Happy Birthday Turid

Turid's zest for life is contageous

August 15th, apart from being the Indian Independence day, is special to me for another reason. It's also Turid's birthday. Her grit, determination, energy and intelligence have been a huge inspiration to me. Having trained more than 60,000 dogs in her life and taught in more than 25 countries across the world her experience is mind blowing. And yet she spends extraordinary amounts of time learning new things, sharpening her brain and observing dogs to pick up something new. If she has absolutely nothing to do, I find her solving puzzles.

Turid with her dog McKenzie

It's very interesting to watch a dog around her. The dog is instantly drawn to her. She says nothing. She does nothing. Yet she exudes a calmness that reassures the dog and the dog seems to find the one person in the room who seems to get him. Really get him. He goes right up to her and seems to exchange a few quick brief notes with her. None of the showmanship we often come to expect of dog trainers.

A true advocate of dogs, she does not hesitate to speak up for them, even if it means saying hard hitting truths. She expects humans to be adults who can handle the truth. She knows who she is batting for and there is not a doubt in one's mind about that for a single moment. But if one is willing to put aside ones own ego and listen to what she has to say, she is an encyclopedia on the subject. I have been learning from her for a few years now and yet every time I sit down to listen to there is something new I learn, not just because her knowledge is so vast, also because it is so rapidly expanding all the time.

It's hard to be in a profession that is in it's infancy. This is particularly true of the profession in India. So I often have to reach out to her directly for mentorship. Not once have I not got the help I need. She has the unique ability to look past the help I seek and actually give me the help I need. She has rarely helped me directly on any of my cases. She always insists that I think for myself and get to the solution myself. But she has a way of boosting my confidence, helping me find my resource pool and draw strength from it.

It's not just the dogs, but the profession as a whole that has gained a lot from someone like her. Her knowledge combined with her ability to mentor is an asset to professionals across the world. Read more about her life and her work here and feel inspired!

Turid watches as McKenzie explores

Evaluation of dogs

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Aug 10, 2015, 10.13 PM IST

It has been yet another week of intensive learning - much of the focus has been on evaluation of dogs. Though it is not common in India it is fairly common in other parts of the world. What started out as a tool to be used for dogs in the defense industry has now extended to several other areas such as therapy and temperament evaluation of shelter dogs. In some cases it has even become a leisure activity for enthusiasts. While its uses are varied, evaluation can be a great tool for behaviourists to understand dogs and see problems that their caretakers may not be able to articulate.


However, dog evaluations suffer from a certain insensitivity in the way they are being conducted world over. Many involve putting the dog under severe duress and pushing the dog to his/her limits - just to know where those limits lie. So it was refreshing to learn about the new methods of evaluation that Turid Rugaas is developing and propagating across Europe and hopefully in the US and other parts of the world, soon. 


While in India we don't have any structured evaluations for dogs, I still believe that these methods can be used quite effectively to understand our pets, get to the bottom of what might be ailing them and further behavioural investigations. These evaluations require minimal resources, no specialised equipment and provide great insights.


The evaluations happen in a confined space that is relatively free of distraction. The space has to be enriched with some interesting objects such as boxes, rags and other odds and ends. Everyday objects that one would find around home should do just fine. This is what we call an 'enriched environment'. The dog is allowed to freely explore the space while humans remain calm passive observers. Everything that the dog does from the start to the end can be quite telling.


We spent a lot of time observing the gait of the dog, the back line, the number of times the dog pees, the number of times the dog goes back to his/her guardians and his/her general interest in examining the objects around the room. 

The gait and back line tell us about the health of a dog. A dog exhibiting an odd gait is in pain. He/she will consequently have behavioural problems too. A dog that pees a lot is not marking territory, but is stressed. Such a dog's life needs to be examined to figure out the source of stress. A dog that is yo-yoing back to its owners too much could signal helplessness. Such a dog may need some confidence building exercises and therapy. A dog that is unable to examine the objects and is just flitting across them could indicate high adrenaline. This dog would require reduction in exercise and therapy too. A dog that shows no interest in the objects could suggest that he/she has never really had an opportunity to explore. He may need some mental enrichment. Each story is telling and fascinating. 

Through small and subtle ways dogs tell us a lot. However, at no point should a dog be put under duress. Putting fingers in the food of a dog, scaring a dog, hugging a dog just to see what he tolerates is absolutely unnecessary. It may be a good idea to take your dog to a new place, sit back and just observe. What is your dog telling you?

Five steps to recovery

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jul 20, 2015, 09.51 PM IST

It all started when Nishi was just a nine-month -old puppy and a car ran over her face. She was in and out of surgery for a year after that which left her emotionally damaged and dog-reactive. I had the seemingly impossible task of trying to help her out of that. Back then there was no one in India with the knowledge of helping dogs recover from PTSD. That's when I reached out to noted dog trainer and behaviorist Turid Rugaas in Norway. Turid guided me through a program that seemed deceptively simple which helped my little Nishi. Here's the five-step programme I've documented.

Take away the pain
The first step with any behavioral issues is to look for underlying health problems or pain. In some cases it may be joint and muscle pains where pain killers might go a long way in helping. In dogs suffering from digestive problems fixing their diet can help. In other cases, it could be equipment like collars, choke collars etc which is the cause of the pain. Whatever it is, take the pain away. No therapy can start when the dog is in pain.


Accept the fear
Journey from the fear is a personal process. You cannot force me to get over my irrational fear of reptiles by feeding me cakes and having me sit next to reptiles. I don't know how you will choose to conquer your next fear. A dog will choose to conquer his fear when he is ready to. 


Increase wellbeing
A dog needs upto sixteen hours of sleep a day, if not more. To achieve that provide a high tryptophan diet, which gets converted into serotonin in the body and induces sleep and sense of wellbeing. This can be achieved with a rice and chicken diet. A dog also needs a good fifteen minutes of chewing each day. Bones are good for this. If not, try green coconuts.


Decrease anxiety
One of the biggest sources of anxiety in an urban dog's life is playing fetch. It triggers a dog's hunting instincts sending a the body into hunting mode. When in the hunting mode the body is pumped with adrenaline, and is not capable of calm and collected thinking. However, the conquest of fear is a thought process. It's not a training process. If the brain is flooded with adrenaline there is very little quality thinking that can happen. 

Build confidence
Find activities that can increase a dog's confidence. It naturally builds up when he can use his senses to problem solve. So nose-based activities are great for confidence building- toy search and treat, slow sniffing walks, visiting new places to explore. Providing dogs with choices in as many different ways as possible gives a dog food for thought and helps him grow. The best way to give him choices is to let him pick his own walk path. 
It was these five rather simple sounding steps that helped us get our Nishi from where she was to a happy little puppy that she is today.

Understanding barking

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jul 13, 2015, 10.15 PM IST

Barking is a component of a dog's language. It may be annoying to humans, but it is meant to communicate something. Given our desire for fast and easy solutions we might just shush the dog and not really listen to what he/she is saying to us.

Unfortunately this can result in the dog feeling unheard, who then resorts to more barking, a bit like us shouting when we feel unheard. Alternately a dog may end up looking for other forms of communication such as biting, or outlets for frustration. The first step in resolving barking issues is to identify what the dog is trying to tell us.

All barks are not the same. Let's analyse six different kinds of barks as documented by my teacher Turid Rugaas in her book Barking: The Sound of a Language. 

Excitement Barking: It's a high-frequency hysterical-sounding bark. It can be accompanied by whining. One observes it when a hyper dog is highly aroused, like when people come home or the dog is going out in a car or there is another dog in sight.

Warning Bark: It's a single "woof" sound meant to convey a warning. It's not going to be loud and prolonged. But it has an important message. Often people don't even notice this bark. So a dog feels like his/her message was ignored and then takes charge of the situation. This can result in aggression or a full-fledged barking problem. Acknowledge warning barks.

Fear Barking: This is a long series of high-pitched barks, similar to excitement barking. But you can sense the dog's fear. The bark could end in a howl. A classmate of mine once explained this: "When a dog has fear in his voice, you just know it!" What a dog is afraid of is hard to predict and sometimes hard to understand. But it's important to accept it and respect it. A dog will take time to overcome his/her fears. It's important to note what s/he is expressing fear towards and give him a chance to get away from it.

Guard Barking: This type of barking occurs when a dog feels the need to defend himself/herself against a perceived threat. The barking is often accompanied by plenty of growling. Due to the growling, it is often mistaken for aggression or dominance. But the need to defend oneself comes from a fear. It is a pity when such dogs are then reprimanded or dominated. It pushes them further into a corner and can force them to go into a shell or snap back. A dog that feels a need to guard has to be removed from that position immediately. Further training can help the dog learn to be less fearful in such situations.

Frustration Barking: This is a monotonous bark that keeps repeating and sometimes ends in a howl. It is born out of boredom or utter frustration. Such dogs are crying out for help. They need mental stimulation or need some serious reconsideration of their lifestyle. A behaviorist should be able to help in such a situation

Learned Barking: Such barking can be recognised by looking at the dog. The dog will bark and then keep looking back at people to see what reaction he/she is getting out of the people. He has learnt that barking gets him a certain reaction. Giving him any reaction, including yelling at him, gives him exactly what he is planning on getting. Work with a behaviorist to correct this behaviour. But do not reprimand him. That will make matters worse.

Dominant Dog or Compassionate Person - Who are you?

I don't believe in the "pack theory", the "alpha theory" or the "dominance theory". I make it quite clear too that I don't. But I am not always very articulate when it comes to expressing why I just don't buy this theory. Of late there are more and more articles appearing that explain the flaws in this theory and this is one of the good article. It's written by Winkie Spires, a behaviourist from England and the Chairman of PDTE. This is an excerpt from her article in the PDTE Newsletter.

Firstly, what does "Dominant" mean? Controlling, commanding, prevailing over all others, very important, powerful, successful. For years, the word "dominant" has been used to describe dog behaviour. It seems to be used as a nice tidy blanket term to diagnose a large number of behaviours or actions that are deemed to be undesirable to the human. Once a "dominant" diagnosis has been made, it can, in some cases, lead to justification for harsh, inappropriate, cruel, ignorant, dangerous, painful and confusing training techniques being practiced on the dog. 

I really believe that dogs are wrongly diagnosed as dominant and that more needs to be done by professionals and owners to understand the true motivation for the unwanted behaviour. The only truly dominant behaviour seems to be practised by humans and unfortunately for animals and the planet no-one has come up with a dominance reduction plan for us!!

Who originally came up with this term "dominant"? It may have orginated with studies done on wolf packs which may not be hugely relevant when we are actually dealing with domesticated dogs who have undergone 10-15,000 years of selective breeding.  Although dogs share many characteristics with wolves we will only really learn about domesticated dogs if we observe and learn about domesticated dogs. 

The fact is that many dogs now live in social isolation from their own kind and their humans, often for long periods of time, which will obviously have a bearing on their behaviours. 

This theory of hierarchy was popularized by David Mech. It was based on observing wolves in captivity and then extrapolating that behavior to dogs in our homes. That would be like observing apes in a concentration camp and generalizing that humans in normal lives behave the same way. Now finally after years of pushing the alpha theory, David Mech himself questions his own theory. It takes a lot of evidence, not to mention immense humility to debunk ones own theory.

But there it is...that theory is out dated. We really need to get past it, put it behind us and start looking deeper. Look for the real issues and not just shroud everything under the "be the alpha" approach. Pretending to be a furless 2-legged overbearing dog is not going to fix all of our problems. In fact it's not going to fix any. Instead of trying to be a dominant dog, perhaps being a compassionate human being, might just start fixing a few things. Wny not give that approach a try?

Sacrosanct Meal Times

I often get the question of what kind of "training" once needs to do when feeding a puppy. Some trainers recommend taking away a puppies food to teach a puppy not to guard. I believe that taking a food away from a dog actually teaches the dog to guard food. My teacher, Turid Rugaas, International Behaviourist and President of PDTE puts it quite articulately:

What we see is that at about the age of 4 - 6 weeks, puppies learn to respect teach other. In fact, they learn this so well that it sticks with them for the rest of their lives if we do not disrupt it. That's when we will see the mother leaves food for the puppy to take and she will never claim it back. That means that by the time you get your new puppy, he has already learnt that when he's got food, nobody will take it from him. Now you know why they get so scared and frustrated when people start grabbing their food. Never, ever, take a puppy's food away - or an adult dog's for that matter - because that is how you teach them to be food aggressive. 

When Tigger came home she had severe resource guarding - food guarding being one of them. When she was eating if any of us so much as looked in her direction, she growled visciously. We let her keep her food and stayed as far away as possible. We watched how Nishi dealt with her. Nishi did the same. She figured out the distance that Tigger was comfortable with and stayed at that distance at all times. As the days passed, this distance gradually reduced. Tigger tolerated more and more proximity. Nishi gradually approached, always mindful of respecting Tigger's need for space. Today the food guarding has disappeared. She no more sees the need to guard her food from Nishi or from us.

Often I hear clients say this to me. Many complain that their dogs are fussy eaters and take forever to finish their meal. But the fussiest of eaters polish off their meal when in the the company of other dogs. Why is that? Because the presence of another dog often poses a threat to the food. I have seen one thing common among all shelter dogs - they polish off their meal in a jiffy. No fussy dog whatsoever. So, what's going on here? The dog is stressed out and gobbles up the meal in an attempt to consume what she perceives to be her share.

The insecurity around food is the worst form of insecurity, is it not? I often wonder how it must feel for one to fear loss of food. Sounds terrible. And to inflict fear of such nature on another sounds barbaric, to say the least. I once read an article that rightly posed this question "Is it really too much for a dog to ask for some personal space and time each day to eat his meal in peace, away from other dogs, away from children, away from guests - in his own private corner?". 

So, I ask you this. Why not make that a little ritual. One little corner and a tiny slice of time dedicated for our companion's meal. I am sure it's not impossible to dedicate a spot on the balcony or kitchen or even an unused bathroom where a dog can go in, enjoy his meal and not have people or dogs walking around him and for us to guarantee that he will NOT be disturbed as long as he is eating. Of course, if my dogs chose to walk out, without finishing their meal, then I clear the food up, so that there are no literal bones of contention lying around. But as long as they are chowing down, I consider their meal time as sacrosanct as mine. I don't like to be disturbed and I don't like my plate to be taken away from me while I am eating. I am sure they don't like it. And I see no wisdom in doing it. Watching Nishi with Tigger told me that dogs don't believe in such rude behaviour either. So...how is meal time going to be?

After Adoption - A guide to help pet-parents deal with their newly adopted dog

Adoption is stressful.
This was Tigger before she came to us.
Notice the fear and anxiety in her eyes
Photo by Ramya Reddy

Congratulations! You have a new family member. Adopting a dog is a great decision. However, your new dog has most likely been in a very high stress environment. The move to your home is also stressful for your dog. Adrenaline is coursing through his/her body and can pose some challenges. But don’t worry. You and your dog will learn to cope. There are several guides on what to buy and how to puppy proof your house etc….This guide is not going to cover those issues. This guide is aimed solely at the emotional aspect of the adoption and how to help your new dog deal with the emotional roller-coaster ride that he has been put on, by being moved from one place to another.

First things first:

1. Understand what stress hormones can do to your dog
2. Give your dog space and time to settle down in this new home

Once your dog has calmed down, the effects of stress hormones should automatically come down and you will be well on your way to a happy canine family.

What can stress hormones do to your dog?
Stress hormones damage brain cells. This in turn reduces your dogs ability to be social with dogs & humans. Depending on your dogs memory, the asocial behavior might be directed towards dogs or humans or both. He is not being indifferent to you or your existing dogs. He just does not know how to cope at the moment. He needs time.

Adrenaline, interferes with digestion. Excess gastric juices are secreted resulting in a bad stomach, diarrhea, constipation and/or vomiting. This is not hard to imagine. In my case, I experience all of the above when I am nervous. Before an exam, I used to have a lot of acidity, I could be nauseous or not manage to get out of the toilet at all. Same with your new doggy. So bear with him. His stomach will settle down as he calms down.

Stress hormones increased sexual hormones too. Increase sexual hormones result in irritation or even anger. This could lead to growling, barking, fights etc…We all know that when we are irritable or angry, it’s best that we are left alone. Same with our dogs. Dogs with high level of sexual hormones will also mount.  This goes for spayed or neutered dogs as well as female dogs too. All dogs have some amount of hormones of opposite genders and even sterilized dogs will still have some residual hormones that are increased with stress. They are not trying to dominate anyone or anything. Your dog is merely stressed. So yelling at your dog in an attempt to dominate him will only worsen the situation by stressing him further.

High stress increases the Anti-Diuretic Hormone – the hormone that controls the water balance in our body. In humans we often see the effect of this manifest in excessive perspiration. In dogs, due to decreased perspiration, we see an alternate behavior – urination. This might result in urination inside the house, in what they consider safe spots etc…The dog is not marking territories. The dog is just dealing with increased ADH by peeing, just like you or I might have started sweating.

Stress hormones increase Neuro-peptides, which in turn weaken the immune system. When I was in college, I always experienced this. When I got too stressed due to exams, I would end up having a severe throat infection. Weak immune systems can cause infections and allergies in a dog. Pumping a dog with medication is not going to help much. What the dog really needs is rest and decrease in stress.

Another effect of stress is low blood sugar. Low blood sugar inhibits learning. The dog experiences a lack of concentration and a general inability to learn. Hence trying to teach a dog anything at this point is not only going to be futile but also frustrating for us and further stressful for the dog.  There will be lot of time for learning and training in the future. For now, it’s time to take it easy and just bond. 

In addition to all of the above a dog could exhibit hyper nervousness, hyper sensitivity to sound or touch, excessive barking and generally be hyper alert.

Now, that’s a long laundry list. The list is not here to scare new pet parents, but to let you know that these are normal. These don’t mean that your dog is sick or a bad dog. It simply means your dog is stressed and dealing with basic stress will address most, if not all problems.

What should you do?
Nothing! Just give your dog lots of space and time. Meet his basic needs – plenty of water and food. He is in a recovery phase and needs that nutrition.

He also needs lots of rest. Give him many cozy spots to sleep in, so that he has choices. Dogs are social sleepers. They can’t sleep alone and are in high alert mode if left alone. So ensure there is someone around, especially at night to give him the comfort and confidence to fall asleep. Our good old panacea of “curd rice” works wonders on dogs as well. Every noticed how hard it is to stay awake at work after a heavy South Indian meal. That’s the carb-crash. Carbs have similar effect on dogs. Combine that with the probiotic effects of curds and you have the perfect recovery-food for your pooch!

And don’t forget to provide plenty of reassurance. Talk to him in a calm voice from a distance. Tell him what a wonderful boy he is & that he is your miracle boy (or girl). The soothing calming tone will work wonders.
SPACE: DO NOT APPROACH HIM. LET HIM APPROACH YOU

Tuffy was one of the hardest cases we dealt with.
Her stress levels were so high that she refused to come inside the house.
She was most comfortable outside, in the garden.
All we did was to to keep our distance,
let her sleep and be there for her when she approached us
Photo by Ramya Reddy

What should you NOT do?
Don’t start training commands. Stress hormones reduce a dog's ability to learn. So let him heal first. As I mentioned earlier, there is enough time to train in the future

Contrary to popular belief, long walks & games like fetch or tug actually increase a dogs pulse, adding to stress. What your dog needs is rest and plenty of it. Let him sleep. Keep walks short.

Interaction with other dogs and new people can also be very stressful for dogs. While you might be dying to invite friends home to show your new dog, hold off for a bit. Let your dog first get comfortable with you. Don’t be in a big hurry to visit the vet either. If you have seen a dog at a vet, waiting with several other highly stressed dogs, you will understand how that can do no good to an already troubled dog. Unless he is severely sick, hold off on the vet visit or find a vet who does home visits. Yep, those do exist in Bangalore

Children perhaps like to be cuddled. But dogs are not children and they hate it! They tolerate it, but they don’t like it. Hugging or cuddling is the last thing your dog needs. You want to comfort your dog? Leave him alone. He will approach you when he is ready. Give him his space.

And last but not the least: DON’T APPROACH YOUR DOG. LET YORU DOG APPROACH YOU!

Tigger today - A naughty, impish little puppy
who is so happy at all times that
her constantly wagging tail is a mere blur in all pictures

(Another Turid Rugaas Lesson)

Bringing home a second dog

Bringing a new dog home is always exciting. But knowing the right way to do it and knowing what to expect makes the move easier on everyone. Bringing in a second dog, poses some unique challenges, but nothing that cannot be dealt with, when handled with thought and care. When bringing in the second dog, the first dog should play a critical role in all decisions. Bringing in a second dog is very unnatural for dog and the disruption in the dogs life needs to be carefully addressed.

When considering what dog to bring home, let age and gender of your first dog play a role. Consider adoption only after your first dog is 2.5 yrs or above. Younger dogs will find it harder to cope with the change in environment. Try to ensure that your second dog is at least 2 years younger than your first dog. This will help your older dog to take on a parental role in the new household. Getting dogs that are closer in age might create a sibling relationship and we all know how turbulent that can be, particularly at a younger age. I remember being pulled up by my headmistress because my sister and I were fighting so bad and she was playing tarzan with my pig tails and I kicked her to get her out my my hair...literally! Imagine your dogs doing the equivalent and you know what you have on your hands!

Gender should also be a consideration. Opposite genders do find it easier to get along. Specifically, of you have a female dog, it’s best to get a male. If you must get another female, the age dynamic explained earlier becomes even more important. Female dogs, contrary to popular belief, have a higher guarding tendency. Given that, bringing home another female close in age or older can trigger this guarding tendency and it might lead to fatal fights that we certainly don’t want to deal with. There are exceptions to these, but it helps to keep these criteria in mind, if you had the luxury to chose.

Next comes the process of introducing the dogs. Here, the most important thing to do is to TAKE IT EASY. Don’t rush the decision or the process. Let your existing dog and the potential new dog meet on neutral ground. Take them for walks, maintaining a distance between them. They don’t have to meet and play on the first visit. Schedule more than 1 visit and gradually decrease the distance between them.

When we went to get Tiggy, we visited the PPF shelter. We used the vast space outside and let the dogs have a choice there. The space was so vast that they kept their distance and barely acknowledged each other. But contrary to appearances, dogs are very cognizant of each others presence and will work out how to meet. Give them the time and space and let them do it at their pace.

Nishi & Tigger - best of friends

Once the dogs are able to meet and have shown that they get along, that’s the point at which you can decide to take home the second dog. If we brought home a second dog, against the will of the first one, then we have only ourselves to blame if the first dogs starts acting out and it will take a lot of effort to set things right. Sometimes things may never settle down.

Let’s assume that you have found the perfect friend for your dog and have decided to bring the second dog home. Take your first dog out of the home and bring them into the house together. Neither should be welcomed by the other in the house. This is critical in starting to get the first dog to understand that your home is now a shared space.

Once the dogs are home, it is likely that one or both dogs start resource guarding. Anything can be a resource – food, human contact, toy, beds etc…In situations like this, don’t let the dogs get stressed over this. This can lead to bad blood. Remove the dogs from the situation all together. If food is contentious, feed them in different rooms. If people are contentious, two people pet both dogs simultaneously or don’t pet either dog when the other one is around. If the bed is contentious, provide several other options, so that the dogs can chose what they like best. Take away the contentious bed. Basically, change the situation. Don’t feel helpless. Don't put your hands up in the air saying you are helpless and expecting the dogs to change behaviour. Instead, take charge and change the situation. You are the sentient human being there. Over time, they will learn to cope. Dogs are very good that way.

Another source of stress can be sexual hormones. This poses problems in several different ways. We, in India have several street dogs that are in and out of heat. This could cause tension at home. Male dogs get very stressed in situations like that. But having two male dogs can add to the stress. I don't need to explain the in-house stress of having 1 male and 1 female dog either. Over all, the situation is far more manageable and stress free of the dogs are sterilized.

One little tip from my own experience. Nishi was helped immensely by our fostering. We fostered pups, who came home, healed and left. This not only taught Nishi how to be a lovely caring nanny, but also taught her not to feel insecure when a new pup comes home. However, try this with caution. Nishi might have been unique and it might not always work for everyone.

Now, not that there are no exceptions to all of these. Sometimes dogs of the same gender may get along famously. My Tigger and Nishi do. Sometimes, a completely strange dog brought home might just settle in. But if you have a choice and are looking for the right kind of dog to bring into your home, consider the above. It makes it a lot easier on the existing dog & the new dog & on the rest of your family.

Once the new dog comes it, it will take time for the dog to settle down. So give your dog that time. Don't start training or long walks. Allow for loads and loads of sleep. And if the dog comes from a stressful past, it WILL take 9 - 10 months for the dog to recover fully and the brain to grow out again. I will soon have another post on adoption and what to expect. But for now, if you are considering a second dog or know anyone else who is considering one, do pass on this information. I hope the new member is accepted well and settles down well. My favorite quote on this topic is “Dogs are like chocolate. It’s impossible to stop at 1”.

(Yet another valuable Turid Rugaas lesson)

The trainer under the big pink dog

I just saw a dog that looked a lot like an Naaty! So what's so special about that? Well, I am in the Frankfurt airport. That's what! I am sitting here, waiting for someone very very special to turn up in the next 30 minutes. She is my idol and has been my inspiration and crutch for the last 3 years and like most leaders, she is not even aware of how much she has done for me, Nishi and our family. She is Turid Rugaas - leading canine behaviourist at the cutting edge of understanding dog-dog communication and dog-human communication.

When Nishi met with an accident almost 3 years ago, we fought tooth and nail to keep her alive. As soon as we realized she was going to live, we were relieved. But along with the relief came an immediate realization that she was going to bear scars more than skin deep. She was goign to bear emotional scars that could prove far more damaging. I head heard of dogs being hit by a bicycle who had gotten so aggressive that they had drawn blood from owners. So I started searching frantically for answers. That's when Turid entered my life without her knowledge.

Of all the canine experts in the world, her approach was very compassionate and grounded in the well being of the animal in it's natural state. It doe not insist on getting dogs to do something by coercion or wit. It spoke of how to just communicate with dogs - plain and simple. How to understand what they were saying. How to tell them what we need. And how to reach an gentlemans agreement, if you will (well, in our case a "ladys agreement"?). In any case, this approach was so appealing to us. It felt natural. It felt holistic. It just felt right.

The lady in the light blue shirt under the big pink dog
Turid Rugaas
Anything but a martinet dog trainer

With no expectation of a response, I emailed her asking for help with socializing Nishi. We had some special conditions in India that I needed help to tackle. And lo and behold she responded! With her help, I have been working with Nishi and I am rather proud to say that Nishi has come around tremendously in the last 2 years. She is no more a scared scarred dog. She is as close to normal as I ever expected her to get and she still shows promise.

Then I started using the knowledge I had gained in the process to help others. It was working wonderfully for friends. I wished I could do more. I wished I could learn directly from Turid. As fate might have it, I entered a sabbatical in my job. One of those idle evenings, I started looking at Turids newly revamped website. Her course spanned 30 days, stretched over 1.5 years. It was only offered in Norway. Her fees were far too beyond my affordability. But how I wished...

They say the idle mind is the devils workshop. If that's really true, the devil is perhaps not as bad as he is made out to be. After staring at her website for days and days I drafted a letter out to her. I saved the mail. I read it every day for a month. I finally sent it out. I just put my cards straight out on the table. And the most unexpected happened. She replied, completely willing to help me out. She made a program just for me. She arranged for everything. I was faced with road blocks all along the way. The visa process was excruciating. The visa was issued 2 days before I was to depart and that too in Delhi. Thanks to a wonderful network of angels, one angel called in a favor to expedite the visa, one angel in Delhi picked up the visa and delivered it to Gurgaon 10 minutes before another lovely angel flew down from Delhi to Bangalore, bringing my passport on the day I was to depart. I call all these women angels because it really feels like there have been several angels on my shoulders making this happen. And of course, my husband, pushing me all along, pulling me up when I felt it might not happen...just making it happen!

Something about the universe conspiring to make things happens comes to mind at this point. The number of people who have come together to make this happen is mind blowing. I have a long list of questions that several dog lovers have sent in. I have poured over several books and DVDs and helped several dogs in Bangalore, to identify issues specific to India. Everything has lined up for this. For this moment. In the next 15 minutes she should be here. I cannot wait. I cannot wait to see how this month pans out. But I am sure I will treasure the experience for life.

I am Alpha Mommy

Here was a man telling that your dog spent most of his life trying to surreptitiously take over your life! As I watched the show, I looked at Nishi, sleeping with her head on my lap, snoring away to glory and wondered how that made any sense. I don't see her capable of any such sieges. All she wanted was her food, walk, petting and play and she was happy to do whatever she could in return.

Here was a man who would go visit a poor ol lady who loved her dog and  would make her feel terrible about herself by saying "You have no confidence. That's why your dog does not obey you"!

This reminds me of an eccentric teacher in school. We hand stringent rules in school about how we had to tie up our hair and she would pull us up even if a single strand was not in place. We would whine point out to the obvious that it just would not stay that way. My teacher would say "You are not obedient. That's why your hair does not obey you".

That is when I started looking around for reviews on this guy and other views and opinions on the subject. That opened up a world of training methods based on reason, logic and love. There was no chocking and shocking and scaring and dominating involved. The cause and effect was very clear in these training methods. It did not leave pet parents scratching their heads about how to become "more confident" or "how to behave like an alpha dog". I mean, I did a lot of preparation before getting my dog home. But I never thought someone would recommend that I learn how to BE a dog if I wanted to GET a dog. Cmon! There HAS to be another way right?

One American website articulates my thoughts so well that I am just going to quote from the site.

American Humane expressed dismay over the “numerous inhumane training techniques” advocated by Cesar Millan and several instances of cruel and dangerous treatment -- promoted by Millan as acceptable training methods -- including one in which a dog was partially asphyxiated. In this instance, the fractious dog was pinned to the ground by its neck after first being “hung” by a collar incrementally tightened by Millan. Millan’s goal -- of subduing a fractious animal -- was accomplished by partially cutting off the blood supply to its brain.

"The field's most respected behaviorists and trainers are concerned that many of Millan's ideas are unfounded and some of his methods are downright harmful. In Cesar’s world, physical corrections - such as snapping a dog's leash, finger jabs, and forcefully rolling the dog onto his back - are an effective way to garner compliance and good behavior. One technique often used by Millan is to overwhelm the dog with the very stimulus that terrifies him. Imagine treating your dog’s fear of thunder by locking him out in the yard in a severe thunderstorm. Many behaviorists argue that this technique, called "flooding," actually leads to further psychological trauma."

Over the years, I have poured over the works of several behaviourists and trainers. Gone through several DVDs and books. Contacted the trainers directly and done Q&A sessions with them. There are wonderful people in this area. Due to her loving relationship with the dogs that's based on mutual respect, I personally adore Turid Rugaas. So my own education has been with her. I highly recommend all of her books and DVDs.  This quick 5 minute preview of her DVD in itself is a great tool to start understanding the body language of dogs.

As I spent time learning the calming signals of dogs, watching Millan's videos was so revealing. In stressful situations, dogs express their desire to calm down or diffuse the situation down by licking their lips, yawning, pacing and looking away. Armed with this information, when I watched the videos again I was shocked to see how he was scaring the living daylights out of the dogs. I had earlier posted a clip here that demonstrated it. But that clip has been pulled down! :( Not cool!

For me, it boils down to just 2 things, when evaluating a trainers methods:

1. Is the trainer giving me a practical guide that is clear and concise with actionable items,
2. If there is a nicer way to communicate something to my dog, is my trainer using that method.

Why poke and prod and shock when a cookie might do the trick? Why punish my dog for doing something wrong, instead of praising her for doing something right?

Millan's methods fail on the first count with rather vague goals like "be the alpha". With his shock collars, choking methods, scare tactics etc sorely fails on the second. If someone with this approach  came anywhere close to my Nishi...perhaps then we can see what an Alpha Mommy looks like! Grrrrr! Step away from her and no sudden movements alright!