The Zeva Project is my quest to find an activity that Zeva and I can participate in together to relieve her current state of boredom. I am reading nine books, some of which are on the psychology and training of dogs and some which describe specific dog activities.

This week I've read five books on the subject of dogs.  They were all good, but did not move me forward in my search for what to do with Zeva, who doesn't like dog parks, other dogs, children, strangers, chew toys, smart toys, tug toys, catch toys, . . . Well, the purpose of this reading project is to find something that she does like.  

The books I read this week, while they did not help me find that magical activity that Zeva is going to Love, have given me a stronger background on what I should be able to expect from her given her temperament, and I should be able to communicate more effectively with her.

I won't get much reading done in the next three days, because when my husband gets home at five this evening, it's the start of a three-day weekend for him, and when he's home I usually try to pay attention to him instead of books all the time. 

So, the project is on hold until Monday, but this is the plan for what comes next.

 I think Zeva will really enjoy agility training, but the classes didn't work for us because there were too many dogs, too many people and too much noise.  She never got to the point where she could Focus. The things I want this book to do is provide step by step instructions on how to teach her the tasks, but also show me how to set up my own back yard course, ideally for a reasonable price tag.  I've researched equipment online, but it all seems to be professional-grade, and more than I want to spend, especially before I know if she likes it.

Do More With Your Dog, and Brain Games. -- Zeva is smart. I'm the one with the problem.  You'd think it would be easy to teach your dog to roll over, but I obviously don't know how to get my point across.  I'm expecting these two books to show me exactly what to do.  I've flipped through, and it looks like they have lots of good pictures with detailed explanations.

and Dancing With Your Dog, because who wouldn't want to do that!.  Here's a Canine Freestyle video from Britain's Got Talent 2012:

http://youtu.be/AJfTZnsJ6g8 

After that, if I haven't OD'd on dog info, I also checked out a few books on Working Dogs:

By the author of Genius of Dogs: there is a website, called Dognition.com. You can test your dog to evaluate how smart he is.  Not only that, but by sending the results to Dognition, you will be contributing to the next stage of dog cognition research.

Brian Hare is an associate professor in the Department of Evolutionary Anthropology for Cognitive Neuroscience at Duke University.

"Brian Hare and Vanessa Woods, together with other world-leading experts in dog cognition, have developed a ground breaking canine assessment tool. . . It is a new service you can join . . . To begin developing an even more enriching relationship with your dog.  Dognition is also a "citizen science" project that will provide researchers with the broad-based data they need to better understand -- and help -- all dogs."

Here's a link to the website: https://www.dognition.com 

and remember the story I told you about the dog who can differentiate between 1,000 different toys?  You can watch him do it here:  http://youtu.be/_6479QAJuz8 

The Zeva Project is my quest to find an activity that Zeva and I can participate in together to relieve her current state of boredom.  I am reading nine books, some of which are on the psychology and training of dogs and some which describe specific dog activities.

Fascinating.

This book is all about how dogs are smarter than you think, and refutes the commonly-held beliefs that dogs became stupid when they became domesticated and rank lower on the scale of intelligence than pigs, wolves, dolphins, crows and chimpanzees.

As in most erroneous ideas we have held to be true over the years, the problem has been with the way the subject has been framed, tested and interpreted.  

After two decades of research, trials, experimentation and study,  "what we know for certain is that the cognitive world of every dog is far more complex and interesting than we thought possible. We also have a tantalizing glimpse into the secret of their success. We can now pinpoint the stuff of dog genius . . . During the process of domestication, dogs evolved a basic understanding of human communicative intentions."

This has been supported by the study of other domesticated animals such as bonobos and a spin-off breed of silver foxes in Siberia.  The effect is not duplicated in the study of apes, except for those who have been raised with humans. 

Anthropological evidence tells us that dogs and humans began living together about 50,000 years ago.  One theory, somewhat radical, proposes that dogs may have been responsible for the further evolution of human domestication.  

"Dogs acted as human alarm systems, trackers and hunting aides, garbage disposal facilities, hot water bottles, and children's guardians and playmates.  Humans provided dogs with food and security. . . Humans domesticated dogs, and dogs domesticated humans." 

Since dogs were an aid in hunting and tracking, those humans who were more tolerant of trying new things, and who were less aggressive and therefore capable of cooperation with others, were the ones who were able to acquire more food and were therefore more successful.  It could be argued that dogs helped to civilize man even as men were civilizing dogs.

Since the mid 1990s, due to the study of dogs, and of self-domesticated animals in the wild such as bonobos, "the field of . . . dognition has exploded.  From being thought of as an unremarkable animal made stupid by domestication, all of a sudden dogs have become one of the most popular species for animal researchers to study."

One of the dogs in the study has a vocabulary of 4,000 words.  He has been tested with upward of more than 1,000 objects, each one with an individual name.  When you name a toy, he can successfully retrieve the particular toy.  If you show him a duplicate or model of a toy, he will retrieve its match, even if the model is a different size than the original.  He can retrieve an object after you show him a picture of an object, and he is aware enough that he can categorize objects.  He knows that balls fit in one category and frisbees in another.  

Part of the domestication process includes the ability to successfully interact with humans.  Dogs are very successful at reading humans, they can follow instructions given by means of gestures, they learn by watching, 

"  . . the same animal who is an extraordinary communicator is surprisingly dense when it comes to navigating through space or understanding the rules that govern the physical world."  

For some reason, they are woefully inadequate at solving mazes or barriers.  Most animal intelligence studies in the last century focused on that kind of testing, and that is where the reputation of "less intelligence" originated.  They were always outperformed by rats and pigeons.

now that we are starting to recognize better methods to test for dog intelligence, and changing our expectation of what intelligence is, we are beginning to understand just how amazingly smart they are.

"Genius of dogs has two criteria: 1.  A mental skill that is strong compared with others, either within your own species or in closely related species.  2. The ability to spontaneously make inferences."

"The dog is arguably the most successful mammal on the planet, besides us. Dogs have spread to all corners of the world, including inside our homes, and in some cases onto our beds. . . . In the industrialized world, people are having fewer children than ever but are simultaneously providing an increasingly lavish lifestyle for a growing population of pet dogs. Meanwhile, dogs have more jobs than ever.  Service dogs assist the mentally or physically disabled, military dogs find bombs, police dogs do guard duty, customs dogs detect illegally imported goods, conservation dogs find scat to help estimate population sizes and movements of endangered animals, bedbed dogs detect when hotels have a problem, cancer dogs detect melanomas or even intestinal cancer, therapy dogs visit retirement homes and hospitals to lift spirits and speed recovery."

Even after twenty years of study, there is not a huge amount of completed research, "and not a whole lot of agreement within the research, but that is the fun of a scientific revolution. It is supposed to be a messy, opinionated, data-based conversation.  The more data you collect, the louder you get to holler, and that is how progress happens."

This book details many of the studies which have been completed, including the methodology and results, the criteria, selection of subjects and control groups, comparison with comparable testing of other species.  

It covered genetics and DNA.  There is a minuscule amount of DNA difference from breed to breed.  "When talking about breed differences, it all comes down to this: if you think your dog's breed is the best breed, the bad news is, there is no scientific evidence to back you up. But the good news is, there is no evidence to contradict you, either."

There is still much to be studied.

 There is still "no formalized training that combines what we know about dog behavior in training with the latest research in dognition. Cognitive training would not only identify the different ways the dogs learn but also identify limitations and biases that can prevent learning. Strategies can then be designed to work around these biases and limitations while tapping into the genius of dog.

I read every word of the book.  That is not always the case when I read scientific studies, as I find much of it to be dry and technical, and I skim the parts that look repetitive or uninteresting.  Not with this one. It was all good -- well-researched, well-documented, and scholarly without the dull bits.

Except for this observation, for which I felt compelled to deduct half a star:

"The little research that has been done does not suggest maximum reward or training is the most effective technique to shape a dog's behavior.

In humans, rewarding someone for a behavior actually reduces motivation once the reward is reduced or taken away.  For instance, say a child enjoys reading, and then you start rewarding her with chocolate for reading. Once you stop rewarding her with chocolate, she is unlikely to enjoy reading for its own sake."

I have to believe that there is no one on this site who would think this statement is true.

The Zeva Project is my quest to find an activity that Zeva and I can participate in together to relieve her current state of boredom. I am reading nine books, some of which are on the psychology and training of dogs and some which describe specific dog activities.

Another excellent book in my dog project, although this still isn't the book that I am specifically looking for.

This book emphasizes training your dog based on his personality type.  This is somewhat similar to methods where training is selected based on the breed of your dog.  The idea is that since all dogs of a certain breed or group share traits and behaviors, training in accordance with those behaviors makes sense.  This book takes that further though, because we know that all dogs have their own personalities, no matter the breed, and no matter the litter.  Just as we humans are not exactly like our brothers and sisters even when we are born of the same parents and raised in the same environment, so it is with dogs.  Training according to their temperaments makes the most sense.

Joel Silverman is an expert in animal training and has experience with marine animals and movie dogs.  This was a fun book because he shared stories about particular dogs he trained, and the movies or commercials in which you can find them.

This is Duke starring in a Polaroid commercial:

http://youtu.be/raCUMktPgCg 

And this one:

http://youtu.be/1XCKSXvhbQU 

Silverman has divided dogs into five personality types for training purposes.  At the center of the spectrum is the Yellow Dog (as in Mellow).  The Hot Dogs (out of control, always ready for anything) are the Red and Orange Dogs, and the Cool Dogs (shy to fearful) are the Green and Blue Dogs.

". . .  two points . . . stand out: one, that people need to develop relationships with their dogs before training them; and two, that dogs, like people have a wide variety of personalities and should be trained accordingly."

"Beliefs based on universal truths about dog behavior may have little basis in the reality of your dog's situation in your household."

Before you even think about beginning to train your dog, you need to learn to know your dog, including what treats are his favorites (and surprisingly, to me at least, treats should not be used as a reward for Red Dogs -- they are entirely too excitable already and the prospects of treats only excites them more.  With red and orange dogs, you need to focus on calming them down, so they can pay attention to what you are communicating to them -- tactile reward is best for Hot Dogs); where he prefers to be petted (ears, chest, above the tail), his favorite place (den, backyard), etc.

Then you need to categorize him by color.  Silverman gives you behaviors to help you with this step.  When I first started reading, I was convinced my dog must be both red and blue (seemingly contradictory), but by the time I was done with the analysis I knew that she was a GreenBlue.  

The techniques of training each command do not vary.  What changes is how you as the trainer act, reward your dog, and correct your dog. Based on the behavior color of your dog, you will determine how you should act (move, talk and touch), reward and correct in order to get the most satisfactory results.  Like all training methods, this has much more to do with training the trainer than with training the dog.  You are training yourself not to send mixed signals to your dog.  The better you learn to do this, the better able you will be to effectively train your dog.  

Silverman breaks everything down for you, making it easy to know which action is best for you to take.

The objective is to train your dog to the extent that you are moving him into the center of the spectrum, from Red to Orange towards Yellow, or from Blue to Green towards Yellow.

Having taken several group obedience training classes with my dog, I have had the opportunity to observe the viability of this method.  In group, there are many personalities of dogs, all of which were being trained using the same actions, rewards and corrections.  Looking back, I can see the exact point he is making.  Using high-pitched voices, which we were told to always do, only makes Red Dogs more excitable, and moving forward too fast with the training only exacerbates the fearfulness in shy dogs.  But it is group training, and therefore you have to make accommodation for the group as a whole, and I learned a lot in those classes, they were invaluable to me.  What this book does is allow me to tweak those lessons in order to get the most enjoyment and best results for both me and Zeva.

I want to share this quote from the end of the book, because it's important.  If I had a young person to give the book to, I certainly would.  As it is, I will definitely be acquiring it for my own library.

"As you work with your dog, I am going to ask you to do something as a favor to me.  If you learned something from this book, share it with a child or someone young.  We need to teach young children so much about responsible pet ownership and training.  I really believe that if enough kids learn at an early and impressionable age, we can make a difference.  There will be fewer dogs in animal shelters and humane societies, and more in caring homes with families that love them."

That's a very good question.  And this is a very good book -- although it doesn't technically answer the question in the way I was expecting to see it.  

I already know my dog is sometimes bored, and I was looking for, not only suggestions as to how to keep her engaged but also instructions in specific ways to implement exercises, games and toys into her daily regimen.  (Because for one thing, she is one of those difficult dogs who don't enjoy toys.  She doesn't like Tug, or Find.  She will on occasion deign to Fetch.  She isn't interested in toys of the stuff or chew varieties.  And yet, she is a very active dog and obviously needs more physical and mental stimulation.)

The author spent the first two-thirds of the book on breed selection and traits, ensuring that you select a dog that fits in with your lifestyle and family; food choices; finding a vet; the minimal items you need before you bring your dog home; then the health and wellness maintenance and safety knowledge you need.  Obviously these are all things you need to know, and it was complete and authoritative, and I did learn a thing or two here but most anyone who has ever owned a dog knows these things already.  Although it wasn't new, it was presented in an entertaining way with humorous anecdotes and I enjoyed it, it just wasn't what I was looking for.

The big thing that I did learn in this section is that the ASPCA created a program called Meet Your Match, and encourages it's use by breeders and shelters.  The Shelter evaluates each animal based on criteria observed in a testing situation, and depending on how the animal scores on each task, he fits into one of nine groups identified by behaviors such as exuberant or laid-back, highly affectionate or "really, don't touch me," level of exercise required, etc.  The family looking to adopt an animal is asked to fill out an either-or type of questionnaire as to what specifics they are looking for.  This helps to make sure they get the animal with the best fit for them, and results in fewer returns to shelters.  This sounds like an excellent program. It was created over ten years ago. (Now I can't find the date again, so that's as specific as I can get.)  Although it has been in place that long, it hasn't yet spread everywhere.  I have volunteered at shelters in three different cities in that time period and none of them are using this method.  Judging by the number of animals returned at these shelters and the reasons for the returns, it seems like this would be a must-add kind of program.  

the next three chapters were closer to my expectations.  They included information on all kinds of classes from Rally to Agility, and games like frisbee and flyball, as well as where to find competitive venues, and other avenues you can explore such as Therapy-Assistance programs and tracker dog volunteers.

I checked out this book from the public library, but it is one I plan to buy to add to my own.