Labels and alternatives - How to effectively describe your dogs behaviour

Have you ever called your dog something like "cheeky", "bold" "stubborn" or "hyper"? I know I have previously. (I've also applied those labels to family members at times, sorry sis!) However, when it comes to things our dogs do (or our human relatives..) and our desire to possibly change a certain behaviour or set of behaviours, labels can sometimes actually hinder or prevent us from fully understanding or helping them, or effecting real behaviour change.

What does this even do?!

The definition of label is: a classifying phrase or name applied to a person or thing, especially one that is inaccurate or restrictive.

Words like those above don't really describe what is happening, and can also lead us to add extras to the picture. For example, the label of stubborn can also lead us to anthropomorphise and think of the individual as 'doing it on purpose, out of spite'. It restricts us and applies other beliefs to the dog. Stubborn isn't a behaviour, it doesn't describe anything in a helpful way. Labels also place the responsibility on the individual, which also can hinder us in working out what is going on. "Well it would be fine if he just wasn't so stubborn!" 

What words can we use?

Instead of labeling your dog, use descriptions of what they are doing, and what is happening in the environment too. For example, I might say "When I reach my hand into my pocket for the tennis ball, my dog will stand quite still, mouth closed, ears forward, looking at my hand/pocket. There is tension in her legs and shoulders. When I lift the ball out of my pocket and into the air, she will begin to back away from me slowly, taking one or two steps backwards. She continues to look at my hand, ears forward, body tensed. When I move my arm backwards in preparation of throwing the ball, she will turn away from me and begin to run in the opposite direction to me. If I throw the ball further than where she is, she will continue to run towards the ball. If I do not throw the ball, she will slow her pace and stop running, and then turn her body towards me and look at me."

I know that is a descriptor of playing fetch with a dog, but it is easy to spot where the environment has cued behaviour. My hand going into my pocket cues the dog to look at my hand. My hand going up in the air cues the dog to begin running away. The ball appearing in front of her cues her to run towards the ball and take hold of it in her mouth, and so on. 

I could label her as "hyper when we play fetch", but hyper only works if it describes the exact behaviours we see above. If a dog was described as hyper to you, would you picture the above? Or would you picture different behaviour? 

It is so much more useful to describe rather than label. It is absolutely something that needs practicing, and I have to correct myself sometimes and say "Describe what is happening, Niamh!" 

The next time you contact a dog trainer, describe the behaviour, no matter how detailed and irrelevant you may feel it can be. Your dog trainer will thank you for it!

Online "challenges" and dogs: Should we participate?

Not being able to see our friends and socialise in real life has led to most of us turning to the internet and social media in order to stay connected. Throughout this pandemic, and even before lockdown, participation in online trends has been a common theme across social media platforms. From the Ice Bucket Challenge in 2014, to the Mannequin challenge in 2016, people have been coming up with all sorts of different and creative activities for charity or just for the entertainment factor. This year we have seen a surge in TikTok users creating clever dance routines and copying each other in fun inspiring ways.

When it comes to our furry friends however, it is totally understandable that some trends will include them. They're part of the family after all! Don't get me wrong; a few of these trends are adorable. One of our particular favourites is the #notmorebeautifulerthanyou trend, which usually ends up with the camera moving from some footage of gorgeous scenery to that of a puppy. If you look up the hashtag you'll find tonnes of cute puppy videos. However, some of the trends are concerning. Others could be okay if they were amended significantly. Some of the trends are downright dangerous and shouldn't be replicated at all. So lets dive in a little to what we need to consider when including our dogs in viral videos. 

With any activity we create for our dogs to participate in, we need to understand what the goal is, and what we want to achieve (i.e. is the activity enriching for our pet?). It's not really fair to only consider what WE want; what is your dog getting out of it? With little choice in what happens to them daily, as their caretakers it is our duty to provide them a happy safe life.

"Enrichment can be enriching if:

• Enrichment is individualised
• Enrichment is goal oriented
• Enrichment provides choice
• Enrichment allows the animal a little control over what happens to them
• Enrichment facilitates the demonstration of species and breed typical behaviours"

(AniEd Ireland, Enrichment must be enriching, 2019)

Lets apply this thinking to two of these popular trends; the toilet roll challenge and the hotdog game. 

The toilet roll challenge

When considering participation, 

• We have to ask ourselves can we individualise this challenge for our own pets? Can our dogs step over even one toilet roll? Can they clear the rolls easily without strain? Does my individual pet have any issues with mobility that might be cause for concern? Has your pet accrued the level of fitness and mobility required to clear a jump of even low height? 

• What is the goal? Is it to practice recall with obstacles? Do we need to teach recall with obstacles for safety? Does our pet want to participate?

• Can we amend the challenge to give our dogs options to participate? Can we amend it for their specific abilities? This might mean making sure the toilet roll wall is open ended so that our pet can walk around it rather than jumping if they don't want to, or limiting its height to just one roll if necessary.

• Does our animal have control over some elements of this? This might mean giving them the treat regardless of whether they step over the rolls or not. 

• Can our pet do this behaviour? Is it appropriate to them? Is is appropriate to their breed? Also consider that some pets will push through discomfort just for the treat. This needs to be a consideration when putting together a challenge.

Here is a video of an amended version. Can you see where the amendments for each dog were made? What choices did the dogs make? How high did the challenge go in relation to dog size? 

The hot dog challenge

When considering participation,

• How can we individualise this challenge for our pet? Does this challenge increase our dogs frustration level when they cannot win? Can we fix this so our pets can win?

• What is the goal? What are we teaching our pets when we play this game?

• How can we amend this challenge for our dogs to reduce frustration? Can we amend this so our dogs can win the game? Maybe each time we show our dog the hotdogs, they get to bite off a piece or consume the treat, keeping them interested and letting them enjoy participation.

• Can our dog control what happens to them here? Are they unable to access the food that appears and disappears in front of them? Does this benefit them?

So what challenge can I participate in with my dog safely?

Whilst assessing how beneficial a trend is for your dog is entirely up to you, you can use this information to help you make decisions that benefit and truly enrich your dogs life. However, there are safe challenges to get involved in, and we look forward to your safe, happy videos with happy dogs!

(One great place where your doggy videos will ALWAYS be appreciated is this facebook group here: #100daysofenrichment. It's linked to this blog here (AniEd's 100 days of enrichment) and it's jam-packed with 100 days worth of challenges. You literally have so many ideas, and not one involves scaring or deliberately frustrating your dog. Win win! Plus, your dog will thank you for it.)