dog behavior

Too Bad! Why I Use Time Outs

Photo courtesy of Denise O’Moore

There are a few topics in the dog training world that can rouse people’s cortisol levels to an extraordinary level. Time outs are one of those topics. There was a video making the rounds a while back about time outs for kids being “bad”, being widely shared by some trainers as “proof” that we should not implement these for dogs either “because they can damage the psyche”. The problem with that train of thought is that the video wasn’t talking about appropriately implemented time outs (for either species!). I don’t have children so I will not be offering any opinions on the child care part of this equation. But I will happily explain how time outs can assist quite nicely with dog behavior modification efforts with zero fall out with *appropriate* use. But before I do so, I would also like to briefly mention a lovely article about the top 10 behaviors of expert animal trainers. One mention was minimizing the use of a time out. I quite agree with that but I also want to note that this lovely article was written primarily about *wild* animal trainers. The relationship between the wild animal and the trainer is very different from your relationship with the dog that you live with. So while minimizing the use of time outs should certainly be the goal, equating the use of a Time Out with a dog in certain situations with the use of such with wild animals is not an equal comparison. Now that I have hopefully prevented this article being tossed at me as proof of how horrible I am, let’s move on.

Let’s define appropriate usage. With my own clients, there are many situations that may warrant time out usage. But each implementation is individual to the situation. There is no one size fits all and sometimes with each situation, judgment calls need made by the human part of the equation to determine what is best each time. My definition of a time out is a withdrawal of attention and/or privileges. The privilege that is lost may be the ability to move around freely (and wreak havoc!) or it may be just not engaging with a favorite human for a brief (30 seconds to 2 minutes!) moment in time. A time out is NEVER suggested for a dog that would feel traumatized by either of these things. Such a dog wouldn’t need a time out so it’s a moot point at best. The dogs that need a time out are typically adolescents testing boundaries or adult dogs who were never taught impulse control as a puppy. Or even canine bullies (the action, not the breed) in a multiple dog household.

One of my frequent usages is with puppies who are quite literally, running amok. They are lacking in impulse control and their inappropriate choices have been inadvertently reinforced by negative attention (no, stop, don’t do that, push away, etc.). What happens when you reinforce a behavior, even with negative attention? The behavior is maintained or even increased. Yep, you created a monster. The puppy has discovered the battleground game and is having a great time with this. The owners, not so much. They are exhausted and need a way to teach consequences for the puppy’s actions without hurting or scaring the puppy.

This also applies to older dogs that were never taught these consequences to their choices as puppies. The puppy/dog wears a lightweight leash and there are also lightweight leashes placed around various pieces of sturdy furniture so that the owner needn’t walk more than 5 or 6’ to implement a time out. Taking too long to provide a consequence means that you lose the message. The time frame between the verbal marking of the moment of the poor choice with the time out word or phrase to the actual time out, should be mere seconds.

Of course, time outs are not limited to tethering. Some issues are better addressed by walking away or walking into the nearest room that has a door, such as a powder room or even behind a gate (typically you, not the dog, except puppies!) But again, timing is everything. The time out word marks the moment, just as a yes or a clicker or even a good boy/girl marks the moment of an appropriate choice. And we know that the reward must immediately follow the marker in order to be effective, right? Same theory applies here. The consequence must immediately follow the marker. My time out marker is said in a sing song voice (Too Bad!) for all the world sounding like “you screwed up”. There should never be anger in a time out marker.

If attention is the intent, withdrawing said attention is a need. Even turning your back to a dog who is inappropriately attempting attention seeking is a time out. Would you call a dog traumatized because you turned your back briefly? Exactly. Often turning away isn’t enough of a withdrawal of attention for many dogs. Hence, we have the option to exit the room/situation.

Now I know that many trainers will say to teach the puppy/dog in question what to do instead of what they are doing that causes annoyance. Of course, that is also happening. Or it certainly should be. But that is simply not enough in many cases, especially where the poor choices have resulted in so much attention that it’s pretty much game on every day. If a dog is rewarded for doing the right thing after ALWAYS starting that sequence of behavior with a poor choice, you do see the problem here, right? Behavior chains can be lovely things but they can also be nightmares to behold. Modifying behavior successfully is always a matter of a bit of detective work in finding what works for THAT dog in THAT situation, without causing emotional or physical trauma on both sides of the equation. Properly done, time outs along *with* capturing appropriate choices, provide all of the relevant information to the dog so that forward movement can be obtained with minimum stress. Win/win.

Tags: adolescent dog, attention seeking behavior, canine bullies, dog behavior, dog training, multiple dog households, tethers, time outs, withdrawal of attention, withdrawing attention

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The Grand Illusion: Multiple Dog Household Aggression Issues Can Be Confusing

I have written several blog posts on the subject of preventing multiple dog household conflict but none on resolving it. There is a reason for that. Most dog parents who are not behavior professionals are not well versed in the finer points of determining the true cause of the issues at hand. I cannot count how many times I have been told that one dog is at fault only to arrive and see a different story entirely.

Of course, rarely is one personality in the household solely at fault for conflict. It usually takes two to tango. But without a plethora of dog body language knowledge, most people just don’t see the true initial cause. Behavior better off nipped in the bud early on, has been permitted to continue and then not surprisingly, tempers rise. The dog that is eventually blamed for starting things is often only responsible in varying degrees from not at all to an equal partner in crime.

A situation that could quickly get out of control. Photo courtesy of Kate McGill.

I often see posts on the internet in various venues with multiple dog household parents asking how to solve a conflict within their household. Responses that are in any way different than “Get professional in-home help” serve to frustrate to me to no end. These issues cannot be solved by “dog trainer Facebook” or “dog trainer Yahoo group”. You need experienced eyes on the situation at hand to determine what dynamics are in play. Anything less and not only are all dogs in the household in danger, but so are the humans who happen to be present when any conflict takes place.

Redirection onto a human is a real danger when you are dealing with inter-household aggression and attempting to break up a spat. Relationships are not enough to ensure safety when emotions are at a high point. I happen to have a different opinion on dogs and their use of their teeth than some professional trainers. I do agree that if a dog wanted to bite you in most circumstances and if you just get a muzzle punch or a snap close to skin, then they certainly are just warning you. That is where my agreement usually ends on this subject.

With a dog fight, all bets are off. You CAN get accidentally bitten by the love of your life. Teeth are flashing fast and if you reach in to separate the feuding parties in the heat of the battle, it’s easy to get bitten. Think about a human in the same circumstances. Your emotions are high and a perceived rival attacks you. Someone you love reaches in to prevent you from retaliating and while you are wildly swinging, you give your beloved a black eye. It happens. Very easily. Don’t assume you won’t get bitten because you and your dogs have a great relationship. That would be a very dangerous assumption.

There is no general guideline that exists to repair the divide in inter-household aggression. Relationships don’t exist in a vacuum. The dynamics of any household are complex and complicated. You would not expect to resolve conflict among human household members based on some pre-existing formula that you could refer to. Give the canines in your life the same respect for complexity. You need professional eyes on the situation to determine the root cause of the issue at hand. No two conflicts are identical in any species.

Often, the dynamics that are causing the problem are not immediately evident even to the professional. My initial presence alone will change the dynamics in such a way that just listening and watching while waiting for the dogs in the home to get more comfortable and act more naturally is an important part of the resolution. As is often in these scenarios, the behavior at the root of the issue is something that a dog parent simply considered normal dog behavior. We could be better dog parents overall with an approach to dog rearing that mirrors human parenting. The comparisons are very similar.

In conclusion, I will reiterate that if you have inter-household aggression, then you owe it to your family, both human and canine, to get professional help. If you are not experiencing all out combat in your home but things could be a little less tense, then avail yourself of the previous blog posts that are written to prevent combat and instill a feeling of safety and peace in your multiple dog household.

Feel free to share your inter-household aggression story below.