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.

Dealing with unwanted behaviour

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jul 6, 2015, 08.51 PM IST

In a recent video making the rounds on the internet, a boisterous Dane is nipping at his guardian. When my clients came to me with a similar problem, I did a simple exercise with them, trying to understand what was causing this behaviour and how to fix it. The solution is actually quite generic and applicable to most undesirable behaviour - barking, nipping, jumping etc. To understand the solution, we first need to understand the cause of the problem.

Dogs behave this way either because they are over stimulated or because they are seeking attention. We often make the critical mistake of giving attention to the dog and getting agitated ourselves. That's counter-productive because it adds to the dog's agitation, worsening the problem. Now that we understand that, let's look at the solution. For simplicity, remember it as the 4Rs - Remove, Redirect, Reward, Repeat.

Remove: First, do not enable the dog's behaviour. The best way to do this is to unceremoniously leave the room and give yourself a time-out of 10 - 30 seconds, depending on the dog. Attention-seeking dogs get a strong message immediately, you don't even need to yell or reprimand them. 

Redirect: Since a dog's adrenaline levels are quite high during such times, it's important to give him/her something to do. Else the dog might redirect his/her energy resulting in destructive behaviour such as barking or peeing. After the 30-second break, give the dog something to chew on (preferably bones) or do a treat search. It is a simple exercise of scattering tasty treats (paneer/chicken) on the floor or lawn and allow the dog to search for it.

Reward: Rewards come much later, perhaps on another day when the dog is not so agitated, comes and politely asks for attention. Be sharp enough to notice that and give due attention.

Repeat: Note down what worked and keep the winning formula ready to repeat when necessary. Note down the time it took for the dog to calm down. Note down the redirection activity that worked best for your dog. Note down how your dog asks politely for attention. Be observant about these things. It's important to observe your own actions and that of your dog.

However, there are some caveats to keep in mind. This method will fail, if you don't go all the way and do all 4Rs religiously. Be mindful of these pitfalls: Remove yourself completely from the situation. Saying "No" defeats the purpose. It constitutes negative attention. To an attention-seeking dog, it is still gratifying. Walk away in complete silence.

Chew toys rarely work as redirection objects. If you cannot give bones it is going to be difficult. You could try flavoured green coconuts and ropes (cotton/jute/coir). Get creative with how you'll flavour it and have fresh ones ready at all times. Old objects are just as boring to dogs as old TV shows episodes are to us. How many times can you watch the same episode?

Rewards are easy to miss. We are great at noticing when a dog is naughty but not so great at noticing when a dog is being good. Be observant and make sure you have told your dog what behaviour gets him rewards.

Be rigorous in observing and documenting your working formula. You will need to fine tune it to make it work for you. Finetuning requires that you are sure about what you are doing, what's working and what's not. That's how you can consistently repeat the right formula and improve on it.

Nose games

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 29, 2015, 09.20 PM IST

This week has been hectic for me. I am back in Ashville, North Carolina furthering my education in dog training. This time, the theme has been fun games to play with dogs. While in my previous articles I have highlighted the ill effects of playing fetch, today I want to talk about some alternative games that are enriching for dogs.

On the first day, we played a very basic game of Scent Discrimination. The dogs were systematically taught how to discriminate the scent of the keys of their owners from that of others. Within a matter of less than five minutes, the dogs were easily discriminating the keys from a set of three other keys. It was fascinating to see completely untrained dogs do this so quickly and easily. It just went to show how scent discrimination comes naturally to them. The game involves allowing a dog to sniff out the right set of keys, then rewarding the dog a few times. Then adding another set of keys into the mix, waiting for the dog to sniff the right set of keys and rewarding. Soon, you can add as many sets as you want and your dog knows exactly what you want of him and will pick out the right set with ease.

The next game we tried was retrieve. Though most of us are familiar with this game, this was actually a bit harder for the dog than scent discrimination. For a dog that had trouble picking up a toy in his mouth and bring it back, we just had to replace it with what is called a Prey Dummy — a container with treats in it. This was far less exciting for some of the dogs. But dogs like labradors and retrievers, as one would expect, loved this game.

The following day, we packed up all the dogs in cars and drove off to the woods. Our plan was to go tracking. Tracking is an exercise where a person pretends to be lost and the dog is asked to follow the scent trail to find the person. Sounds complicated, right? But our untrained dogs managed it in style.

The 'lost' person first starts laying out the track dragging some sausages behind him. After a few meters, the sausage is taken away. He then goes and hides in the woods. The dog and his handler then set out to look for the 'lost' person. The dog is initially sniffing the ground and following the scent of the sausage. But soon, the dog has caught scent of the person he is looking for and tracks the scent of the person. Eventually, the dog finds the person and gets his reward. Not a single dog failed to find the 'lost' person.
Anne Lill, our teacher, made it even more interesting. She added a twist at the end for the dogs who tracked the best. She made two of us walk out. One person dropped a sock along the track and turned to the right and hid. The other turned to the left and hid. The dog's task was to pick up the scent of the person who dropped the sock and follow the trail of that person to the right. And just like that, without being told to, both dogs just knew what to do. Of course, the dogs picked for this exercise had fared really well in their initial tracking assignments. But overall, this week showed just how natural tracking and nose work is to dogs. When playing with dogs, think of how to incorporate the power of a dog's nose into the game. The dog just enjoys it more.

Rainy day game - toy search

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jun 22, 2015, 07.49 PM IST

Next week, I leave to Ashville to learn from Anne Lil Kvam, a remarkable woman who trained dogs to sniff out land mines in Angola. In preparation for her classes, I have been brushing up on her book "The Canine Kingdom of Scent". So today, I'd like to present to you a game from that book that is perfect for rainy days like these - Toy Search.

For this, you will need an appropriately exciting toy and highly exciting treats. An appropriately exciting toy is one that is exciting enough for the dog to show some interest in. But not one that the dog will be so interested in that he will not want to have anything to do with you after he gets the toy. Highly exciting treats have to be fresh chicken, paneer or fish. Biscuits and dry treats just won't do.
To start Toy Search, we first "charge" a toy. By that I mean I get the dog to learn that picking up the toy will earn the dog a treat. Start in a quiet place. No distractions. No people moving around. Sit down calmly with your dog. The calmer you are, the calmer your dog will be, the more he will be able to concentrate on what you are doing.


Step 1: Dangle the toy in front of him and tempt him to take it. The first attempt he makes to take the toy from your hand, praise and treat him (for brevity, I'll combine praise and treat to reward). Repeat 3 to 5 times. Take a break. Start again, repeat twice and move to step two.
Step 2: Drop the toy in front of him and wiggle it around. The second he takes it, reward. If he does not do it, go back to step one. If he does it, repeat 3 to 5 times. Take a break. Start again, repeat twice and proceed.


Step 3: Hold the dog's harness and drop the toy a few feet away from him. Let him go. When he takes it, reward. If he does not, go back to step 2. If he does, repeat 2 times and then name the toy. Naming the toy is simple. Pick a name for the toy like "Piggy" and say the name of the toy just before releasing the dog. Repeat two more times. Take a break. Proceed.


Step 4: Have someone hold him back or tether him. If he has a reliable "Stay", you can give him that command too. Go behind a wall, drop the toy, name it (let's say "Piggy") and release him. When he finds Piggy, reward him. If he struggles, go back to step 3. If he does just fine, repeat this 3 to 5 times.
Step 5: Now start hiding Piggy in slightly harder places in the next room. The point is to find by sniffing the toy out, not by searching with the eyes. So hide it out of sight. If he is struggling, pick simpler places for Piggy to hide in. If he is finding it easy, get more creative. You can start introducing multiple rooms by pretending to hide in three different rooms before releasing the dog. Start from Step 1 or 2 for a new toy with a new name.

Take frequent breaks. During the break, do not engage the dog in any hyperactivity. Just allow the dog to relax. The total session should last five to ten minutes. One session a day is plenty in the beginning. Dogs need long naps after these sessions. Nose work is intense and needs a lot of rest.

Unlearning Associative Pain

By Sindhoor Pangal, Bangalore Mirror Bureau | Jul 27, 2015, 09.08 PM IST

I spent the weekend in Atlanta consulting with a sweet dog called Rocky with a dark history. He is a rescue dog who was found wandering the streets. Based on his wounds it is suspected that he was used as a bait dog in dog fighting. As expected, this has left Rocky deeply scarred physically and emotionally. He is extremely dog reactive. I spent the whole weekend understanding his past, his present and planning a future for him. It was hard work and emotionally draining. But it will all be worth it if it gives Rocky a shot at a better and brighter future.

Most dogs, fortunately, do not carry such heavy baggage. But dog reactivity is a sad reality of many dogs that have a relatively stable home. How does one explain that? The answer lies in associative learning.
Dogs learn by association. When a dog focuses on something and pain is inflicted, the dog associates pain with what he/she is focusing on. So if a dog is focusing on person A and person B causes pain to the dog, most often, the dog associates the pain with person A. An example of this is what happened with my own Nishi. When she was nine months old a car ran over her. At that time she was playing with Mojo, another boxer. Mojo was her best friend up until then. After that horrific incident she developed a severe dislike for Mojo. She did not fear the car or person who ran her over or people and cars in general. Instead, she feared Mojo, her friend. That's because all her attention was focused on him when she was subject to the pain.

These are extreme examples. But associative learning has implications on everyday walks. Consider a dog, Tommy, on his evening walk. Tommy looks at another dog and as any normal dog would, gets curious about him/her. He starts focusing on him/her. He might even try to go towards the other dog. If he is on a collar, choke collar or martingale, the tension on the leash causes pain in his neck. He associates this pain with the dog he was focussing on. As this happens multiple times, he starts developing fear of all dogs. Tommy may then decide to express his fear by refusing to walk or by lunging as soon as he sees another dog. And just like that, before Tommy's human knows why, Tommy has become dog-reactive. 

A good way to avoid this is to switch to a harness. A harness does not put pressure on the neck, thus eliminating pain all together. It is also useful to invest some effort in leash training the dog, so that he/she does not pull as much. If a dog has already become dog reactive, then these two steps become imperative. A dog that continues to experience pain cannot get over his/her fear of dogs and hence will not be able to overcome dog reactivity. The first step to any therapy with troubled dogs is to take away any pain.

Rocky's therapy is off to a good start. He is in great hands with some very compassionate people. I request everyone reading this article to send some very loving and healing thoughts his way so that he finds the strength to let go of the demons of his past and embrace the beautiful life ahead of him.