Weekly Tidbits - June 9, 2021
On my mind this week and random things from around the web on dogs, behaviour and training.
The Importance of Patience
Our youngest Belgian Shepherd, Ashe, will be 1 year old in a month. One of the most important skills I have devoted time and effort to developing over the past 20 years is - Patience. We have raised 6 Belgian Shepherds in that time and, while they were all the same breed, each of these dogs had their own quirks and challenges. Four boys and two girls, and no two were alike.
When I made the shift to reward based training, I didn’t understand that much of what you teach a puppy takes time to show up in their behaviour as they grow and develop. It’s not exactly “instant gratification” when it comes to seeing the results of your training with a young dog. That was a quite a change for me. I was used to the “Sit when I say Sit!” mentality of the traditional training I learned when I was young. This was different.
When Ashe was 10 weeks old, I was teaching him to sit. He’s a fast learner and he picked up on the behaviour quickly. But Ashe was easily distracted. I could ask for 2 or 3 “sits” and then a leaf or a toy would catch his eye and he would wander off. Twenty years ago, that would have frustrated me. We weren’t done with training! But now I understand that Ashe was a young dog that had only so much focus to give me at a time.
By comparison, dogs like my Tira or Rizzo might have worked for much longer at that age. They had a greater interest in training with me at a young age. But as my dogs grew and developed, something interesting happened. They all seemed to get to a stage where working with me would “click” and I could keep their attention for longer periods. For example, highly distractible Ashe was working with me just fine by the time he was 6 months old. It’s a good reminder that we shouldn’t just think about behaviours like “sit” or “down” as the only skills we are teaching our dogs. Things like focus and persistence can be just as important to teach. But some things take more time.
And that’s where patience comes in. Twenty-years-ago me would have become impatient with 10-week-old Ashe and tried to get him to do more than he was comfortable with at a young age. But I’ve learned that dogs grow and develop and sometimes the lessons in less tangible skills take a little longer to manifest themselves. I have learned to take the longer view and not look for those immediate results my younger, less knowledgeable self would have insisted on.
Sometimes the most important things we teach our dogs - things like focus and persistence and trusting that I will make your efforts worth it - take time to sink in and be understood. And that’s ok! But I have to be patient and not push too hard. In a few weeks Ashe will be a year old. He’s doing great! He’s learning everything I’ve tried to teach him but he’s doing it in his own way, at his own pace. I’m patient enough now to be just fine with that.
It’s NOT a “Fear Period”
Reading “What is a Dog?” by Raymond and Lorna Coppinger gave me a lot of interesting insights into the behaviour of my dogs. Learning about how puppies grow and develop in the free-ranging populations around the world helped me understand what we typically hear dog people call “fear periods.” Looking at it from an ecolocogical perspective, my dog’s responses and behaviours during these “fear periods” weren’t really about “fear” at all but an instinctive survival response inherited from generations of street dogs.
In those free populations of dogs that aren’t controlled by humans, mothers leave their puppies at about 6 weeks of age to go off and have another litter. The mortality rate for dogs in these populations can be as high as 95% before a dog reaches 1 year old. So it’s important to have as many pups as possible to insure the continuation of the species.
The time between 6 weeks and about 16 weeks is important in the life of a free-ranging pup. It’s a time for them to discover their world and to learn how to survive. Many of the lessons learned during this period stick with the dog for life. It has been called a “neophilic” period - a time when the pup is attracted to new sights, sounds, and experiences. They like the novelty and are rewarded for exploring. In the dog world, we sometimes call this the “sensitive period” and adult dogs generally tolerate rude behaviour from pups because they have a “puppy license.” That’s another one of nature’s ways of improving the chances of the species surviving into adulthood.
But then young dogs move from seeking new experiences to avoiding them. At about 4-5 months dogs go into a “fear period” where anything new or unfamiliar can cause them to react by moving away or avoiding these things. What’s really going on is that the pup has moved into a “neophobic” phase. Their fear of the new and unfamiliar is not irrational but another survival mechanism provided by genetics. At this time in their lives free-ranging pups are competing with adult dogs for critical resources. Making the mistake of not recognizing something dangerous could be fatal. It just makes sense that a pup would take a “wait and see” or “watch from a distance” attitude about anything they had not experienced before.
Looking at the behaviour of my own dogs from this perspective, I have learned to be a calm guide and protector during these neophobic periods as my dogs grow. Rather than being frustrated by their “irrational fear” of something as simple as the unpredictable movement of some bushes in a breeze, I now understand that powerful survival instincts in their genetics are making them appropriately cautious.
The best thing I can do for my dog in a situation like that is help them feel safe. I don’t try to force them to move closer to see that there is “nothing scary” in the bushes. I don’t bend down and immediately try to soothe them with “oh sweetie! It’s ok. It’s only a bush! It’s alright.” Just some calm reassurance (“It’s ok buddy. Let’s go.”) and I let my dog decide what to do. We can stand still, move forward, or move away. But always calmly. The last thing my dog needs is for me to react in some new or unexpected way.
When my young dogs move into those predictable “neophobic” phases, it can be a lot like flying an airplane. Don’t make any big moves. Steady as she goes. Be confident. Be calm. Reassure and adapt to what the dog wants. There will always be another time to explore that scary thing. The most important thing I want to teach my dog is that life is safe as long as I am with them. That’s a lesson that will stay with them even when they grow past these awkward phases.
How It’s Going
For the past couple of months I have been publishing new stuff pretty regularly here at Canine Nation Continues. It’s been fun sharing my thoughts with you and I’ve enjoyed doing some new reading and listening as I’m raising Ashe and Six. I thought I would give you a bit of an update and see if you have any suggestions moving forward.
While I’m not getting a lot of comments on what I’m posting, they seem to be getting read with some consistency. Most of the posts are getting 200-300 reads in the first few days and continue to get some follow on reads as the weeks go by. Subscriptions have leveled off at about 160 for those who prefer to receive new posts directly to their email inbox. Substack stats tells me that roughly 50% of people actually open those emails and I assume the rest just stop by the website to read when they see the reminder.
So it appears that we are a small but consistent and dedicated community! Thanks to everyone for reading and passing on these posts to others you think might get some value from my writing.
I have a few ideas I’m kicking around for some additional content. There’s the possibility of a book and it might be worth starting to publish the Canine Nation podcast again to bring audio versions of these posts to those that prefer that format. But most of all, I’m interested in what you would like to see. There is an open thread here that you can comment on to share your wish list and suggestions. It would be great to hear what you would like to see more of, less of, and even suggestions for future posts or other content projects. So don’t be shy and share your thoughts. I will certainly be reading/listening!
That’s it for this week’s TidBits.
Have a great week and have fun with your dogs!
Don’t forget to share Canine Nation Continues with the dog lovers you know.
Wow that was great reading. We are always saying that Shelties go through 3 fear periods and I have never looked at it from your perspective. I have subscribed and am looking forward to future reads. Thanks!!