training Archives - Fear Free

Parrot Prep: How to Set Up Avian Training and Behavior Classes

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Behavior problems are a common cause of relinquishment and euthanasia in most domesticated species, including parrots. When obtaining a new pet, clients have specific expectations and ideas about what normal behavior looks like for each species. Whether they have a dog, cat, bird, or guinea pig, these choices are most likely made from a positive experience the client had in the past.

But what happens when things do not go as planned? What if expectations are too high and the pet obtained is unable to live up to the client’s expectations? Biting, screaming, and feather picking are parrot behaviors that many new owners are not prepared for when they acquire their pet. In the avian world, euthanasia is much less likely as most veterinarians are hesitant to end a bird’s life due to the client’s convenience, but this makes it more likely that the bird will be rehomed multiple times.

What if we were able to prepare our avian clients for behavioral problems before they start? What if avian rescues could work to teach birds specific cued behaviors to help eliminate aggression in some of these pets?

Psittacine preparatory programs or avian prep programs can be life-changing for birds and a great resource for owners to understand normal bird behavior, create realistic long-term expectations, and work toward creating an environment that is mentally and behaviorally enriching. They also help teach cued foundation behaviors used to eliminate and replace unwanted behaviors (just as we do with dogs and cats). Avian prep programs can help to strengthen the human-animal bond, keep birds in a home long-term, and increase the bond between client, bird, and clinic. Bonus: offering such programs also increases revenue through fees and the sale of products and treats.

Creating the Course

Who will teach the courses? What are the most important topics to teach? What foundation behaviors are most important and why? These are all great questions and we will break them down below:

Educator/Instructor: An avian veterinarian or veterinary technician with a special interest in birds should instruct this course. The individual should be knowledgeable in avian communication, body language, forms of enrichment, and use of positive reinforcement for training. An exotic-animal trainer may be an ideal instructor if one is in your area. This trainer should use and recommend positive reinforcement. Avoid use of aversive training techniques, which can increase fear, stress, and anxiety in all species.

Curriculum Breakdown

I recommend creating a four-week course. The first two weeks can be taught virtually or in person without the client’s bird present. The goal in the first two weeks will be to review the basics of avian communication, enrichment and environmental set up, learning theory and use of positive reinforcement (with a marker), and answer client questions. The third and fourth classes will focus on teaching cued behaviors with the birds present in the hospital. (See the chart below)

To prevent potential disease transmission or other risks for birds brought to class, take the following measures:

Waiver (indicating risk to client, bird, etc.)
One owner per bird
Clients should bring their own equipment and reinforcers (carriers, towels, etc.)
Birds will need to have a current examination by a veterinarian, complete blood cell count, and Chlamydophila screening in the past year.
- Old World parrots such as African greys, lovebirds, and cockatiels must have a negative test for circovirus
All unwanted behaviors (feather picking, etc) should have been medically worked up prior to working solely on behavior.

Class	Topic and Discussion Points
Class One (Humans Only)	· Introduction and Client Problem Behavior Discussion (Why are they here and what are they seeing at home?)· Avian Communication · Environmental Enrichment/Management
Class Two (Humans Only)	· Environmental Enrichment/Management (cont.)· Learning Theory and Using Marker Training · Marker Mechanics and Preparing for Birds in Class
Class Three (Humans and Birds)	Break down into 5- to 10-minute training sessions with short breaks in between.· Name Orientation · Target · Step to Me · Off · Station Training
Class Four (Humans and Birds)	Break down into 5- to 10-minute training sessions with short breaks in between.· Name Orientation · Target · Step to Me · Off · Station Training

Foundation Behaviors to Teach

The following behaviors can be useful to have trained and generalized prior to problem behaviors starting. Response Substitution is a term used when we want to replace an unwanted behavior with a new behavior. Teaching and creating strong cued behaviors can help to eliminate and give alternative responses in situations involving attention-seeking or aggression.

Name Orientation: Teaching birds their name can help with obtaining their attention to interrupt unwanted behaviors and ask them to offer a different behavior.

Target Training: This behavior can be used to teach the bird to move from one place to another by teaching them to place their beak near the target.

Step to Me: Cue a bird to move to handler’s arm or hand to be transported from one place to another.

Off: Cue bird to move off of handler during periods where conflict may occur.

Station Training: Teach bird to go to a specific location on cue. This can be used as an alternative behavior.

Avian prep programs and training classes are currently scarce but ideally courses like this will become as routine as dog training classes. Pet birds deserve just as much of a chance to be successful in the home environment as dogs or cats. If you or others you know are teaching a course like this, please update us on the Fear Free for Professionals Facebook Group. We would love to see your photos and ideas for these courses as well as your feedback!

Resources

Luescher, Andrew. Manual of Parrot Behavior. Blackwell Publishing. 2006

Shaw, Julie K. and Martin, Debbie. Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2015.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and veterinary behavior technician at the University of Tennessee College of Veterinary Medicine. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

Trainer/Groomer Sees Success With Fear Free

Sandra Toney
Jeannette Kincaid became interested in dog training over 20 years ago when she adopted a shy, fearful Border Collie/Australian Shepherd mix named Lydia. Unfortunately, Lydia was terrified of the world. Kincaid says she vowed to make a better life for her dog, so she started researching how to make Lydia feel as safe and happy as possible.

“It lit a spark in me and that passion has never subsided,” says Kincaid.

Going on to live 13 years, Lydia was never a social butterfly but, with Kincaid’s love and encouragement, she enjoyed seeing people and trying new adventures.

“Near the end of her life, we took a beach trip and she settled down on the patio for dinner with us,” Kincaid says, “It was truly one of the best moments of my life.”

Kincaid has now been a professional dog trainer for 15 years and, for the past nine years, has worked at Train My Dogs Austin and Onion Creek Kennels. Train My Dogs Austin is a positive training, boarding, and daycare facility in Austin, Texas, while Onion Creek Kennels in south Austin focuses on daycare, cat and dog boarding, and cat and dog grooming – all using positive reinforcement for the pet clients.

As head trainer at both facilities, Kincaid is currently enrolled in Animal Behavior College’s Grooming Instruction program, so she will soon become a professional groomer as well.

Fear Free certified in both training and grooming, Kincaid decided to take the courses when she began having an influx of training clients whose pets had been let go from their groomers for behavior reasons and needed a new facility for their dogs to be groomed.

Since Kincaid also groomed dogs, she began working with her training clients. “The Fear Free program has been very helpful in teaching me how to work with dogs in a manner that can help them grow to like grooming as well as a good foundation of knowing when to continue grooming and when to stop.”

Her training approach was already similar with the Fear Free program’s principles and techniques, says Kincaid, but what she lacked was concrete ways to illustrate and explain to clients and colleagues why she would continue working with a dog in some circumstances, and when she would stop and step back. The Fear Free certification program gave her great handouts with clear illustrations to help clients learn how to identify FAS (fear, anxiety, and stress). It has clear illustrations laying out various levels of stress such as when to push forward and when to stop and reduce stress.

The handouts have had a huge effect on client follow-through and understanding. She loves the continuing education available. “The Fear Free program has the best webinar on how to do a nail trim that I have seen,” says Kincaid. “Becoming Fear Free certified as a trainer and a groomer has really opened up a whole new subset of clients. It is also extremely rewarding to work dogs into grooming that were not able to be groomed previously. The clients are always so grateful.”

Kincaid says one case where her Fear Free certification was crucial was in working with a 6-month-old Schnauzer other groomers wouldn’t handle. He would start biting even while being brushed. Kincaid decided to take him on as a client because he was young and would need to be groomed for the rest of his life.

“We set up a training program where he came once a week and I worked on counterconditioning him to various tools and holds needed for grooming. We only ever pressed on if he stayed in the green level on the FAS ladder. We adjusted if his FAS started rising.

“We really leaned into the idea of need versus want,” she says, “meaning we stopped frequently, and he went home only partially done. But over a few months, we were able to complete an entire full groom and he went home looking great. This dog was labeled as a dog that couldn’t be groomed and now is able to be groomed and,” Kincaid says, “he loves his groomer.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Sandra Toney has been writing about pets for over 25 years and is an award-winning member of Cat Writers Association and Dog Writers Association of America. She has written for many print and online magazines as well as authoring eight books. She lives in northern Indiana with her cat, Angel.

From Hiss to Kiss: Feral Kitten Clicker Training

Nancy PetersonClicker training is a simple and fun way to replace unwanted behaviors in frightened kittens with new, desirable behaviors. A tool called a clicker is used. If the sound of the clicker frightens the kitten, a quieter, retractable ballpoint pen can be used. Here’s how it works.

A kitten hisses as you approach the cage. Wait until she stops hissing, click and toss in a treat as close to her as possible, and quietly step back. It shouldn’t take long for her to realize that she gets two rewards when she’s not hissing: a treat and the scary person steps back.

Even if the kitten doesn’t eat the treat, she’s learning. If she eats, repeat your approach, click, treat and back away for two or three more times. If she doesn’t eat after the first few clicks, come back later and try again. Paws up if she ate the treats while you were gone. If she left the treats, carefully remove them and try again the next day with better treats.

What Makes Clicker Training So Effective?

The click lets you capture the exact moment that is being rewarded, and the kitten will make the association between her action and the click and treat. Once the desired behavior is learned, the kitten will let you approach without a click or treat.

Clicker training puts the kitten in control. She chooses to repeat the behavior because she understands that something positive will follow. In a shelter where she may feel like she has lost all control, this is powerful.

You might wonder why clicking is preferable to a “yes” or “good” to mark the behavior. It’s because the kitten will only hear the clicker sound during training, whereas “good” or “yes” are words she’ll hear in other situations. This can confuse her, and the words may lose their meaningfulness. In addition, people’s speech varies, but the sound of the clicker is consistent.

How Else Can Clicker Training Be Used?

When you’re clicker training, you may “catch” the kitten doing something you want repeated. For example, if your goal is for her to come to the front of the crate, click and toss in a treat if she takes even one step toward the front.

As the kitten begins accepting the click-and-treat game, up the ante by putting the treat nearer to the front of the crate. Step back and let the kitten finish the treat. Then, stand still and watch for any movement toward the front of the crate. Click exactly during that movement, give the treat, and step back. The kitten is learning that she can make you click and treat if she moves toward the front of the crate. Once she understands that a step toward the front of the crate is rewarded, wait for her to take two steps before clicking and treating.

When a behavior is understood, give it a name, or cue, such as “Come.” Once the cue is learned, it’s not necessary to click, and rewards can be given less frequently.

How Long Should a Clicker Training Session Last?

Sessions that are five minutes or shorter and more frequent will be more effective than longer, less frequent sessions. Keeping a training log may be helpful to monitor the kitten’s progress and, if you’re working with more than one kitten, reduce confusion on your part.

What Treat and When?

Pick a time when the kitten is hungry and a treat that is pea-size (you can break up a larger treat) and soft so the kitten can eat it quickly. That way she remembers why she got the treat and is more likely to repeat the behavior.

What’s a Target Stick and How Is It Used?

A target stick can be a plastic spoon (easy to disinfect) with a long handle. The goal is to get the kitten to touch her nose to the end of the handle, which you place near the crate door. Hold the spoon end and the clicker in the same hand. (When the clicker is held in the same hand as the spoon, the noise it makes can seem loud to a kitten. If the kitten is frightened by the noise, switch the clicker to the other hand so it’s farther away.)

If the kitten is scared by the handle, smear tasty canned food on the end. The moment she moves toward it, even if she just turns her face to it, click, remove the spoon and toss in a treat. The moment she finishes the treat, offer the handle again. If she doesn’t make any movement, place the handle an inch or two in front of her. Click and treat when she touches the handle with her nose.

Once she reliably touches the handle, offer it to her at a slight distance, so she has to move toward it. Are we having fun yet? Let the kitten absorb the experience, and train again in a few hours or the next day.

What’s the Best Way to Use the Target Stick?

Once the kitten is eagerly touching the target stick, raise the bar by getting her to follow the stick back and forth across the tabletop or onto your lap.

Do Kittens Need to Be Separated for Clicker Training?

Because they learn from one another, it can be beneficial to initially keep kittens together in their crate and train them together. A more frightened kitten may see her bolder littermate getting treats and decide you’re not so bad after all. On the other hand, it may incite aggression between kittens so observe carefully to determine whether to train them together or separately.

Clicker training is fun. It can be used to teach many practical behaviors, such as come, or tricks, such as “high five.” Practice clicker training with your personal pets to help you get the hang of it so you can effectively socialize frightened furballs. You’ll increase their chances of adoption into a forever home, and that’s worth lots of clicks and treats!

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Nancy Peterson worked as a registered veterinary technician, trainer of dogs for people with disabilities other than blindness, and was Community Cats Program Manager for The Humane Society of the United States. She retired in 2015 and currently serves on the boards of Neighborhood Cats and The National Kitten Coalition. Nancy volunteers as a foster and cat cuddler for her local animal shelter, Colorado Animal Rescue (CARE). During COVID, she became an avid birder and is working to protect cats and birds by building bridges between cat and bird advocates.

Resources

“Getting Started: Clicker Training for Cats,” by Karen Pryor

“Fearful Kitten Socialization 101”

https://static1.squarespace.com/static/590a7f1303596e669d422f5d/t/5ed50c3595645801a7a41f3e/1591020601625/Fearful+Kitten+Socialization+101.pdf

Success Story: How I Used Fear Free Handling for a Frightened Puppy

Susan Claire, CPDT-KA, FFCATA young man called me because he could not get a harness or even a collar on Oakley, his 6-month-old Pomsky-Klee Kai mix. He explained that this had recently become a problem after an unfortunate incident with a Velcro-closure harness, which accidentally stuck to Oakley’s thick coat. It was frightening and painful for him when the owner pulled it off.

The situation was urgent because Oakley now snarled and snapped at the owner whenever he tried to put a collar or harness on him so he was unable to attach a leash to the dog to take him out for walks. I advised him to try to slip on a martingale collar and leave it on Oakley temporarily until we could get him to accept the harness. I don’t normally use a martingale but in this case it was a logical option.

When I arrived for the first session, Oakley—one of those dogs who never stop moving—showed interest in interactions and did not give distance-increasing behaviors, but he also didn’t ask to be touched. I began by using a clicker to mark and reward every time he stopped moving or made eye contact. Then I laid down a super-soft non-skid consent mat, sat in front of it, and used the clicker to shape Oakley into lying down facing me on the mat.

Then I showed the owner how to desensitize Oakley to first tolerating a stethoscope, then having his feet and ears touched, and finally to a fake injection with an empty syringe. We showed Oakley each item, marking and reinforcing him for sniffing it. We moved each item slowly toward him, always stopping if we observed stiff or avoidance body language. I name each item and procedure so the dog knows what to expect during these sessions, and I advise clients to use the same words while the veterinarian is performing an exam or procedure: “heart” for stethoscope, “feet,” “ears,” and “pinch-poke” for syringe/injection.

After this, we tried to use similar techniques to put a Sensation Harness and then a collar on Oakley. I saw the problem the owner described, so we switched gears. I wanted to know if Oakley was generally fearful, so I set up boxes for nosework, a Snuffle Mat, a Wobbler, and a Spin-it. Oakley engaged with these items enthusiastically, demonstrating no fear. We did a few behaviors on the consent mat (sit, watch me, touch, and down), allowing Oakley to disengage and go to the boxes or Snuffle Mat if he needed to de-stress and return to the consent mat when he was ready to re-engage. I instructed the owner to practice all of the above between our sessions.

During the second session, we repeated the above and added one behavior to the consent mat training: holding the harness for Oakley to see, clicking if he sniffed it or moved his head toward it, and eventually trying to lure his head through it while saying “Put it on” but not restraining him in any way. We were successful with this but not in clipping the harness. We then did some obedience/safety exercises, such as come and loose-leash walking and finished with a game of fetch.

At the third session, Oakley greeted me with distance-decreasing behaviors and physical requests to be touched. He was happy to interact and be touched. When I put the consent mat on the floor, he ran to it and lay down, eagerly awaiting our interactions. The owner and I slowly went through the desensitization-to-handling process and he was able to get the mini Sensation Harness (with its tiny little clip) onto Oakley and clip it, with no snarling, biting, freezing, or avoidance behaviors of any kind from the dog. I was pleasantly surprised and the owner was thrilled.

I advised him to continue to use food while putting the harness on or taking it off to keep the positive association going, to always use the phrase “Put it on” to alert Oakley to what was coming, and to continue the consent mat handling exercises so that Oakley would be comfortable during veterinary exams. I advised as well to always end with a short play session or walk.

The icing was the nice Yelp review from the owner, who described the problem and wrote, “Susan was amazing! She was great to work with and I am so happy with the results!”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Prevention and Management: The Girdle Beneath the Glamour

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Teaching cued behaviors, working through desensitization and classical counterconditioning, and clicker training are the glamorous gowns of training plans or behavioral treatment plans. They’re rewarding because this is where owners and veterinary behavior team members can begin to see improvements in the patient.

But preventing and managing undesirable or unwanted behaviors are the foundation garments beneath the fancy dress of behavior modification. Prevention, safety, and management aren’t glamorous, but they are an important part of the plan. If the patient continues to engage in unwanted behaviors, the behaviors will continue to be reinforced (negatively or positively). To avoid this dynamic, the veterinary behavior team must coach clients as much as possible to set the patient up for success and manage any panic, stress, or anxiety present.

Avoiding Triggers and Controlling the Environment

Learning occurs with every interaction. This can work to our advantage when we can strengthen behaviors we like by adding positive outcomes. The goal with prevention is to control the environment and regulate the patient so we can prevent the patient from learning undesirable behaviors during non-training times. An example might be use of crates and playpens to eliminate urine accidents in the home.

Prevention includes setting each animal up for success and manipulating the environment to promote and reinforce desired behaviors. This can be as general as setting a puppy up for success using crate training for assist with elimination training or working with a puppy or kitten during the socialization period to promote positive experiences for lifelong learning.

Prevention can also be as detailed as using white noise to create a sound buffer for a storm-phobic patient or placing an opaque window treatment on front windows to eliminate displays at passersby. Below is a chart with some common behavioral diagnoses and types of prevention that can be recommended for these conditions until appropriate training and behavior modification have been taught and implemented. Some prevention techniques might be temporary, and others might be long-term.

Behavioral Concern	Types of Prevention
Aggression during Grooming and Husbandry Behaviors (Familiar and Unfamiliar People)	Discontinue all forms of grooming and medical care. If medical or grooming care must be performed (in an emergency) the veterinary team should use sedation to prevent increasing fear, stress, and anxiety during these situations
Inter-Dog Aggression	Keep all patients 100% separated to eliminate practice of aggression in any or all potential situations.
Redirected Aggression to a Canine Housemate	Eliminate and manage all triggers that may create arousal, aggression, and frustration. This may include opaque window treatments to eliminate the display at passersby or may include full separation between patients if triggers are unclear.
Fear-Based Aggression to Unfamiliar People	Discontinue walks and keep the patient away during all guest visits. This may include using a crate in a place where the patient cannot see visitors. This will help keep the patient as safe and comfortable as possible while the guest is in the home.
Coprophagia	Pick up stool immediately after elimination to prevent the patient from ingesting the stool later.

Management: Outlets to Minimize FAS While Practicing Prevention

Providing healthy forms of behavioral management can be helpful in creating a calmer and more confident pet. Providing mental, physical, and environmental enrichment can improve any domesticated animal’s overall wellbeing. Providing enrichment can help pets find appropriate outlets for innate behaviors and physical activity. Enrichment can also help to alleviate tension or any fear, stress, or anxiety the pet may be feeling. Enrichment may be used to eliminate unwanted behaviors such as chewing and destruction by young puppies or to decrease or eliminate barking in the crate during guests’ visits. Below is a short list of different forms of enrichment that can be used together or separately as needed:

Puzzle Toys: Puzzle toys that dispense treats or kibble provide human-approved outlets of stimulation, can double as meal opportunities, and can manage and prevent unwanted behaviors such as barking and other attention-seeking behaviors. This type of enrichment can be more mentally stimulating than a 5-mile walk. Advise clients to give these to patients ideally in anticipation of unwanted behavior or after unwanted behaviors have been interrupted. This can set patients up for success, so they do not continue to perform the undesirable behavior.
Sound Enrichment: Whether clients are away from home or looking to create a sound buffer to help prevent unwanted behaviors, their pets can be enriched through sound in a variety of ways. “Through a Dog’s Ear” CDs or iCalm units provide patients with biorhythmic classical music. Studies have shown that classical music can help to reduce respiration and blood pressure. DOGTV is another form of enrichment that can give dogs visual stimulation while also providing different forms of classical and calming sounds. White noise machines can be another buffer to eliminate sounds happening outside the pet’s home environment.
Enrichment Walks: These walks are an outlet to burn off energy while also allowing the dog to sniff and learn about the environment. In the text “From Fearful to Fear Free,” this type of sniffing is described as a form of social media for your pet. Think “Nosebook” and “Pee Mail.” This same type of enrichment can be used for cats who have learned to walk comfortably in a harness and leash. For patients who have been diagnosed with fear-based aggression issues on walks, enrichment walks can be performed in a space with limited human and dog contact such as industrial parkways.

There are many different forms of prevention and management. This article discusses only a few of the options for some diagnosable behavioral issues. This is something that can be recommended by any veterinary team member if a client and patient are waiting to be seen by a veterinary behaviorist. Suggestions such as using baby gates at doorways to prevent dog fights or keeping a patient leashed to a person can be lifesaving recommendations. Stating some of these more obvious recommendations is essential because not every client or dog trainer understands the importance of management and prevention.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and lead veterinary behavior technician at The Behavior Clinic in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

As Seen on TV? A Brief Discussion of Punishment and Dominance (Part 2)

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)We’ve all seen the many animal-training programs on cable TV and streaming networks. Some of the concepts depicted in these programs are appropriate for veterinary behavior cases and some are questionable. This article will discuss the learning theories and training philosophies demonstrated in these programs and review why veterinary behavior professionals are using alternative protocols.

Whether you are a veterinary team member working in general practice or interested in behavior, it is important to recommend up-to-date Fear Free information for patients and clients. Giving outdated information can potentially damage the human-animal bond and potentially end with the patient being rehomed or even euthanized.

The first part of this blog post looked at punishment. Punishment is not recommended in treatment as it can slow learning and cognition, suppress behavior, increase fear and fear-based aggression, create damaging and unintended associations with owners and other environmental stimuli, and damage the human-animal bond.

This blog post discusses “dominance” theory, a commonly used training philosophy recommended by many traditional trainers. We will dive into the origins of this concept and discuss current recommendations.

Do You Really Need to Be Alpha?

The word “dominance” is one of the most misunderstood terms in veterinary behavior. The dictionary defines dominance as “the predominance of one or more species in an animal community.” The word predominance is defined as “possession or exertion of control.” When reviewing these definitions, it is hard to imagine that some trainers use them to describe how to train domestic animals. When an owner shows “exertion of control” over a pet, it increases the likelihood of behavior suppression, increased fear and anxiety, and can make owners and their actions conflicting to the pet. This can damage the human-animal bond and even increase owner-related aggression.

Here is the question veterinary professionals and owners have asked for years: If this training is so aversive, why did we start using it in the first place? In 1947, a Swiss scientist, Rudolph Schenkel, published a paper suggesting parallels between domestic dog behavior and that of wolves. In 1970, wildlife biologist L. David Mech built on that notion in his book “The Wolf: The Ecology and Behavior of an Endangered Species,” reinforcing the “alpha wolf” idea Schenkel had promoted (a concept Mech recanted later in his career after studying wolves in the wild). The adapted theory had gone as far as to assume that the human family makes up the dog’s pack, and if behavior problems are present, it is because dogs are working to raise their social rank in the “pack.” But as science has advanced, so has our understanding of canine behavior. Schenkel’s and Mech’s research had significant flaws, including the following:

Their original research was based on captive wolves. These captive social groups show little resemblance to the normal behavior of free-living wolves. Free-living wolves are all related to each other, which is quite different from artificial colonies of captive wolves.
Dogs and wolves may be from the same “genus” but are not the same. When these theories were published, they did not take into account the 15,000 years of domestication that separate modern dogs and wolves. These theories were generalized to the human-dog relationship and resulted in increased human-related aggression and behavioral problems. Comparing a dog to a wolf is like comparing a human to an ape. We are similar but not the same.
The original ritualistic body language displays were misinterpreted as forcible dominance displays. For example, it was reported that the “dominant” wolf will place the subordinate onto the ground. In reality, the subordinate or more fearful wolf will voluntarily assume this position to avoid conflict in a ritualistic appeasement behavior, which is the opposite of the original findings.

Meghan Herron, DVM, DACVB, at Ohio State University, published research concluding that use of forceful techniques can increase the likelihood of aggression toward owners. Unfortunately, the conflict inherent in the alpha-dog theory makes for appealing television, so the idea has been widely disseminated. Veterinary behavior professionals are now working to teach updated concepts that will enhance the bond between humans and dogs instead of putting a barrier between them.

As veterinary professionals it is important that we ask questions about training recommendations and behavioral concerns at each physical exam to confirm that clients are getting the most up-to-date behavior and training information. Clients value your opinion and recommendations and your advice can be lifesaving. Observe training classes you may recommend to ensure that they use Fear Free techniques.

Recommended Reading for Owners or Veterinary Professionals

From Fearful to Fear Free
- Author(s): Marty Becker, Lisa Radosta, Wailani Sung, and Mikkel Becker
Decoding Your Dog
- Author(s): The American College of Veterinary Behavior
Dog Sense
- Author: John Bradshaw

Other Resources

Herron, Meghan E. Shofer, Frances. Reisner, Illana R. 2009. Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client-owned dogs showing undesired

Shaw, Julie K. Martin, Debbie. Canine and Feline Behavior for Veterinary Technicians and Nurses. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. 2015.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, an Elite Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and lead veterinary behavior technician at The Behavior Clinic in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

Taking Your Training Business Online: What to Know

Linda Lombardi
Taking your dog training business online might seem hard to imagine, but even before the pandemic, some trainers were doing it successfully. Far from being a last resort, there are advantages for trainers, clients, and dogs. Here’s how to succeed.

The Learning Environment

Working in the home environment can be a big positive for dogs.

“I have found that dogs are less distracted when working in their home environment. Foundations are learnt quicker in general,” says Laura Ryder, head trainer at Morley Vet Centre in Perth, Western Australia.

Jessica Ring, a Fear Free certified trainer in Maryland who recently started teaching group classes online, cautions that there are some exceptions. For clients with chaotic homes, the class environment was less distracting. And as students become more advanced, creating training distractions at home can become more challenging. But in general Ring finds it’s a positive: “It seems like dogs are getting through the material more quickly in the session.”

Ring has also observed that without the distraction and stimulation of other people and dogs, it’s possible for students and dogs to take a real break when she’s focused on someone else. “Especially for little dogs, they don’t fill up as quickly if they can take a break,” she says.

Fear Free certified trainer Kate LaSala says some kinds of training, such as for separation anxiety, have long been done remotely. It also has advantages for fear and aggression cases. “Often, with aggression, it’s less stressful for the dog not to have a stranger there,” she says. “If I’m dealing with a stranger-danger case, the fact that I’m going there to talk to the person automatically brings that dog over threshold in most cases. It makes the dog anxious, makes the person anxious, makes me anxious.” Online consultations eliminate all of that and are no obstacle to the work she needs to do.

“A big part of what I do in fear and aggression cases is educating and coaching the client. If the dog is a stranger-danger case, I’m not going to be hands-on anyway.”

Online training has the same advantages for dogs with similar but less extreme issues. “I’ve had some people take online classes who probably couldn’t bring a dog to a group class,” says Ring. “Dogs who are reactive to other dogs, excited, or worried can participate.”

Client Convenience

LaSala finds that online training has advantages for scheduling, since she no longer must factor in commuting time or setting up and cleaning a facility. “I can accommodate appointment times I’d never do before,” she says. “Eight a.m. on Saturday — that was not going to happen. But I can do that remotely, and I can accommodate much later appointment times, too.”

For the same reasons, Ring can offer shorter sessions and single-session classes. “I only have to commit to half an hour when I can fit it in,” she says. She now offers 30-minute classes, including basic skills and tricks. “Some of them are to jump-start people in their training and give them an idea of what it would be like to work this way,” she says. She still offers standard hour-long classes as well, but it’s useful for clients have more options. “It’s a lot for people and dogs to stay focused for that long, so the half hour is enough for some people,” she says.

Another benefit of online training is that platforms such as Zoom allow sessions to be recorded. LaSala makes the video available to clients. “If they want to be able to refer back to our session, they can do that, unlike an in-person session, which is fleeting,” she says.

Business Considerations

LaSala finds that a benefit of taking her business online is that she can take on more work. “I can fit more clients into a day because I’m not spending hours commuting between appointments,” she says. Partly due to this, she has reduced her fees for sessions. “Because I’m not spending money buying cheese and steak and hot dogs, and with the time and money I’m saving not having to commute, I roll that into my price, so it is less expensive,” she says.

Not all trainers have made the same calculation about fees. Ring says that although she is saving commuting and setup/cleanup time, she finds that she spends more time communicating with clients between sessions, so thinks it evens out.

A new challenge can be attracting business in the first place. “How to market to this new audience is still something I’m trying to figure out,” says Ring. She’s starting to get clients from farther away than in the past, but she sees a new need to educate potential clients.

“This is a shift for people, to get over the traditional thinking that the dog trainer needs to come and work with the dog,” says LaSala. “Once they’re on board, everyone loves it – it’s cost-effective, it’s less stressful, we can get the same results – but now there’s an extra step where you need to sell the person on the idea of how this is going to be effective and efficient.”

LaSala has pages on her website explaining procedures: what an initial consult consists of, what remote learning looks like, how to prepare for a session. Much of this hasn’t changed. An initial consult is still two hours of talking. And training a dog who’s fearful on walks, for instance, involves instilling a number of behaviors at home before taking them on the road – just like before, except now she needs to explain in advance that she doesn’t need to be there for the walk. “It’s a lot of dispelling preconceived notions of what the owner thinks dog training looks like,” she says. “I don’t need to see your dog be afraid outside. I know what that looks like, I don’t need you to show me that.”

Along with clearly explaining procedures on your website, don’t forget the power of online reviews.

“A couple of well-written testimonials from clients, I feel, are the best way to convince other dog owners that online learning is effective and worthwhile,” says Ryder.

One of hers reads in part: “I honestly wasn’t sure how online training would work for me, but it really was a wonderful experience. Participating in dog training has always been a bit of an outlet for me, especially when the rest of life can get so crazy and busy. Now more than ever, to feel connected and supported by such wonderful dog professionals does wonders for your own wellbeing as well as your dog’s.”

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Linda Lombardi writes about the animals that share our planet and our homes for magazines including The Bark, websites including National Geographic and Mongabay.com, and for the Associated Press. Her most recent book, co-authored with Deirdre Franklin, is The Pit Bull Life: A Dog Lover’s Companion.

Stationing Behaviors: How to Teach Consent Skills (Part Two)

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Consent skills, voluntary behaviors, cooperative care. Using these techniques would be a veterinary professional’s dream come true. Wouldn’t it be great if you had some hints to begin teaching these behaviors with your own patients and pets?

We want to get you started with this brief summary of how to begin to teach stationary behaviors as well as the beginning steps of teaching consent to animals. (See Part One for a full introduction to Stationary and Consent Behaviors) It’s a good idea to practice these behaviors at home with your own pets until you are comfortable and confident with the skills and techniques.

Shaping a Stationary Behavior

In part one of this blog post, it was stated that marker training and shaping techniques are the best methods to create a strong and fluent stationary behavior. When using marker training, we are allowing patients to make their own choices and learn through shaping.

Shaping is the process of “building” a behavior by successively reinforcing bits or “criteria” of the behavior that are approximations of the final behavior. The behavior is molded into the end goal by the communication the trainer gives the pet. In this situation, the communication is the marker. When the marker (tongue click, clicker, or word “click”) is audible, treats should follow. The pet learns that the last behavior performed during the marker signal earns reinforcement.

When using this technique, we must break down the behavior into achievable steps for the patient. That means having a complete picture of what the end goal behavior will look like. An example is teaching an animal to place all four feet on a mat. The moment the mat is placed on the ground, the trainer must be aware of what behaviors need to be reinforced. Listed below are steps and criteria to teach three different behaviors. Videos will accompany the criteria to demonstrate the breakdown of each step and how the learner will achieve the final goal.

Be sure you have a good understanding of the shaping plan so you can increase or decrease criteria as needed. For instance, you may need to vary criteria based on the rate at which clicking and treating occurs. Varying criteria while adding duration to behaviors is also a good idea. It gives the learner smaller points of achievement and can be gradually increased for a greater challenge. Making duration variable is more helpful than making duration progressively more difficult.

Shaping Four Paws to a Mat

The training session begins the moment the mat is placed on the ground. The trainer should observe and begin to reinforce for the following behaviors:

Click and Treat for head turning toward the mat
Click and Treat for looking in the direction of the mat
Click and Treat for looking directly at the mat
Click and Treat for weight shifting toward the mat
Click and Treat for moving in the direction of the mat
Click and Treat for placing one paw on the mat
Click and Treat for placing two paws on the mat
Click and Treat for placing three or four paws on the mat
Click and Treat for keeping all four feet on the mat for 1 to 2 seconds
Click and Treat for duration on the mat for up to 10 seconds
Click and Treat for duration on the mat for 20 to 30 seconds

Shaping Nose to Target Stick

Present the nose target a few inches from the animal’s nose and observe for any nose touching or interacting with the target stick. Reinforce the following pieces of behavior:

Click and Treat for head turning in the direction of the target stick
Click and Treat for looking in the direction of the target stick
Click and Treat for looking directly at the target stick
Click and Treat for weight shifting in the direction of the target stick
Click and Treat for moving in the direction of the target stick
Click and Treat for sniffing or interacting with the target stick
Click and Treat for consistently nose touching to the target stick
Click and Treat for holding the nose at the target stick for 1 second
Click and Treat for holding the nose at the target stick for 2-3 seconds in duration
Click and Treat for holding the nose at the target stick for 5-10 seconds in duration
Click and Treat for holding the nose at the target for 10-25 seconds in duration

Shaping Chin Rest

Begin the training session by placing a towel on the area where the animal will be resting the chin (owner’s lap, chair, stool). The trainer then observes and begins to reinforce for the following behaviors:

Click and Treat for head turning toward the towel location
Click and Treat for looking in the direction of the towel location
Click and Treat for looking directly at the towel location
Click and Treat for weight shifting toward the towel location
Click and Treat for moving and walking in the direction of the towel location
Click and Treat for sniffing or interacting with the towel location
Click and Treat for head movement over the towel location
Click and Treat for head movement down (moving head down toward the towel location)
Click and Treat for chin touching the towel location
Click and Treat for consistently chin touching to the towel location
Click and treat for holding duration of the chin touching behavior for 1 to 2 seconds (at the towel location)
Click and Treat for duration of the chin rest behavior at the towel location for 2 to 5 seconds
Click and Treat for duration of the chin rest behavior at the towel location for 5 to 10 seconds
Click and Treat for duration of the chin rest behavior at the towel location for 10 to 30 seconds

Teaching and Understanding Consent

Consent is taught by giving the patient specific criteria when they are in their stationed behavior. When the animal steps into the stationary behavior, the veterinary team member will begin the training session using forms of desensitization and classical counterconditioning for touching parts of the patient’s body. If the patient moves out of the stationary behavior in any way, shape, or form, the training session will be discontinued. When the patient makes the choice to move back into the stationary behavior, the training session can begin.

**Video Demonstration: Connor and Consent Mat**

Author’s Note: A veterinary team member should be well educated in canine and feline body language before working on these procedures. The best resource for fully training these behaviors is the text “Cooperative Veterinary Care” by Alicea Howell and Monique Feyrecilde that is published by Wiley Blackwell.

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and lead veterinary behavior technician at The Behavior Clinic in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

Stationing and Consent Behaviors: Useful Skills for Every Veterinary Team (Part One)

Rachel Lees, RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Most of us became veterinary professionals because of our fondness for animals. Our goal is to assist them in times of need and to be their voice when they are unable to articulate their desires.

Unfortunately, our patients don’t always understand that. Most of our patients are not overjoyed about their trip to the veterinary practice. Even though we are here to help them live long, healthy, happy lives, they see our clinic as the place where they may be poked, touched inappropriately, and sometimes scared, even if this is not our intention.

Wouldn’t it be fantastic if we could communicate with our patients the way we can with humans? If they had the opportunity to say “Yes” or “No” to being injected or touched before resorting to a growl, bite, or air snap? Teaching strong stationary behaviors and using them as a consent cue can be useful and can take your veterinary team to the next level.

Stationary Behaviors

These behaviors cue the animal to stand, lie down, or touch a body part to a specific location for a duration of time. They are typically taught outside the veterinary setting using marker training and shaping techniques*. Once the patient is comfortable performing the stationary behavior in a non-stressful setting, training sessions can begin to take place at the veterinary practice. The patient should enjoy training and interacting with the stationary behavior as this is the place where most veterinary husbandry behaviors will be performed in the future. The patient should associate this location with reinforcements such as high-value food and fun. Stationing behaviors include but are not limited to the following:

Body Target to Mat
- Four paws on the Mat
- Lying in Sternal Recumbency on the Mat
- Lying in Lateral Recumbency on the Mat
Nose Target to a Hand or Object
Chin Rest
Paw Target to an Object

What Is Consent?

Once the above behaviors have been taught and the patient is 100 percent responsive in the veterinary practice, the concept of consent can begin. Consent allows the patient to choose to engage in training with the owner and veterinary team members by responding to the cued behavior and allowing the procedure to be performed. If the patient does not want to interact, they will send a clear signal that they are uncomfortable and are unable to perform the stationary behavior at the given time.

The goal with consent is to give patients some control by allowing them to make choices to reduce fear, anxiety, and stress, increase comfort, and increase the animal’s ability to cooperate. It is important to fully understand the patient’s body language and to understand that not responding to the cued behavior is not the patient being “stubborn.” If the patient is reluctant to stay in the cued stationary behavior, assess the patient and yourself, and then end the training session or veterinary visit. Remember that animals use avoidance behaviors such as displacement or conflict when a situation becomes stressful. Our goal is to give the animal a choice and to respect that choice.

Examples of avoidance behaviors:

Sniffing the ground
Not responding to a well-known station behavior
Yawning
Lip licking
Slow response to a station behavior
Head turning away
Weight shifting away

Final Note

If taught correctly, stationary behaviors can be an asset to any veterinary team. Any veterinary team member who is interested in teaching these protocols should consider training the patient ahead of time to wear a basket muzzle as we are teaching voluntary veterinary care. The patient can and will still say that they are uncomfortable if they are pushed too far above their comfort level. A veterinary team member should be well educated in canine and feline body language before working on these procedures. The best resource for fully teaching these behaviors is the text “Cooperative Veterinary Care” by Alicea Howell and Monique Feyrecilde, published by Wiley Blackwell.

*Shaping will be discussed in Part Two

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and lead veterinary behavior technician at The Behavior Clinic in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

Party Hats! Teaching Muzzle Training to Canine Patients

Rachel Lees RVT, KPA CTP, VTS (Behavior)Muzzle training is an important skill for every dog to have. Not only can muzzle training help keep veterinary teams safe during examinations and procedures, it can also provide opportunities for person and pet long term.

As humans, we may get stressed, fearful, anxious, or concerned about a situation and lash out aggressively. For us, that situation, if not escalated, may lead to an apology or resolution. But if a dog makes this choice, it can mean a bite, lawsuits, and potentially euthanasia. As veterinary professionals, our job is to enhance the human-animal bond and keep our patients safe, happy, and healthy. Using and recommending muzzle training can help prevent a bite on your patient’s record and potentially save a dog’s life.

The bad news is that dogs wearing muzzles are viewed as scary. This stigma needs to go because we never know when a pet will be in a situation where a muzzle may be beneficial. Those situations include emergencies such as being hit by a car as well as introductions to new challenges. Muzzles keep dogs safe when in public or around unfamiliar people, animals, and situations.

Using Marker Training and Positive Reinforcement

The best way to teach a patient to enjoy wearing a muzzle is through positive reinforcement: adding something to the situation to strengthen the likelihood of a behavior. Using this technique, we can teach dogs that muzzles are treat dispensers that make fantastic things happen.

For instance, muzzle training can be taught by using a luring technique in which treats are placed into the back of the muzzle to create a positive experience. This can be helpful, but moving from one step to the other too quickly risks pushing the pet too far and putting on the muzzle before training is complete. This can create fear, stress, and anxiety. Dogs may choose to place their head inside the muzzle for the peanut butter but may not truly understand the behavior they are being reinforced for. The result is that when we begin to place the strap over their head, they may display stress, fear, and panic.

Using marker training allows dogs to make their own choices and learn through shaping. Shaping is the process of “building” a behavior by successively reinforcing bits or “criteria’ of the behavior that are approximations of the final behavior. The behavior is molded by the communication the trainer gives the pet. In this situation, the communication is the marker. When the marker (tongue click, clicker, or word “click”) is audible, treats should follow. The pet learns that the last behavior performed during the marker signal earns reinforcement.

This video demonstrates the beginning steps of muzzle training using the shaping technique as described above. This patient does not have any learning history with a muzzle.

Breaking Down the Criteria of the Muzzle

When using the shaping technique, we must be able to break down the behavior into achievable steps for the patient. In the demonstration above, if the technician had expected the pet to place his nose inside the basket on the first try, it would have set the dog up for failure and frustration as he might not have received enough communication to learn the end-goal behavior. I typically break muzzle training into three different stages with initial goals to achieve and then break down those steps further. Here are the broken-down stages and criteria for each:

**The abbreviation C/T = Click then Treat**

Stage One: Nose into the Basket with Consistency
- C/T for pet looking at the muzzle
- C/T for weight shifting toward the muzzle
- C/T for nose touching the muzzle
- C/T for nose touching the opening of the basket of the muzzle
- C/T for nose touching the inside of the basket
- C/T for nose placement ½ way into the basket of the muzzle
- C/T for nose placement into the basket of the muzzle

Video Demonstration: FF Stage One Muzzle

Stage Two: Duration and Strap Introduction
- C/T for pet holding their nose in the basket for 1 second
- C/T for pet holding their nose in the basket for 2-3 seconds
- C/T for pet holding their nose in the basket for 5 seconds
- Raise strap and C/T for any attempt at nose into the basket (with the strap raised)
- Raise strap and C/T for holding nose inside of the basket with 3-5 seconds duration (with the strap raised)

Video Demonstration

Stage Three: Strap Behavioral Therapy and Wearing the Muzzle
- C/T for moving the strap ¼ of the way behind the pet’s head (without movement or shying away)
- C/T for moving the strap 1/2 of the way behind the pet’s head (without movement or shying away)
- C/T for moving the strap 3/4 of the way behind the pet’s head (without movement or shying away)
- C/T for moving the strap all the way behind the pet’s head (without movement or shying away)

**Depending on the pet, the strap may need to be tightened to make the fit tight. Once the pet is comfortable with the strap movement at the largest setting, begin to make the strap hole smaller and smaller over time**

C/T for wearing and responding to cued behaviors

Video Demonstration: FF Stage Three Muzzle & FF FINAL Muzzle Outcome

Utilizing Technicians

It takes time, coaching, and guidance to appropriately teach muzzle training. It’s best to utilize a veterinary technician who has an interest in training. Not only can this create a connection between client, pet, and practice, it can also increase revenue through technician muzzle-training appointments and product sales. The technician can teach this behavior to pets in private appointments or coach and demonstrate the behavior so owners can work with the dog at home. Regardless, scheduling appointments to check progress is crucial to making the end goal a reality.

Final Thoughts

Muzzle training using a marker gives the patient a choice to engage at their own comfort level. This also allows us to reinforce behavior at smaller criteria increases and change the way the pet feels about each step along the way. Muzzle training can be a life-saving behavioral investment for your client. They just need to have the right support and recommendations from staff like you!

This article was reviewed/edited by board-certified veterinary behaviorist Dr. Kenneth Martin and/or veterinary technician specialist in behavior Debbie Martin, LVT.

Rachel Lees, a Level 3 Fear Free Certified Professional, is a veterinary technician specialist in behavior, a KPA certified training partner, and lead veterinary behavior technician at The Behavior Clinic in Olmsted Falls, Ohio. She loves helping people create and maintain a strong human-animal bond.

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