Hi everybody, welcome to the Canine Connection
podcast. Today we are going to continue talking
about reading your dogs. So we're going to try
and come up with some practical strategies that
you can implement to help you understand what
your dog is telling you in the moment. So initially
you're probably not going to be able to do it
in the moment, which is fine as long as you can
go back and evaluate it and come up with some
theories and ideas and eventually you're going
to get. better and better at it i think what
makes it extra complicated to read dogs is that
um they have a limited vocabulary right so for
example they can yawn yeah they definitely yawn
when they're tired right they can yawn when they're
stressed they can yawn when they're confused
they yawn when um they're lowering The arousal,
some dogs yawn when they're raising their arousal.
Some dogs yawn as a way to like focus, right?
So they'll like yawn and then they're like, okay,
I'm dialed in. So it's the same with scratching,
sniffing, wandering away. Shaking. Shaking. What
else? Snapping like an alligator. Zaina snaps
like an alligator. Licking. Yes, lip licking.
So a lot of these behaviors, right? How do we
know which thing is it? What? Yeah. What we need
to always do is look at what happened before
and after. So, uh, very recently someone's dog
was in the ring and it started scratching, right?
So she turns, looks at the dog. I think it was
for, it doesn't matter what exercise and the
dog scratching, scratching, scratching. And so,
you know, People tell me this all the time. Oh,
I don't understand why my dog's so itchy. All
of a sudden, your dog's not itchy, right? How
do we know? Well, look at what happened before.
What happened right before your dog did that?
Sometimes right before the dog did it, you disconnected
and just like left the dog hanging. Or all of
a sudden the judge moved in really close. And
just as the judge is getting closer and closer
to the dog, the dog's like, oh God, and starts
to scratch. Or this person, kudos to this person
for figuring this out. They're like, you know
what I realized? This was the first time I did
one exercise and finished. And then the next
exercise started in the same spot. And I've never
done that before. I always finish the exercise.
Then we run over to where the next exercise starts.
So when the exercise finished, the dog started
to like, oh, we're running over there. Right.
And she's like, no, we're not sit. We're doing
this exercise. And the dog's like, oh, God, I
don't know what we're doing. Yeah. Right. So
different. The reason that matters is because
in the one case, what's the person going to do?
It's going to just teach the dog. that sometimes
the exercise ends and the next one starts right
here, right? So that's the answer to that problem,
which is very different from the person whose
dog started scratching because the judge moved
closer, right? Because that's a pressure issue.
That's something you need to deal with. Like
you have to teach the dog, okay, the judge comes,
do a game. The judge comes, do a game. The judge
comes, do a game. Or maybe you gave the dog the
wrong cue. Right. We make mistakes. I've done
that. Tell the dog the wrong thing. And the dog
goes and then I walk away and the dog's like,
oh, God, I don't know what. And then they just
start scratching. So in all those cases. How
we resolve the problem is very different based
on. Why the dog did it. But the answer is there.
Right. The answer is. What happened. Right before.
The dog did the behavior. And sometimes. The
information. After is also important. Right.
So like. Zaina. Will. I'll leave her on signals.
And as I'm walking away, most of the time I'll
hear her go, snap, snap, snap with her jaws.
Now you could go, oh God, is she stressed out?
Is that why she's snapping? Well, how do I know?
Well, by her response to signals, right? If she
snaps and I turn, she's super focused. She will
do her signals, 100 % guaranteed. If I walk away
and she doesn't snap, I always go, oh, because
I don't know if she's going to do them or not.
Right. So for her, the snapping is something
she does that helps her focus. Right. Right.
And I know that because of what, if she snapped
and every time she snapped, I turned and then
she either froze or didn't do her signals. I
would surmise that the snapping means she's concerned
about something, right? But because she snaps
and then her work is really good and consistent,
I can surmise that the snapping is something
that's productive for her. before and after.
This is where video is absolutely critical. Oh,
we lost Lori. She's having internet issues. So
we're just going to hang tight and she'll pop
back up. So anyway, video is critical here because
Unless you are able to process all that information
in that moment in time. You are. Yeah. I know
I told them I was going to finish. So with video,
because most people in that moment in time and
training, there's too much going on. You can't
process all the information and do all that like
data analysis. Right. So. But if you don't have
video, you can't do the data analysis. So you
need the video so you can go back in training
and look at it, right? Because in training is
where you're going to learn. And obviously you
want to do it for trials as well. But if you
start doing it routinely in training, you're
going to start to learn what your dog is telling
you and over time apply it. So I was saying before
and after. Right, right, right, right. Yeah.
And like one of the things I like had to learn
with Stormy, too, because every time I would
every time I would leave her like on whatever,
usually after healing. Like so for signals, I'd
leave her. I'd walk away. I could hear her shake
every single time. And I'm like, oh, wow. Like,
I don't know what that is. And what I learned
was like with her, like healing actually makes
her arousal level go up. So after I would heal
her and then put her in her stand for signals,
like she had to, like, it was like her way of
trying to like kind of get her shit together
to be able to stand there and stay there and
concentrate. While I was leaving her, she was
trying to bring her arousal state down. But that
was like every time I would leave her, I would
hear her. She actually would actually do it too.
It didn't always have to be after healing. It
could be other things too, like even when I was
a novice and I would have to leave her whatever
stationary for her recall. Even after transitioning
her over, it was like she had to, you know, it
was her way of trying to like, OK, OK, I got
to like concentrate. I can't move, blah, blah,
blah. And that was just a behavior. But I had
to go back because I remember being like, oh,
my God, she shakes every freaking time I leave
her. Like, why is she doing that? And then I
would watch video and then I would see it. It
all came together. So it's arousal. They'll do
it. Some they'll do certain behaviors to lower
their arousal. And they'll also do certain behaviors
to raise their arousal. Right. And what happens
is as which in a way is good, like as the dog
learns what's coming. Right. Which is why it's
really important for us to be predictable and
give them really good information. They actually
will say, oh, we're doing this exercise. Hold
on a second. I have to bring my arousal up for
this. Or like you just perfectly, you know, give
the perfect example. oh, wait, I really need
to concentrate here. Let me lower my arousal
so I can really focus. That's a really intelligent
animal, but that's also an animal that has been
trained in a very predictable way so they know
what's coming, right? And so they understand
like, oh, in order for me to execute this task
successfully, I need to, you know, adjust. myself
so that i can you know do this task right and
you know it's important to learn all these things
too like of why that's happening you know especially
that's the beauty of the video like we talked
about because then you know talking about predictability
like telling the dogs like even before like knowing
that my dog has to shift their arousal state
from one exercise to another Then I have that
ability to know that about the dog because I've
learned that that's why that behavior is going
on. And can I help the dog in that process of
them bringing up, bringing down by handling them
a certain way? Like, I'm certainly not going
to heal Stormy and then have her bounce to the
next exercise, which may be command discrimination,
because that's not going to be helpful for her
at all. So, yeah. But first you have to know
that she's doing that because it's an arousal
issue. That gives you the information that then
drives your training. If you don't know that
information, you could be inadvertently doing
the wrong thing. If you're like, oh, she's stressed,
then maybe you're adding more drive and motivation
into the exercise to get her more comfortable.
And guess what? You're inadvertently making it
worse. Yeah. And then you get. and implode in
the right so well the other thing is it's not
necessarily always going to be that obvious right
because someone may go well okay great but how
could you tell that she was shaking because she
was lowering arousal so part of it is like you
have to come up with be willing to come up with
several different possibilities And then kind
of say, all right, let me see if I can. Cause
that's really what we're doing is we're just
puzzling it out. Right. It's not like you looked
at the dog. You just said she shook. You did
not know why you didn't say she shook. And instantly
I knew, of course not. Cause it's not that simple.
It's a matter of like being a detective deduction,
right? Like, okay. Is it. Is it stress? Is it
confusion? Is it arousal? Which is it? So then
you have to say, okay, let me see. Oh, okay,
when I heal, she really gets aroused. Maybe it's
that. Okay, let me try to get her very calm.
Maybe I'll do just forward, left turn, stand
your dog. Oh, look, she didn't shake. Maybe it's
arousal. Oh, she shook anyway. Maybe it's not
arousal. Okay, is it because... Am I doing something
confusing? Well, let me make sure I'm being crystal
clear. I'm very consistent with everything I'm
doing. So there's no confusion. So you kind of
have to go through the different possibilities
and rule them out sometimes. Right. Like a fair
amount of the times. That's what it comes down
to. Right. Right. Is like we have different hypothesis.
Like it could be this, that, that or that. So
that's kind of how I approach it. I'm like, OK,
what could it be? And I'll write it down. I always
go with confusion first because that's the easiest
one to fix. And that's very exciting when it's
confusion. Because you're like, oh, good. It's
very easy. Right? Which is, am I being crystal
clear? And let's be honest. Most of us are not.
Right? Like, are my signals distinctly different
one from the other? Do I know exactly what my
signal is? Like if I say to you, what's your
moving stand signal? And you have to take a second
and go, um, guess what? Yeah. It ain't consistent.
Right. Right. Right. Like, um, so you better
make sure it is and you know exactly what it
is and you're doing it the same way every time.
And it could be something incredibly subtle,
like. It's so fascinating, like the absolute
subtlety that the dogs read, right? So I'm doing
Raleigh right now and I'm teaching my dogs like
some new moves and it's 300 % me, right? So I'm
like, Zaina, why is it so hard for you to learn
to back up? Forget three steps. One step. Like,
why can't you back up and just stay in position?
Like, what is wrong with you? Nothing. What is
wrong with me? I'm telling her to back up and
turning my shoulder back. So what is she doing?
Moving back because my shoulder is telling her
to move back. Sorry, Zaina. Right. And I'm like,
Klaus, Klaus, why aren't you close? Dumbass.
Cause your shoulders back. Right. So like the
tight, the most subtle things are like, um, I'm
teaching them to go around to the right, whatever,
whatever. Like if I just do one little thing
different with my hand, all of a sudden the dog
does the behavior. Yeah. Right. So, Um, that's
like how alert and attentive they are and how
much we have to pay attention and be aware and
take responsibility. Right. Cause a lot of the
time they're reacting certain ways cause we're
just confusing them. Um, bottom line. And the
good thing is the easiest thing to fix. Right.
But like they are there. So and it depends on
the dog. Some dogs are more mentally flexible
than others. Right. Like I don't know if I gave
this example before once, but like I was doing
articles in the ring and I had to go take my
article. So I go to the chair. It's like one
step. Pick it up. Go to step back to her and
she jumps up into a stand. right and I'm like
the hell was that so I leave the ring and I'm
like I'm like laughing to my friend I'm like
I don't know what the hell that was about and
she's like oh you did that I go I did she goes
yes After you picked up the article, you took
your hand and put your hair behind your ear.
And God damn it, if she wasn't right, because
as soon as I did that, Jaina jumped up because
she's like, I don't know what that means. What
are you doing? Yeah, like that's how literal
she is now with another dog. I could do that
now with her. I couldn't prove that out. Right.
But she's trying so hard and she's so literal
in that moment. That she's like, whoa, whoa,
what does that mean? I don't know what that means.
Yeah. Or maybe she thought it meant, oh, wait,
am I supposed to do something? And she jumped
up. Right. So that's something. And God. Humans
have no idea what we're doing with like hands
flapping all over. Yeah. Well, that's the thing.
The dogs are so freaking intuitive. They are
like. They watch everything. They're so in tune
to every little body movement that we're making.
It's crazy. And I think we forget it. We take
it for granted. And then at the end of the day,
like it is, it's always us, you know? Like what
are we called? You know, one of the things with
Stormy too, which we had talked about too, was
like, I would leave her on things and she would
like be doing like this weird head bobble thing
and looking around and looking right and looking
left. And I was like, oh my God, this dog, like
she's, the dog gives me such beautiful attention.
Like the dog could not try harder when she's
like right with me all the time. But then when
I was leaving her, she was swivel headed, swivel
headed. And it was really just came down to like,
she doesn't know where to look. like we just
assume things you know but honestly like I'm
like oh my god like and everybody's like well
I think that she just doesn't know what she's
supposed to do when you didn't know what to do
where to look that's a very common thing yeah
so common and I'm like and how easily is it to
misconstrue that and say the dog is being distracted
right but we can again deduce that Like, I'm
pretty sure this was I was at your building and
I saw her doing it. Well, there's nothing to
look at. So she's not distracted because if I'm
being objective that she's not there's nothing
for her to look at. Right. So, again, this is
how you come to draw the conclusion. Right. You
say, oh, is she distracted? Well, she is if there's
stuff to look at and she's looking at something
specific. But if she's just bobbing her head
around and there's nothing to look at, no, she's
not looking at anything. Right. If we know that
she should like typically gives you effort, then
we can say, OK, it's not a lack of effort. So
there's some sort of confusion. What is she confused
about? Did I give her the right information consistently?
Yes, I have. OK, what else is she confused about?
Well, she doesn't know where to look. Right.
Because. We make it clear when our dogs are in
front of us, look at our face. When they're on
heel position, look at our face. And then we
walk away. And then we're just like assuming
the dog looks at our hair, our back, our butt.
Like what is it looking at, right? I mean. I
won't go down a rabbit hole with that. Like,
cause I figured this out a bunch of years ago,
but like, they don't know what to look at. So
teach, give the dog a focal point. Right. Look
at my hand. Oh, look, it goes away. Okay. Problem
solved. That's what the dog was saying. I don't
know what you want. I don't know where I'm supposed
to look, but it. It's not like, like you, again,
it's not like the dog's head bobbles and we instantly
go, oh yeah, I know what the problem is. No,
you have to like gather the data. Yep. Right.
Look at the environment. Look at what happened
before. Look at what happened after. Get a little
history on the dog and then draw some possibilities,
test them out. Oh, okay. Look here. That's what
it was. And then after a while. As things, you
know, like as you gather more and more of these
data points, it tends to get a little bit easier
down the road. You get to know that dog and you
kind of know like, like if this dog, like with
Tyler, I knew if he made a mistake or if he wasn't
getting something, 300 % he was confused. Like
there was no other option. Because he always
gave me 150 % effort. So when an instructor would
say to me, oh, he's not paying attention or he's
not this, I'd say, nope, no, he's confused. I
know he's confused because he would never do
the wrong thing, right? With a dog like Zaina,
huh? Different story, right? I know her now pretty
darn well to the point where, Half the time,
more than a lot of the time, I'm looking at her
and I know what she's thinking moment by moment.
Because we've been together for a long time and
I've worked on learning what she's saying to
me for years. And then you start to see patterns
and you start to put those patterns together.
Right. And it doesn't hurt that she yells at
me when she doesn't like something. Well, it's
like, yeah. Well, it's like with every relationship,
you know, like time brings you closer together.
You learn more about each other and all the relationships
you have with people. And, you know, like even
like, like even people, like even when I'm with
you, like I can look over at you in a building.
We did that. I know exactly what they're thinking.
Learn those behaviors and those, you know what
I mean? That's just like you learn them. But
the thing is, what's a little easier with not
all humans, because all humans are not good communicators.
So think about that, right? Like you and I, we
communicate. Therefore. And we're like very straightforward,
right? Like there's no game playing. I'm not,
I don't say one thing, but mean another, like
I'm a. straight shooter. You're a straight shooter.
I'm not worried about hurting your feelings.
If I think you're doing something stupid, I'm
going to be like, dude, what are you doing? That's
so stupid. And you're going to go, I don't care
if you think it's stupid. I like it. So I'm going
to keep doing it. Right. So if I'm like, what
are you wearing? You'd be like, I like it. And
then we'd be like, okay. And we'd move on. Right.
Cause we're straight shooters and we just don't
care. Now try having that kind of relation. You're
not going to have that same relationship with
someone that says, Oh, you look really good today.
And they mean you look like shit. Or if I say,
how are you doing? And they're like, oh, I'm
great. And meanwhile, they're miserable. And
then they're going, God, she can't even tell
I'm miserable. What's wrong with her? Well, why
don't you just tell me? Right. That's going to
be a lot more complicated, that relationship.
Like it's going to be a lot of work. I'm going
to have to learn to read between the lines and
have to put in a lot more effort that. Right.
So. it's gonna it's a lot different like it's
a very different relationship um you know relationship
with someone that barely communicates that doesn't
say how they're feeling and you have to like
read between the lines you have to go oh every
time he's hurt he goes out and he works on his
car notice i'm using a guy right every time He's
mad. He goes and he plays PlayStation. And now
you have to put that. That's more like a dog,
right? You have to look at the evidence and go,
oh. That's hilarious. But, you know, just like
anything, all dogs are different. If you want
that relationship with the dog that's not a good
communicator or that doesn't communicate the
way you communicate, it's going to be a challenge.
It's going to be a lot more work. You're going
to need to put that work in to figure the animal
out. In all fairness, in the dog's case, they're
always at a disadvantage. They're always trying
to figure out what in the hell we want from them
in this situation, in this moment. Yeah. And
we're just really frustrating to them. Right.
Like because we're terrible at it. So they're
struggling and they're still trying. So we really
owe it to them to put that effort in. You know,
so I'm telling my students now, like. I want
you to take sessions where you are not concerned
about teaching your dog behaviors, where you
are just going to focus on reading your dog.
Right. So videotape it. Go somewhere where you
typically work. do a bunch of behaviors with
the dog, you know, do a bunch of whatever, but
not with the goal of like, I want to improve
this exercise. Just train the dog. Yeah. And
while you're training the dog, challenge yourself
to read the dog. Right. But you're also filming
it. Then go back, look at the film and compare
and go, did I read that right? Or maybe in the
moment you're like, I don't know why he did just
this dog just did this. Then go back and look
at the video. Can I figure it out? Can I come
up with some theories? Right. And then maybe
you get somebody to help you. Right. Like so
my students can ask me and I'll go, yeah, nice.
You know, I think it's this or I think it's that.
Right. Confirm or deny. But at least you're trying.
And if you do that consistently, you're going
to eventually start coming up with the right
answer. And then you're going to come up with
the right answer more and more. And then over
time, you're going to be able to do it in the
moment. Yeah. Super fast. In training. Yeah.
But if you try and do that while you're training
your dog, like teaching it things, you're going
to fail because there's too much going on. Well,
yeah, because it really is like it's so easy.
It's easy. It's easier for people who have been
doing it long enough to be able to have that
ability to read in the moment, like you just
said, over time that will eventually happen.
And I think that's where it's very frustrating
for a lot of people who are just starting out
training dogs. And, you know, everybody learns
at their own pace, obviously. So it can get a
little frustrating. But yeah, like. It is a learned
skill. Like, that's what I would say about reading
dogs. It's an entire, like, totally separate
skill set you need to be able to learn to be
able, I think, to be able to train dogs, you
know, well or efficiently. You know, you have
to be able to read dogs. 100%. well and the reason
people struggle is because they're so they're
thinking about too many things at once right
so the other half of that is the reason I can
read dogs is not because like I have this magical
mystical ability it's because I don't need to
think about my footwork because I mastered it.
Right. I don't need to think about using how
to use my markers correctly, efficiently, accurately,
because it's a habit. It just happens. There's
no thought required. I've made that like, you
know, it's subconscious. Yeah. the mid like um
understanding what my criteria is like i sit
down it's memorized ahead of time it's locked
in my brain i know what it is therefore i recognize
it i know what my strategy is how i'm going to
react to it that's all clearly established in
my head before i even get my dogs out to train
therefore i don't need to think about it right
so my handling is ironed out like I sit there
I figure it out like this is going to be my signal
I practice my signal a million times without
the dog I make sure it's automatic there's no
thought required to my signals they're the same
every time so I don't need to think about it
so a lot of times I think people are struggling
not just to read dogs but with dog training in
general is because they never take the time To
master these individual foundational skills to
the point where they require no thought. And
so now their brain is on constant like overload
because it's like, oh, turn right. Stop the dog.
Oh, he made a mistake. I don't know what to do.
Oh, wait, this signal. Oh, wait, my hand. But
it's like too much going on. It is. And I think
that it's like a really good point to say that,
like that these things need to be separated out
and mastered because I don't think a lot of,
a lot of people are really told that. And I think
that that's really, it becomes very discouraging.
I feel like with a lot of people, a lot of students,
they get really frustrated and really discouraged
and they're like hard on themselves about it.
Like, I see that a lot, and I explain that to
them. I'm like, no, no, no. Like, these are just
all separate skill sets that need to be mastered
over time and putting work into each one separately
before you can really blend them all together
to be efficient in all of those things that you're
trying to do. That's just time and work being
put in. I think people get really discouraged
by that and frustrated. That they're, you know,
that I hear it, you know, like, oh, I'm so bad
at this. Oh, I'm a terrible dog trainer. Yeah,
more and more I'm going to make them, like, you
know, master individual skills, right? Like,
I'm weird. I guess I'm weird because, like, I
know part of the problem is people like the sexy
part. They like to train their dog. But the irony
is that piece is going to be so much more fun.
And so much more efficient and successful if
you take the time, especially, you know, like
if you take the time separately. So I remember
like spending countless hours mastering my footwork,
like in front of my house by myself, no dog.
When I was in the food store, like with the cart,
I'm like, at the time we used to do heel ball,
but it doesn't matter. doing my footwork, doing
my footwork, doing my footwork, like going to
the bathroom, right? From like walking to the
bathroom, like doing my footwork, keep your legs
together, brush them. This is your rhythm, left,
right, left, right. Or, you know, using a metronome,
like all these things, like so that I didn't
have to think about it anymore. Now, like once
I mastered it for the rest of my life, it's mastered.
Right. Right. Um, maybe sure I get a new dog.
I have to make some adjustments, but that's not
that hard. Same with marking, like getting my
markers clear, getting the timing, like just
focus on that or focus. Like I would stand in
front of the mirror and be like, this is my down
signal. Okay. Look at it. This is it. Get it
in my body. And then I would practice it without
the dog, like over and over, like in my house,
wherever. Right. This is the down. This is a
sit. This is a down. So that it's so that I don't
have to think about it. And it's exactly the
same every time. And it's perfect. And the timing
is good. Like, I know it's so well that the second
I don't do it right, my brain's like, I go, oh,
shit. Like, yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Right. Whereas
other people, they don't even know. It's not
even the same every time. Yeah. And I don't,
I don't know. Yeah. Yeah. So just take the time
out to do that. And then once you have it. And
a lot of it you can do in your head, like with
mental practice and you can do that. Like I do
mental practice while driving my car, while hiking
my dog, like, you know, you don't even have to.
So if you invest that time, it. frees up brain
space now you don't have to think about it right
and now training gets a lot easier and it gets
a lot less frustrating and your dog is not as
confused and over time you have enough things
mastered now your dog yawns and I can go oh why
did you just do that yeah well yeah because then
you can just kind of do your like process of
elimination I think people who haven't mastered
the skills like that's Like I'll ask students
all the time. I'll be like, well, why do you
think you did that? And they'll go, I don't know,
probably me because I'm not consistent. Bingo.
Probably. That's probably pretty true. Yeah.
So then go become consistent. Like if someone
said that to me, I would go like, oh, my God,
I got to get my act together. Exactly. Yeah.
You know. Don't just say, oh, well, I'm not.
Or if you say that, well, then you better damn
well accept that your dog's not going to be consistent.
And when your dog's not consistent, you better
not get annoyed at your dog. That's right. That's
right. And that is not fair. It's not fair. Yeah,
it's not fair at all. Yeah. So we have to create
these habits so that it frees us up. So that
we can read the dogs and then we can have these
beautiful conversations with them. Right. Like
I'm in the ring and I'm like having a conversation
with my dogs, like moment by moment by moment.
I know what they're thinking. I can say like,
you know. I go in the ring, I do rally and I'm
in the middle of the run and I'm like, it's okay,
Zesty. I know you're confused. Come on, you're
good. It's okay. Like I can see it in his face.
So then I can give him what he needs to help
him out or Zaina, right? I can say, yeah, yeah,
yeah. I know this is not what we normally do.
It's okay. You're fine, right? You'll understand
this better as we go down the road. I don't leave
the ring and go, huh? That's weird. I wonder
why they were like that, right? Because my brain
is completely free, you know, all that other
stuff. Now, the interesting thing was, and again,
this shows how sensitive our dogs are, right?
Like, So I did. I did rally the other day. I
did my each dog. It was their last leg for rally
novice. And I had studied those signs and I felt
very confident. I knew the signs. There was no
hesitation. And my dogs were so happy. I was
like, oh, good. They figured it out. They get
it now. Right. Then someone's like, you know,
you can move up to advanced. I was like, I can.
Of course, I wasn't prepared. Right. So, but
I'm like, ah, screw it. Like, let me, what, let
me move up to advanced. If I mess it up, I'm
who cares. Right. Like, and I'll, we'll figure
it out. But, and I did, but I had to think hard.
Right. So here's this whole thinking thing I
just talked about. So I'm doing the course and
it's literally like half an hour. It may be an
hour later than the other one. Right. And both
dogs were different. And I know exactly why,
because I was thinking so hard about the signs
because I didn't like know all of them inside
out. And I had to think about like what I was
doing. And they're like, what's going on? You
look different. Something is weird. Right. So
sometimes when our dogs act differently, it's
it's completely it's just us like we're not the
same as in training, like in training. I am so
clear headed and confident typically. Right.
Because I typically know what I'm doing, that
when I don't know what I'm doing and I'm really
thinking, they're like, oh, this is weird. Right.
And then they appear weird. They look like, you
know, Zesty was like, oh, I don't I don't know.
This is this is weird. He gets a little unsure.
Right. And Zaina gets like annoyed. She's like,
what are you doing? Like, I don't because she's
like, dude, either you know what you're doing
or I'll take over. Right. On my way. And if you
don't know what you're doing, then move over.
So don't don't lead me and act like you don't
know what you're doing. right oh my god but I
found it fascinating because like I didn't make
any mistakes they they both did it right but
I could tell their like their energy their they
they it was it just wasn't it was different right
and I and I was like oh this is so interesting
like to me it's interesting yeah um right And
again, it's that whole like I could have left
the ring and gone, oh, I wonder why they're so
sucky. Why are they so sucky? Why are they being
weird? Right. And it's not them. It's it was
me. So so we have to really take responsibility
for that. But when dogs do behavior sniffing,
not like, oh, my God. It's not the mats, people.
Sorry. It's not the mats. They're displacing.
Something's going on, right? For sure. Or they
wander or they're going to visit the judge. Stop
telling me how friendly your dog is. I don't
care how friendly they are. That's not what they're
doing. Right. They're worried about something.
They're displacing about something. They're confused
about something. You need to figure out what
or there's a hole in your training. Something
is happening. The dog is not like, oh, I'm so
friendly that I'm just going to get up. Right.
No. You know, so all these behaviors, it's not
always like that obvious thing. Right. Like.
like in when i did rehab like dogs are stressed
they're uncomfortable they're sore something's
wrong with them they have to lay down i have
to manipulate them right so i would take my time
but the dogs would come in and they would yawn
oh you're tired it's not don't assume it's that
first obvious thing no the dog is not tired stressed
out It's concerned. It's worried. Right? Look
at the context. Look at everything else that's
going on. Don't jump to the conclusion that this
is the first most obvious thing I see. Therefore,
that is what is happening. Right. It's usually
more complicated. But for sure, within the context
of training, like I remember when Zesty was young.
There were a couple of times like he was a crackhead.
He would work all till he dropped out. Like he
just there was no like. So I had to determine
when he was mentally tired. And there were a
couple of. Oh, no. Yeah. So when he got mentally
tired or when he got a little bit confused. He
would just like wander away and then he would
come back. Right. He wasn't really leaving. He
was just like he needed to process like his brain
hurt. Yeah. Yeah. And I had to go, oh. So I always
like as soon as my dog does something, I go,
hmm. Yeah. Why? Why is that happening? Hmm. Yeah.
Right. I become curious and then I let him do
it and I watch and then I'm like, OK, I have
to really pay attention. Right. And see what's
causing that. Right. Because that's another thing
we didn't mention is sometimes they're just processing.
So sometimes they'll sniff or they'll move away
or they'll do something weird. And they're just
they just need a minute. They're like, hold on.
I just have to like. Yeah. processes, right?
Can you think of an example? I'm trying to think
of an example. I have an example with Salty that
he's been doing a little bit. And it's always
a telltale sign he needs a mental break. And
it always happens in healing. Like I'll be healing
him and the dog, like this dog puts in 150 ,000
% in his healing. So it makes it a little bit,
it's... it can cause me to heal him a little
longer than I probably should. Cause he just
gives, gives and gives he's that dog. So I can
always tell because like I'll heal, I'll be healing.
And then like, I'll like do a haul or stop and
he will leave me and circle around my whole body
and then get back into position. Like, and it's.
And like at first I'm like, what the heck is
that? But I've noticed like it's always when
I, all of a sudden like he needs a mental break
because healing takes so much concentration and
he's only a puppy. He's only 11 months old. Like,
so there's times where, again, like I have to
be really careful with him because he just, he
pushes, he'll just keep going and going with
100 % effort. But I had to watch that a little
bit because he needs like, it's just, it got
too hard mentally for him. So he will take a
break. He'll remove himself from doing it. And
it's almost like he's like, hold on, hold on.
I just need to check myself. And then he comes
back and he's like, okay, I can do it again.
That's an example I'm seeing. And this is so,
and again, this is where it's so important to
figure out why the dog's doing it first. Because
in the old days, we would have corrected the
dog for leaving. Right. Now, is that really what
you want to be doing to a dog that's just processing?
No, like now you're going to put like pressure
on the dog and like that. that would be the totally
wrong thing to do, right? To say, hey, where
are you going? Don't leave me, naughty dog. No.
Oh, sorry, buddy. I went too long. My bad. Lesson
learned. Next time, I'm going to stop a little
bit sooner, right? Like, totally different way
you would react to the dog, to that behavior.
So that's why when my dog does something, I don't
react immediately. I go, huh. And I figure it
out first. Once I figure it out, then I come
up with a strategy. But I don't do a strategy
until I understand, like, why did my dog do that?
Right. Because, like, I figured out even in nose
work. And sometimes Dusty would be searching
and then all of a sudden he just like. His nose
was still down, but he's just kind of running
around and it could look like he's searching,
but I could tell he wasn't right. And I'd be
like, why is he doing that? Right. And I was
like, I don't understand. And then one day I
realized, oh, when it gets. hard because this
was like pretty much very early on and I didn't
know what the hell I was doing and I'm sure I
was setting up some searches that were too challenging
and you know whatever um and all of a sudden
I realized oh it's hard he can't figure it out
so he's just like I'm out and it's not even like
he bailed as much as he was just like overwhelmed
yeah right So I was like, oh, all right. So this
is really good information because it means I
need to do I'm doing something wrong. I need
to do something different. Right. Like I have
to change what I'm doing so he can be more. And
guess what? Changed it. Went away. Went away.
Right. So, again, it's like observing. And then
trying to figure it out. Like, why did I figure
it out right away? No. Like it was weeks of me
just go scratching my head. Like, but at the
same time I kept scratching my head. Cause I
was like, I don't, I don't have the skillset
in the sports who understand. Right. So like,
I need to like give myself time to figure this
out. Yeah. Right. And then I don't know, something
happened. I think maybe Zaina struggled on the
search and then he struggled. And then I went,
oh, and I like put it together. I forget. But
eventually I put it together. But again, I didn't
put it together right away. Right. Like it took
time. But I'm OK with that. Like I'm OK with,
you know. Taking the time. To figure out, like,
why is my dog. doing this right and like is my
and I my instructor helped me right because she
knows better than me and I'd be like right now
I'd go do you think he's searching or not like
because I don't think he is what do you think
Right. Because like she knows better than me.
So getting that help from someone I trust, I
wasn't just going to ask any Tom, Dick and Harry
because like, you know, I have to feel confident
this person knows what they're doing. But I trust
her and I had to be like, you know, confirm or
deny. Like, do you think I'm right or wrong?
And if you think I'm wrong, great. Like, what
do you think is happening? You know? Right. Right.
So I think the key is it's observation. It can
be multiple things. Gather data. Be patient.
It may take you weeks or more to figure it out.
But take the time to do it. Work on that skill
separately from other things. So another nose
work example is like I was trying to figure out.
When, like sometimes if the area is blank, like
if there's nothing, like sometimes I can't tell
if Zest is just running around or if he's actually
searching and there's nothing there. So I watched
a webinar and a suggestion was, which was brilliant.
I was like, duh, set up a search area. And I
did this and put nothing in there and observe
your dog. Right. And I got a camera, too, to
help me. Right. And so I did that and I observed
him and I just observed him. I was like, stop
trying to fake. Just observe him. Just like no
pressure. Just whatever. Put him away. Did a
search somewhere else. And then I put a hide
in that same area, went back in later with him
completely different. And I'm like, oh. Now I
can see the difference. So all I was working
on there was me reading the dog. I was not working
on training. And that's what I'm trying to get
people to understand, right? Like you can't train
your dog and learn to read it at the same time.
You have to make a dedicated effort to do this
as a separate activity. And you need to do it
all the time, everywhere. I do this all the time.
It doesn't have to always just be in the context
of, like, doing a training session. We talk about
this all the time. I'm reading my dogs all the
time. Just take your dog through, like, go take
your dog downtown. Like, read your dog out of
the context of training, right? Look for, like...
Physical behavioral signs when your dog is excited,
when your dog is worried, when your dog is just
distracted, like all those things that you can
see them outside in their everyday pet life,
you know, take your dog to the vet and sit in
the waiting room. You'll see all sorts of good
stuff there. Yeah. And then you're just gathering
like a whole pool of data that you can refer
to and that it's all going to help you. Two,
like anytime you get a chance to like read other
people's dogs. I do think one reason I can read
dogs relatively well and very quickly is because
of my history, right? So like, for example, well,
A, I'm a... we've talked about this a little,
I'm an observer. So like, I've always observed
people. So I do observe dogs. I observe all animals.
Like I find it like fascinating. Like even when
I go do nose work, there are goats there. Right.
And I don't know anything about goats. And I'm
like, I find myself by default, like I'm not
even doing it consciously. I'm like observing
them. And I'm like, huh, interesting. Like they,
when I have Zaina out. To potty her, they always
come up. Right. They're always like they come
up to the gate like, hey, they're like, hey,
Zane ignores them, but they come up. I take Zesty
out to potty him. He ignores them. They don't
come near the gate. Hmm. Interesting. I know.
Right. And so like I'm an observer. Right. So
that's an important skill to have. Then I did
rehab on dogs. Well, guess what? If I ain't paying
attention. Yeah. teeth and my body. Right. Which
is not fun. So that makes you a really good observer.
But also, too, like I I do the online classes.
So all I do is watch video and like as a physical
therapist, I have to observe and analyze. Right.
So it's this constant observation thing, taking
in data, taking in data. So. If you're, you should
be like, I can't help it. Like it's automatic.
If I'm in a class or like my training partner
is doing searches with her dog, I'm watching
her dog. I'm not just daydreaming. I don't only
care about my dog. I watch her dog. Her dog searches
so completely different than my dog that in terms
of it helping me read my dogs, it's useless.
but it's still interesting. And maybe it will
help me with a future dog, right? So I'm still
watching her dog. I'm still watching and I analyze
all my students' dogs. So I tell my students,
you should be watching the other dogs. You should
be analyzing those dogs. You should be listening
to my feedback on those dogs. Because the more
you do that, the better you get in general at
reading dog behavior. And that will make you
better at reading your own dog's behavior. Right.
Exactly. Read all the dogs. All the time. Pay
attention. Damn it. Damn it. Pay attention. Okay.
Thanks, everybody. Thank you. Happy training.
Bye bye.