until I suggested they examine the handler-dog relationship.  At one point this handler was considering giving up on this dog; now she has a happy working partner.   Given this handler's basic personality and chaotic household, this sheltie was probably not the best choice for an obedience prospect; however, if the handler is willing to make simple changes in her behavior toward her dog, then things should work out fine. 

            Another situation occurred with a student with a very manipulative male German Shepherd.  The dog's training was progressing nicely (through beginning Utility) on all exercises except group stays, where the dog would continually fidget and/or break while making direct eye contact with the owner.  We tried all types of positive and negative reinforcement including food rewards for staying, strong physical corrections for moving, etc., etc., and the situation was not improving.  However, interestingly enough, the dog did fine at home. 

            When typical training methods failed to produce results I asked the handler if I could visit her home and observe her relationship with her dog. We both knew her dog was dominant and controlling, although it was difficult for the handler to understand how her relationship at home with her dog could affect training, so a home visit was in order.  I also knew, as the handler had told me previously, that this dog was her "baby" as her children were grown and she'd had several GSDs during her life and had a love affair with the breed.  This dog was the most intelligent she'd ever owned, and she had put this dog up on a pedestal.

            During my one-hour visit I pointed out numerous minor interactions between handler and dog that constituted "handler manipulation."  In other words, the dog was manipulating the handler into letting it in and out the sliding door, playing ball on demand, giving dog treats and other forms of attention on demand.  The owner had never seen these interactions as being manipulative, until I started pointing out how her dog was pushing her around--everything was always the dog's idea--he was taking control of the pack.  At home, when he demanded attention he got it.  Now, on stays, he was moving and breaking to get her attention.  Because of his domineering personality, large size and high pain threshold our corrections were not a sufficient deterrent.  The positive reinforcement was not to his liking either...he wanted to play ball, run around, etc.

            I also showed the handler how her dog was dominating her through body language, including eye contact.  He was always the first to establish it and last to break it.  The handler didn't even realize she was playing the role of submissive pack member (by always breaking eye contact first) until I pointed it out to her. 

            The behavior modification that I recommended at home was simple:  observe the dog more closely and what he was demanding throughout the day.  The owner was only allowed to give the dog what he wanted (i.e. praise, ball play, to go in or out the door, etc.) if it was the owner's idea.  The dog was not allowed to initiate any interactions.  When he did, he was ignored for a few minutes until he terminated his request.  (When the handler first tried this the dog would sit and bark at her with direct eye contact for several minutes.  That subsided fairly quickly.)  A few minutes later the handler was told to command the dog to sit or down, then she could give the dog what he previously requested--but this time it was her idea, on her terms.  In addition, the handler was to watch eye contact and other body language signals--she was only to give dominant signals, never passive or submissive signals.

            This handler started to see a change in her dog within 24 hours of my visit.  He's still a loving, happy-go-lucky dog and wonderful companion, but now he's not so pushy and demanding, and his stay problem has been fixed.   He has become more attentive to his handler and his desire to please her has increased.

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            Handler-manipulation seems to be one of the most common relationship problems I see.  The dog has figured out how to push the owner's buttons.  The dog is in control and the handler is always reacting (usually ineffectively) to the dog.  If the dog is allowed to run the show at home, why should he relinquish control to the owner during training?   Dogs also manipulate handlers and situations in more subtle ways.  One of my students has a Golden Retriever who's much more into toys than training.  He can be a bit on the lazy side, but if you stay on his case, he eagerly complies.  In the early stages of training, whenever the handler released the dog he ran off and got a toy, happily entertaining himself--just like he did at home around the house.  The handler never thought this would be a problem--she thought it was great that the dog was so happy--but as she started to match the dog, this behavior carried over to the ring.  The dog's attention (and sometimes his body) wandered between exercises, and she had a hard time refocusing him at the start of the next exercise.  The dog had trained the handler to allow him to work with half a brain, and to spend more time thinking about toys than training.

            Now that this dog is on "toy deprivation" (He only gets to play at the very end of a training session.  When he's released between exercises he must "play" with his handler.) he's less distracted in the ring and more interested in pleasing his handler.  Prior to toy deprivation, this dog worked only for the reward of getting away from mom and entertaining himself with his toys.  Now that he's learned he has to give 100% effort in his obedience work--just because mom said to, not because there are toy breaks every few minutes--he's trying harder.  And now that he's learned to play with mom when he's released, he finds that equally as enjoyable as running away to play with his toys. 

            Another dog I know is an extremely bright border collie who's a fantastic flyball and agility dog, as well as great obedience dog.  When this dog first started obedience training, that was his primary activity, and he worked with great interest and enthusiasm.  Then his handler also became interested in flyball and agility, and for many months the dog trained for all three activities simultaneously.  As his flyball and agility skills improved, his obedience work fell off.  From the dog's point of view, flyball and agility were much more fun than obedience, and given his choice, he'd rather not do obedience--he'd rather be a party animal.  His handler had to make a choice.  Did she want an all-'round dog that was above average in three activities, or did she want to concentrate on one at a time so the dog could excel in each activity?  Today, this dog's flyball and agility activities have been restricted--until he's earned the rest of his obedience titles--and he's back to HIT obedience performances.  Since obedience is once again his primary activity his attitude and enthusiasm for his work are back to where they were when he first started.  Other dogs might be able to excel in three activities simultaneously, but this dog couldn't, so his handler reprioritized her goals.

            I also know a HIT/HC UD lab who's rather manipulative.  When it comes to playing ball, he has tremendous energy and enthusiasm.  When it comes to obedience, he gives the impression of being one tired soul.  He's a lazy worker, and to get out of doing obedience he likes to make his handler think he's exhausted and bored.  If she gets on his case, however, and says "you WILL do this with speed and enthusiasm" he does--with a big grin on his face. 

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            I've seen handlers whose personality was incompatible with their dogs have numerous training problems that could have been avoided.  I've seen domineering handlers with emotional problems take happy, self-confident dogs and turn them into neurotic animals, totally lacking in self-confidence.  Many of these types of handlers aren't happy with their personal lives and they (the handlers) come from abusive homes.  Subconsciously these handlers are not satisfied unless their dogs are having severe training problems.  (Perhaps the handlers feel they don't "deserve" a good dog, so they take a good dog and make it go "bad."  Perhaps the handlers only feel "productive" when they are solving big training problems.  I don't know; I'm no psychiatrist...but I'll bet there's a link there somewhere!)  

            In most cases these were very soft, eager to please dogs with extremely dominant, demanding handlers with unrealistic expectations.  One very small dog had a fear of bigger dogs.  Rather than slowly building the dog's confidence with positive big-dog interactions, this handler forced the dog to heel, retrieve, etc., unnecessarily close to big dogs barking and growling in crates.  The handler never gave the dog a chance to be successful, and corrected the dog severely when it wouldn't obey commands near big dogs.  Avoidance resulted in even bigger corrections.  As a result, this little dog worked (it had no choice) with the constant look of panic and stress.

            The handler couldn't see the forest for the trees.  She saw all these minor training imperfections that would have gone away with time and confidence.  Instead, she corrected the dog into a deeper state of stress, and she became frustrated when the dog wouldn't work "happily" in these stressful situations. 

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            It's important to honestly evaluate your own personality and understand how your strengths and weaknesses effect your relationship with your dog and, ultimately, your obedience training.   Try this exercise:  Write a personality profile on each of your dogs.  Ask a friend or training partner for their opinion of your evaluation--just to make sure you're being objective.  For example: "Fido is extremely sweet and really tries hard.  But he's rather slow, mentally.  In fact, he's the dumbest dog I've ever owned.  He has a hard time chaining thoughts, and he can't do two things simultaneously.  That's frustrating for me, because I'm used to bright dogs.  On the other hand, Fido's lack of intelligence is a positive, because once he's trained, he's too dumb to invent new variations--he's very reliable.  And his high desire to please means he'll keep trying to get it right, no matter how many times we have to review something."  Now, if Fido's trainer re-read this profile every time she got frustrated with Fido's slow progress, she'd be more patient and she'd be able to look at each training challenge from Fido's point of view.  Hopefully, she'd then find the best (most simplistic) approach to train Fido.

            Another profile:  "Spot is an extremely intelligent dog, with a moderate desire to please.  Basically he has his own agenda in life--GIRLS.  He is very self-sufficient, self-confident, and does things to please himself--not to please me.  He seems happiest when I'm on his case all the time.  The harder I make things for him, the harder he tries and the more fun he has.   Spot's also very manipulative.  He'll do a recall and sneak a quick air scent.  If I ignore his sniff, the next time he'll blatantly sniff the ground.  He's continually testing me.  He's an exhausting dog to train."  Obviously, Spot's trainer has to work hard to stay one step ahead of him to keep him challenged, and she has to keep him honest or he'll take advantage of her.

            Profile your dog and compare his personality with your own.  Again, ask a good friend or training partner for some objective input.  You may not realize how domineering you are until your friend points it out.  On the other hand, it might take your training partner's input to help you realize your dogs are taking advantage of you!

            If you and your dog are not naturally compatible, then you're going to have to modify your approach to suit your dog's personality.  If you're a very soft trainer with a very tough dog, then you're going to have to develop the skills to become a stronger trainer.  In addition, you'll need to earn your dog's respect in daily life if you expect him to respect you in the obedience ring.  On the other hand, if you're a tough, demanding, domineering person with a soft dog, you must learn to control yourself in training.  You'll also need to help your dog become more self-confident and comfortable in his daily relationship with you, his pack leader.   

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            The next time you encounter a training difficulty with your dog, look past the training situation.  Evaluate your relationship with your dog, as well as his personality and outlook on life.  Since we can't sit down with our dogs and have a frank discussion about relationships, it's up to us to make the necessary modifications.  Keep in mind that dogs are still pack animals.  This hobby we call obedience training is just that--dogs obeying humans giving commands. 

            You may think your dog works for you because he loves you, or for the food rewards.  But, when push comes to shove, when there are heavy distractions and other opportunities for disobedience, your dog works for you because he has to.  Because he respects you.  Because he trusts you.  Because you're his pack leader.  On the other hand, if you're an unfair, overbearing leader, your dog will work out of fear.  Remember, your body language and your dog's reaction to it, your dog's body language and your reaction to that, as well as your day-to-day encounters and interactions with your dog may seem totally innocuous to you, but they are highly communicative to you dog. 

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