Curriculum
GENETICS & INSTINCTS
If you treat your dog like a human, it will treat you like a dog. Dogs are predatory pack animals. Therefore, ALL dogs bite– they must be taught not to bite. Because of their predatory and pack nature, dogs exhibit behaviors to challenge pack structure. This is their way of establishing an alpha leader within their pack. Dogs constantly challenge pack structure to eliminate weak dogs through natural selection. This behavior ensures that only genetically strong dogs can breed. Challenging pack structure is a way for dogs to ensure that their offspring will survive. Because of dogs’ natural inclination to challenge pack structure, dogs must be socialized and “mannerized” to fit into human society. As responsible pet owners, we must condition our dogs to respect our pack leadership. Dogs respect authority. As a responsible dog owner, you must learn how to establish authority through the California Canine Solutions method in order to prove that you are the alpha pack leader in your home.
LIABILITY
Because dogs instinctually bite and challenge pack structure, having an untrained dog is a liability. A dog has natural instincts– you can take the dog out of the pack, but you can never take the pack out of a dog. It is the worst feeling when your untrained dog bites a small child, destroys your property, or exhibits undesirable behaviors. There has been an exponential increase in dominant dogs and dog bite cases in the past decade because growing numbers of pet owners have a lack of understanding of balanced training. Today too many pet owners think that purely positive reinforcement is the answer. In fact, a balance between motivation and correction yields the ultimate results in your canine’s behavior.
TEMPERAMENT
Temperament refers to a dog’s general demeanor. In general, it is easier to predict a pure bred dog’s temperament than a mixed breed’s. During discussions of temperament, three terms are frequently mentioned:
Dominant Temperament–Certain breeds of dog are more dominant and more likely to challenge pack structure. Dominant breeds are more difficult to train because of their naturally confrontational nature.
Balanced Temperament– Balanced breeds don’t covet the job of leader of the pack as much as the dominant breeds do. If you step in and fill the role of leader, these dogs will allow you to do so. You’ll only find trouble if you don’t take on the role of leader. The leader disciplines the pack members and keeps them in line. Therefore unless they are socialized to recognize that you are pack leader, these breeds may exhibit ill behavior.
Submissive Temperament–These breeds have absolutely no desire to be the leader. They’ll readily accept anyone and everyone as holding a position higher than theirs in the pack. These dogs are best for families with small children and people who have never owned a dog before. They make terrible watchdogs and protectors and need an owner who is as tender and gentle as they are. Do not mistake timidity with submissiveness! A shy puppy that runs and hides is not submissive, he is timid. Submissively tempered dogs may bite out of fear and defensivness. Fear biting is the most common type of bite scenario.
* Keep in mind that there are submissive members of dominant breeds and vice versa. A good breeder doesn’t produce submissive Akitas or dominant Shetland Sheepdogs. There are even various levels of submissiveness and dominance within litters!
HOW DOGS LEARN
–Sense: sight, sound, smell, touch and taste
–Pavlovian Theory “Classical Conditioning”: A process of behavior modification by which a subject comes to respond in a desired manner to a previously neutral stimulus that has been repeatedly presented along with an unconditioned stimulus that elicits the desired response.
–Operant Conditioning: A process of behavior modification in which the likelihood of a specific behavior is increased or decreased through positive or negative reinforcement each time the behavior is exhibited, so that the subject comes to associate the pleasure or displeasure of the reinforcement with the behavior.
–Rewards: Dogs must anticipate reward rather than correction because this will motivate them and keep them driven and confident
–Corrections: Dogs learn when we make corrections based on their infractions. A responsible owner does not correct their dog based on their own emotions, but rather corrects the dog according to the severity of that dog’s undesired behavior.
–Comfort: Dogs will willingly go from stress to comfort, but not from comfort to stress.
–Confrontation: Pack leadership is not negotiated; it is established in dog’s through confrontation.
–Black and White: Dogs learn through clear signals. You must be very clear with your dog about your expectations, or he will not be able to distinguish between desired behavior and what is undesired behavior.
–Repetition: 30-50 repetitions are required when teaching your dog a learned behavior. It is unfair to correct a dog until he learns the new behavior. Dogs learn through enticement not compulsion
–Consistency: Being consistent programs your dog with a regimen that is always the same
GENETIC BEHAVIOR
1. Food- desire to eat
2. Sex- desire to reproduce
3. Prey – desire to chase
4. Defense- the ability to defend itself
5. Fight – the ability to fight adversary
6. Flight/avoidance- the ability to run away
LEARNED BEHAVIOR
1. Respect for pack structured instilled by puppies’ mother
2. Commands
3. Behavioral Boundaries
4. Socialization with humans and other pets
5. Manners
STEPS OF TEACHING
1. SHOWING through enticement
2. PROOFING through distractions
3. SECURING through repetition
PHASES OF LEARNING
1. Learning Phase
2. Distraction Phase
3. Correction Phase
4. Maintenance Phase
