Grisha Stewart - The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual: A Practical, Force-free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners

The Official Ahimsa Dog Training Manual
A Practical, Force-Free Guide to Problem Solving and Manners
Grisha Stewart, M.A., CPDT-KA, KPACTP

Published by Ahimsa Dog Training, LLC
902 NW 49th Street
Seattle, WA, 98107 USA
206-364-4072
www.DoggieZen.com / info@doggiezen.com
2007, 2012, 2013 Grisha Stewart

4thEdition

Graphic design: Grisha Stewart (basic illustrations) and Lili Chin (the cute ones)
Cover photos: Alyssa Rose Photography
Interior photographs: Rachel Butler, Janet Graham, Merijeanne Hollingsworth,
Diane Kasperowicz, Aaron Lieberman, Rodrigo Lima, Susan McKeon, Almudena
Novo, Anna Nussey, Michal Pregowski, Steven Swanson, Cheryl Viera, Tonya
Wilhelm, and Kirby Wycoff

ISBN-13 978-1478176411
ISBN-10 1478176415

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, digital or mechanical, including photocopying, recording or by any information storage or retrieval system without permission in writing from the author.

Limits of Liability and Disclaimer of Warranty:
The author and publisher shall not be liable in the event of incidental or consequential damages in connection with, or arising out of, the furnishing, performance, or use of the instructions and suggestions contained in this book.

Also by
Grisha Stewart, MA, CPDT-KA, KPACTP

Behavior Adjustment Training: BAT for Aggression,
Frustration and Fear in Dogs (Book)

Intro to BAT (DVD)

Organic Socialization: BAT for Aggression & Fear in Dogs
(DVD)

BATting 1000: Two-Day Seminar (DVD)

Give Your Puppy a Choice: Modern Socialization and
Training (DVD)

Current titles are available through
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Science is simply common sense at its best.

Thomas Huxley

When you start to train your dog, you might be just trying to teach your dog to listen to you, but good training is more than simply teaching your dog to pay attention, its also about paying attention to your dogs needs, what makes her stressed, and when she is having trouble understanding what you want her to do. Your dog is already paying attention to everything around her, including you. Learning about body language will help you understand your dog and allow you to communicate more clearly with your own body language. After we discuss the natural communication between you and your dog, we will explain how your dog learns to do what you want, using the science of learning.

Im sure that one major reason that you are reading this book is to learn how to teach your dog to pay attention and respond to you in a reliable way. I could start the book with that, but theres a foundation that Id like to lay down before you begin trying to influence your dogs behavior. Id first like you to look at what your dogs ears, eyes, tail, and other body parts are doing and learn to interpret those movements as body language with meaning. Your training will go a lot more smoothly if you can understand more about what your dog is saying to you along the way.

First, lets talk about your dogs tail. Contrary to popular belief, a wagging tail does not necessarily mean that your dog is happy. A wagging tail means that a dog is excited, that there is adrenaline coursing through the dogs veins. A wagging tail goes with both happy and unhappy emotions. The good news is that you can usually interpret whats going on using the type of wag, the height of the tail, and the rest of the dogs body language. For example, if the wag extends through the whole body, so that the dogs hind end is wagging back and forth, thats a pretty good sign. If the body is stiff and the tail is wagging, thats usually a bad sign, i.e., the dog is basically saying back off. The dogs tail is part of the spine and the tighter the muscles in the back, around spine, the higher the tail goes. Tight muscles are a sign of stress or conflict.

WAGGING TAILS

RELAXED/FRIENDLY

Tail at medium height wagging back and forth or in a circle Body is loose, hind area wagging

TENSE

Tail is high and wagging fast Body is stiff

FEARFUL

Tail is low and wagging fast Body is cowering

Heres an exercise. Stand with your feet firmly planted on the floor. Imagine that someone has threatened your children. Take in a deep breath that makes your chest puff out. What happens to your tailbone? Your spine arches a little and your tailbone moves out. If you had a tail, it wouldve just gotten higher. Now imagine that you were a timid person and someone was about to strike you. Turn your head and crouch to avoid the blow. Your tailbone tucks, doesnt it? Its the same for dogs. A tail that is high in a flag is a sign that the dog is on the verge of fighting. A tucked tail is a sign of fear and such a dog may also fight if she is cornered. Now imagine that youve just won the lottery and do a happy dance. Really, do it right now if you can do so without looking goofy. What happens to your spine? Your spine is loose and your whole body wiggles. Thats joy!

Calm, Happy Dog: Loose joints, soft or wiggly body, ears at middle/neutral position, dog moving at a normal dog pace, soft eyes looking at you but not staring hard, tail wagging in a circle at a moderate pace, relaxed down, sleeping, leaning into petting, taking treats easily without snatching, mouth soft and open, breath rate or panting matches the temperature and level of exercise the dog is doing, dog walks in curved lines and body is slightly curved when approaching other dogs or people. The black dog here, Peanut, was showing calm attention to me while I took his picture on a camping trip. In the photo, his mouth is open, he is looking at me, his ears are mid-height for him, the pupils are not overly dilated (reflective), he is sitting on cue. The muscles in his face are standing out a tiny bit, but that matches the level of exercise.

Signs of Stress or Conflict: During your training sessions, you should notice that your dog is having a good time, rather than showing the signs of stress that follow. If you do see signs of stress, take a break and think about what aspect of your training is causing stress. Maybe you are accidentally using punishment when you really should be using reinforcement, maybe your body language is causing stress, or perhaps you are asking too much for your dogs skill level.

Tight muscles

Yawning

Ears pinned back like the boxer shown here, (let me get away)

Ears tipped forward (I really need that ball or Im going to get that guy before he gets me)

Sniffing around distractedly (this training is confusing and stressful)