I'm no Karen Pryor, apparently. (shocking.)

Meet Charlie Daniels.

Charlie is a fiddler crab I acquired at the International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants conference, an event where I had no expectation of meeting my next pet, much less a take-home crustacean.

Our task was to begin to train our crabs to ring a bell, replicating Karen-Pryor-awesomeness, which had been replicated by our instructor Lily Strassberg.  Meaning, it is possible.  But I found my inner Pryor a bit lacking that day.  Which made the fact that the the actual Karen Pryor was there watching us into a humbling experience.

We started with a setup that is just a hair more structured than any training I've done recently... including a notebook (what on earth is THAT for?)  I was in awe of Lily not just because she had gotten the crab to ring the bell, and because she stuck to her guns when she was discouraged from taking on crab training as a project - but because of her lovely but naive faith in all of us that we might actually make proper use of the tools she so painstakingly laid out for us.

So of course I jumped in and figured - shaping!  Tiny steps!  Let's do this!

Then I realized the tiny steps included:
1) get crab to stop freaking out. 
2) figure out how to deliver "treats" (icky) to crab (also kinda icky.)

Addressing #2 first - Crabs are not too keen on you shoving stuff into center-of-mass of all of their odd, writhing, mandible parts.  They would prefer, please, for you to hand them their worms into their little tiny left claw.  (There are some lessons here about thoughtful reward delivery.)  Which means getting the tweezers past the GIANT right claw the crab is waving at you to get you to please GO AWAY.  Rah!  I am CRAB!

Leading me to address #1 - Apparently the tweezers one needs to use to deliver teeny shrimp and worms to a crab might also be seen by said crab as a big shiny threatening claw. (Note to self - pick female crab next time.)  A non-threatening, slow approach with the tweezers from the side had somewhat better results.  I even (I kid you not) thought, maybe I can try a little BAT here - and reward the crab staying calm with the retreat of the tweezers for a few moments.  Since he wasn't getting the food in the early tries, I needed something, so maybe functional crab rewards?  Well, not sure if it was Crab BAT or just habituation, but it did start working.  Charlie Daniels stopped waving his fiddle around for a few moments at a time, and developed a taste for the disgusting stuff I was dishing out.

So, in an hour, I managed - and this is written down in my little notebook - to have better and better success with treat delivery to the little claw, and also, occasionally with the crab shoving it into his mouth - which prompted a big "YAY!" from me each time.  Fearful, freaky crabs can't learn bell-ringing, and eating is a good sign in any creature indicating that it's safe enough to do some behavior other than fight (wild claw waving) or flight (zooming around sideways.)  I actually thought it was pretty neat how much I was able to learn about a completely new species in just an hour, by observing and pausing to consider what I was seeing.  (Some pretty good lessons there too.)  Thanks Lily!

Crustacean Desensitization and Counter-Conditioning anyone?

More of the saga of Charlie Daniels to follow..........

Using "Cesar's Way" to fight Cesar?

I just read an article about a group of trainers who will be protesting Cesar Millan's upcoming live shows in Ohio.  The reader comments on this article contained the usual stuff about these trainers being cream puffs that let their dogs walk all over them, that it is just an envious attempt to selfishly promote their own businesses, or that they are simply wrong.  This from a wide array of "credentialed TV-watchers."

[The article: Trainers are howling at ‘dog whisperer’ tactics]

The trainers will peacefully hand out other (better) information to show-goers.  Below are links to what I'm sure are the handouts that will be handed out at the Millan protest.  So you can read for yourself.

They don't say you can "never" correct your dog, by the way.  They are written by board-certified canine behavior experts who are worth listening to - The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior.  And they don't have a place for the protesters' business cards.

AVSAB Position on "Dominance Theory"

AVSAB Position on Punishment

I think this group of protesting trainers is on the right track, simply providing independent educational information to refute "Cesar's Way" - informing show-goers so that they might make their own, more informed choices.  I hope upon hope that none become embroiled in arguments, or lodge their own personal attacks back at Millan - because this, in fact, would BE "Cesar's Way."  Using bullying tactics is HIS way, and I cringe when fellow trainers bully clients and each other about training methods.

Actual photo of two dog trainers discussing a prong collar.

We know these things about training dogs (we hold these truths to be self-evident?):

• "Kind" is not the enemy of "effective."
• When dogs are guided and rewarded for choosing the right behavior, they are more enthusiastic and motivated about that behavior than if they were forced into it.
• Dogs tend to meet force with force, and naturally push back when pushed upon (in humans, we might call this "defensive" behavior in response to judgment.)
• The dog that has not yet learned more appropriate behavior is not "bad" or spiteful - it is the trainer's responsibility to educate the dog.
• Encouraging alternate positive behavior is more effective than using punishment to suppress unwanted behavior.

There are a growing number of dog trainers and enthusiasts who are using the above guidelines to help share kind, science-based training methods with clients and fellow trainers.  We're having civil, adult discussions about how we choose training methods.  We're listening to trainers and clients who have other views, so they we can "First understand, then seek to be understood."  (Good heavens, I think maybe the 7 Habits of Highly Effective People should be covered in trainer education and certification programs...)

And it seems it's starting to work.  The Dog Whisperer show has been relegated to NatGeo Wild, while Victoria Stilwell is growing in popularity.  There are more and more trainers using positive methods.  Alternative "no-pull" equipment is readily available in pet stores, and the front attach harness is something I'm seeing more often than choke chains.  More and more people have heard of clicker training, and more people are using it.

You GO Ohio trainers.  With your education and all that. 


I can hear the Whispering getting quieter...

Two blogs diverged in the woods...

...and I, well I'm taking both, and they're both "less traveled by" at this point.

As dog training and behavior has moved from hobby to serious career path, it seems a little re-organization of my life is in order.

Presenting TrainingDogMa - one little way of not boring my family and non-dog friends (though this is a small group) to tears with my ramblings on dog training and behavior.  It needs a little sprucing up, but at least it has its own identity...

If you'd also enjoy news and adventures of the Withun family, there's The Days of Wine and WetColdNoses.