Case Study – Monty

Understand something clearly – had I followed all the “training” advice with Monty, he wouldn’t be a quarter of the dog he is today. Throw all the training protocols, treats and tools in the garbage – and focus on your relationship with the dog. Build that trust and respect first – and you’ll realize in a hurry how little “training” they need.

I treat my dog like a dog, I expect him to live life as a dog. My dog is not my child, he’s not my baby – and I’m not his daddy. To treat a dog as anything other than a dog is disrespectful to the species. Now don’t get me wrong, I love my dogs dearly – my dog is my best friend and he gets all the trust and respect that any of my friends get. He sleeps in my bed, has full access to everything – and I trust him. But, some people choose to raise their dog like a house cat, then expect all the issues to go with it.

Training today is top down. Top down means you’re trying to fix all these issues through training. What you may not realize is that you’re working on symptoms, managing symptoms – the outcome of the problems. There is a reason for all these bad behaviors, let’s find them. This is the reason training fails so often. I’m going to focus on bottom up by looking at the dog holistically – I’m fixing pretty much everything at once – building a dog from the ground up. It’s a great time to do it cause he doesn’t know he’s a dog. Humans already proved they can’t teach a dog to be a dog – that can only come from dogs.

I recognize that fear is simply lack of trust. Confidence stems from trust. The magic equation in any relationship is trust + respect = confidence. If trust is missing, none can exist. The relationship is going to fail. You can’t be confident in any animal that you don’t trust – and that goes for humans too. I trust Monty 100%, he’s got my full respect – and I’m very confident in his ability to be a dog – and make good choices. How many owners can actually say that? When you achieve that, you’ll have the dog you want.

Understand as you read this – Monty isn’t perfect. I don’t want perfect. I push dogs to have free will, to make good solid choices as a dog – it’s important. That’s trusting a dogs judgement. When you give a dog free will, they will challenge you once in a while which is good. If I make a choice that Monty doesn’t want, he lets me know. It’s a battle of wills some days – but it’s about cooperation, no control.

Monty’s story encompasses so much in behavioural, and it’s important that people understand that not everything is trainable. I didn’t put any formal training into Monty – I understood that he didn’t know how to be a dog – he wasn’t around dogs to learn how to be a dog – let alone how to act like one. His life up to this point was being housebound for the most, he peed and pooped on a mat in the basement, and he wasn’t treated like a dog. This is not training – I’m going to meet Monty’s needs – his needs as a dog were not being met. And that’s the cause of his behaviour – that’s not trainable.

When wolf pups crawl out of the den, they have alot of learning to do. To that end, the pack gets together and teaches those puppies to be wolf. Many dogs don’t get the benefit of learning how to be a dog from other dogs. That is generally the basis for aggression and reactivity. Typical puppy is locked in a crate because “training”, they can’t be around dogs due to owners fear or lack of vaccines and all they have is a frustrated human trying to teach them obedience or tricks and how to behave the way I want – when they should be out in the world experiencing everything. You just created an anti-social dog based on bad advice – and that’s really all reactivity and aggression is – anti-social behaviours. At some point, you have to take that dog out in the real world and you just missed a huge chunk of time for socialization. The dog is scared, the dog doesn’t trust anything – but now you’re being told to train every aspect of it using the quadrants.

Where did I start? Focus on relationship first – build that trust, learn to respect the dog – and you would be amazed at how little “training” the dog needs. Monty was aggressive, reactive, fearful, anti-social, not housebroken, a big barker – the sum of all people’s fears in their dog – and to see him change so much in such a short period of time? How did he change?

First of all – give the dog time to settle in? To decompress? That is the worst piece of advice.

Monty was scared, confused, all of a sudden he’s with a new owner in a new city – and his owners just left. Nothing smells familiar. He moved from a house to a condo and there’s a whole lot of smells and noises that he doesn’t understand. And I’m supposed to let him stay like that for months and let him sweat it out in that state of confusion and fear? No, that’s not fair, that’s cruel. Monty is going to be my dog – and I need to start building a relationship with him right away. He has no reason to trust me, I need to give him reasons, I need to earn his trust – and I need to learn to trust him. In order to do that, I need to get to know him and vice versa. We aren’t going to achieve that with him scared in a corner.

Step 1. Earn the dogs trust. Monty was dropped off to me by his former owners at around 5 pm. As soon as they left, we went to a pet store for some trust building. I don’t know if Monty has ever been to a pet store, but he stood in the doorway for a few minutes, little nose taking it all in – and I waited for him to move forward. He’s smelling birds, rabbits, dogs, cats, hamsters, food – it has to be an assault on the dogs senses. I didn’t drag him into the store – tonight is all about his choices. He’s nervous and wary, and I’m not there to push him, give him time to choose to move forward and he did. I don’t mind looking silly for a dog. I grabbed a 16 foot extendable lead off the shelf, told the employees I would pay for it and that Monty is my new dog and I’m here to work with him. I asked people to give him space.

First time Monty went fight or flight, it was a rabbit in a cage on the floor, safe to assume he’s never met one before and he’s in a strange environment with someone he doesn’t know yet. Yeah, he’s got a reason to be on guard. He went low, front legs spread, growling, fearful. I left him where he was, extended the leash and sat down by the cage and waited – I’m touching the thing he’s scared of, interacting with it. I didn’t say anything, I didn’t have food. I wanted him to realize that I’m not getting hurt, he needs to choose to overcome the fear and come to me – to trust my judgment. Have patience, it took a few minutes – could see the gears turning but he came forward, sniffed the cage and it’s not a big deal anymore. It’s not termination of fear – it’s building trust. Next scare were the squawking parrots around the corner, did the same – waited for him choose, the onus is on him – stay there scared or join me. He chose to join me. Then he nearly got a very expensive bird that was out of its cage. Tonite is all about his choices. I’m simply showing him that the things that scare him – don’t scare me. I got your back, I’m your protector. Trust me.

I can’t make the environment “not scary”, I’m not terminating fear – I’m asking my dog to trust me, to trust my judgment, to choose to follow me – I’m not going to let you get hurt and will protect you when you need it. That first night in the pet store was stressful for him, but he chose to keep moving forward, he didn’t shut down. He wanted to move forward, I’m not pushing him. It’s the employees that made it positive. Before we left, they showered him with treats – not me. They showered him with affection – not me. He’s small, he’s handsome and people want to pet him. They made that environment positive – not me. Bit of stress finished on a very positive note? How can that be negative? Gained alot of trust in that first couple of hours. And he’s going to want to come back.

Now – time to work on the living arrangements and the barking he’s accustomed to. Monty is a barker, former owners got complaints galore from the neighbours. I can’t have that. The building I live in is pretty quiet and I don’t want complaints.

Back in the condo, we walked around at his pace. Went up and down all the hallways of every floor repeatedly. He stopped to sniff under every door – to meet every dog and person by their smell – he found out pretty quick where all the dogs live. I took him outside periodically to the fire hydrants and other spots that dogs pee, let him sniff and mark – then back into the condo through different doors. The dogs that he’s smelling behind the door are the dogs he’s smelling outside. He explored the entire condo inside and out – what I did was take the boogeyman out of the building. He’s getting to know the environment through smell. We explored the condo til about midnight – now it’s time for a good long walk, lets really explore the environment.

I let him take the lead – this isn’t about structure – you go where you want to go, and I’ll follow – it’s about his choices. I’ve removed all thresholds and gave him free will. This pushes him to use his nose to explore, he found every common spot that dogs pee – and took his time to pee and mark with his own scent. You see, if I smell a fire hydrant, I’ll likely smell pee – but Monty’s nose can differentiate all the different dogs that peed on it. In a sense, he’s meeting all the dogs in the area without actually meeting them. Remember when I said he sniffed under every door to meet the dogs through scent? Now when people walk by – or when a neighbour knocks on my door – he knows who it is by smell. He can smell people walking by now – and it’s a smell he learns to recognize.

We got home around 2 am, both tired, off to bed. Monty didn’t sleep well that first night, I put blankets out for him in various areas to try to make him comfortable. He can choose where he sleeps. I woke up around 4 and the little bugger was still awake and he was tired. I guarantee, he’s going to sleep tomorrow night. I can’t feel bad for him – human guilt is an emotion that shouldn’t be inflicted on a dog – it prevents you from doing the right thing. Gave him some affection and went back to bed.

Next morning, he was at the door at 8 am looking to get out to pee – to sniff around and be a real dog – something he’s probably never experienced in his life. He didn’t pee in the condo – he was letting me know that he wanted out – pretty impressive for a dog that used a mat in the basement for the first 5 years of his life. He didn’t get breakfast til he went out to pee either, that’s another encouragement.

Friends and clients knew I was getting a dog and wanted me to bring him in – this is wonderful, now we’re going to start the process of socialization with humans in different environments. He’s already trusting me – just not 100% yet, that will come. Walked into the first clients, took the leash off and let him figure out this new world – and I asked people to give him space. Monty is nervous, don’t make a big deal – and let him choose to come to you. He did great in the different environments – checked everything out, even chased a couple of mice. Had a couple of naps on my lap while I did my thing.

Now it’s time for some dog social time – lets see what skills he has in other pet stores. Dogs should always meet dogs through smell – mainly the bum sniff. Monty wasn’t a fan of letting other dogs sniff his bum – he would sit and growl at the other dog – because he didn’t know what to do – he didn’t know how to act like a dog. This is where I pushed the issue, I would pick him up and let dogs sniff his bum – and vice versa. Encourage him to sniff other dogs bums – even if I had to pick him up and put his nose close. This was the biggest key to making him social – the bum sniff is a dog handshake – and it didn’t take long for him to trust my judgment here either. Cause that’s all I want – complete trust. There is no “training” going on.

He’s small and cute, people wanted to meet him and pet him. I’m ok with that – just do it my way please. Squat down a couple of feet away, hold out your hand – and give him the choice to come to you. That is respecting a dog and respecting a dogs space – and Monty chose most times to go for affection – sometimes the answer is no, and people need to accept that choice. Bear in mind, this is basically day 1, and Monty is doing awesome.

Lets try a dog park – off to Jackie Parker on 50th Street for some social. I love this park, the people are wonderful and are always willing to help a dog. Pulled into the park, Monty started barking out of pure excitement and maybe a bit of fear. Calmed him down in the car, got the leash on and we’re off. Lets start meeting dogs. I’m not doing the typical up and down the back trails for introduction – most of what I needed got accomplished the night before. He was unsure, dogs would run up to him and he would panic a little – and look to me for guidance, the person he’s really starting to trust – the person he’s going to look to as his protector. My job is to remain calm, and help him out if he needs it – to be there for him. Low and behold, he allowed dogs to sniff his bum – and he sniffed bum. I walked consistently toward dogs, to encourage him to meet dogs – in the process, I would meet all the dogs, give them affection too. We’re working as a team in this environment – he’s watching my actions and vice versa. I’m showing him that I’m not afraid, I’m calm, I’m having fun and interacting with dogs, dogs are good – that’s what he needs to do. I’m being social for him with dogs as well as people.

Communication is huge, learning to read your own dog. Many people that have reactive dogs tend to watch the environment for targets moreso than the dog. I’m always calm around Monty – and I focus on watching him. I’m watching his body language, listening to his barks and other sounds (and there are some weird ones), I’m looking for the subtle idiosyncrasies that is part of him. Dogs can read us like a book – we need to learn to reciprocate. I learned to listen to his communication and I understand how he feels at certain moments, what he wants at any given time etc. We communicate.

Went to 5 dog parks that first day, and I found out he’s got an issue with faster moving targets at Terwillegar dog park – they were things to be attacked and killed. Terwillegar is an offleash shared area – tends to be bicycles, runners, joggers etc. He laid teeth into a bicycle wheel that first day, then tried to attack joggers. How does one overcome this? All I did – when a moving target came toward us, I would squat down, take him by the collar and have him sit and relax, no words, no food. I’m calm, not freaking out. I didn’t care if he reacted, that will come. Wait until he calms down, and move forward after the target is gone. Rinse and repeat, patience and time. What I’m trying to show the dog is that when moving targets appear – just relax. I’m taking the lead, showing him what to do. Rinse and repeat, didn’t take long for him to understand. Bear in mind, he’s still leashed. He still gets the urge once in a while but corrects himself. it’s like a memory that’s slowly disappearing.

When I said he would sleep tonite? Oh yeah, fed him at 8 pm when we got home and he cratered. and Monty slept like a log. Any mental stress he was carrying was gone, he blew out the lines likely for the first time ever. He had a few naps throughout the day – on my lap by the way. And he had alot of exercise and mental exercise (not stimulation) through the day.

For the first few days, we repeated all this. Dog parks, clients, exploring the condo, pet stores – anywhere I could take him – it’s all about building that relationship with the dog, gaining each others trust. A dog that doesn’t trust you or trust your judgment has no reason to follow you – they have no reason to choose to overcome that fear.

When a dog really becomes your best friend, trusts you 100% – they also have no reason to run away from you. Enter recall – time to go off leash. I always tell people to condition a “stop and look”, it’s so easy. Every now and again, make a whistle sound – all you want the dog to do is acknowledge you when you whistle, just a look. You don’t need to show affection or give a treat – just remain calm. If he was asleep, I’d blow a whistle – he would wake up and look at me, then go back to sleep. Same in the car, blow a whistle, he would look at me. This is important when going off leash. It means, stop and look at me. Then it can became a locator if he’s off in the woods and I keep walking, he always pops out close to me.

Day 3, I’m tired of the leash. Pulled into Jackie Parker dog park – had a little talk with him mentally that I’m going to trust him to go off leash, that’s the ultimate, the game changer. Opened the door and let him go. Time for him to figure everything out – he’s got confidence now, knows how to meet dogs – lets see how he reacts. Monty booked it into the park – 50 feet out, I whistled and he stopped and looked. Great start, not expecting a miracle here. He ran over to a small group of dogs to meet – then off to another small group of dogs, basically running near a circle around me. I’m standing in the middle of the park talking to a friend – I know where he is – but does he know where I am? Has he lost track of me.

You see, all this work up til now was to build that relationship – Monty wants to be with the person he trusts, and when loses access to that – he’s likely going to flip out. And flip out he did. When he realized that he couldn’t find me, all heck broke loose and I let him sweat it out – let him suffer. He IS going to understand that the onus is on him to know where I am, to know where he left me. I hid behind my friend for a moment but kept an eye on him. He’s barking, whining, looking all around – likely scared now. When I felt he had enough, I stepped into plain view and whistled – and I’ve never seen that dog run so fast, near tripped over his own paws trying to get to me. Now unfortunately, he spent the rest of the time at that park stuck to me like glue – I don’t want that. That will come.

Recall solidified? I don’t consider it recall, it’s more that the dog isn’t going to lose sight of you, the dog wants to be with you. I am the highest value treat in his life, and I worked hard to get there. I set bars of what I would be happy with, winter is coming fast and our time outside is short. He cleared those bars and gave me more – and it took time. In the dog parks, I don’t have to call Monty, he just doesn’t run away. Get out and be a dog, we are at a dog park – and it’s his time. It’s not my time to control him. I follow him, he chooses to go in a certain direction – I follow him. I’m out for a walk with my best friend, it’s dog therapy for me to be in a park, I don’t care what direction we go.

Was Monty perfect in a dog park? No. He still had alot of learning to do – and the biggest issue was his humping. He humped everything starting out, nothing was safe – heads, rumps, legs, tails etc. Corrections are best coming from dogs – he needed to be shown that this humping isn’t socially acceptable in a park – and many of the dogs let him know that. I had to let him take corrections. If they didn’t correct, I would take him by the collar, have him sit and relax and wait til he’s calmed down. He’s humping because he is excited – sexually of course. When he calmed, I let him go.

For the first few days, it was a fair amount of work to get Monty to achieve a goal – to become a dog. Once that work is over, you can start backing off and relaxing and let the relationship bloom. I set goals for us, and achieved them, he cleared every bar I set. I wanted him off leash, wanted him to be chill and friendly, and most importantly – I wanted him to trust me. Those were my goals.

If you made it this far, congrats. Monty’s story should explain how one can work with a dog without treats, without e-collars and prongs and other tools. Had I gone that route, Monty wouldn’t be half the dog he is today. Well trained for obedience doesn’t equate to behaved – an obedient dog won’t always behave. A well behaved dog will always be obedient. Which do you want?

Monty is fearless now because he knows I won’t put him in harms way and I’ll do my best to keep him from getting hurt – and he runs into any new place like he owns it. Maybe once a year he reacts to something and it takes me off guard, he stops, hackles up and barks. Last time was a tractor stopped in a field – it was running. The operator was off in the woods. I left him where he was, and i took the lead, I’m going to show him that I’m not scared, and it’s not hurting me, come check it out. And he did. It’s not a big deal anymore. Always try to take the “big deal” out of everything – turn every negative into a positive. He will always make the choice to overcome a fear because he trusts me, he trusts my judgment.

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