Big Black Dogs and A Walk In The Park

A friend of mine has a Doberman Pinscher. She adores her dog and takes her everywhere and to every kind of training class you can imagine. They do tracking and trick training and run 5ks and 10ks together. They're a great pair.



While walking with a friend and her Golden Retriever, my friend and her Doberman, Poppy, were ambassadors for the breed. Dobermans are Big Black Dogs who were originally bred to be guard dogs and have a reputation for being aggressive toward strangers and loyal to their owners. Because my friend is aware of, but saddened by, the belief that Dobermans are dangerous dogs, she is diligent about leash manners and socializing Poppy. She can take Poppy anywhere and feel secure that Poppy will be comfortable, friendly and safe.

The Golden Retriever Poppy was walking with was not so well-behaved. The Golden was on a Flexi-style leash and walking ahead of its owner, crossing their path back and forth with no control or input from the owner. Being in a park, on a walking and bike path, there was enough width to accommodate the Golden's unstructured walk, but when a bike rider approached, he rang his bell several times to get the group to move over a bit. My friend and Poppy stepped to the side of the path, stopped, and Poppy sat down and they waited for the rider to pass. The Golden was barking at the rider, and its owner had difficulty retracting the leash and getting her dog to listen to her. The rider could not get by because of the length of the leash crossing the path. The Golden's owner apologized saying she was trying to get her dog under control. The rider said, "It's not that Golden I'm worried about. It's that Dobe!"

The big black dog who was calm, polite, and following its owner's direction, was feared while the barking Golden Retriever who was not under any kind of safe control was not a concern. Big Black Dog Syndrome.

Big Black Dogs and A Walk Down The Street

Once upon a time, a friend of mine had a Rottweiler. So sweet. Her name, the Rottweiler, was Roxy. My friend was an advocate against Breed Specific Legislation, and at the time, Rottweilers were particularly targeted. My friend liked to take her dog everywhere and she continued to when she had children. She told me about an upsetting day at the park when families were actively avoiding her dog, her and her kids. She tried to encourage people to see Roxy as a friendly, gentle companion, but no one at the park was going for it. I said, "Cindy, when people are afraid a dog is going to bite their heads off, they don't feel comforted by the idea of giving them a treat from their hand, you know?" Cindy just didn't understand why she was experiencing the shunning.



I understand not being able to think like a person fearful of dogs. I also understand being concerned that people are not in control of their dogs, but when I see a family interacting with its dog and the dog is calm and obedient and comfortable with people being near, I smile. It's a beautiful thing to see: dogs as trusted family members participating in daily family activities. I love it. Sadly, I see families making excuses for their dogs' unsafe behaviors - "Oh, he just wants to play!" or "Oh, she's just worried my little one is going to fall off the slide!" - when what the dogs are doing is barking, herding and guarding which can turn into nips, trips and bites. Especially when you have a powerful breed of dog like a Rottweiler, you have to be triply conscious of how your dog's behavior not only is being interpreted, but is potentially escalating into a fear creating situation.

There are wonderful Rottweilers in the world who are calm and obedient and socially comfortable breed ambassadors, but even those Rottweilers can be feared. People have told me they've observed other people crossing the street to avoid them as they walk with their big, black and brown, loving, friendly-to-everyone, completely-controlled-with-a-loose-leash, slobbery, tolerant-of-toddlers-pulling-their-ears Rottweilers. They see it as people crossing the street simply because they have a Rottweiler. I'm sure that's true, but I have my own experience.

A few years ago, I was walking with Luna in our Perfect Place of Glen Arbor. We were walking along the sidewalks of downtown and it was off-season, therefore, not many people; just the way we like it. Luna could have been off-leash, but I assumed there was a leash law, and it's just more polite for her to be on-leash. The leash was loose because she doesn't pull, and we were just traipsing through town, two girls enjoying the sun. A man was approaching, and we smiled and made some room for him on the sidewalk. At about 15 feet away, he crossed the empty street to walk on the other side until he was about 10 feet past us, then he crossed back again to go into a store basically right behind us. It took me a block or two to realize he had purposely crossed the street to avoid walking by us. He crossed the street so he wouldn't walk near me and my Black Lab. My Big Black Dog.

So yes, people are concerned about big Rottweilers and may avoid them, but it's not just Rottweilers. People are afraid of Black Labs too. My Sweet Luna. I can't imagine anyone being afraid of her, but I have to accept it. It exists. I saw it. I think it had to be Big Black Dog Syndrome.


My Big Black Dog Named Luna

Big Black Dogs

Whether we like it or not, people who encounter us with our canines make their own assessments of our, and our dogs', personality traits based on how our dog looks, acts and behaves. Have you ever heard of Big Black Dog Syndrome (BBD) or Black Dog Bias? It is a phenomenon experienced by shelters in which black dogs are passed over for adoption in favor of lighter-colored dogs. Predominantly dark dogs take longer to be adopted, and are often among the first to be euthanized, in comparison to their lighter counterparts. Also, large dogs tend to take longer to be adopted than small ones.

Theorized reasons for BBD:

1. Fear of certain breeds that are typically dark such as Rottweilers and Doberman Pinschers.

2. Black dogs are often portrayed as "villains," dangerous and aggressive, in film and on television.

3. Their coloring is associated with evil or misfortune such as black cats being unlucky or ominous.

4. Black dogs' facial features are more difficult to highlight in photographs, and dark eyes against dark fur make it more difficult to read facial expressions, mood, or make an emotional connection when browsing the darker animals on shelter websites.

There is some validity to the claim that there are more black dogs in shelters because there are more black dogs in the world due to black coloring being a dominant gene. However, this does not explain why rescue workers find it much harder to find homes for black dogs than for dogs of other colors. For some shelters, the problem is so bad that they've developed special promotions to help draw attention to their black animals, such as reduced adoption fees.

There seems to be only anecdotal evidence of this phenomenon, and I will share some of my experiences this week.

Sources:

"Travels With My Dog Casey: Black Dog Syndrome," by Benoit Denizet-Lewis, 2012

Black Dog Rescue Project

NY Times Opinion Pages, October 13, 2009

Luna, J & Foster - We are, apparently, a Black Dog Family

STAY & HIDE

Once you've expanded your dog's ability to both Stay, and Stay When You Are Out Of Sight (Patience, Praise, Put back into exact place if he breaks the Stay), you can now Hide! Your dog may watch you the whole time as you walk away to hide. That's ok. Like babies, dogs have object permanence so they know you're still around even when you are out of sight (We have phrases that I know they know the difference between. "I'll be right back" means just that. "I'll see you in a little while" means go lay down and have a nap until I get back.), and they know how to Stay until you "release" them either by returning or directing them to come to you.

Hide somewhere that makes it easy for you to be found. As you and your dog become more experienced, you can increase the difficulty in hiding spot as well as the time until you call him, but unless your dog sprouts thumbs or is trained as a search and rescue, you probably shouldn't hide inside cupboards or behind latched doors.

Hide with some treats in your hand or pocket and then direct your dog to find you. To reinforce the Come command, you can say "Luna! Come!" To create positive associations with a new name, you can call out "Luna!" I like my dogs to respond to their own whistles like the Captain's children in "The Sound of Music." This is an advanced skill because if both of my dogs came to the whistle assigned to one of them, I would be hidden and unable to correct the mistake. Therefore, Hide and Seek is not a game to reinforce whistle recall with multiple dogs and whistles, but it is a good game for which to utilize whistle recall. Hide and Seek reinforces Sit, Stay, and Come/Recall. It is also fun so it's a positive bonding experience that provides mental and physical exercise for your dog. We love it and play it for 10-15 minutes a few times per week. As we did in Florida, we utilize it as an activity for when the weather doesn't allow us to safely be outside: too hot, too icy, too cold, etc.

Recap: Dog sits, Dog stays, Human hides, Human recalls dog (can be done more than once if dog needs support in locating human), Dog uses her brain, ears, eyes, and nose to seek out human, Dog finds human, Human gives dog a treat and lots of praise! Fun is had by all.

SIT & STAY

For Hide and Seek, your dog needs to be able to sit, stay with you out of her sight, and come to a command, whistle or her name.

SIT

If your dog cannot sit, it's really easy to teach. Weeks old puppies sit on command. Luna and Foster know hand commands so I don't have to use a verbal command. Dogs usually get it really quickly. To teach Sit, treats are helpful.

1. Show your dog the treat.
2. Say "Sit" and bring the treat above his eyes - not too high so he has to jump up to get it, but maybe two inches or so above his eyes and head.
3. When he sits, give him the treat and lots of praise.
4. Practice it several times each day.

Some trainers will recommend you push your dog's butt down if he doesn't sit upon command. I think dogs can figure this out without your pushing them down (Dogs trained as show dogs can have more challenges learning this "trick" as they've been taught to stand more than sit, but they figure it out too.). What I caution is repeating the command over and over if your dog doesn't sit at first. What your dog tends to learn is that he doesn't have to sit until the fourth time you say "Sit."

Recap: Hold the treat above your dog's head. Say "Sit" (or whatever you want for the action) once. Maybe twice. Your dog should figure it out. And give him that treat when he sits! You may find he sits without you even saying anything!


STAY

Attach a leash to your dog's collar. You can have her sit first or not. Sitting first can be helpful, but it's not essential. Stand next to her and say "Stay," or whatever you want to use for the action. The hand signal like "Stop" is basically a universal Stay command. Use this at the same time as you say "Stay." When she stays in place for a few seconds, praise her with words and/or a treat. If she doesn't stay in place, you can say something like "No" or "Hey" or "Ahh" and use the leash to put her back into the exact same place.

Practice and increase the distance and time you step away. Step to the side of your dog. Step in front. Use increasing lengths of leash or rope. When she stays, return to her with praise and/or a treat. If she "breaks the Stay," use the leash to put her back in the exact same spot and start again. Patience and praise lead to success!


BIG IMPORTANT TIP

End your training session on a success. If it's not going well, don't say, "Oh forget it!" Breathe, relax, try one more time, and end when you and your dog have a success!

Hide and Seek

The dogs and I recently took a road trip to Jupiter, Florida. Even in February, Southern Florida is hot, or was when we were there at least. Labrador Retrievers are prone to heat stroke, and Black Lab Luna was panting 30 minutes into our 9am walk. To accommodate her temperature regulation needs, Luna, Foster and I stayed in the air conditioned condo, or in the shade of the patio, from 11am to 5pm. We were on vacation, so there wasn't a schedule to follow. I planned to do a lot of nothing, but still, the dogs seemed bored to me. I decided to play one of Luna's favorite games in the world: Hide and Seek.

Luna LOVES Hide and Seek. I love Hide and Seek! I've played Hide and Seek with all of my dogs over the years to meet their various needs. It's great for teaching and reinforcing the basic skills of sit, stay, come, and name recognition for new dogs and new names. It's a great physical and mental activity for when it's too cold or too hot to walk or spend much time outside. Hide and Seek requires dogs to use their ears, nose and eyes. It's fun!

This week, I'll cover teaching the basic skills needed for Hide and Seek, and share some of our Hide and Seek adventures. We played Hide and Seek every day in Florida. My dogs never seem to tire of it, but maybe that's because I never tire of it and like to play it with them so much...

Question #1

I've been thinking about the differences and similarities among all the dogs I've had in my life, and the differences in which Jason and I have raised and interacted with the ones we have shared. I'm wondering if you think male dogs prefer male owners and if female dogs prefer female owners.

Since I was 9, I've had 6 dogs who were my personal companions, my responsibility. I've shared 4 of them with Jason. All together: four boy dogs, two girl dogs.

Spunky, my very first dog, a boy, was adopted through a rescue organization on his very last possible day of existence. He was scheduled for euthanization that afternoon. My mom let me take him home. He was an English Setter, maybe one year old. He loved me. He loved running away 1st, me 2nd and eating green beans off the vine 3rd. I didn't know a lot about dog training then and he was hit by a car. I was devastated and remember crying over him as he took his last breath.

Woof, my second dog and second boy, adored me to the ends of the Earth and back. He was a mix of a few dogs, maybe Labrador Retriever and a Shepherd of some kind. Since losing Spunky, I had read a lot about dog behavior and dog training, and we created an extremely strong and unique relationship. Woof and I spent so much time together, I didn't even need to speak to have him do what I needed; he just knew. I loved him so deeply, I've still not fully recovered from his death when he was 14 years old. Such a long life, but it's never long enough when it's your dog.

Satchel, my third boy, was the first dog I shared with Jason. Satchel loved me, but he ADORED Jason. Jason was his Sun. I fed him, walked him, love love loved him, and cared for him in every way, but it was Jason around whom he orbited. When Satchel became ill, he gravitated toward, and then clung to, me, I think because he knew I knew what he needed, but during most of his nearly 13 years with us, Satchel sought out Jason for true happiness.

Luna, my first girl dog, started out liking me and Jason equally. Somewhere along the way, she found me. She somehow discovered that I am her Sun. She likes Jason, and finds him very fun, but it is me with whom she constantly wants to be. We are uniquely linked and I can't think of myself without her.

Koko, my second girl, came to us at 12 years old. I had known her since she was about a year old and loved her. I spent nearly every day with her for about 10 years and then every second possible for the last 2 years of her life. Koko was special and my love for her hasn't waned in the 2.5 years since her death. She loved me just as deeply. Our bond was airtight. She liked Jason, but Koko knew she didn't have to choose between us. She knew she belonged to me, and I to her.

Foster is my fourth boy. He was unsure about Jason when they first met, but in the year since he came to us, Foster has shown he really loves Jason. Foster gets very excited when I come home, and he follows me around all day, but you can tell when it's time for sleep that he's ready to hunker down with his Jason. Foster loves me and wants to please me and wants to be with me a lot, but to him, there's something just a little more great about Jason. I can understand that.

Jason and I are different with our dogs. His energy is harder. He's more commanding. My energy is softer. I tend to be more demanding of consistent behavior, but I encourage behaviors by "catching them" doing things well. Even when Jason tells them they are good dogs, his "Good Dog!" sounds harsher than mine. We're just different.

I am completely against the idea and practice of "your dog" and "my dog" in a home. We are not separate packs. We are a family, and I feel adoration and responsibility to each member. How I show my adoration and and shoulder my responsibilities is different from Jason. It would never occur to me to go outside and get the mail or something out of the car without them. Jason rarely takes the dogs with him. Yes, it's 2 feet to the car and a short walk to the mailbox, but I always offer the dogs the opportunity to go with me. Sometimes they will wait at the open door for me because they don't feel the need to go with me, but I always feel the need to offer.

Jason doesn't budget outside time into his appointment schedule and he doesn't think about the dogs' possibly needing anything through the day. For sure, he knows I have probably taken care of everything, but when I have to be gone for several hours, he often doesn't think the dogs need to go out, while I like to go out with them every couple of hours. Jason's different approach isn't at all because he doesn't care. He loves our family. He and I are just different in the ways we care for our family. I'm wondering how the differences in our personalities play out in the differences in our relationships with our dogs.

I hear from other families that the boy dogs always love the boy humans and the girl dogs always love the girl humans. I don't want to believe that this is a given. Do you think male dogs more often gravitate to the male humans in their families and that female dogs more often gravitate to the female humans?