Zeus with his thunderbolt
Imagine this.
You volunteer at a shelter where you meet a dog that has, well, issues. You’re told she “blows up” over nothing. She bites you over a prized pig’s ear. She’s highly reactive to other dogs and strange humans she encounters on walks. She freaks out during lightening and thunder storms as if Zeus had hurled his thunderbolt directly at her. And, that’s the short list.
Shelter staff tell you she’s going downhill and will likely end up dead rather than adopted.
Still, you take a liking to this nervous dog with a short fuse. And, of all the problems that possess her, the one that captures your attention is that she’s reluctant to look at you.
Welcome to the second installment of John Visconti‘s story about Pepper and his determination to find a way to connect with her as the first step in their long, intrepid journey together.
How many other less wise trainers would have labeled Pepper as dominant and seen her as challenging their leadership? How many would have construed their interactions with Pepper as a contest of wills? What would have become of Pepper if that had been her fate? Thankfully, we’ll never know.
(Learn more about John and Pepper in the first post in this series here.)
Part 2: I’M SAFE, YOU CAN LOOK AT ME
Pepper: Before & after John came into her life
One thing that struck me about Pepper was her disinterest in making eye contact. I knew that she was not by nature, a shy dog, so I knew that wasn’t the reason. I don’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out reasons for why dogs behave the way they do because ultimately it doesn’t serve much of a purpose. Instead, I focus on behavior, without attaching meaning or values to it. What I did know is that I was not comfortable with her lack of eye contact.
While still at the shelter, I began to work with Pepper on making eye contact. To do so, I used a clicker. I am not by definition a “clicker trainer” but I knew I needed a unique marker.
Fortunately, since training was relatively new to me, I wasn’t bogged down by any baggage and prejudice that many experienced trainers typically associate with techniques they don’t use. If using Harpo Marx’s horn would have worked as a marker, I’d have been more than happy to utilize it. Other than using aversive techniques, I’d pretty much consider using anything as a tool if it proved effective without harming the dog.
I strongly believe in cases like Pepper’s, where the dog has almost become deaf to all means of contact, something new needs to be used. Also, she was, and still is, a dog that fixates easily. So I wanted a new, unique sound that would catch her attention. We know that foreign objects, strange contexts, and odd noises, capture a dog’s attention. If they didn’t, the species would probably be extinct.
In Pepper’s case, using the clicker made even more sense given the fact that a countless number of people had interacted with her. I assumed she had heard every possible sound, word, or yell. So, the clicker was my chosen tool.
Off to the back of the shelter property we would go because I knew the clicker was not an approved device at this shelter. As I mentioned in the previous post, trainers at the shelter relied on using aversives.
I first charged up the clicker by simply clicking and rewarding. Typical stuff. Once the click took on meaning, I would sit next to her without looking at her and wait. If she made even the slightest head motion toward me, I’d click and reinforce with a food reward. Animal Crackers were her fav.
At the same time, I clicker trained her to jump over branches that I held in my hand on a “jump” cue. I wanted to break up the association she had with the clicker so that it didn’t only come out when she was being asked to do something that caused her discomfort, namely, making eye contact.
After a number of visits, I was getting some eye contact so I decided to work with a “watch” cue. I lured her to look at a spot at the base of my neck rather than directly in my eyes. We slowly, incrementally worked our way up to eye contact.
It was around this time that I decided to adopt her.
Part 3 of John’s and Pepper’s story will be posted on Wednesday, April 6, 2011.
See you then!
———————————————-
Previous post in this series:
Part 1: Difficult, Aggressive Dogs Need “Strong” Training. Really? (John’s story: John Meets Pepper)
Subsequent post in the series:
Part 3: Difficult, Aggressive Dogs Need “Strong” Training. Really? (John’s story: Positive Does NOT Mean Permissive)
Part 4: Difficult, Aggressive Dogs Need “Strong” Training. Really? (John’s story: Resource Guarding? Biting? Dog-dog Agression? No Sweat.)
Yay!
Indeed!
I’m riveted by this series! Interesting that John hadn’t been a fan of clicker training initially. That shelter sounds like bad news. I’m so glad there was something about Pepper that attracted John to her.
Hi Ya Edie…thanks. 🙂 Back then, it was more a case of my not being experienced as a clicker trainer than not being a fan. There are times (and a lot of them) where the clicker is pure magic. 🙂
Thanks again.
John
Love the series, & the 2 photos are so intriguing – she is hypervigilant in one,
alert but relaxed in the other. Glad that John say something in Pepper that really
hooked him; we may never know what catches our eyes or heart, but for a pet
in a shelter or rescue, one encounter can not only save one life, but change
many lives, in ways we would never predict.
Go, Pepper! & Yay, John!…
– terry
terry pride, APDT-Aus, apdt#1827, CVA, TDF
‘Proud member of Treat-Slinging Weenies World-wide –
treats slung with abandon, dogs drunk with joy!’
~~~~~~~~~ tmp, May 15, 2005
oops, *Saw* something in Pepper… 😮
Thanks, Terry. Yes, indeed. The contrast between the two photos is startling.
Thanks Terry. 🙂
One of the shelter employees, who will some day be a great trainer, was there when Pepper first arrived. She said that Pepper hardly resembled a dog. She looked more like a wild animal.
Funny thing. I had no intention of bringing a dog home when I volunteered at that shelter. I didn’t even have to remind myself. I don’t remind myself not to jump off the roof in an attempt to fly. The chances of my bringing a dog home seemed that remote.
To this day, I’ll look at her and ask “So, explain again, How exactly did you end up here?”
The only answer I ever get is…”You know where it is a squirrel?”
🙂
Aw, yay that John decided to adopt Pepper! Can’t wait to read the next installment…
🙂 Thanks for the kind words.
I am so glad John decided to use clicker training in this situation. It’s such a clear way to communicate between different species (or in this case, different individuals). As John points out, marker based training is a great tool to use when an individual has learned has learned to tune things out due to a plethora of confusing input.
Kudos to John!
Irith. Thank you.
She had (still does to a degree) a habit of FIXATING…and I do mean fixating. Tough combination. Hypervigilant (as Terry astutely pointed out) Easily distracted. And then highly focused (fixated) on the distraction.
And she looked for no direction from anyone.
The clicker just made so much sense.
Oh, I love how you remembered to introduce the clicker to some positive situations also!
Actually, I didn’t remember it. Back then, I thought I had invented the idea. 🙂
I have some native heritage, so am drawn sometimes to the wisdom of elders regardless of their nation. I particularly like this quote, which may be Lakota in origin, not sure: “Force, no matter how concealed, begets aggression.” Force is not necessary when training dogs – getting their cooperation is. So glad that Pepper was able to go in to a home where she was treated like a sentient being and was taught, rather than coerced.
I love the quotation. Thank you for sharing it.
Thanks Anne. Great quote.
Yep..being aggressive and being assertive are two different things.
I had to remind myself, “these are coping mechanisms she developed to stay alive in a bad environment. They’re all she knows” And ya know, I had a deep sense of respect for her because in her world, they worked. They kept her alive on the street and in two shelters…for two years.
Respecting them didn’t mean accepting them.
I had to build trust (as a way of showing her, “different environment”) at the same time as showing her new, even FUN, ways to interact with her environment.
After Terry Pride sent the links to our trainer’s list, I read parts 1 & 2 and am so anxious to read the next installment of Pepper and John’s story. It’s wonderful to know she’s already doing much better and is out of that shelter and living safe with John!
Renee Premaza
Renee…thanks.
She’s been a great gift.
I get to tell the story but she did all the heavy lifting.
🙂
Hi John,
I’m enjoying this series. I’m late to the party here as I’m reading backwards although I’ve read Pt 1. Is Pepper a Aussie mix?
How long have you two been a team now?
I also enjoy your APDT Chronicle series!
Keep up the good work on both 😉
Nanette. Thank you for the kind words about this and my “Of Dogs and Men” column.
I had a DNA test done for Pepper…results…GSD and…..POMERANIAN! 🙂
I now tell everyone she’s a Sheperanian.
I’ve had her home just short of two years.