Birds

The Golden Rule of Animal Training

September 25, 2017 By Joanna

The Golden Rule of animal training: Don’t ever, ever call your pet to you (or ask your bird to step up), then do something they don’t like. Animals are not stupid; they learn by association and consequences, and if there is an unwanted consequence for coming to you, they will be reluctant to do it again! Especially if you do this more than once.

Never ask your pet to come to you, then punish them.

You’ll also have to consider what your pet views as a “punishment.” Sure, a time-out, scolding, or taking something away from them (GIVE me back my sock, you bad dog!) is obviously a punishment. But, look at it from your pet’s perspective. If your dog loves playing in the park, clipping on the leash and going home is a punishment. If he doesn’t like go outside in the rain, putting him out to potty in the rain will effectively be a punishment. If your bird hates getting a shower, that is considered a punishment to him. If your cat hates going in her carrier, that is a punishment to the cat. Look at it from your pet’s perspective. Is it a consequence they’d enjoy, or one they’d dislike?

But what if I need to do something he doesn’t like?

If you need to do one of these despised things to your pet, you have several options:
1. Contact us for some training. We will teach you how to help your pet enjoy these things; then there will be no worries about accidentally punishing them! Cats can learn to enjoy their carriers; birds can learn to enjoy showers; dogs can learn to come in the park even though there’s a chance you’ll put the leash on and take them home.
2. Go get your pet. This is why dogs wear collars and leashes. If you have a parrot or a cat, good luck with that. (See option 1 above, and call us for help!)
3. Bribe. This is not our favorite option, but sometimes desperate times call for desperate measures, and it’s better than ruining your recall (or step-up cue). And don’t use your usual cue word, like “come.” Just show the animal what you’ve got, then wait for them to approach. Don’t say anything.

The bottom line: no matter how much you want to scold your little friend for being naughty or not coming back to you, reinforce the behavior of coming to you anyway. This will make the behavior likely to happen again when you need it most. Then change your pet’s environment or training so that your dog can’t steal your sock, your parrot can’t harass your cat, the cat loves going in her carrier, etc. The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results! Need help? Ask us!

4 Tips for Introducing a New Pet

December 9, 2016 By Joanna

Trying to introduce another dog, cat, rabbit, or bird to your resident animals? Avoid disaster and lots of stress down the road by following these simple rules.

Go slow.

kitten ready to travel

If you feel like you’re going too slowly, then slow down. The goal is that by the time the animals meet each other, they are so bored of one another that they

don’t care to interact. You want their interaction to be, “Oh, hey, it’s you. I’ve seen you around for a while. Have a good day.” Your mantra should be, “are we bored enough yet?” Use baby gates, leashes, ex-pens, crates, and closed doors to slowly let them get used to the sight, sound and smell of each other without having to actually interact.

Safety first.

Remember that your little lap dog is still a predator at heart. No matter how sweet and trustworthy your dog or cat may seem, you can’t fight nature, and a kill happens in a split second. Use closed doors, baby gates, leashes, ex-pens, crates, and cages to control everyone’s interactions, until you are absolutely, completely sure that no one is showing a little too much “interest” in anyone else. See number 1 above.

Use tools to control the interactions.

Keep everyone on leash or behind a gate so that they can’t learn to chase. Dogs only chase cats because it’s so much fun. Cats chase dogs because … well, it’s fun. Parrots nip dogs and cats because … it’s fun. The thing is, they don’t know how much fun it is to antagonize their housemates until they try it, and find out. The bottom line is, if you can keep your pets from learning how much fun it is to terrorize each other until they’re REALLY bored with each other, you’re in the home stretch. Don’t be afraid to use a leash in the house.

Teach your dog a “gentle” cue.

This shouldn’t be something that you shout at your dog after the fact, but rather a reminder to move slowly and calmly, and turn their head away if one of the animals comes up to them. Start with your dog on leash in your home, with the other pet in a cage, crate, or behind a gate. Say “gentle” – calmly – and lure your dog’s head away from the other animal with a treat. Reward and praise (calmly) when they’ve moved away. Repeat and practice until when you say “gentle,” your dog moves away from the other animal and looks up at you hopefully. Your bunny comes up to sniff your dog? Excellent time to use “gentle.” Cat sticks her bottom in your dog’s face? “Gentle.” Not only are you helping your dog make a calm, happy emotional association with the other animal, but you’re teaching them how to move away calmly if the other animal is in their space.

Cognitive Disorders in Dogs

January 22, 2012 By Joanna

Normal cognitive decline or something else?

It happens to all of us: as we age, our brains move a little slower, we take a little longer to solve problems, and it takes a little more effort to absorb new information. It’s not that intelligence or problem solving capacity has decreased at all, it’s just that things are a little slower. It’s a pretty clear pattern across all animal species.

But, did you know that studies indicate that dogs can suffer from cognitive dysfunction or dementia similar to that found in humans? Sometimes it’s not just “normal aging” – sometimes it’s a treatable medical problem. More severe than the normal slowing down of mental function, it’s called Canine Cognitive Dysfunction Syndrome and has similar (but not identical) pathology to human dementia. It is not at all similar in pathology to human Alzheimer’s disease, although it is often mistakenly called “Doggy Alzheimer’s.”

It’s not just dogs, we’re sure

It’s only a matter of time before other species of animal are found to suffer from dementia, as well. Dogs just tend to be the most convenient test subjects because their lives are so closely tied with humans.

Symptoms of Canine Cognitive Decline, or “doggy dementia”

Generally the first thing owners tend to notice is a dramatic breakdown of normal function that causes a bizarre change in your dog’s normal behavioral patterns, such as house soiling or getting lost in a once-familiar room.

Here is the basic “checklist,” although your veterinarian will be able to do a more thorough history and diagnosis. You want to watch for:

Orientation: meaning your dog may get lost in a small or familiar area. He may suddenly begin going to the back door to potty, when for his entire life he’s gone to the front. Some dogs appear confused, and may not be able to find their food and water dishes, or unable to find their way out from under a chair.

Social Interaction: Normally independent dogs may become strangely clingy. “Velcro” dogs may become distinctly aloof. Or even stranger, a normally affectionate dog will walk away in the middle of a petting, for no reason. Rarely, we’ve seen sweet dogs become aggressive or defensive, where no other cause can be determined.
House training: dogs who have had perfect house training their entire lives may begin having “accidents.” These are truly accidents; they are not in any way an attempt by your dog to transmit any sort of communication. Rather, they likely reflect a breakdown of memory and learning.
Sleep: circadian rhythms can be disrupted, resulting in a dog who appears to sleep more than is normal, or who becomes an insomniac.

Unfortunately, cognitive decline is as difficult to treat in dogs as it is in humans. Your veterinarian can prescribe a medication which will help through its immune-system boosting and anti- neurodegenerative effects (meaning, it slows the breakdown of the connections in the brain and helps to grow new ones). There is some evidence that diet rich in antioxidants can have a positive effect, as well. And of course, behavioral and psychological support goes a long way, too. The brain is incredibly malleable. Help your dog to do the canine version of a crossword puzzle every day to keep his mind sharp, by teaching him new tricks, playing hide and seek with his toys or treats, or giving him a food puzzle to solve.

If you need some help in adapting your home and lifestyle to your aging dog’s needs, contact us – we’d love to help!

What’s the difference between reinforcement and bribery in training?

May 20, 2011 By Joanna

What’s the difference between reinforcement and bribery?

This comes up in training sessions ALL the time, usually brought up by someone who has been told by a well-meaning friend or professional that they are one and the same, and are now afraid that by using positive reinforcement to train they are going to “spoil” their pet.

…But, there is a difference, and it’s small, but very important! We’ve all known pets who will “only do [insert behavior here] if he knows I have a treat!” Well, here’s why.

Bribery is defined (by dictionary.com) as: to promise, offer, or give something, to procure services or gain influence; any persuasion or lure
Reinforcement is defined as: to reward an action or response of (a human or animal) so that it becomes more likely to occur again. the key difference between the two is when the reward is presented to the animal: before, or after the behavior.

Here’s an analogy.

Let’s pretend I need you to clean my bathroom.

Scenario A: I offer a bribe to you as incentive for performing a desired behavior. “See this $100 bill? I’ll give it to you if you clean my bathroom.”

Scenario B: I provide reinforcement to you after the behavior is offered. “Oh my gosh, thanks for cleaning my bathroom! Here’s $100 – go buy yourself something nice!”

Sweet deal, right? Now, let’s pretend a week goes by, and I ask you if you could clean my bathroom again, but I don’t mention anything about money. Think about it: what would your reaction be (Other than, “why can’t you clean your own bathroom?”)

Chances are, if you were in scenario A originally (the bribe), you would be thinking: “Wait a minute … last time she offered me $100 for this job! What gives?!”

If you were in scenario B, you might be thinking: “Oooh, maybe she’ll surprise me with a gift again! Sure, I’ll clean your bathroom!”

Over the long term, how you feel matters.

Now, let’s pretend that you are a nice person with nothing better to do, and do chores for me all the time, and every once in a while I surprise you with $100 for doing a good job.

How are you going to feel about doing me a favor? Pretty positive, right?

How are you going to feel toward me, as a friend?

Now, contrast that with a bribe: How would you feel if every time I wanted you to do something, I dangled that $100 in front of you, then requested a yucky chore? What kind of quality work would you do for me? How would you feel about me, as a friend?

Animals are smart.

If you routinely bribe your pet, they are smart enough to look to see if you have the payment in your hand before performing the desired behavior. (“He only comes when he knows I have a treat!”)

An animal who has been unexpectedly reinforced with something wonderful, however, will be willing to perform all sorts of behaviors to earn their “paycheck” without checking to see if it’s in your hand first. They trust that at some point, it’s coming.

Here’s where things get tricky.

Bribery is not necessarily a horrible thing; it gets the job done sometimes. It can also help an animal to understand what you want them to do, when you don’t have an easy way of eliciting the behavior you want to reinforce (think of teaching a dog to “go to his bed” by showing him a treat over on the bed). In training we call this “luring,” and it’s definitely a form of bribery. It’s harmless as long as you fade the lure as soon as possible – a good positive reinforcement trainer can help you do this.

This is an oversimplified explanation, but hopefully it makes things a little clearer. Bribing an animal to behave is very different than rewarding good behavior. Contact us and we can help you make the absolute most of your positive reinforcement training!

Parrot Screaming

June 21, 2010 By Joanna

Help, my parrot is screaming!

Excessive vocalization is one of the most common complaints parrot guardians have. Unfortunately for our ears (and our neighbors!), even happy, healthy parrots can be very loud. Screaming seems to be self-reinforcing for many pet parrots – it seems to feel good, or be fun. Wondering whether the level of bird noise in your household is normal or not, and how to modify it? Here is a quick, but by no means comprehensive, outline:

Normal parrot vocalizations are to be expected. Here’s what they usually look like:

Commonly heard around dawn and dusk, or at a certain time of day (like exciting times such as meal times, or when you come home) for usually no more than about 20 minutes or so.
Contact calls are loud, repetitive calls with a pause in between, as though the bird is listening for a response. They’re naturally used by parrots to locate flock members who may be miles away. It’s generally advisable to call or whistle back to your parrot to reassure him that you’re OK.
Screaming can be a common response to fearful stimuli; an alarm call generally sounds very different from other calls. Remove what is scaring the bird or contact us to get help with desensitization and counter conditioning to help your bird feel better about what’s scaring her.
Vocalizations commonly escalate when the ambient noise in the room escalates; birdie see, birdie do! Turn down the television or whisper when you’re talking, and the bird may become quieter, too.

Abnormal screaming (these require behavioral intervention ASAP):

Boredom screaming can be repetitive, mindless, unending calls over a long period of time – this type of behavior is called a stereotypy, and is similar to dogs barking mindlessly in the backyard all day or tigers at the zoo pacing back and forth along the same track all day. It’s a sign of a very stressed animal and needs to be addressed with more enrichment and exercise.
Fear and separation anxiety: screams can be desperate-sounding, perhaps prompted by you leaving the room (more severe than a contact call). This can be addressed by training, in which we teach your bird it’s okay to be alone briefly.
Attention seeking screaming often accompanied by body language that reveals this screaming for what it is. Often accidentally reinforced by the humans, by telling the bird to shut up! This can be addressed by training, as well.

To help the overall “normal noise” level of a healthy, well adjusted parrot go down:

Make sure your bird is healthy and is having its needs met by visiting your avian veterinarian. Ill birds or those who need something (ex. A better diet, more stimulation, different care practices) may exhibit more excessive vocalization. There’s no point in trying to correct a medical or husbandry problem with behavioral intervention.
Reward/reinforce, with a tiny treat, toy, or attention, good vocalizations (which in this case is anything and everything that doesn’t hurt your ears) – these should increase over days or weeks, gradually taking the place of unwanted vocalizations. Try whistling or singing to your bird, in the hopes that they’ll whistle or sing back, which you can then reinforce.
Do NOT punish your bird for screaming. This can make screaming worse – especially if it is anxiety-based – not to mention break the trust your little prey-animal friend has in you.
Increase enrichment activities: foraging for hidden food and special toys, “field trips” outside in a harness or carrier, interactive play, destructible toys, showers or baths, physical exercise on a playgym, etc.
Start some trick training: even teaching silly tricks gives your bird something to focus on that has nothing to do with screaming, tires her out, reinforces your parrot for appropriate behavior, and teaches appropriate attention-seeking methods. It also provides enrichment. Besides, who wants to tick off the person with the treats?
Make sure your bird is getting a good 12 hours of dark, quiet, uninterrupted sleep per night. Many species live near the equator, where this is naturally what they would get. Inadequate sleep is a very good way to create an irritable, frustrated, immune-compromised bird.

Seek professional assistance! There is no shame in asking for help. Contact us to get started!

Dog training, cat training, and parrot training
for Reno, NV and the surrounding areas.

Call today! (775) 420-2322

Birds

The Golden Rule of Animal Training

Never ask your pet to come to you, then punish them.

But what if I need to do something he doesn’t like?