Hunting Dogs

Changing a dog’s learned or genetically inherited behavior is more difficult than shaping the desired behavior in the first place. During the dog’s first 20 weeks—the imprinting stage of its development—the pup is learning about the world: what works for it, what doesn’t and how to adjust to situations that are perceived as unpleasant. Both genetics and behavior learned through association may cause the dog to react to training or circumstances with behaviors that are less than palatable to the owner. Aggression toward people or other dogs is an example of a behavior that may be the result of a natural genetic propensity strengthened through an association of cause and effect. “Fixing” problems requires understanding animal behavior and throwing away the concept that dogs are people in fur coats.
Dogs are dogs. Dogs learn like dogs and respond like dogs. With this understanding of canine behavior, a high percentage of dogs can be rehabilitated and thus become better companions, family members and partners in the field.

Canine behaviors that owners wish to modify run the gamut from aggression to a fear of trying in a learning situation. Running away, acting aggressively and sulking are behaviors that dogs exhibit to avoid making an effort to respond to an owner’s cues. The dog needs to learn that flight, fight and fakery do not work for it. Responding in an acceptable manner is the only thing that will earn it a paycheck.
There is a common misperception that if owners show affection and freely offer treats, dogs will love them in return and try to please them by responding to commands or cues. Wrong. Such thinking won’t develop a dog that exhibits acceptable behavior with company, that does not chew the carpet, or that responds well to “Here” when chasing a pheasant toward the horizon. Only a program that incorporates proven dog-behavior modification and training methods will succeed in developing a well-trained dog.
Among owners, there are a number of dog behaviors that they typically wish they could change. Aggression and not responding to the recall command often are at the top of the list. Aggression may be directed toward people and/or dogs and includes growling, fighting and biting.
Excessive barking, timidity, blinking birds (purposely avoiding birds in an effort to avoid receiving correction), hard-mouthed retrieving and jumping on people are other common behaviors that challenge owners. Thousands of dogs have been euthanized merely because their owners could not modify undesirable behaviors. Barking is curable, as is jumping. Far too many dogs are killed by cars because they never have been taught that “Here” means they are expected to go to their owner immediately. By understanding behavior-modification principles, owners can develop new patterns that will benefit both them and their dogs.
Owners need to understand when and how to apply positive and negative reinforcement in order to establish or change behavioral patterns. An objectionable behavior displayed by a dog is the result of an owner’s unwillingness to teach the dog that that behavior will produce negative results.
The thought that a dog must be tail-wagging at each stage of training is pure fantasy. A dog may display a lack of confidence, confusion and apprehension immediately following the administration of a punishment. This is normal, and in a sound training program these symptoms are short-lived. Stopping one behavior and guiding the dog to a new behavior is the goal.
As a guideline, positive reinforcement is used to maintain and strengthen desired behaviors. Pretty simple. In teaching “Sit,” for example, in the initial stages of training we reward the dog every time it sits on command. Once the behavior is learned, we continue to frequently reward the desired response, as continued positive reinforcement strengthens a behavior. A dog will behave a certain way if it believes there is a paycheck coming. The paycheck may be an edible treat, a swim in a lake, a run in the field or a bird. The object in training is to establish an association in the dog’s mind that a particular behavior results in something good.
I used the word “punishment” earlier. There has been a trend in some dog owners’ circles to view this as a four-letter word; only positive reinforcement is preached. For these folks, a “negative reinforcer” is the key to extinguishing a specific unwanted behavior. A negative reinforcer can be the withholding of a treat for not sitting, for example. In theory the dog is being punished by not receiving the treat. This form of negative reinforcement can be effective in shaping behaviors in learning situations in a controlled environment, but it will not be effective in teaching a dog not to chase birds in the field.
When I use the term punishment, I am referring to a behavior (the cause) being followed by a consequence (the effect) that is meaningful enough to inhibit the dog from exhibiting the behavior in the future. Punishment is used to inhibit a behavior that is inherited, such as aggression. Putting a dog in the laundry room as discipline for fighting will not discourage fighting down the road. The consequences of fighting or biting must be meaningful to the dog if that behavior is to be changed.
Gary Wilkes is a renowned canine behaviorist. One method he uses as punishment is what he refers to as “bonking.” A bonker is a rolled-up towel. As soon as an unacceptable behavior starts, Gary says the word “No” and throws the bonker from about 10 feet away so it bonks the dog on the head. The dog is humanely and correctly punished. The rolled-up towel poses no risk of physical harm; it startles the dog and interrupts the behavior. This causes an inhibition to begin to form. Dogs inherently dislike being hit by thrown objects; thus, the bonker can be a very effective form of punishment. The consequence of being bonked each time the behavior is demonstrated eventually will inhibit the behavior. In most circumstances it does not require many bonks before the behavior stops completely. Bonking is effective at inhibiting jumping up on people, running to the door and barking when company arrives, and getting into the trash.
Once a behavior is no longer being demonstrated, it is crucial that the dog’s new behavior be reinforced with motivating rewards such as lavish praise and treats. In the learning stage, for example, when the dog clearly avoids the trash, a reward is a strong reinforcement.
Clear communication of information to a dog is mandatory to ensure the dog knows why it is being rewarded or corrected. In the example of applying punishment through bonking, Gary says the word “No” before throwing the towel. The “No” identifies for the dog the exact moment when a specific behavior is the cause of the effect that follows. It is equally important that we give a snapshot to the dog that captures and identifies in its mind which behavior results in a reward. We use the clicker to bridge the transition of time between when a behavior occurs that we wish to reinforce and the delivery of the reward. This is the same principle of clearly marking a specific behavior that applies to punishment in order to guarantee that the dog forms the intended association.
Barking can be inhibited in the same manner as aggression. The difficulty is that if the barking occurs when the owner is not there to bonk, variable reinforcement occurs. Bark collars are the most effective way to deal with barking. Good fences make good neighbors. Bark collars make better neighbors. Consistency in negative reinforcement is absolutely essential.
The absence of positive reinforcement such as the withholding of treats will not create an inhibition. In the case of aggression, we want to put up a barrier (create an inhibition) that stops the behavior from occurring even in situations that normally would trigger the behavior. A dog that runs to the door and barks excitedly in anticipation of jumping on a guest is a good example: The dog’s entire pattern of behavior in response to the doorbell can be changed with completely consistent, immediate, identifiable and inescapable inhibition. The word “No” marks the moment as the cause and the flying towel offers the inhibiting effect. If consistency and immediacy are a problem, practice with an assistant arriving at the door.
In rehabilitating the apprehensive dog —a dog afraid to make an effort—it is critical to create situations where the dog’s behavior earns it a paycheck. By using positive reinforcement correctly, new behaviors can be created. As the dog succeeds and is rewarded, its confidence grows. It becomes the master of its own destiny.
In my opinion, the most effective way to teach new behaviors is to incorporate clicker training (see “Clicker Talk,” March/April). Clicker training provides an incredibly effective way of communicating to the dog that what it is doing at that exact moment is the behavior that is sought. It is monumentally important that the desired behavior be reinforced.
Before fixing behaviors in the field, clicker and obedience training should be completed in the yard. If there are problems in the field, it is time to go back to the yard and begin to click and treat. It can only help.
Our recommended program for developing a puppy or to rehabilitate a dog is to establish new behaviors via click-and-treat training. Once the behavior is solidly established, we will introduce our working cues such as “Here,” “Sit,” “Whoa” and “Kennel.” Then we will introduce the dog to the e-collar. The e-collar is the final bridge to generalizing the command in the field.
Make sure the dog knows what is expected of it. A fundamental rule of training is that a dog should never be corrected or rewarded if it doesn’t know why the action is being taken. And be consistent!

Author’s Note: For more information on Gary Wilkes and canine behavior, visit www.clickandtreat.com.

For more training articles or information on the George Hickox School of Dog Training, visit www.georgehickox.com.