[Kirsten Watry]

Here are the 10 rules that I came up with.

1. Be respectful towards clients, other trainers, and most importantly, the dogs.

2. Be honest with clients by providing realistic expectations to clients and not taking on cases that I am not qualified to take on. I will be transparent about what happens with the dog when the client is not present.

3. Training should be geared towards enhancing the human-dog relationship and improving the dog’s quality of life. Steven Lindsay’s LIMA principles are a core part of the training plan to achieve these objectives.

4. Safety of the dog, client, trainer, and public are a top priority. This includes using training tools that will minimize the risk of injury to the dog and others.

5. Negative side effects of training will be prevented in the training plan. Unreliable “quick-fix” strategies will be avoided in favor of strategies that will get results without creating fear or panic in the dog.

6. Continue to further my education by learning from other qualified trainers so I can improve.

7. Follow local laws and regulations, including leash laws.

8. Refrain from giving veterinary advice unless qualified to do so.

9. Facilitate an uplifting culture for other FSDT members, which includes collaboration and reporting misconduct.

10. Client information will be kept confidential. This includes asking permission before taking photos or videos of their sessions.

I liked that IACP included that trainers shouldn’t use quick fixes and should give realistic expectations to clients. APDT’s code of ethics seems pretty thorough and I like their little tidbit about not saying something is scientific unless it is derived from peer-reviewed research.

[Kirsten Watry]

Here’s a nice update about this dog in case anyone was interested!

The vet visit was postponed because the vet just wanted to just give him a bordetella vaccination.

Muzzle: Muzzle conditioning has been slow because he was in a “funk” and was not feeling well for a short time. He wasn’t playful, he lost his appetite, he wasn’t enjoying his walks, and he was snapping at their feet more than usual. I told them to notify their veterinary behaviorist right away and they have an appointment with them soon, but they were given no instructions to change his medication. Thankfully he is feeling better but they noticed he has gained weight which will be discussed at their upcoming appointment with the vet. I told them to start using his daily food allowance with the muzzle and we discussed different high-value food options that they can put inside of the muzzle, being mindful to not overfeed him.

Improving Leadership: We looked over the leadership piece of his program, which we have been gradually easing him into due to safety. The biggest things that needed improvement was the no furniture rule and finding a way to help the dog learn to earn affection rather than him telling them when and how it was safe to pet him.

They put a couple pieces of tin foil on the couch and on any places where he tends to lay down and snap/rush at their feet. This is an adequate deterrent because he doesn’t want to lay on the foil. So it is ultimately his idea to be on his bed.

They now have their own bite gloves! I asked them to ignore the dog’s petting-seeking behaviors for a few days and then to start getting him used to being petted with the gloves. He now accepts petting with the gloves and they are starting to have him earn affection for about 5-10s intervals. Ignoring him for a few days worked WONDERS and they said he was visibly less cranky and irritable. I asked them to talk to him and still play with him, but just stop trying to pet him for a little bit to see if his desire for affection would increase (plus they had to wait for the gloves in the mail). They now understand the importance of having him earn affection so he learns that friendly/appeasing behaviors are effective, and the short intervals are ensuring that the interactions are positive.

Training + Play Recommendations: Over the course of their program I showed them different training games such as a Boomerang recall game, a chase recall game, and two-toy fetch. He is also playing a little bit of tug now, which is a newer game for him! There was one time where a fetch session went too long (about 30 minutes) and he snapped at the owner’s feet when she was standing still offering him a toy. It was almost as if he got so amped up in play that it made him anxious. I explained how we want to amp him up a little bit and then help him cool back down and gradually increase that arousal over time as a way to help him regulate those emotions in a play/training context. I asked them to start playing these games outside and to try a flirt pole with him.

Sit/stay and place are two other exercises that he knows. They are technically at Phase 1 because leash pressure easily causes him to snap and bite without warning signs. “Place” just means that they want him to stay on his bed until they release him, and he chooses to lay down on his own (luring with treats also causes him to snap so we aren’t worried about down right now). They are practicing stay and/or place to desensitize him to different things that would normally cause him concern, such as sitting on the couch, cutting things at the kitchen counter, etc. I asked them to work on getting out of sight as well.

In addition, they have a tether station for his bed so they can safely contain him while they sit on the couch together. I am having them work on sit/stay while they tether him and when they set him free from the tether because I found out they were bribing/distracting him while they would hook up the tether. He drags a light leash in the house and they hook the end of the drag leash to another leash that is tethered to a piece of furniture.

Next Steps: I am waiting to hear how this training goes and to see what the veterinary behaviorist says before I give them more to work on. I would like to get him to the point where we can get into Phase 2 training SAFELY. I think it will be important to empower this dog to learn how to turn off gentle leash pressure to enforce sit/stay, place, and come so we can continue to improve upon the 3 Ds of training (Duration, Distance, Distractions).

I also referred them to the scent work class on Fenzi so I am hoping they will get him involved in that, and they are also considering barn hunt.

Questions: Do you think it is realistic for a dog that is this sensitive to learn how to respond to food lures? I was thinking they could replace a food lure with target stick training, but I think it would be great if he could eventually learn how to follow a food lure as well. I would also love any feedback on this general plan as well.

[Kirsten Watry]

I thought I responded to the thread before (oops!), but I would like to say that this has been the kindest dog training group that I have been a part of so far! I took a leap of faith putting this case out there in such detail and I truly appreciate the feedback. I hope it also helps other people as well.

[Kirsten Watry]

It is interesting how similar IAABC and APDT’s codes of ethics are. CCPDT’s code of ethics uses the term “humane hierarchy” rather than LIMA, which is the version of LIMA used by those organizations. I think all of their rules are similar, but CCPDT’s is more simplistic (I don’t mean that in a bad way, but I also don’t think it is necessarily superior to the others).
CCPDT code of ethics: https://www.ccpdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/07/Code-of-Ethics.pdf

Humane Hierarchy: https://www.ccpdt.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/Application-of-the-Humane-Hierarchy-Position-Statement.pdf

[Kirsten Watry]

I like the way you categorized each rule, which would make it easier to add new criteria later on (although I find your list to be pretty thorough!)

[Kirsten Watry]

So far they have been using shaping by successive approximations to encourage him to voluntarily put his nose into the muzzle (feeding on the outside of the muzzle for now) with the muzzle completely still (so no straps yet, only using a “yes” reward marker with high-value treats).

As far as putting the muzzle in a dish with food inside, this would just be used to help him get used to the sensation of the muzzle without a person standing close to him. Once he is confident with this, they could use shaping by successive approximations to get him to put his nose into the muzzle while it is on the floor or dish with no food inside (so no guarding risk at that point). Once he is confident with that picture, I am hoping they will be able to resume more “typical” muzzle conditioning with the muzzle on their lap. I don’t see guarding being an issue with this plan.

Are you familiar with shaping? With proper marker timing, a dog can be rewarded for a behavior at a distance and either come to the handler for a reward or the handler tosses the treat to the dog.

As stated before, they are doing NILIF which is essentially another way of saying that resources and privileges are being earned by the dog (food, walks, etc.). He cannot be crated, but they do have a tether station so they can contain him and have him earn freedom.

[Kirsten Watry]

Thanks Allie! Mike did say that the D&T freedom muzzle was a good choice (it happens to have a metal basket and is completely bite proof, unlike the baskerville). I do see the value in working with a muzzle that is lighter though. I think they still have a baskerville muzzle. I asked them to put in a plastic dish with the dog’s meal and he can practice eating around it and getting used to it that way, and then doing shaping exercises where the dog touches the muzzle at a distance from the handler.

I’m not sure how bite proof the Italian basket muzzle is, but it works well for my small dog! The choice for them ultimately came down to the fit of the muzzle. We wanted to make sure it was the perfect fit to accommodate a full pant so he could eventually wear it for longer stretches of time once it is conditioned. Each muzzle has its own unique set of measurements. I refer to a Facebook group called “Muzzle Training & Tips” which is SO passionate about muzzles that they have their own size charts that are better than the manufactures and they have loads of excellent photo references.

[Kirsten Watry]

Thank you SO MUCH for the feedback, Michael! I will be sure to watch the Dog Shelter Triage video and look through the dominance blueprint. I was originally taught (prior to coming to you) that dominance does not exist and that aggression is all fear-based. Thanks to you, I know this is not true. I completely agree that this dog is a category 5. I feel so blessed to be in yet another Q&A so my question can be used to help educate myself and others.

[Kirsten Watry]

Thank you! I have been looking at all of those articles and I will be watching the Q&A as well. I have a feeling that postponing the vet visit would be best for this dog for the time being so they can work on the muzzle conditioning. I’m excited to see what Michael says!

Another thing I should mention is that he snapped at them when they were shaping him to go onto a bed to teach him “place.” Standing farther from the bed resolved the issue, so I asked them to resume shaping while the muzzle is on the floor in a plastic dish and they can stand farther away for now. I asked them to try the D&T muzzle because the baskerville is not bite-proof, but I will ask them to use the baskerville if that is going to help in the conditioning process.