From the Styx by Peggy Tibbetts

Who says you can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Meaning me, of course.

I had read about clicker training several months ago but I was skeptical. Venus doesn’t always come when she’s called even with the promise of Pupperoni. The notion of her responding to a clicking sound made me laugh. And Zeus? With all his noise issues, it would be just my luck the clicker sound would scare the crap out of him. Or he might be insulted. I dismissed the clicker as not for us.

Two months ago I bought a copy of Aggression in Dogs: Practical Management, Prevention & Behavior Modification by Brenda Aloff. It is the bible on dog aggression. I highly recommend it. Aloff covers all types of dog aggression, how to recognize it and how to deal with it. She has lived with dog aggression and handled all kinds of dog aggression training situations, therefore she writes from true life experience.

I have been skipping around in the book as I’ve been reading it. I started with Chapter 53: “Aggression Directed Toward a Canine Housemate” – of course – because that’s the kind we’re dealing with. According to Aloff, it is the most difficult to deal with. Tell me about it. In the case of housemates, the aggressive dog has plenty of opportunities to make life miserable for the other dog in ways we humans have no way of deciphering because we don’t live in the dog world and we don’t know how they communicate unless we constantly observe their behavior, which is impossible. That’s why housemate aggression is such a challenge. That’s why life with Venus is like a roller coaster ride.

Because we’re about a year into our housemate aggression, I found this chapter a validation more than anything, which is important. It’s the same reason we have become Dog Whisperer addicts. Tod and I have been on our own through this. In part because CCD is still being studied so we lack good information beyond the advice of Drs. Pearce and Langegger. We have looked to Cesar Millan and authors such as Jon Katz and Brenda Aloff for advice on behavioral issues. We have also chosen not to marry ourselves to any one training method but rather to expose ourselves and our dogs to several different methods to see what works best for all of us. We rely quite a lot on our own instincts, which is why validation from expert resources is so important.

For example in Chapter 53, Aloff emphasizes how important it is to separate the dogs after an altercation, then bring them back together gradually under strict supervision. Even though that’s what we did, and that’s what Dr. Pearce agreed was best, it was validating to know we did the right thing.

Aloff also issues a stern reminder that housemate aggression rarely goes away. “You need to be ever watchful,” she warns. “Resist complacency when the dogs have ‘been good’ for a month or a year. This problem is not one that you can put to bed. You can manage, minimize, modify. But you can never [italic] rest on your laurels!” I’m a happy, clappy person. I tend to cling to the best possible outcome. Aloff’s warning has helped me adjust my thinking. Instead of directing all my energy toward believing that Venus’s aggression will go away, I simply believe that we can handle the challenge of maintaining a peaceful coexistence. While at the same time silently appealing to her better angels to make her a good girl.

The next chapter that grabbed me was Chapter 35: “Establishing a Communication System – The RM/NRM and Release Cue”. I am all about learning how to better communicate with my dogs. According to Aloff this method is useful because it teaches the dog to understand “that a RM/NRM (Reward Mark/No Reward Mark) gives him information. The dog understands when he is on ‘your time’ and working vs. ‘on his own time’.” The purpose of an RM is to serve as a memory aid, “Remembering to do a certain behavior at a certain time or on a particular cue.”

All of that spoke to me. Even though we take Venus out and let her run wild inevitably there is a point at which we want or need her to come back under our control.

Aloff recommends, “Clickers make an excellent Reward Mark. Because the Clicker is a unique sound in the dog’s environment, it is very salient for the dog.”

I thought about the problems she had with her sense of smell at Trappers Lake. Suddenly the clicker seemed like the perfect “cue” to distract her and remind her to come back from her wanderings. 

Tod found them for less than $2.00 at Petco, so he bought two.

Aloff recommends that you not ask for any particular behavior when you install – or introduce – the dog to the clicker. And using treats is optional. We tried out the clicker the next day at Dogland. I forgot about not asking for a behavior and I didn’t use treats. I jumped right into it. When Venus disappeared, I took out the clicker. “Well this will either work or it won’t work,” I told Tod.

Zeus was walking with us. I figured if he didn’t like the sound he’d let me know. I clicked it several times. He didn’t mind the clicking sound at all. He was curious and I showed it to him. The real surprise was that Venus showed up, also curious about the clicker. In short, they loved it. And it has been working out very well ever since. They really do like the clicking sound. They both come running to us when they hear it.

I had forgotten to bring the clicker for our hike on the West Elk trail when Venus herded the sheep. After that we hooked one to our day pack so we can’t forget it. When rifle hunting season began we took them hiking at Sunlight Mountain to avoid any possibility of meeting up with hunters. I used the clicker to get them to stop chasing a deer that crossed our path. Zeus stopped immediately, Venus stopped about a half minute later. The more we use the clicker the more they like it and the quicker they respond. So far we only use it when they are off-leash because we’re training them that the clicker means “come back”.

I’m always amazed when the dogs teach me a new trick. I am humbled by the ways in which they show me that no matter how well I know them they are still eager to surprise me and try something new.

Sometimes I wonder if I expect too much from my dogs. Then something like this happens and I realize that I probably don’t expect enough from them.

“You don’t have to train a dog as much as you have to train a human.”
– Cesar Millan

Zeus spent his 9th birthday camping near Moab. Happy Birthday, Zeus!

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