The aggressive dog got out of his collar and ran. towards the construction worker while barking. In just a few seconds he reached him and leaped towards his face. as the dog was in midair, all the eyes of bystanders opened widely in worry, frozen glances at the "inevitability" of the coming attack...Or was it an upcoming attack at all? What happened? was the dog aggressive? Did he bite?
As dog trainers we are required many times to modify unwanted dog behaviors. However, whenever we listen to our clients talk about their dogs it is hearsay. Clients often provide us with their interpretation of the events, but not the actual events. They tell us stories, they tell us what (they think) their dogs feel. They say that their dog doesn't love them, or that he/she doesn't listen to them. They will tell us that their dog is aggressive, afraid, and that he was probably abused in the past...
The common denominator for all those clients stories is this: They do not describe the dog's behavior! These stories provide us with our clients' thoughts, interpretations, heart wishes sometimes, but nothing more.
You might think that those stories are great, that they provide much information about the dog, the owner, and their relationship. While these stories can sometimes be somewhat informative, they carry a great risk. As long as we don't discuss the dog's behavior, we cannot effectively provide a behavior modification solution. The dog's behavior is the only objective, direct, variable that we can see, quantify, and change. As much as we'd like to, we don't really know what goes on inside the dog's mind. We can guess. But providing consistently effective behavior modification strategies cannot rely on guessing. It has to rely on observable behavior. Hence, it is our job to ask the client questions regarding the dog's behavior and get used to receive answers that discuss the dogs' behavior.
When a client tells you: "I have an aggressive dog" he/she doesn't give you any information. It is your job to ask that client relevant questions. Don't ask: "Why do you think your dog is aggressive" - oh no, this will probably lead to more stories. Instead, ask questions like: "when was the last time your dog bit someone and drew blood?", or "How many stitches did the other dog need?", or "how many times a week does your dog growl at men?". These are questions that allow the client to give us quantitative, measurable behavior.
Another example. Your client tells you a story: "My dog destroyed my apartment". This statement does not say anything about the dog's behavior. You should ask questions such as: "when was the last time your dog broke something in your living room?", and "Does he chew the couch when your home, when he's home alone, or both", and "can you perhaps videotape the dog when he is home alone?". Such questions will lead you to a better understanding of the dog's behavior. Moreover, using technology will allow you to directly observe the behaviors rather than rely on the client's account.
Unfortunately, I hear "stories" even among dog trainers. We have an intuitive tendency to try to interpret behaviors instead of simply correctly describing them. A dialogue between dog trainers sometimes sounds like a fictional story. For example: "I am working with a dog that was abused by strange men, the poor dog is miserable"...Now, unless, you have seen strange men abuse that dog, you can only hypothesize that he was abused. In this case, it would be much more productive to say: "I'm treating a dog that every time the father in the household approaches him, he diverts his gaze away, looks down, and runs under the coffee table." - This is observable behavior.
Or, "I'm treating a territorial dog" - again, an hypothesis, not a fact. What exactly is the territory? (I suggest you read Patricia McConnell's blog entry on this topic - a great read). It would be much better to say: "I'm treating a dog that lunges and barks at strange men who enter the house. Once they sit on the sofa he sits in front of them and looks at them, once they get up, he lunges again".
In this manner, when we "talk behavior" rather than tell stories, we can devise an effective behavior modification plan. In addition, when we "talk behavior" we can analyze this plan and see whether it is working or not and importantly, we can show our progress to the owners. If I can show the owners (and myself) that a dog used to lunge at strangers who come into the house 10 times a week, and it is now down to 5 times a week, I know that i'm on the right track. If, instead, there is no change in the dog's behavior, I know I need to come up with a better plan.
So in summary, make sure you "talk behavior" rather than tell stories. Your chances of guessing the reasons, thoughts, that contributed to the behavior are not great. Nor would they help you in modifying the behavior. Oh...and about that construction worker from the beginning of the post, luckily the dog jumped on him to get a pastrami sandwich he was holding. How many of you were sure that he was badly bitten. After all, I started by saying "The aggressive dog" and once I characterized the dog as aggressive, it would have been very hard for you to think otherwise. You see how confusing stories can be? Stick to behaviors :)
