Uh oh, my dog looks guilty!

The other day my cattle dog Bill ate a cupcake off of the counter.  He licked the icing off another one.  My husband found the crumbs of the first cupcake and the frosting missing off of the other and said, "Oh man, someone ate a cupcake off the counter.  Hey, they licked the frosting off of this one".  There are only two dogs big enough to do this but I was pretty sure which dog it was.  I didn't say anything but looked for Bill and found him lying down behind the couch looking very "guilty".  He looked the exact same way when my husband raises his voice because his football team is losing, when something he is working on around the house isn't going his way and when he is losing at his video game.  Do you see where this is going?  Bill didn't feel "guilty" because he ate a cupcake, in fact, he didn't realize Rick was vocalizing about cupcakes, he responds that way anytime Rick is upset about anything.  Bill is very close and attach to Rick and freakishly in tune with Rick's emotions.  He is so sensitive to Rick's tone of voice in fact, that every time Rick raises his voice he slinks away regardless of what Rick is talking about or who Rick is talking to.  In fact, Rick has taken to saying, "It's okay Bill, it's not you" nearly every time he raises his voice to stop Bill from worrying. 


People are always saying that their dogs feel "guilty".  They say this because this is how they perceive their dog's body language, usually just after they have found something that the dog has done that they don't like.  What they don't understand is that the dog is not responding this way because he feels "guilt" or "remorse" over something he has done, in fact, the dog usually has not clue that he did something "wrong".  The dog is simply responding to the owner's tone of voice and body language.  If a person comes home from work, finds poop in the house, then has an anger meltdown because they have to clean it up, the dog will begin to look worried and afraid when the owner comes home.  It isn't because of what he did, it is because of his past experiences of his owner coming home and then getting angry.  By the way, a dog can find our reactions punishing regardless of how benign they may seem.  To some very sensitive dogs, something has subtle as a heavy sigh or look of discuss can be punishing to the dog.  It is so interesting to me how people are can be completely resistant to the fact that dogs have emotions (which they do) or they believe that they have emotions and because they do, they must be exactly like human emotions (which they aren't). 

Dogs repeat behaviors that are reinforcing.  They also live in the moment.  I had a very hard time resisting those cupcakes, even though I had already eaten one!  Bill saw them on the counter and wanted one, so he took one.  I believe he saw it, wanted it, took it, ate it and then it was over.  He probably forgot about the cupcake the moment he was finished eating it (even though there was still frosting on his lip when I found him behind the couch!).  When Rick started to complain that a cupcake was eaten, Bill heard his tone and got worried like he always does.  There was no cupcake-guilt about it.  By the way, we didn't care too much that he ate a cupcake and Bill didn't get in "trouble" for it, we just felt stupid for leaving the cupcake container open on the edge of the counter.  STUPID!


There has been a video circulating on the internet of a "guilty dog".  The owner comes to the dog with a ripped bag of cat treats and says to the dog "Did you do this?  Did you rip open these cat treats?".  The dogs starts to do a series of appeasement behaviors including pinning his ears back, yawning, lip licking, squinting his eyes, and finally offering a full, submissive grin with all of his teeth showing.  People watch it and laugh and say that the dog is guilty, but the dog is not feeling "guilty" the dog is simply responding to the owner's tone of voice.  It's sad to watch actually if you know what is going on.  If you tested it (which I don't recommend you do since it's stressful to your dog) you would see that your dog will respond the same way if your tone and body language worries him.

The take away message here is "please don't assume your dog is feeling guilty", he is likely just responding to you.  Oh, and remember to put the lid back on the cupcake container before leaving it on the counter!

No Confidence Building Class Tonight

I am canceling Confidence Building class tonight.  The weather forecast says rain/wind which I don't want to expose these dogs to.  Stay safe and stay dry.  See you next week.  By the way, this weather gives us another wonderful reason to practice our confidence building games.  So, get out your towels and novel items (not scary though) and hide treats in a few, reward your dog for investigating and exploring the new things.  Have fun!

Lecture on the Lawn, April 1, 6:30pm

On April 1 at 6:30pm, I will doing a Lecture on the Lawn at Dublin Creek Kennel.  The topic will be Why Do Dogs Do That?  We will discuss some of the different puzzling things that dogs do and why they do them and what they mean.

These one hour lectures are informal, affordable and informative.  Coffee, tea, hot chocolate and snacks will be offered.  Cost is $20.  Please let me know if you are interested.

No Playgroup on March 23

There will be no playgroup on Wednesday, March 23 as Yvonne and Vicki are attending a dog training meeting.  Playgroup will resume next week on March 30.  Thank you for your understanding!

Saturday classes WILL be held in Dublin today!

Weather report is looking like it won't rain.  Reports from Dublin are that it's very clear.  So, Saturday classes in Dublin WILL happen today.  See you then!

Still Room In Our March 17 Marshmallow Class!

There is still room in the Marshmallow class for shy or fearful dogs starting on March 17 in Dublin!  Contact me to register.

March Newsletter

DOG OF THE MONTH

  

Haley is a beautiful, outgoing, Pit Bull mix that has been coming to Braveheart classes since she was a small puppy!  She has done our puppy, beginning, Canine Good Citizen classes, even our board and train refresher course and now she is rocking the Nosework classes!  Her parents Joanie and Dennis have done a wonderful job training this girl and keeping her busy!  We love having Haley in classes!

UPCOMING CLASSES

We have a lot of great classes starting soon that I would like to tell you about.  As time goes on, I try to add new classes to the schedule to keep everything challenging, fun and fresh for my clients and their dogs.  Take a look at what we have coming up and please let me know if you would like to register for anything.

Marshmallows Class, Dublin, Thursday, March 17, 6:00-6:50pm, 5 weeks, $150

Is your dog shy or uncomfortable around certain things?  Is he or she nervous of new people and you are not sure how to deal with it?  Then this class is for you! This class is designed especially for shy dogs.  The goal will be to teach owners of shy or fearful dogs to understand their dogs behavior and body language and how to help their dogs become more comfortable with different things.  We will work on some manners and obedience behaviors while also learning to help dogs cope in a new environment.

Confidence Building Class, Dublin, Thursday, March 17, 7:00-8:15pm, 5 weeks, $150

This class is all about building confidence in dogs through choice.  Using the seeking system in dogs (searching, investigating, exploring and experimenting) we build confidence by setting up situations that encourage seeking that the dog learns is rewarding and reinforcing which encourages more confidence and seeking.  This class is a great next step for many of our "Marshmallows" graduates looking for the next step in their dogs journey to confidence and security.  This class is limited to 5 dogs per session and to dogs that can be safely left in the car during the other dog's runs as dogs are worked individually (one at a time), which makes it a great choice for dog reactive dogs as well.

Three's Company, San Leandro, Tuesday, March 22, 6:00-6:50pm, 5 weeks, $200 

This class is identical to the Beginning Obedience/Manners Class listed above but is limited to only 3 dogs and owners.  This allows clients who need more one on one time.  Somewhere in between private lessons and a group class, our Three's Company class allows clients to afford more one on one training at an affordable cost.

Clicker Conformation, Dublin, Friday, April 8,  12:00-12:50pm, 5 weeks, $150

This course will help people wanting to get started with clicker training their show dogs.  We will work on teaching the dogs to stack, gait and accept examination.  While this is a class to teach conformation or show ring behaviors, dogs need not be show dogs to enroll.  This class will help dogs learn to accept handling and everything worked on is appropriate for pet dogs as well. 

Intro to K9 Nosework, San Leandro, Friday, April 8, 7:30-9:00pm, 6 weeks, $150

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and a natural desire to hunt. This class focuses on teaching you how to encourage and develop your dog's natural scenting abilities by using their desire to hunt and their love of toys, food and exercise. It's a great class for your dog to have fun, build confidence and burn lots of mental and physical energy and to find out just how good is your dog's nose. High food or toy motivation is beneficial for this class.Dogs must be able to handle confinement in a crate away from handlers.

Intro to Odor, San Leandro, Friday, April 8, 6:00-7:30pm, 6 weeks, $150 

This class advances the dog's scent discrimination skills taught in the Introduction to Nose Work Class. All dogs are taught to identify the first target odor, a natural essential oil. Additionally, we introduce techniques and tactics for building better dog/handler teamwork.Dogs must be able to handle confinement in a crate away from handlers.

Lectures on the Lawn, Friday, March 4, 6:30-7:30pm

As a crossover trainer, I will explain the differences between traditional, correction based training and positive reinforcement training.  I will talk about how they both work, how they are different and why I prefer positive reinforcement methods after having done both.

Drop In Conformation

San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7:00-7:30pm - All Dogs

San Leandro, Tuesdays, 7:30-8:00pm - Small Dogs

San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12:00-12:30 - All Dogs

San Leandro, Wednesdays, 12:30-1:00 - All Dogs