The dog training world is very campy. That’s bullshit, but it is the way it currently looks to me. This image is what I’m picturing when I say “left of center” or “right of center” in the podcast. It also shows you where I’d put myself, training-wise … and who I’d consider “my people”: anyone who’s not a campy extremist, really.
However, in an ideal world, there wouldn’t be a continuum at all. Instead, we’d have a menu of sorts, like a menu at a restaurant. On that menu, you’d find everything from BAT to Nepopo. We’d order the menu alphabetically in order to not play favorites.
Every training technique and system ever invented would be on the menu. And we dog trainers would choose one or two or three of them to study and become experts in by means of learning from the ones who came before us (standing on the shoulders of giants, as we always do).
We’d pick in terms of what we want to learn and teach; in terms of what feels good to US as individuals. Our picking would not be judgmental. It would be like picking the flavors of ice cream to go in your cone – not like picking a political party.
By picking your flavors of ice cream, you are not saying the other flavors are evil – you are just saying, these are my favorite flavors (these are the ones I want to learn more about and become an expert in). You can still be best friends with someone who chooses different flavors of ice cream. You can even talk about ice cream or taste their ice cream out of curiosity, and let them have a taste of yours. It would be encouraged rather than criticized: tasting each other’s ice cream is what friends do, after all.
That’s very different from choosing a political party: if you choose a political party, you are making an idiological (rather than subjective) decision, and you feel strongly about it being the “right” or “better” one – at least that’s how I feel when it comes to politics. I only have voting rights in Austria. Austria is a democracy with a large menu of political options. I oscillate between two of them, and have never voted for any other one: the Green party and the Communist party. I like both of them, and which one I will end up voting for is often a close call, and depends on the issues at hand and how they are handling it. I can’t see myself voting for any of the other parties, and some of the other parties (the ÖVP and the FPÖ, for example), I consider downright harmful to the planet, humanity, society and community.
In an ideal world, dog training would be like eating ice cream, not like voting. Thank you for coming to my TED talk!
Here’s a link to the podcast episode this post is riffing off of:
I wanted to add a little extra information to this week’s podcast – it has a funny background story.
Many years ago, as I was just starting out as a professional dog trainer, I took a year-long course for future trainers. I had selected it based on what I had read about it and the fact that I really wanted something in person (rather than KPA online).
The course turned out to be a disaster:it wasn’t at all what the description had me believe it would be. I knew this after 15 minutes of class, but wasn’t allowed to sell my spot to someone who actually wanted it (instead, that someone else had to purchase their own spot, which put us over the promised max number of students).
The teacher used learning theory terms incorrectly and was just really … insensitive and mean to folks. They were one of those people who love dogs and dislike humans. They were PETA-level-type animal advocates who basically thought dogs should live in large enclosures (like zoo animals), receive enrichment, and not be tortured by hikes, sports or clickers. This was not the trainer I wanted to be, and the course frustrated me over and over again.
The person I was back then was definitely edgier than the person I am today. I was self-righteous, radically queer and angry at the world.
From this class, I have taken no dog training knowledge – but it led me to cross paths with two people I wouldn’t want to miss in my life today. It was over a decade ago, and yet, these two connections persist.
One of them is Kenne who I interview on this podcast. They did not even take the course themselves – their wife did; Kenne and I just connected over random parking lot conversations.
The other one is Chris (who happens to live in Graz as well) and who is to this day one of my closest and most trusted friends. We connected right away over a shared love of Standard Poodles (I had Phoebe, who could be Chris’ vicarious Poodle) and shared queerness, a fondness of biology and intriguing discussions of relationship dynamics. Chris, in case you happen to be reading this – know that love you and that meeting you made up for all the suckiness of this course. I can’t even remember or imagine not having you in my life.
Kenne sometimes showed up during class breaks to visit their wife Sarina, who was taking the course. But there was this one time that, I believe, is what caused me to (quoting Rachel) want to keep an eye on this person and what they were doing in their life. Low-effort to maintain, and yet feeling like it is a meaningful connection with someone I so appreciate having met. The person I am today still appreciates Kenne, even though I have probably chaged a lot (and so have they, I imagine. Change, and be ready to change again!) Even though we don’t talk all the time, I feel like if I needed a place to stay in Graz, I could just ask Kenne and they’d say, “Of course!” And vice versa, of course, wherever I am in the world. Some people are just warm and engaging and wonderful to connect with, and Kenne is certainly one of them.
Anyways, back in the day, Kenne happened to be sitting in on the class I was giving my end-of-class presentation in. The edgy, feisty Jack-Russel-Terrier Chrissi of days gone by used this presentation to drive home two points: one, I wanted to show that teacher how to teach an engaging class. How it was done! How engagingly, interactively and fun one could teach! I made people laugh, moved while I was talking and threw high-value chocolates to (at) everyone asking or answering a question. I believe I had even brought a pineapple (thanks for that one, Kathy Sdao!) to add some extra flavor to my presentation. I used big words I had heard used incorrectly over the course of that class, speaking fast-paced and keeping people on their toes. Nobody was going to fall asleep this time!
It felt satisfying. And yet, afterwards, on the parking lot, I realized that the message I had tried to get across had probably gone over most people’s heads. After all, no one teaching or taking this class was a native English speaker, but since the person teaching it didn’t speak German either, it was conducted in English. It did not go over Kenne’s head though. They approached me in the parking lot and told me I was a sexist genius. To the Chrissi from back in the day (flaming red hair and all), this was a big compliment and I loved it. It let me know that Kenne had both read the organizers and teachers as snake oil salespeople, and had been amused by my retort. And as long as one person got it, I was happy. I felt like I had reached my goal.
To me, that was the beginning of our friendship. From my point of view, had Kenne not made this comment that day, we might have drifted apart.
Before recording this podcast, I asked them why they thought we had stayed in touch. Apart from their wife and me, they aren’t in touch with anyone from back then either. And what Kenne said made me smile. It’s something that still resonates with the Chrissi I am today: Kenne said I was an authentic person and they played with my Poodle, so of course we stayed in touch. (Or that’s what I heard or wanted to hear anyways.) So you, Kenne, are also worth having gone through that ridiculous course for. I feel SO grateful to have met you and get to have conversations like this one! Thank you!
Ready to go from cat watching right to kibble scatters?
Video 1
First session – and Game is being a superstar! Go Game!!!
Notes:
Door status: glass door closed.
Let’s repeat this with the door open!
Video 2 – door open
Notes:
Door status: glass door open
I LOVE that Game looked at the cat and then at me (that’s what I mark)! There is a moment of looking back catwards before the last treat though. We’re going to repeat this again; I want to see her succeed without looking back at the cat before the treat magnet or last scatter treat.
The hope is that at this point, the cat’s arousal level is only moderately high – ready to be met with a high value scatter!
Video 1
This was hard! Game had to go back to watching (at 00:05) and couldn’t finish the first scatter right away, even though she responded to the treats cue at baseline speed. She went back to eating quickly – but I want that first scatter to be eaten without interruptions before I proceed to kibble scatters. So we got some excellent new information here, and I conclude: we’ll stay at this level until I get a no-latency response, and Game finishes the entire scatter without interruptions before following my treat magnet to the bedroom.
Notes:
Door status: glass door and screen door open.
Two scatters because Game didn’t finish the first one without interruption (at 00:05 in this video, she briefly looks at the cat).
Video 2
Several sessions down the line, Game is rocking it!
Notes:
Door status: glass door closed
I want to repeat this with the door open and see the same response before moving on – but in any case, REALLY happy with this one! I could have marked looking at me at 00:01/02 right away rather than waiting for Game to look at the cat again, since looking at me was cued by seeing the cat.
Video 3: high value scatter, door open, Game rocks it!
Notes:
Door status: glass door open
Upwards and onwards – we’ll try kibble scatters next!
Same stair case – but kibble rather than high value treats!
In the video below, Game and I are having a long conversation about the cat (it’s the red cat and it starts out on the chair to the left of the umbrella). I aim for 5 treats from hand in a row before going to the kibble scatter, and have to start counting over again multiple times because Game needs to collect more information about the cat and its whereabouts before being able to give me 5 reps of eye contact in a row. That’s totally fine: she can earn the same treat in two ways: by looking at the cat, or by looking at me.
Notes:
Door status: glass door closed
I will stay at this step for a few more cats until it is easier for Game to offer 5 reps of eye contact sooner. I will also want to see this on an open-glass-door occasion before removing the kibble-from-hand step from my staircase.
Also, here you go, another (and I promise this will be the last) round of – wheee! – self-promoting, which I dislike – feel free to stop reading here!
Registration is still open for the December term at FDSA, and I’m teaching Finding Five.
It’s a class about …
finding five minutes to train your animal (of any species) every day – you are welcome to continue with a previous training project we started together in a different class, or try something new. This class has been taken by dogs, cats, birds, and a Bactrian camel. This time, we’ll be having … wait for it … a horse at Gold for the first time!
Time management and self care.
Improving your relationship with your animal.
Playing ridiculous games (because life does not have to be serious all the time).
Retreating to a virtual island in case you need a break from this holiday-infested month or the looming new year. What gets shared on the island stays on the island.
I’m also trying a different kind of “just in case you’re in the mood for it” background fun every time I run this class. This term, we’ll be having a book club.
Come, join! (Finances and time allowing, that is – if they do not, no worries whatsoever. The class will come around again, and you’ll be just as welcome in the future as you’d be today. No need for FOMO. Please put yourself first!)
I’m also changing the colors of the stairs to reflect the fact that hopefully, considering cats is becoming less arousing than it used to be!
I’m counting 5 treats for looking at me (rather than the cat) before going from tongue click treats to the scatter. Go Game!
Notes
Door level: glass door closed.
You typically only see one video, but I am doing each of these exercises several times a day when we’re at the AirBnB – anytime Game sees a cat! What I share with you are glances into the project, but not all sessions (too much uploading/downloading/editing/uploading).
Here’s our updated staircase! Still 5 steps – but kibble instead of high-value treats:
Today, I am going for 5 subsequent reps of eye contact (rather than cat looks) before doing the scatter. Yesterday, I only did three – from now on, it’ll be five! I have to start over a few times. However, note that looking at the cat is being just as click-and-reinforceable as looking at me. I just don’t want to do a scatter when Game needs to go back and forth between the two (since for Game and I, scatters are ideally eaten without needing to look up).
Sorry to be out of the camera for most of the eye contact reps. The video is cut short, but the last two seconds of relaxation are right after getting to the bedroom and closing the door.
Notes about this video:
Door status: glass and screen door open.
Number of eye contacts pre scatter-for-eye-contact: 5
Here’s the new staricase Game qualified for in the last video I shared with you:
We now only have 5 steps, and there is no horizontal shift – vertical only!
This is going well! Go, Game!
Notes on this video:
Door level: glass door closed (I just hadn’t untethered Game yet; just closed it before the cat appeared).
Leash-status pre marker cue: tight, then loose (ideal would be loose at all times).
Game followed me as soon as I reached for the container with the high value treats rather than getting stuck cat-watching! Yay!
Number of clicks for eye contact: 3 only before the scatter. I will up this to 5 going forwards (new rule: 5 successive clicks for eye contact before the scatter, which will be for eye contact as well.)
I also became aware of yet another confounding factor: time of day. I can’t control what time of day Game sees cats, but this surely factors in as well. I am not going to take it into account though because I won’t be here long enough to tease out each of these variables, but want to point out that this is very much not a well controlled experiment.
Further cat-related notes:
I train more than I video. This is how I approach the sessions you’re not seeing:
When a cat is much further than baseline distance, stationary, and by themselves (there is only one cat), I allow Game to just watch and observe. This is now possible for her with cats at the white metal table/chairs outside!
When a cat is Way Too Close, I start with tug, like I used to (imagine: cat sticking their head through the open door or sitting right at the other side of the glass door staring in).
When a cat is just a little closer than baseline distance and I have already succeeded with the respective step at baseline distance, I may try the same step at this smaller distance. This is what today’s video is an example of. (I have already succeeded at this step at baseline distance, but did not video that one.) I call the cat “really close” in the clip, but it’s just a bit closer than baseline.
Otherwise, I try to just repeat the step I’m currently at a few times to make sure it’s solid. Not videoing, not paying attention to staying on screen – just paying attention to my dog.
I will only ever make things harder after having a good session with the glass door open. For example, after the video in this post, I am not ready to move to kibble tosses: first, I’ll want to do high value treat tosses with the glass door open.
By the way: sign-up is now open for the December term at FDSA, and I’m teaching Finding Five.
It’s a class about …
finding five minutes to train your animal (of any species) every day – you are welcome to continue with a previous training project we started together in a different class, or try something new. This class has been taken by dogs, cats, birds, and a Bactrian camel. This time, I believe we’ll be having a horse at Gold for the first time!
Time management and self care.
Improving your relationship with your animal.
Playing ridiculous games (because life does not have to be serious all the time).
Retreating to a virtual island in case you need a break from this holiday-infested month or the looming new year. What gets shared on the island stays on the island.
I’m also trying a different kind of “just in case you’re in the mood for it” background fun every time I run this class. This term, we’ll be having a book club.
Come, join! (Finances and time allowing, that is – if they do not, no worries whatsoever. The class will come around again, and you’ll be just as welcome in the future as you’d be today. No need for FOMO. Please put yourself first!)
I will keep going down the staircase once and then giving Game a break. She is doing really well with this.
I will measure progress by looking what she can do with a cat at average distance – the distance the cat was at baseline, which is where most cats show up. I will not count closer cats (like the one in part 5) or cats that are further away (like the one under the white table in part 2). Baseline distance is here is anywhere in the area I circled, and includes cats sitting on one of these two chairs:
Steps of progress from baseline with a single cat at baseline distance
Skip tugging, and go from cat watching directly to tosses high value treats.
Skip tugging, and go from cat watching directly tosses with kibble.
Go from cat watching right to food from hand high value treats.
Go from cat watching right to food from hand with kibble.
Go from cat watching right to a high-value treat scatter.
Go from cat watching right to a kibble scatter.
In addition, I may add some Give Me A Break CU game sprinkles anytime I toss treats, and it seems like a good idea. Will explain why it felt like I good idea in the commentary going along with my video.
It would be neat to start with a closed glass door, go to a closed screen door and then to the door open – but this may not be possible because the door is already going to be in a certain position (which will be different throughout the day) when uncontrollable cats are being spotted by Game, so I’ll make my life easier and not going to factor this in.
I may not be able to get all of the above on video – note to self: prioritize training – but I’ll video what I can and share. I suspect that by the time I get to #7, I’ll be moving out of this AirBnB – so that’s where we’ll stop. It seems a realistic goal for the time I’ll be here. Whether I get there, don’t get there, or get further than that – we’ll be having fun, and there are going to be treats. “The sun is chirping, the birds are shining, the water’s wet. Life is good, sweetheart. Life is good.” (Bonus points if you randomly happen to know where this quote is from without googling. It just popped into my head – and life is good.)
No video today – but here’s a pic of one of the cats (who would be further than baseline distance):
PS: Note that there are cats several times a day. I just don’t record most of them – my external harddrive is dying (sniff), editing takes too long, and I want to keep this fun for myself.
This cat is closer than the baseline cat. It’s not always visible, but Game knows it is nearby, and is tempted to go back and figure out exactly where it is. I think today’s video is fairly self-explanatory since I’m chatting about what’s going on throughout. If it isn’t – ask away in the comments.
I’m keeping this video short – cut out a long part of our tug play and the end, but: I could easily guide Game into the bedroom (which is a small dark room, and that’s the reason we don’t usually hang out there), close the door, and relax with her on the bed for a bit, heading back out into the other room when the cat was gone.
In part 6, I’m going to share how I will try and keep something resembling data on these sessions. Not as clear cut as I’d like, but it’ll have to do, and I think it will work for our purposes. Stay tuned!
