@@hamiltondogtraining Haha. I totally deserved that ! Shame on me for not watching the video. No excuse. Please accept my sincere apologies for doubting you.
I have not finished watching but already I am so grateful for this post - as always you explain things so well. You are a wonderful teacher! Big thank you from Canada 🇨🇦
Your modules have helped me to shape my Malinois’ behavior from super fearful to a more neutral space. Before he came to me, he experienced a lot of abuse and was so reactive fearful to everyone who isn’t me or my partner (we both are blonde with blue eyes and the people who hurt him have dark hair and brown eyes - we live in Central America) and to motorcycles or vehicles with similar sounds. We still have a long way to go but the difference is night and day. I really appreciate your deep dives into the minds of our dogs. My Mali is learning to scent for when I have hypoglycemia (I’m t1d) and is incredible at accurately detecting it, and I am working on getting him more comfortable and confident to practice more in public places. There’s one cafe that he feels safe in and hopefully over time, I can help him to find neutrality everywhere we go. Thank you! ✨✨✨
Wow, the explanation of behavioral versus emotional response and the analogy with the fear of heights is so on point bro! As always, I really really love the way you teach and explain.
Thank you for this video, my dogs not ‘reactive’ but has a phobia of people due to poor early socialisation before he came to me as well as a dodgy genetics. It’s good to see I am on the right track with doing what I can to keep him from becoming reactive.
Hey Miles! Thanks to you (and an amazing balanced trainer in my country) my Yorkie is doing much better with his combo reactivity. He would get frustrated towards small dogs and cats but he gets scared at big dogs. I took him to a park with lots of cats and he is now way more desensitized and won’t freak out. Now we just need to work on the chasing 😂. With big dogs we still have some way to go, specially if they are male, but he is doing MUCH better. Your videos have not only given me the confidence to go and seek out distractions, but the clarity/arguments to defend e-collars. Imagine people trying to say I abuse my dog when I bust out terms they have mot even heard of 😂 One question though. My main challenge right now is people who walk their dogs off-leash. They usually come to us to say hi. I am trying to get him to be more neutral and it is slowly working. He can now disengage from small dogs and cats. But dogs keep running into us on our walks. We don’t have many park options so it is not like I can change locations. Any tips on this? Do I just keep the meetings short and sweet and keep working on our obedience? Thanks in advance for the amazing work you do by training us humans, so we can train WITH our dogs better 🥰
Thank you SO much! Such a helpful video to better understand the psychology and how to best show up for my pup Would be curious, what are some positive punishments you’d recommend?
To add to that. Quote, "behaviour, been succesful for the past five years or their life", "we remove it from the dogs' repertoire." Scientifically, that's not an easy task. Can you remove learned behaviour? "Remove Bahaviour" or so called behaviour extinction is extremely complex. One of the worlds most respected neuroscientists, in human and animal behaviour, Michael Domjan, speaks to that topic. Learning and Behaviour - Extinction: Recovery effects. ua-cam.com/video/y1RrnGSvYYw/v-deo.htmlsi So, how do you "remove it from the dogs' repertoire?"
You are so right…Penny’s suspicion and nervousness with strange dogs is manageable but she can never be trusted to not fight. It’s her genetics. She doesn’t react as we walk by since your program but if they come up to her she gets super aroused. I’ve had APBT’s that never turned on but a couple that have. She likes about 1% of the dog population and they are always the young friendly outgoing dogs 😂. Leo on the other hand is a mush.
I have a new dog that I found as a stray. Took him to the shelter to see if any owners came to claim him but no one did so within 4 days, the shelter offered for us to adopt him. He did so well with my 8yr old daughter the night we found him & show no aggression not even playful nibbling. But after I brought him back from the shelter his behavior was very different. He started to lunge on the leash, he gets so hyper he can’t calm down, and now he nips at both of my 8 & 7 yr old daughters because he gets overly excited when he sees them. My 7 yr old is afraid of him & it only amplifies his bad behavior towards her more. He’s been more aggressive with them & sometimes the nipping is becoming harder & he even growls when he’s trying to get them. I can’t tell if it’s a playful growl or too excited & wanting to bite & hurt them (example: they get picked up from school & he’s nipping at them once they get in the car & when we get out the car he’s lunging at them. Last night I told them to take a walk with us so he can get used of them & within 1 min of the walk he jumped at my daughter & grabbed her by her coat. He started growling and tugging on her coat like he was doing a tug of war with her coat in his mouth. I told her to get out of the coat and to just go in the house because at that point I had no control. I don’t know what to do because when he is with me his behavior is getting better & I’ve been training him which I see improvement but once he sees the kids he doesn’t know how to act & because I always want to protect my daughters & don’t want them to be afraid or hurt I tell them not to come around him inside the house because other than that i don’t know how to protect my daughters around him. I’m seriously thinking to get rid of him but the shelter already told me they would put him down if I bring him back. In the house I keep him on a leash because he broke out of the crate I had. I really don’t know what to do & because he wasn’t planned to be part of my life, my finances can’t handle dog training course…
There is no issue if you have to put this dog down. Anyone who judge you are mental. You have your children well being to worry about. It's not your responsibility in the first place. Most dogs can start mating under 1 year old. Most of them give birth to multiple puppies even high teen or over 20 even. Female dogs went into heat 2 times per year. What all that info means: there are a lot of dogs, good and bad. Putting a bad dog down because you have much more important responsibility is nothing to be ashamed of. It's not a situation where you can wait and learn while risking your children well being. A nip to the face is life changing enough. Anyone want to have a scar in their faces? Playful or aggressive is not the question here.
I disagree - there are no bad dogs and yes there is a big difference between agression and excitement - it sounds like your dog is overexcited hence the nipping and bitting. That is to be expected, my lab was the same. What to do: Limit his freedom, keep him in a separate room, with a babygate so he doesn't feel totally isolated, so he want make a lot of bad decisions, and so your daughters can feel safe. Increase his time being with you guys as he makes better decisions. For him to make better decisions (no biting) reward good behaviour - when he is calm, sitting / laying down, not bitting. Practise place command, or lay a carpet on the floor and reward him for staying on it, heavily at first. When exercising bad behaviour, remove him from the situation to a separate room, not the one behind the babygate as this room should have a positive association. Remove him for a couple of minutes and reintroduce him. Simply don't let him get the opportunity to nip your daughters, dont' put him in the car with them, don't walk him together with your daughters. Not until his behavior improves. Offer him stimulation - walk him a couple of times a day, and teach him to walk nicely. Offer him healthy chews so he can use his teeth on something else. Play with him. This is not easy, it sounds like you need professional help. The shelter should have known better than to push him onto you. I wouldn't blame you for putting your daughters first.
3:23 is my dog! He barks and tries to get to the person/dog but when I hold him back he's actually shaking like a leaf, terrified of them. He was a shelter dog (we got him at 2) and he was born June 2020 to an old lady so he didn't get to socialize... I'm trying to help him, but idk how 😩
Please, everyone here, share this channel! I have found, and follow some very well known, professional trainers. Even signed up for the online courses. They are good trainers, but none of them breaks things down, and effectively communicates how dogs tick as well as this young man. I will do anything to help spread the word about his training business. Success on UA-cam is one way to help get him the attention he deserves. This video alone has elevated my knowledge. Unfortunately, the 6 year female GSD, who is extremely fearful/reactive/ aggressive towards people and dogs is currently in the hands of someone who at this point, is not capable of helping her, because I have anxiety myself (terrified of dog fights. If it's possible, I've adopted a dog just like me). She also has severe separation anxiety, which has gotten a bit better, as she has stopped trying to chew her way out of the house if I leave (still affects her intestinely if you get my drift). Does not let me out of her sight, something I've learned about the breed (you'll never have any privacy). I had confidence for the first few months, until I experienced a very traumatic incident involving a small dog. I've also discovered that I can't physically control her, and holding her back just intensifies her reactivity. Currently using a martingale collar, but thinking about getting a slip lead/gentle leader. The flat collars are not effective when using a leash pop to get her attention on me. After a year of having her, i know that I have made everything worse. This dog does not play (never has) and is not motivated, which has made it impossible to build a real relationship with her. She's smart, and I have worked on obedience (not easy as she's not food or play motivated). I've taught her the basics (sit, down, place, etc), and have taught her house rules (she's a good dog. The rules are to stay out of the kitchen, and not be near me when I'm eating). Basically, she just lives with me. I can't bring myself to return her to the shelter. I can't bring myself to traumatize her again (taking her from the shelter was extremely traumatic for her). Despite the fact that for a year, my life, and hers, has been extremely difficult, I can't do that to her. I'm not the right person for her. Even if I find an effective trainer to help build back my confidence (if that's even possible) I can't afford to pay someone to help me. At this point, my fear does not make DIY a safe option (attempted muzzle training with the help of videos. She completely shuts down when taken outside with it on). I'm in a vicious circle. I'm completely torchuring myself over this because I made a promise to this dog to never traumatize her. Despite everything, I love her. She's not disposable. Giving her up, and never knowing what happens to her will destroy me. Most won't understand what I'm expressing. I have mental health issues, which was the reason for getting another dog in the first place (retired, and finally able to not have to leave it home alone while I was at work). I had always provided my first dog everything he needed to be healthy, mentally, and physically. He came first. Which is why I'm completely embarrassed, and disgusted with the fact that I'm not providing this dog with what she needs, which at the very least, are daily walks. Just occasional outings in an area out in the desert, when no other dogs, or people are around, on a long line. It's difficult to do, and still be in an area where I feel safe (winter months, as I live in Yuma AZ). I'm sorry... didn't mean to do this.
he already shares more than most, if not all, dog trainers on youtube or instagram, if you want more from this guy, you need to buy it , link in his bio
Thanks, that was very informative. I have a young Swiss Shepard and she is getting more and more attentive and territorial towards visitors. After a while, I noticed, that she starten to accept certain people (my parents, some friends), but she will never accept just „visitors“. She has no concept for „visitors“ 😂. She want´s to know the ID and a Résumé 😅. But she follows my instructions - and when visitors come, she needs more of it. And that´s okay.
That's normal. However, you should have obedience in place in case, some awkward visitors just make themselves look like an actual threat, and you have to tell your dog off.
I have a rescue, knows manners but is fearful/aroused with unfamiliar dogs? It's selective. Miles what are the forms of punshiment? What if they are at a dog park offleash? put back onleash and timeout? I don't think she correlates the two because of timing. Should I use an e-collar? Mahalo!
@@hamiltondogtraining Great! The structure you have around your courses is so good and is something that is really missing in the online industry for raising a puppy.
I have 2 rescues. Repeating to myself: Dogs live in the moment. Their reactivity is primarily genetic. Their history, real or imagined, is not an excuse for an unwanted behaviour. Mixed breed 50% GSD - starting to get it!!
With my arousal/insecurity reactive dog I've made the mistake of punishing the reactivity for too long without giving him a clear enough alternate behaviour. I thought I did, but in hindsight it's clear I didnt. As a result he is really desensitized towards leash corrections and they just rile him up even more. They somewhat work in quiet environments, but as soon as he sees a trigger i might as well be tugging on a brick wall. I've since tried to go the force-free route but that hasn't been successful either. Any advice how to proceed from here if I can't really increase the intensity of corrections without it bordering on animal abuse? Prong and E-collars are illegal here.
Slip leash, choke collar is an option! If so, use those. Make sure you punish the dog and suppress the behavior (watch older video). Halfass correction is actually building drive. If you can't do it yourself, just find a competent train to help you with reactivity. The trainer assumes the legal liability, as they are experienced and technical competent. You can pick up from there.
Perhaps this isn’t exactly the same, however, when you talked about changing/correcting the behavior instead of emotion it reminded me of Andrew Huberman on how changing our physical state changes the state of mind.
You are on the money. You'd be surprised how often Andrew Huberman is referenced in modern, scientific canine training, when it comes to applied behaviour and learning.🙂
Your content is absolute gold! Thank you! I wish that besides genetics, you would've also addressed the impact of lack of socialization during the appropriate life stage
There is very little impact that lack of early socialization has on most of dogs. Working dog with extreme genetic predisposition may require more throughout socialization from young age because the demand of the work (perform complicated tasks correctly during huge amount of stress). Pet dogs don't face such high demand, so even lack of early socialization doesn't get in the way of getting pet dogs to off leash trained level (obey core "simple" commands). Many well bred dogs even those that stay on farm for most of their early lives, can easily transit to city life as pet dogs, without much training, socialization. Many reputable breeders of pet dogs kennels reside in rural areas, too. Genetics are still very much the main driver of dogs mental strength.
My dog is reactive to dogs hes never met. Seems mostly if not all excitement. He just wants to play. Funny thing is hayes aggressive play and honestly prefers fetch to other dogs
Hey Miles, thanks for the gold quality videos for free, I have been watching them all for the last few days and my walking has improved a lot Do you like to use Food reinforcement to increase the interest of the dogs to play fetch ? Thanks
Play itself is the positive reinforcement reward. It sounds like you're unknowingly adding rules too soon and make your dog uninterested in play. The play itself is also a kind of training. So go research on play based training.
You have good theory so PLEASE READ THIS, because decentisation has been tried out in horses for years and has a consewuence, not always good. If this applies to dogs which I belive has super good weight, but you should study warwick shillers learning to the next step. The timing issue of where you react is crucial and also if we take this approach there is absolutely two threads within this theory also. Study warwick shiller who has changed his approach in horses. Also in people theory you do have cognitive training, but also two directions within this. There are two theories. one overcome the actual problem by handling the triggering. Here you will create an overcoming of something uncomfortable Two is to understand the esacalation and expansion of the inner wach dog. When my dog is fearful for guests coming I CAN reach the dogs emotions behind her fesr. I hug the guest and talk really nice to the person. I protect her from the danger. It takes ten seconds and rhen she lowers her fear. You might believe you are creating neutral behaviour. But you could he shutting it down. It could be shut down from this. Decentisizing has a super bad consequence also. However your theory works exterior wise. And the new theory with horses is to find the inner emotion and guide the horses which still means you can work with this theory - only you change the timing. Chrstian tucker has also changed his approach and gone away from decentisizing. But your theory still works only you work with using the timing to reach the point of change at the very very early stage of the problem. Example work with lowering fear by staying far away from the problem. Example work with arousal by trying to step in before. I do however understand why you want to use negative reinforcement when IN the problem to make them want to seek other solutions. Stop using punishment as a word. Who are we to punish anyone in the world. It is degrading to the way we see life with others. Punishijg in children doesnt work either. But negative reinforcement eorks if timed correctly.
Why don't these researchers, train dogs and compete themselves? Do they not realize there is huge difference between predator and prey animals? Predator instincts: Prey drive, being territorial, patrolling, stalking, much higher fight drive to confront threat instead of flight. You think you can override natural instinct because you reinforce an artificial behavior enough? Go teach horse to herd cattle sheep by themselves then. You think horse is intelligent enough to become predator with help with your awesome learning theory? Stop your nonsense. Call those doctors and let just ask them why dogs even those that are ff, positive reinforcement only would "punish" theirs puppies out of instinct. They don't work because some doctortards with tunnel vision says so? What kind science is going against nature? Why it's common practice to leave puppies with mother and it's siblings at least for 8 weeks? Your doctortard may want to take the puppies before the mother dogs start punishing the puppies for misbehaving. Learning theory is still work in progress. Theory needs to be proven in field and here in dog training, these positive only reinforcement, and reinforcement only doctors have not been able to prove anything, if not to say fail miserably in trial. There are other doctors/researchers who has been opposing with trial evidence.
Do you have any experience with primitive sighthounds? I have a well bred Azawakh and I'm interested in your program. They are a guardian breed, so I've run into some reactivity with my boy (I'm getting help from his breeder, as well and it's going pretty well, he's improving every day). I'm also interested in having him and my APBT mix working for me off leash. 😊
Like the content at the start, then it falls apart. I'm a bit confused about your point about genetics. Genetics certainly play a part in the GSDs or any dog makeup. However, isn't there much more than genetics to reactivity? What about early development? Isn't that the biggest issue that drives reactivity, aside from negative experiences, of course? Improper development during the sensitive and critical period? I've had GSDs all my life, and it's not the genetics but the early development from 3 weeks of age that determines their path. It may be in their genes to be loyal, suspicious, and protective, etc., but it's not in their genes to be "reactive." For the majority, the reactivity is caused by improper development and training or lack thereof. I don't understand why trainers don't start at development, foundation, etc., If more dog owners understood the importance, the less reactive dogs we'd have. Win for all. Why talk about punishing a behaviour when the dog was never trained the right behaviour from the start? So how about going back to building the foundation, train the dog the right behaviour, then "punish" the wrong behaviour, once the dog has learned what the right behaviour is and does not do it?! Your knowledge appears great, however, your approach appears unsupported by your knowledge.
What a stupid comment. Being suspicious, protective... is reactive. Reactive is general term to not having to be mouthful about listing all the aggressive, suspicious, protective, arousing, lunging, retreating growling, playful barking... Very few dogs are neutral by genetic predisposition. Look up Denise Fenzi and how her foundation training failed a Belgian Tervuren puppy just few years ago. She used this dog to make money as example of reactive dog training. ONLY for her to return this puppy back to the breeder before 1 year of age because her method can't keep up with the puppy strong genetics and reactivity leaked out badly. She slandered the breeder by saying the puppy had focal seizure. This puppy grew up to be a very competitive PSA dog never showed any sign of focal seizure or any health defect. Wonder what the other trainer had to do with that puppy if not to suppress unwanted behavior with punishment? Read the room. The video is dealing with reactivity when it's already there. Only fools expect every puppy would turn out neutral because they had some foundation training as puppy. Nobody says anything about foundation being unimportant, and prevention is not better than dealing with the reinforced learned misbehavior. However, stop thinking you know everything including the more cases of the extreme spectrum: the high drive, tough dogs; just because you do some reading. If you wanna argue, then at least prove yourself in trial that you're on par with Denise Fenzi. Make video showing you teaching, and training your dogs.
@evasby4086 well, that statement appears incorrect. Genetics can play A part, however, for the majority of the time (90% +/-), the genetics have nothing to do with the reactivity, the early development, or lack thereof, from 3 weeks of age however does. And if the dog had no early development, than that is were we start / pick-up, not apply punishment / corrections for something the dog has never learnt in the first place. That will not result in optimal / lasting / coopoerative outcomes. With regards to genetics, it's actually a bit more complex, and trainers with no scientific background probably shouldn't use it, unless they can explain genetic profiles and impact properly. So for the most part, genetics do not play a huge part in reactivity and behaviour problems.
@@uv4439 The way I interpret what he says is that what we humans call reactivity / bad behavior mostly stems from basic dog behaviour (genetics) and our lack of understanding of / dealing with those behaviors. A guardian dog, like a german shepherd, is often more suspicious by nature than other breeds, thus fear based reactivity tends to be more common compared to other breeds. Retrievers er generally very friendly by nature and can become easily aroused. Many hunting dogs have an inner prey drive. So when dogs are leashed and can not exercise those basic behaviors, like hunting the squirrel, greeting other dogs they become frustrated and thus reactive. When a highly alert or fearful dog is leashed it can feel trapped and become fearful in the first place or the fear can worsen. A lot of dog training is all about teaching the dog to unlearn / suppress / control basic dog behavior like biting, jumping, barking, prey drive. So we really are "fighting" the genetics. How to train your dog and deal with reactivity divides opinions ...
@@evasby4086 Well, personally, I am not a fan of interpretation. I prefer facts. Yes, certain breeds have certain genetics due to what they were bread for. Those breed specific genetics don't make them fearful, aggressive, or reactive. A lack of early development and training does! The science (fact) is very clear on that. A dog doesn't unlearn what it has learned, especially after brain plasticity closes. Yes, it can be modified, however, behavior extinction in animals is extremely complex and very difficult if not impossible to achieve at times. It takes more than just corrections to get reliable, long-term outcomes. A dog (hunting dog or otherwise) does not get leash reactive because it's put on a leash. It may get reactive because it wasn't developed / trained properly to be on a leash in the first place. We are not "fighting" genetics. We are fighting a lack of proper development and incompetent trainers who have no idea how to develop a dog in the first instance. It takes knowledge, a lot of hard work and time, and that costs money. Unfortunately, many dog owners have no idea how much work goes into early development of high drive breeds from 3 weeks of age (yes, it starts with the breeder) to have the perfect dog that many dog owners envy. A lot of hard work and more than 100% commitment. There is no division of opinion in my mind, the science, not ideology, is very clear on development and training protocols and if that's not done, you end up with behavior modification and suboptimal outcomes. Unfortunately, there is so much nonsense on the internet to the detriment of our dogs and dog owners, it's really frustrating. All my GSDs I had from pubs have been solid. My current, first rescue, was super reactive and aggressive. I simply took a few steps back and started redevelopment, not correcting her for something she had never learned. That doesn't create a trusting relationship, nor does the dog actually learn. It took a lot of hard work and time, but she is good as gold. However, each to their own. 🙂
Don’t do stuff like this. Keep it private. Making this public over such a small thing is basically a low level attack on the biz. You sent one email and it didn’t work out. Send another
Sorry! I can't guarantee a response to every email, comment or DM - we get hundreds every day. If I missed you, send again! My top priority is, and will always be, on helping our paying clients - I respond to them before I respond to texts from my mom
You missed frustration.
Pin of shame! Always watch the video before you comment on it, silly goose
9:30 ....lol gotta pay attention when the teacher is speaking 😂
@@hamiltondogtraining Haha. I totally deserved that !
Shame on me for not watching the video.
No excuse. Please accept my sincere apologies for doubting you.
Frustration can be self reinforced and enjoyed?
This makes total since no wonder it's the genetics.
I have not finished watching but already I am so grateful for this post - as always you explain things so well. You are a wonderful teacher! Big thank you from Canada 🇨🇦
This is one of the most important dog training videos on YT - if you know you know. 🤘
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Your modules have helped me to shape my Malinois’ behavior from super fearful to a more neutral space. Before he came to me, he experienced a lot of abuse and was so reactive fearful to everyone who isn’t me or my partner (we both are blonde with blue eyes and the people who hurt him have dark hair and brown eyes - we live in Central America) and to motorcycles or vehicles with similar sounds. We still have a long way to go but the difference is night and day. I really appreciate your deep dives into the minds of our dogs. My Mali is learning to scent for when I have hypoglycemia (I’m t1d) and is incredible at accurately detecting it, and I am working on getting him more comfortable and confident to practice more in public places. There’s one cafe that he feels safe in and hopefully over time, I can help him to find neutrality everywhere we go. Thank you! ✨✨✨
Thanks!
I'm looking forward to the next video 🙏
Thanks!
Can’t wait for the next video!! Thank you for your in depth explanation- it makes a lot of sense.
Thank you for this video Miles. I love that you have broken everything down. How should i be punshing the reactive behaviour?
Wow, the explanation of behavioral versus emotional response and the analogy with the fear of heights is so on point bro! As always, I really really love the way you teach and explain.
Thank you so much Myles I love how you break it all down like this.
Thank you for this video, my dogs not ‘reactive’ but has a phobia of people due to poor early socialisation before he came to me as well as a dodgy genetics. It’s good to see I am on the right track with doing what I can to keep him from becoming reactive.
Welcome back 😊 love your videos so informative and entertaining. Keep it up 😍
I missed your videos!!!!! Thank you so much for this educational drop!!!
28:33 can really be used in many places not just with dogs, im going to use this in life!
My 2 huskies are off leash thanks to Miles !! This video is pure gold
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Hey Miles! Thanks to you (and an amazing balanced trainer in my country) my Yorkie is doing much better with his combo reactivity. He would get frustrated towards small dogs and cats but he gets scared at big dogs. I took him to a park with lots of cats and he is now way more desensitized and won’t freak out. Now we just need to work on the chasing 😂. With big dogs we still have some way to go, specially if they are male, but he is doing MUCH better. Your videos have not only given me the confidence to go and seek out distractions, but the clarity/arguments to defend e-collars. Imagine people trying to say I abuse my dog when I bust out terms they have mot even heard of 😂
One question though. My main challenge right now is people who walk their dogs off-leash. They usually come to us to say hi. I am trying to get him to be more neutral and it is slowly working. He can now disengage from small dogs and cats. But dogs keep running into us on our walks. We don’t have many park options so it is not like I can change locations. Any tips on this? Do I just keep the meetings short and sweet and keep working on our obedience?
Thanks in advance for the amazing work you do by training us humans, so we can train WITH our dogs better 🥰
Thank you SO much! Such a helpful video to better understand the psychology and how to best show up for my pup
Would be curious, what are some positive punishments you’d recommend?
Been waiting for another one of your videos to drop. Keep up the good work all the way from the UK 🇬🇧
More to come! 🙏
Omg I love this guy! Wish I lived closer to Hamilton. I sure would train with him.
To add to that.
Quote, "behaviour, been succesful for the past five years or their life", "we remove it from the dogs' repertoire."
Scientifically, that's not an easy task.
Can you remove learned behaviour?
"Remove Bahaviour" or so called behaviour extinction is extremely complex. One of the worlds most respected neuroscientists, in human and animal behaviour, Michael Domjan, speaks to that topic. Learning and Behaviour - Extinction: Recovery effects. ua-cam.com/video/y1RrnGSvYYw/v-deo.htmlsi
So, how do you "remove it from the dogs' repertoire?"
What do you suggest to use as punishment?
You are so right…Penny’s suspicion and nervousness with strange dogs is manageable but she can never be trusted to not fight. It’s her genetics. She doesn’t react as we walk by since your program but if they come up to her she gets super aroused. I’ve had APBT’s that never turned on but a couple that have. She likes about 1% of the dog population and they are always the young friendly outgoing dogs 😂. Leo on the other hand is a mush.
I have a new dog that I found as a stray. Took him to the shelter to see if any owners came to claim him but no one did so within 4 days, the shelter offered for us to adopt him. He did so well with my 8yr old daughter the night we found him & show no aggression not even playful nibbling. But after I brought him back from the shelter his behavior was very different. He started to lunge on the leash, he gets so hyper he can’t calm down, and now he nips at both of my 8 & 7 yr old daughters because he gets overly excited when he sees them. My 7 yr old is afraid of him & it only amplifies his bad behavior towards her more. He’s been more aggressive with them & sometimes the nipping is becoming harder & he even growls when he’s trying to get them. I can’t tell if it’s a playful growl or too excited & wanting to bite & hurt them (example: they get picked up from school & he’s nipping at them once they get in the car & when we get out the car he’s lunging at them. Last night I told them to take a walk with us so he can get used of them & within 1 min of the walk he jumped at my daughter & grabbed her by her coat. He started growling and tugging on her coat like he was doing a tug of war with her coat in his mouth. I told her to get out of the coat and to just go in the house because at that point I had no control. I don’t know what to do because when he is with me his behavior is getting better & I’ve been training him which I see improvement but once he sees the kids he doesn’t know how to act & because I always want to protect my daughters & don’t want them to be afraid or hurt I tell them not to come around him inside the house because other than that i don’t know how to protect my daughters around him. I’m seriously thinking to get rid of him but the shelter already told me they would put him down if I bring him back. In the house I keep him on a leash because he broke out of the crate I had. I really don’t know what to do & because he wasn’t planned to be part of my life, my finances can’t handle dog training course…
There is no issue if you have to put this dog down. Anyone who judge you are mental. You have your children well being to worry about. It's not your responsibility in the first place.
Most dogs can start mating under 1 year old. Most of them give birth to multiple puppies even high teen or over 20 even. Female dogs went into heat 2 times per year. What all that info means: there are a lot of dogs, good and bad. Putting a bad dog down because you have much more important responsibility is nothing to be ashamed of.
It's not a situation where you can wait and learn while risking your children well being. A nip to the face is life changing enough. Anyone want to have a scar in their faces? Playful or aggressive is not the question here.
I disagree - there are no bad dogs and yes there is a big difference between agression and excitement - it sounds like your dog is overexcited hence the nipping and bitting. That is to be expected, my lab was the same. What to do: Limit his freedom, keep him in a separate room, with a babygate so he doesn't feel totally isolated, so he want make a lot of bad decisions, and so your daughters can feel safe. Increase his time being with you guys as he makes better decisions. For him to make better decisions (no biting) reward good behaviour - when he is calm, sitting / laying down, not bitting. Practise place command, or lay a carpet on the floor and reward him for staying on it, heavily at first. When exercising bad behaviour, remove him from the situation to a separate room, not the one behind the babygate as this room should have a positive association. Remove him for a couple of minutes and reintroduce him. Simply don't let him get the opportunity to nip your daughters, dont' put him in the car with them, don't walk him together with your daughters. Not until his behavior improves. Offer him stimulation - walk him a couple of times a day, and teach him to walk nicely. Offer him healthy chews so he can use his teeth on something else. Play with him.
This is not easy, it sounds like you need professional help. The shelter should have known better than to push him onto you. I wouldn't blame you for putting your daughters first.
This video has been helpful, but what punishments can i do? 😩 i try to punish, but it doesnt phase him when hes locked in
Miles did another video on his channel called "How Dogs Learn and Think" with examples, that might help you 😊
@siantucker9186 thanks I'll check it out!
This guy is the best. He should have millions of followers instead of bozos like Zac George or the Dog Daddy.
Yes!!!
Very nice breakdown of reactivity. I'd like to see your take on suppression vs extinction.
I love your training and content mate you jeed to upload more!! Love your videos seriously keep putting out information its 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥
You have amazing insight and great ability to explain it.
3:23 is my dog! He barks and tries to get to the person/dog but when I hold him back he's actually shaking like a leaf, terrified of them. He was a shelter dog (we got him at 2) and he was born June 2020 to an old lady so he didn't get to socialize...
I'm trying to help him, but idk how 😩
Hi, are there any online courses available that teach how to train dogs to stop food guarding?
Please, everyone here, share this channel!
I have found, and follow some very well known, professional trainers. Even signed up for the online courses.
They are good trainers, but none of them breaks things down, and effectively communicates how dogs tick as well as this young man.
I will do anything to help spread the word about his training business.
Success on UA-cam is one way to help get him the attention he deserves.
This video alone has elevated my knowledge.
Unfortunately, the 6 year female GSD, who is extremely fearful/reactive/ aggressive towards people and dogs is currently in the hands of someone who at this point, is not capable of helping her, because I have anxiety myself (terrified of dog fights. If it's possible, I've adopted a dog just like me). She also has severe separation anxiety, which has gotten a bit better, as she has stopped trying to chew her way out of the house if I leave (still affects her intestinely if you get my drift). Does not let me out of her sight, something I've learned about the breed (you'll never have any privacy).
I had confidence for the first few months, until I experienced a very traumatic incident involving a small dog.
I've also discovered that I can't physically control her, and holding her back just intensifies her reactivity.
Currently using a martingale collar, but thinking about getting a slip lead/gentle leader. The flat collars are not effective when using a leash pop to get her attention on me.
After a year of having her, i know that I have made everything worse.
This dog does not play (never has) and is not motivated, which has made it impossible to build a real relationship with her. She's smart, and I have worked on obedience (not easy as she's not food or play motivated).
I've taught her the basics (sit, down, place, etc), and have taught her house rules (she's a good dog. The rules are to stay out of the kitchen, and not be near me when I'm eating).
Basically, she just lives with me.
I can't bring myself to return her to the shelter. I can't bring myself to traumatize her again (taking her from the shelter was extremely traumatic for her).
Despite the fact that for a year, my life, and hers, has been extremely difficult, I can't do that to her.
I'm not the right person for her.
Even if I find an effective trainer to help build back my confidence (if that's even possible) I can't afford to pay someone to help me. At this point, my fear does not make DIY a safe option (attempted muzzle training with the help of videos. She completely shuts down when taken outside with it on).
I'm in a vicious circle. I'm completely torchuring myself over this because I made a promise to this dog to never traumatize her.
Despite everything, I love her. She's not disposable. Giving her up, and never knowing what happens to her will destroy me.
Most won't understand what I'm expressing. I have mental health issues, which was the reason for getting another dog in the first place (retired, and finally able to not have to leave it home alone while I was at work).
I had always provided my first dog everything he needed to be healthy, mentally, and physically.
He came first.
Which is why I'm completely embarrassed, and disgusted with the fact that I'm not providing this dog with what she needs, which at the very least, are daily walks.
Just occasional outings in an area out in the desert, when no other dogs, or people are around, on a long line. It's difficult to do, and still be in an area where I feel safe (winter months, as I live in Yuma AZ).
I'm sorry... didn't mean to do this.
Thank you for making things so clear! 🙂
Happy to help!
Great video!! Where can I find the next steps and some examples for getting started with managing reactivity?
he already shares more than most, if not all, dog trainers on youtube or instagram, if you want more from this guy, you need to buy it , link in his bio
I haven't seen this young man for time.
I don’t have a reactive dog but it’s so helpful to understand how it all works. Thanks for another great video
Thanks for watching! You'll be ready if you ever do 😏
Can't wait for the next video!!!!!!
Thanks, that was very informative. I have a young Swiss Shepard and she is getting more and more attentive and territorial towards visitors. After a while, I noticed, that she starten to accept certain people (my parents, some friends), but she will never accept just „visitors“. She has no concept for „visitors“ 😂. She want´s to know the ID and a Résumé 😅. But she follows my instructions - and when visitors come, she needs more of it. And that´s okay.
That's normal. However, you should have obedience in place in case, some awkward visitors just make themselves look like an actual threat, and you have to tell your dog off.
He's really good
I have a rescue, knows manners but is fearful/aroused with unfamiliar dogs? It's selective. Miles what are the forms of punshiment? What if they are at a dog park offleash? put back onleash and timeout? I don't think she correlates the two because of timing. Should I use an e-collar? Mahalo!
To begin with don't let a reactive dog be off leash at a dog park! Watch the entire video
Puppy course for new owners when?
Probably in 3-4 months
@@hamiltondogtraining Great! The structure you have around your courses is so good and is something that is really missing in the online industry for raising a puppy.
I have 2 rescues.
Repeating to myself: Dogs live in the moment. Their reactivity is primarily genetic. Their history, real or imagined, is not an excuse for an unwanted behaviour.
Mixed breed 50% GSD - starting to get it!!
What about like ur dog jaut wanting to bite a person or dog what kind of reaction is that
Intent
Great videos! thank you! If I have 2 reactive border collie, should I work with them separetely or same time if they have similar reactivity types?
All training is done separately.
excellent!
What if the dog has the combo regarding cars? We are living on the countryside but cannot avoid that cars drive by?
With my arousal/insecurity reactive dog I've made the mistake of punishing the reactivity for too long without giving him a clear enough alternate behaviour. I thought I did, but in hindsight it's clear I didnt. As a result he is really desensitized towards leash corrections and they just rile him up even more. They somewhat work in quiet environments, but as soon as he sees a trigger i might as well be tugging on a brick wall. I've since tried to go the force-free route but that hasn't been successful either. Any advice how to proceed from here if I can't really increase the intensity of corrections without it bordering on animal abuse? Prong and E-collars are illegal here.
Slip leash, choke collar is an option! If so, use those.
Make sure you punish the dog and suppress the behavior (watch older video). Halfass correction is actually building drive.
If you can't do it yourself, just find a competent train to help you with reactivity. The trainer assumes the legal liability, as they are experienced and technical competent. You can pick up from there.
You a the best dog trainer I have see on UA-cam so far keep it up
Hi Miles. How do I transition my dog from Prong to regular leash? Should I always keep him on a prong? Ihave a super reactive Yorkie by the way lol
We transition from the prong to the e-collar and train dogs to be off-leash
Awesome vid 💯. When I take my German Shepherd to the market I think I need a blanket that says "don't pet me" .... People 🙄
My 10 months old Boston Bull terrier started biting people out of nowhere.. help me
Perhaps this isn’t exactly the same, however, when you talked about changing/correcting the behavior instead of emotion it reminded me of Andrew Huberman on how changing our physical state changes the state of mind.
You are on the money. You'd be surprised how often Andrew Huberman is referenced in modern, scientific canine training, when it comes to applied behaviour and learning.🙂
RG video please!!😊
Where is the follow up.to.this video please?
45:29 😂😂😂 i died lol that was pretty funny
Your content is absolute gold! Thank you! I wish that besides genetics, you would've also addressed the impact of lack of socialization during the appropriate life stage
There is very little impact that lack of early socialization has on most of dogs. Working dog with extreme genetic predisposition may require more throughout socialization from young age because the demand of the work (perform complicated tasks correctly during huge amount of stress). Pet dogs don't face such high demand, so even lack of early socialization doesn't get in the way of getting pet dogs to off leash trained level (obey core "simple" commands).
Many well bred dogs even those that stay on farm for most of their early lives, can easily transit to city life as pet dogs, without much training, socialization. Many reputable breeders of pet dogs kennels reside in rural areas, too. Genetics are still very much the main driver of dogs mental strength.
Can't get past the security features on your website....!
My dog is reactive to dogs hes never met. Seems mostly if not all excitement. He just wants to play. Funny thing is hayes aggressive play and honestly prefers fetch to other dogs
Hey Miles, thanks for the gold quality videos for free, I have been watching them all for the last few days and my walking has improved a lot
Do you like to use Food reinforcement to increase the interest of the dogs to play fetch ?
Thanks
Play itself is the positive reinforcement reward. It sounds like you're unknowingly adding rules too soon and make your dog uninterested in play. The play itself is also a kind of training. So go research on play based training.
You have good theory so PLEASE READ THIS, because decentisation has been tried out in horses for years and has a consewuence, not always good.
If this applies to dogs which I belive has super good weight, but you should study warwick shillers learning to the next step.
The timing issue of where you react is crucial and also if we take this approach there is absolutely two threads within this theory also. Study warwick shiller who has changed his approach in horses. Also in people theory you do have cognitive training, but also two directions within this. There are two theories.
one overcome the actual problem by handling the triggering. Here you will create an overcoming of something uncomfortable
Two is to understand the esacalation and expansion of the inner wach dog.
When my dog is fearful for guests coming I CAN reach the dogs emotions behind her fesr. I hug the guest and talk really nice to the person. I protect her from the danger. It takes ten seconds and rhen she lowers her fear.
You might believe you are creating neutral behaviour. But you could he shutting it down. It could be shut down from this. Decentisizing has a super bad consequence also. However your theory works exterior wise. And the new theory with horses is to find the inner emotion and guide the horses which still means you can work with this theory - only you change the timing.
Chrstian tucker has also changed his approach and gone away from decentisizing. But your theory still works only you work with using the timing to reach the point of change at the very very early stage of the problem. Example work with lowering fear by staying far away from the problem. Example work with arousal by trying to step in before.
I do however understand why you want to use negative reinforcement when IN the problem to make them want to seek other solutions. Stop using punishment as a word. Who are we to punish anyone in the world. It is degrading to the way we see life with others. Punishijg in children doesnt work either. But negative reinforcement eorks if timed correctly.
Why don't these researchers, train dogs and compete themselves?
Do they not realize there is huge difference between predator and prey animals? Predator instincts: Prey drive, being territorial, patrolling, stalking, much higher fight drive to confront threat instead of flight. You think you can override natural instinct because you reinforce an artificial behavior enough? Go teach horse to herd cattle sheep by themselves then. You think horse is intelligent enough to become predator with help with your awesome learning theory?
Stop your nonsense. Call those doctors and let just ask them why dogs even those that are ff, positive reinforcement only would "punish" theirs puppies out of instinct. They don't work because some doctortards with tunnel vision says so? What kind science is going against nature? Why it's common practice to leave puppies with mother and it's siblings at least for 8 weeks? Your doctortard may want to take the puppies before the mother dogs start punishing the puppies for misbehaving.
Learning theory is still work in progress. Theory needs to be proven in field and here in dog training, these positive only reinforcement, and reinforcement only doctors have not been able to prove anything, if not to say fail miserably in trial. There are other doctors/researchers who has been opposing with trial evidence.
Thank you for SUCH GREAT CONTENT!!
Do you have any experience with primitive sighthounds? I have a well bred Azawakh and I'm interested in your program. They are a guardian breed, so I've run into some reactivity with my boy (I'm getting help from his breeder, as well and it's going pretty well, he's improving every day). I'm also interested in having him and my APBT mix working for me off leash. 😊
punishment?
Genetics: my drahthaar 😅
👍✔️👏
👍🙏
Like the content at the start, then it falls apart.
I'm a bit confused about your point about genetics.
Genetics certainly play a part in the GSDs or any dog makeup.
However, isn't there much more than genetics to reactivity?
What about early development? Isn't that the biggest issue that drives reactivity, aside from negative experiences, of course?
Improper development during the sensitive and critical period?
I've had GSDs all my life, and it's not the genetics but the early development from 3 weeks of age that determines their path.
It may be in their genes to be loyal, suspicious, and protective, etc., but it's not in their genes to be "reactive."
For the majority, the reactivity is caused by improper development and training or lack thereof.
I don't understand why trainers don't start at development, foundation, etc., If more dog owners understood the importance, the less reactive dogs we'd have. Win for all.
Why talk about punishing a behaviour when the dog was never trained the right behaviour from the start?
So how about going back to building the foundation, train the dog the right behaviour, then "punish" the wrong behaviour, once the dog has learned what the right behaviour is and does not do it?!
Your knowledge appears great, however, your approach appears unsupported by your knowledge.
What a stupid comment.
Being suspicious, protective... is reactive. Reactive is general term to not having to be mouthful about listing all the aggressive, suspicious, protective, arousing, lunging, retreating growling, playful barking... Very few dogs are neutral by genetic predisposition.
Look up Denise Fenzi and how her foundation training failed a Belgian Tervuren puppy just few years ago. She used this dog to make money as example of reactive dog training. ONLY for her to return this puppy back to the breeder before 1 year of age because her method can't keep up with the puppy strong genetics and reactivity leaked out badly. She slandered the breeder by saying the puppy had focal seizure. This puppy grew up to be a very competitive PSA dog never showed any sign of focal seizure or any health defect.
Wonder what the other trainer had to do with that puppy if not to suppress unwanted behavior with punishment? Read the room. The video is dealing with reactivity when it's already there. Only fools expect every puppy would turn out neutral because they had some foundation training as puppy.
Nobody says anything about foundation being unimportant, and prevention is not better than dealing with the reinforced learned misbehavior. However, stop thinking you know everything including the more cases of the extreme spectrum: the high drive, tough dogs; just because you do some reading.
If you wanna argue, then at least prove yourself in trial that you're on par with Denise Fenzi. Make video showing you teaching, and training your dogs.
That is what he says, genetics play a huge part in reactivity.
@evasby4086 well, that statement appears incorrect. Genetics can play A part, however, for the majority of the time (90% +/-), the genetics have nothing to do with the reactivity, the early development, or lack thereof, from 3 weeks of age however does. And if the dog had no early development, than that is were we start / pick-up, not apply punishment / corrections for something the dog has never learnt in the first place. That will not result in optimal / lasting / coopoerative outcomes. With regards to genetics, it's actually a bit more complex, and trainers with no scientific background probably shouldn't use it, unless they can explain genetic profiles and impact properly. So for the most part, genetics do not play a huge part in reactivity and behaviour problems.
@@uv4439 The way I interpret what he says is that what we humans call reactivity / bad behavior mostly stems from basic dog behaviour (genetics) and our lack of understanding of / dealing with those behaviors. A guardian dog, like a german shepherd, is often more suspicious by nature than other breeds, thus fear based reactivity tends to be more common compared to other breeds. Retrievers er generally very friendly by nature and can become easily aroused. Many hunting dogs have an inner prey drive. So when dogs are leashed and can not exercise those basic behaviors, like hunting the squirrel, greeting other dogs they become frustrated and thus reactive. When a highly alert or fearful dog is leashed it can feel trapped and become fearful in the first place or the fear can worsen. A lot of dog training is all about teaching the dog to unlearn / suppress / control basic dog behavior like biting, jumping, barking, prey drive. So we really are "fighting" the genetics. How to train your dog and deal with reactivity divides opinions ...
@@evasby4086 Well, personally, I am not a fan of interpretation. I prefer facts.
Yes, certain breeds have certain genetics due to what they were bread for. Those breed specific genetics don't make them fearful, aggressive, or reactive. A lack of early development and training does! The science (fact) is very clear on that.
A dog doesn't unlearn what it has learned, especially after brain plasticity closes. Yes, it can be modified, however, behavior extinction in animals is extremely complex and very difficult if not impossible to achieve at times. It takes more than just corrections to get reliable, long-term outcomes.
A dog (hunting dog or otherwise) does not get leash reactive because it's put on a leash. It may get reactive because it wasn't developed / trained properly to be on a leash in the first place.
We are not "fighting" genetics. We are fighting a lack of proper development and incompetent trainers who have no idea how to develop a dog in the first instance. It takes knowledge, a lot of hard work and time, and that costs money.
Unfortunately, many dog owners have no idea how much work goes into early development of high drive breeds from 3 weeks of age (yes, it starts with the breeder) to have the perfect dog that many dog owners envy. A lot of hard work and more than 100% commitment.
There is no division of opinion in my mind, the science, not ideology, is very clear on development and training protocols and if that's not done, you end up with behavior modification and suboptimal outcomes.
Unfortunately, there is so much nonsense on the internet to the detriment of our dogs and dog owners, it's really frustrating.
All my GSDs I had from pubs have been solid. My current, first rescue, was super reactive and aggressive. I simply took a few steps back and started redevelopment, not correcting her for something she had never learned. That doesn't create a trusting relationship, nor does the dog actually learn. It took a lot of hard work and time, but she is good as gold.
However, each to their own. 🙂
I was a fan off Hamilton and send him a mail months ago but did not get any reaction. Maybe it wil come after this comment, i hope so.
Don’t do stuff like this. Keep it private. Making this public over such a small thing is basically a low level attack on the biz. You sent one email and it didn’t work out. Send another
Sorry! I can't guarantee a response to every email, comment or DM - we get hundreds every day. If I missed you, send again! My top priority is, and will always be, on helping our paying clients - I respond to them before I respond to texts from my mom
he already shares so much info for free and you demand respond on email ? crazy and shame on you