Limited by Our Expectations

As a much younger person, when I trained my first specially-abled dog, I had great ideas of what we could accomplish!  No one told me I couldn't teach a blind and deaf dog to jump over a hurdle she couldn't see, or to fetch a ball she couldn't watch or hear falling to the ground.  And together this dog and I accomplished everything we set out to do and learn.  I wasn't limited by anyone's expectations of what I could or couldn't teach her.  (In fact, no one expected her to learn anything, but they didn't care enough to pay attention to what I was doing or comment on it.)  And to me, there were no limits to what she could learn.  This amazing dog taught me that if I didn't place limits on her and I kept my expectations high, great things could happen.

Often we are limited by our expectations.  Let me explain ...

In order to accomplish or create something, we need to have a thought that we can do it first.  If I didn't think that I could teach that dog to fetch, would I have even tried it in the first place?  No, of course not.  None of us likes to fail and we don't set out to do something we expect to fail at.  I had a thought - it all started with a thought that it might be possible.  Believing that something is possible is the first step toward achieving it.  

I meet many people who believe that Treasure spends her days just sitting in a corner waiting for me to do things for her because she can't see or hear.  Some even think that I must feed her each morsel of her food because she can't see to eat it on her own.  They don't believe it's possible for her to navigate without the sense of sight.  They don't think she is able to function on her own.  

Let's think for a moment about if I thought those things about her as well.  

When I first brought Treasure home, if I believed that she was not able to navigate and function on her own, would I have treated her any differently?  I think I probably would have.  I may have put her in a very tiny area, expecting that she would be content to sit there all day waiting for me to do everything for her.  I may have fed her each morsel by hand, holding it right to her mouth so she didn't have to look for the food.  I mean, she is blind, after all.  Treasure never would have learned and tried new things because I would have done everything for her.  While this may be a funny picture to those of you who know me and Treasure personally, and know what she is capable of, this picture really isn't that far off from what might have happened.

We limit ourselves and those around us by the expectations we surround ourselves with.  When we say we can't do something (or our dogs can't do something), we are usually right.  But I don't think we are right because those things are impossible to accomplish.  I think we are right because if we think we can't, we won't try.  And if others think we can't, we often won't try either.  

If you haven't figured it out yet, this post is not just about our dogs.  Expectations can limit what we can accomplish ourselves, with our dogs, and with those around us.  Expectations can limit what our children, friends, family, co-workers, etc, try to accomplish as well.  

From the very beginning I believed that Treasure was great and intelligent and could learn and accomplish anything.  I have tried not to limit her except where her physical safety may be at risk.  It is an amazing journey she is taking me on - one that surprises me every day.  The more I am open to the possibilities, the more she shows me that she can rise to the occasion.  

Today is Specially-Abled Pet Day and we celebrate all the amazing special animals out there that inspire us and break through the limits of expectations! Especially my two very amazing specially-abled dogs!  

Four Amazing Dogs!

Recently, Treasure and Vegas both earned their Expert Trick Dog Titles, bringing the total of Expert Trick Dogs in my home to four!  Here they are with their certificates.  

These are super fun trick dog titles that can be earned from Do More With Your Dog!  Vegas learned his tricks with hand and touch cues, and Treasure learned hers with touch and scent cues.  Congratulations to my crew!  

But, How Do I Tell Him No?

One question I hear often from people who live with a deaf or blind/deaf dog, is "But, how do I tell him no when he can't hear me?" They assume that if the dog could just hear them say no, it would stop doing those behaviors that they don't like.

The word no does not hold any magic power to stop behavior.  It is not a magic wand that we can wave to instantly create a world to our liking.  And, dogs are not born knowing what the word no means.

What does the word no mean anyway?  Does it have a single, clear meaning?  Or, do we use it to convey a wide degree of emotion?

No, don't do that right now.  No, don't do that ever.  No, I don't want to play with you now.  No, how could you?  No, don't chew on that. No, don't jump on me in my good clothes.  No, get off the furniture. No, don't knock over the children. No, you can't have that.  No, there's no more dinner.  No, I won't buy you that.  No, I don't like that.  No walk today.

To a dog, each of those is a very different situation.  How is he supposed to know that the word no means all of them and more?  Most of the time, the dog doesn't understand what he did to upset you, he only knows that you are often upset and when you get upset, you yell this strange word no at him.

Think about when people have told you no.  How do you feel?  Deflated? Disappointed? Embarrassed? Wanting to avoid that person? Angry? Frustrated? Confused? Apprehensive?  If this small word can bring about those types of feelings and confusion, why is it a word we would want to use with our dogs?  Do we want our dogs to feel those things?  Do we want our dogs to be stressed and confused?

Dogs have natural behaviors, just like humans do.  They have a need and a desire to perform those behaviors, even if those behaviors are ones we would rather they didn't do.  Dogs have no reason to believe that their natural behaviors would be unwelcome to us.  They use those behaviors to interact with their world and to communicate to others around them.  To them, each behavior has a meaning and an importance. 

When we try to stop behaviors we don't like, we end up increasing our dog's stress levels as they try to suppress certain behaviors to please us, but they don't have an outlet for the impulses they still have to do those behaviors.  Often people try to stop many behaviors all at once and they end up telling the dog no a lot!  Everything the puppy tries to do is met with a no and an unhappy person.  

Frustration results, not only on the part of the person, but especially on the part of the puppy.  Frustrated puppies naturally try to use their behaviors to dissipate that stress - by running, chewing, digging, barking, mouthing, etc.  Hmmm ... more behaviors that lead to no.  A not-so-pretty cycle begins to ensue.

Dogs that are stressed, frustrated and confused are physiologically unable to focus on learning, so it is not an ideal time to try to teach them something new.  The more the dog hears no and stays in this state, the less you will be able to teach him.  

Let's change our perspective.  Instead of pointing out to our dogs, in our unclear human way, all the things we don't want them to do, let's focus on teaching our dogs in a kind and clear manner, what we do want them to do.  By creating clear expectations of what we do want in each situation, our dog will feel more relaxed and secure.  A relaxed dog is more likely to show behaviors that humans like!  Behaviors like being quiet, lying down, moving calmly, finding his own toys to chew on, etc.  

When dogs have a clear understanding of what we expect, they can make choices about their behaviors. The behaviors the dog was showing before out of stress, frustration, and confusion, will no longer be relevant and will be replaced by the new behaviors of a relaxed and secure dog.  Dogs want to do what will bring them pleasant feelings.  Feeling relaxed and secure are pleasant feelings.  

When we see more behaviors that we like, we will have more reasons to let our dogs know how much we appreciate these behaviors.  Having a happy, relaxed human who reinforces their choices is a pleasant feeling that the dog will try to attain.  This creates a much prettier cycle!  And a win-win for us and our dogs!

There will certainly be times when we need to stop our dogs from doing behaviors that are unsafe or inappropriate. But yelling no will very seldom solve the problem at hand.  It is much quicker to go to the dog and interrupt the behavior than to stand there helplessly yelling no over and over again.  If it is a behavior that is likely to happen again, decide what you want your dog to do instead in that situation and take the time to teach it.  It will make your life so much easier in the long run, and both you and your dog will be much happier.   

So, my answer for those people who want to know how to tell their dog no?  Tell your dog yes instead!

Library Local Authors Event

Treasure and I were recently chosen to participate in a local author's event at our county library, for my book, Through A Dark Silence.  We had a great time signing books and educating people about double merles.  People are always surprised to find out that the issues that many double merles face with sight and/or hearing impairments are completely preventable!  

Teaching Stay

Your dog can learn to stay in different positions.  Most dogs prefer to stay in the down position.  It is most comfortable for the dog to stay in for a length of time.  It also takes the most effort for the dog to move from a down position, as opposed to a sit or a stand stay.  If you expect to teach the stay in different positions, however, you may want to teach the sit stay before the down stay.  Dogs taught to down stay first, may often try to lie down while left on a sit stay because that is their habit already. 

Stay can be a difficult exercise for your b/d dog to learn.  All dogs like to be with us and don’t necessarily like to be left behind while we walk away.  But b/d dogs really like to keep track of us and they won’t be able to track us with their eyes as we leave to know where we are. 

Begin teaching stay by standing right next to your dog.  Don’t be in a hurry to walk away.  When you are practicing sit and down positions, reward while your dog is in position but don’t release her.  Instead, quickly reward again with her still in position.  By rewarding several times without a release cue, you are getting your dog used to staying in position longer.  After feeding several treats, then give the release cue.

Gradually pause slightly longer between treats, so your dog learns to wait in position longer for the treats.  When you are sure your dog will wait in position for the next reward to come, you can begin to add the stay cue.  If she is still trying to move out of position before the release cue, you need to practice this step more before moving on. 

Ask your dog to sit.  Reward in position.  Then give the stay cue and immediately reward your dog while she is still in the sit position.  Then release.  She just did her first very short sit stay!  The goal will be to very gradually build up the amount of time between the stay cue and the reward.  If your dog gets up after the stay cue but before the reward, begin again without rewarding.  The next time, make the time between the stay cue and the reward shorter so she can be successful. 

Build up to a 20 second stay with you staying right next to your dog.  Make sure you aren’t touching her during that time, because as you start to walk away from her, you won’t be able to touch her.  You don’t want her relying on touching you to stay in place.  Make your stay cue very clear, and make your release cue very clear.  Any rewards should come while your dog is still in the stay position.  If your dog lays down during the stay and you wanted her to sit, give the release cue and let her get up so you can start over again.  Do not reward, but make the next sit stay shorter so you can reward while she is still sitting.

When your dog can do a 20 second stay with you next to her, you can take one small step away from her after you give the stay cue.  Immediately step back next to her and reward.  Each time you practice, vary the direction you step away from her.  One time go out to the side, one time to the front, one time backwards.  When this is going well, take two steps away and immediately come back.  Then take two steps away and build up the time again to 20 seconds gradually.  It’s better to come back quickly and be able to reward a successful stay than to try to stretch the time too far and cause your dog to make a mistake.

Gradually add more distance and more time.  When you go farther, cut down the time at first and then build back up.  When you want to add more time, stay close by at first. 

Handling exercises

There are a couple places during the CGC when your dog will be expected to allow a stranger to touch her in different ways.  Here are a few articles that may help you with teaching those.  

Most dogs don’t automatically like being reached for. Dogs communicate through their use of personal
space. Some dogs want more space around them than others. When you reach into a dog’s personal
space, it may move away or seem stressed unless it has been taught otherwise. 

Sometimes this teaching happens without us needing to put forth any special effort. The dog learns
from consistent experience that people reaching for it always means good things are going to happen.
All too often, however, dogs learn to distinguish between pleasant reaching and not-so-pleasant
reaching based on the person’s voice tone and body language. Dogs are very good at learning which of
our signals lead to an experience that won’t be very nice for them. 

This doesn’t mean the dog has been hit or corrected in some way (although it can mean that). If your
particular dog doesn’t like to be brushed, and you reach for his collar and then brush him, he will quickly
learn that you reaching for him means he may be getting brushed and he will begin to avoid your reach.
Or he may learn to avoid your reach only in certain rooms or situations, or at a certain time of day– depending upon where and when you try to brush him. 

To read the rest of this article, click here ... 

Two other blog posts that may be helpful include: 

Grooming tips for blind/deaf dogs - click here ... 

Overcoming grooming fears - click here ...
Worried about strangers - click here ... 

Teaching Come

To teach your dog to come when called, you will need a signal that you can give her from a distance.  I use my breath to blow on Treasure.  She follows my breath back to me.  You may be able to use a long reacher or dowel rod with a padded end to touch her and lead her to you.  But the one that is most useful to me wherever we are is my breath.  It doesn't involve me carrying a long stick with me wherever I go. 

Begin very close to your dog and give your come signal.  Don’t expect her to come to you, as she doesn’t know what the cue means yet.  Just give the come signal and then immediately hand her a great treat.  Make it something really special to motivate her.  Do this often.  Give the cue to come and feed.  Don’t expect her to do anything at this point.  You just want her to associate the cue with great things.

When you can give the cue to come and she immediately startles and looks for you and the treat, you are ready to move on to the next step.  Now start to give the cue when you are next to her and be ready to reward your dog for even a slight turn in your direction.  Try it from both sides and even from directly behind her until she turns toward you whenever you give the cue.

Gradually, shape your dog’s response so she comes farther towards you.  Add distance gradually.  Try it in new areas but start close up to her and then build distance again slowly.  Always reward your dog when she comes to you.  Never call her to you for things that she won’t like – grooming, medication, confinement, corrections.  If you do, she may decide not to come to you because it won’t be rewarding for her. 

With a dog that cannot see or hear you, it is important to continue a tactile signal until your dog gets to you.  Your dog won't be able to see where you are, so continue to blow in her direction until she comes all the way to you.  Reward once she gets close enough to you for you to touch her easily.