Craig Ogilvie – Interactive Play Workshop

CPD – Continuing Professional Development

As part of my CPD (continuing professional development) I like to keep up with what others are doing in the dog training world. I recently attended Craig Ogilvie’s Workshop on Interactive Play.

Workshop

I was hoping this would be useful since I regularly deal with training clients who have issues with their dogs and play. Some run around with a toy and won’t bring it back, some bark madly when a toy is produced, and some, to their owner’s amazement don’t want to take hold of the toy at all!

I went into the workshop with my pre-conceived understanding of what toy play is; a part of the predatory sequence. So, was I right? Yes… but the focus also needs to be on the human side of the interaction. Craig summed this up as “The toy is the bridge between owner and dog”.

Even with the best knowledge of dogs it is not always easy to teach others. Craig however was not only knowledgeable but also personable and incredibly enthusiastic.He appreciated that dogs learn best when they are having fun and applied this to his human students too.

Some people can feel a bit silly being seen playing with their dog so it was a big ask to get participants to do this in front of an audience. Craig’s super-motivating style however seemed to get even the shyer participants running around as if no one else was in the room.

Most of the dogs at the workshop were larger breeds such as Labradors, Boxers, and Rottweilers but there were also mid-sized dogs like Border Collies, Bearded Collies, and Cocker Spaniels. At the smaller end of the range there was also a Jack Russell Terrier. Craig adapted each session to the specific needs of dog and owner and used appropriate equipment with each. The sessions with each dog where kept short since it was physically and mentally demanding for dogs and owners. Just like any training, little and often is best.

There is an old wives tale in the dog training world that the human should always “win” the toy during play. This seems to be a throwback to old-fashioned and discredited “dominance” theory. How much fun is it to play a game and never win? Craig emphasised that we need to let our dogs have some fun and so win the toy!

I left Craig’s workshop feeling really enthusiastic and ready to try to replicate some of that enthusiasm with my clients and their dogs.

One of my favourite dog toys is the tug-e-nuff rabbit skin bungee tug. Check out my review.

I would highly recommend Craig’s workshop for dog enthusiasts as well as other professions in the dog world.

Craig also has a book out… though obviously it’s not as much fun as attending one of his workshops!

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.

My dog training method

I often get asked what is my dog training “method”? Is it reward-based, positive, dominance, science-based …?

How I train a dog

I want to reply that it’s a bit of science, a bit of fun, and a bit of making it up as I go along.

Science-based dog training

… but the question probably means “do I use dominance-based or science-based training”?

That’s an easy answer since dominance-based training is really just mumbo-jumbo!

Punishment and / or reward

Once that question is out the way the next question might be, do I use reward, punishment or a combination of both to train dogs?

The answer to this question could be a little more confusing since the science of behaviourism allows for the use of punishment to change behaviour!

A brief history of dog training science

During the development of Psychology, experiments on animals established that if you provided specific consequences (rewarding or punishing) to a behaviour then the behaviour may increase or decrease in future. The science of behaviourism was born. It did little, however, to consider what the animal was thinking or feeling since it only considered the behaviour.

Dog cognition

Understanding what an animal is thinking (cognition) is very difficult (even in humans) and what it is feeling even more so.

Modern Psychology not only studies behaviour but also cognition (perception and processing of information “thinking”) AND emotion.

Dog emotion

Considering emotion is important because it is a factor that influences behaviour greatly in both us and our dogs.

How would you feel…

Imagine you try to learn a totally new skill, especially something you don’t have a natural aptitude for (e.g. dancing or a new language). You go to the first class, the teacher asks you to lead with your left foot or to conjugate a verb. You lead with your right foot or get your verb endings wrong.

How does your teacher respond? How do your feel? Embarrassed, angry, defensive, frustrated?

What is your dog thinking and feeling

How would your emotional state affect your next attempt? Would you even come back to the next class if you had a bad experience?

Now imagine you are training your dog to sit. The dog has learnt this perfectly in your living room. At the roadside you ask the dog to sit but he doesn’t do it even though he knows how to. Why not, and what do you do next?

You could push your dog into position or yank up on the lead. Did that work? Yes!

It sounds like you have just used pain or discomfort to train him to sit by the roadside. But… what about his emotions?

The question should have been why did the dog sit at home but not at the roadside? At home he had practised sitting many times and hopefully been rewarded for it with treats, toys or even just a happy “good boy”. He also faced few distractions and hopefully felt safe at home. Outside there are other considerations. Cognition being the first. Could he hear you properly over the traffic noise? Were you standing by his side rather than in front of him like you do at home? These “perception” factors make the task much harder for your dog.

The second consideration is emotion. Is your dog fearful or perhaps just overwhelmed by the sight and sound of the traffic as you ask him to sit by the curb? Misunderstanding your dog’s emotions at this point is likely to lead you to feel frustrated and emotional yourself. Take a step back and think about why you dog is not doing what you asked. He may have understood what you wanted but is his emotional state preventing him from responding as you wanted?

So, what would I do in that situation?

I refer you back to my training method of “…. a bit of making it up as I go along.”

Be adaptable! In this case I might simply ask the dog to sit a step back from the curb to give him space from the traffic. If that doesn’t work, I might practice on a quiet street with no traffic. If that doesn’t work then perhaps the behaviour at home was not as good as I thought it was so I would go back to practising there first.

Don’t assume that if your dog does not respond as you want, he is being “stubborn”. He may not understand you or may be stuck in an emotional state.

Using punishment may worsen your dog’s emotional state and cause him to lose trust in your relationship generally. He may then shut down and become reluctant to try new things.

About me

I set up Rainbow Dogs in 2004 and started studying for a degree in Psychology as a mature student soon after.

I use science-based and reward-based positive training methods since they work whilst keeping your dog in a healthy emotional state.

I try to consider the thoughts and feelings of my clients as well as their dogs during my training sessions.

How to compare dog trainers

There are so many things to consider when looking for a dog trainer. Check out this handy list.

Mike Garner is a dog trainer and behaviourist at Rainbow Dogs in Brighton & Hove, Sussex.

Follow Rainbow Dogs on Facebook.