Fenzi Dog Sports Academy - BH200: Dog as a Second Language

Course Details

Dogs are constantly communicating with us and each other. They make requests and they tell us when they don't know what is expected of them. They communicate stress in ways that many humans interpret as being 'stubborn', 'blowing us off', or 'being disobedient,' when in fact they are very clear in their communications, telling us early on and in surprising ways... IF you know how to read them. Whether during training, in class, or in the ring, being able to read your dog is a key to building a strong bond!

In this course, we will focus on the fundamental skill of learning to observe dog (mostly stress-related) behaviors and what their function may be in context of where it's happening, with an emphasis on dog sports! This course is mostly a theory course, but you will observe dogs in photos and video and there are real life activities to try with your own dogs as well. We will experiment with the application of some dog behaviors to communicate with your dog(s) to help reduce stress. You'll also find out what other resources are available to help you continue learning dog language after the course is over.

The class is a combination of text, photos, video and questions. You are encouraged to video your own dogs in different situations (greeting other dogs, greeting people, training, new locations etc) to see what you can observe and learn about what your dog is telling you.

Topics covered:

difference between observation and interpretation
bias in observation
distress vs eustress
distance increasing behaviors
distance decreasing behaviors
displacement behaviors
arousal behaviors
rude behaviors
context and combination behaviors

It is only when you actively practice observing that you will see what your dog and others have to say. One of the top animal trainers in the world, Bob Bailey, maintains that observing critically is one of four foundation skills you need to successfully train dogs. (The other three are timing, criteria and rate of reinforcement). Ethologists (those who study animals in their natural environment) know that it takes 1000 hours of observation to actually start getting to know your species of interest, and 10,000 hours to be an expert. Just living with your dog does not qualify as most people don't know how to observe in a useful way.

There is a video assignment if you choose to do it. You will need to be able to take footage of dogs (their own or other's dogs in training, in class, at trials or other locations) or find footage on Vimeo and Youtube to post and make detailed observations of them as homework.

Let's face it, if you are reading this, you are a dog keener (like me) and spend much of your time with your dog(s)! Wouldn't it be great to learn Dog as A Second Language? After all, they have learned our language. This is the place to get a good start on theirs!

Instructor: Donna Hill

Donna Hill (she/her) has had a life long love affair with dogs and a fascination with dog behavior. She has broad practical experience in the dog world: volunteering and working in kennels and shelters, dog sitting and walking, fostering rescue dogs, teaching behavior modification privately, and...(Click here for full bio and to view Donna's upcoming courses)

Syllabus

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Week 1
Lecture:
passive and active observation
quantitative vs qualitative observation
distress vs eustress
arousal behaviors

Homework:
Come up with an observation study topic you want to do on dog behavior (4x15 min sessions- done over a 4 week period). You will be making a brief write up with data, photos and/or video.

I want your topic to be something that interests you personally as the whole point of this project is to get you actually observing dogs communicating with each other and humans. If you want to work with another person and combine data, you can do that as well. It should be a fun process!

Some examples:
1. Video self while training (any sport, trick, task or behavior etc) and experimenting with subtle changes in your own technique and dog's response.
2. Visit a high density dog area such as a trial, dog park, daycare etc and videotape dogs. Which groups of behaviors are most commonly seen?
3. Videotape you and your dog in different training and trial environments. Analyze video for the types of behaviors seen.
4. Choose a behavior your dog does often and observe the different contexts she uses that behavior in, and what functions the behavior may serve for her.
5. Choose one of the categories of behaviors studied this term and focus on documenting different dogs using them.
6. Experiment with the use of dog signals by humans to see if there is a decreased stress in dogs.
7. Observe a litter of puppies to see when and how they learn to use the various communication signals

Open to other ideas as well. Contact the instructor with your ideas.
Submit observation study plan idea for approval get started.

Week 2
Lecture:
difference between observation and interpretation
distance increasing behaviors (including agonistic behaviors)

Homework:
Design and submit behavior observation sheet or journal format for 4 week project.
(Sample is provided). Analyze the provided video for an occurrence of distance increasing behaviors.

Week 3
Lecture: bias in observation
displacement behaviors

Homework:
provide 5 photo or video examples of dogs doing displacement behaviors in any context (from any source: your own, others footage, links on the internet)

Week 4
Lecture:
context and combination behaviors (physical, emotional, health)
'rude' behaviors

Homework:
Analyze an emotional video provided.

Week 5
Lecture:
distance decreasing behaviors (appeasement or affiliative behaviors)

Homework:
provide 5 photo or video examples of dogs doing distance decreasing behaviors (from any source: your own, others footage, links on the internet)

Week 6
Lecture:
practical application of humans using dog language to decrease stress in dogs
resources for further study of dog communication and behavior

Homework:
Presentation of observation study results on Homework Forum
-brief write up with photo or video examples
Optional sharing of Gold student projects on general forum (to open up for other Gold and Silver students to discuss).

Prerequisites & Supplies

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digital camera (optional for self-study)
tripod or human helper to film (optional)
access to dogs to observe on a weekly basis, ideally in training, class or trial settings. Other situations can be used as well such as dog parks, daycare, groomers, dog sitting, veterinary offices, pet events, public events, dog fundraisers etc
Access to a notebook (or larger) size laptop or desktop computer (so you can see the details in the videos). Handheld devices may be too small to see the individual behaviors as well as the whole dog in context.

Sample Lecture

Here is a part of Lecture 7. Each of the 5 groupings have similar lectures and application activities.

Distance Increasing Behaviors (including agonistic behaviors)

Distance increasing behaviors are those a dog uses to ask for more space or time to consider the situation. He may want the other dog or human to move away or just stop coming towards him. Or he may move away himself. Interestingly, there appears to be more of these types of behaviors than the groupings. They parallel the biological behaviors of "fight, flight or freeze" to varying degrees. These behaviors are about survival. If a dog can minimize conflict they increase their chances to survive and reproduce.

Since dogs are social beings, this is the main emphasis of communication. However, when in survival mode, they can choose to escalate them to the point of physical contact but this is risky.

Unsocialized dogs who don't know their native language as well tend to offer a narrower range of behaviors and escalate much more quickly to physical conflict.

When a dog is conflicted, you may see behaviors from both ends of the distance increasing spectrum plus behaviors from other groupings occurring together within a short period of time.

You will notice that humans use many of the same behaviors to request distance from other humans, they are just done in a slightly different way and we are often not even aware that we do them. For example, if a person comes too close to us, we turn our head or take a step back. Or if we find ourselves in close proximity to others such as in an elevator, we stare to a point away from the other people. For many of these behaviors, the expectation is that the others recognize the behavior and respond appropriately. If they don't, the animal tries to escape by adding physical distance or escalate the behavior to get a more noticeable response.

Nose tip lick
This is in response the the camera. The tongue comes partially out of the mouth or is extended all the way past the tip of the nose. photo 1 lip lick

This dog is in pain. The frequency of the lip licks is a clue. He was later diagnosed with a vertebra out of place. This is the same dog that we see in a later video just standing still at the woman's feet.

Due to the physical structure of this dog's mouth, it is hard to know if this dog is doing a nose tip lick or just a saliva clearing lick. The deep inverted V up to the nose makes it hard for this breed to do a saliva clearing lick. Comparing the first lip lick the ones after feeding, they look very similar. The licks may also be helping the dog to swallow the food. His head is up and swallowing may be difficult for him in this position. This dog may also be 'softening' his eyes (a distance decreasing behavior) but it looks like the sun is coming from above so when he turns his head up, it may be due to bright light. He also does it after he turns his head forward though. He may also have dry eyes which could cause the partial squinting/blinking.

From Lecture 8: Samples of Behaviors Used in Context:

Jessie near Lucy while Training
Jessie the black and tan dog, is very conscious of her personal space and it can be stressful for her to be near other dogs, even Lucy who she has lived with for two years (when this video was done). You will see several early signs of stress not many but she does use a variety of them over the training period. I wouldn't want to see any more or she may not be able to focus on the task at hand. I realized after I uploaded the video that my leaning toward her may be another reason she is stressed as me being in her space is also an issue for her. (On the other hand, she expects to be able to come into my space anytime she wants. LOL! At least she usually asks first.)

Jessie Head Pat
Another example of the behaviors she uses to ask for more distance.

Watch this video with the sound off first and make a list of the distance increasing behaviors you see between these two off leash dogs. Rewatch it with sound to get a verbal commentary of the behaviors as they occur.

Testimonials & Reviews

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A sampling of what prior students have said about this class .....

This class should be at the top of the list of any person who is serious about their training. As was said many times during the course, "once you begin to see what dogs are telling you, you just can't unsee it!" Diana S

This course should be required for every dog owner and dog worker. It was invaluable. Lisa H.

This was a fabulous class -- I follow the instructor online, so I was already familiar with the instructor's expertise in canine behavior and observation skills, and I was really excited to take this course. With all the guided observations of videos in the lectures, it felt gratifyingly hands-on.

Great, very informative, great videos - so v.v.practical!

I learned a great deal and my ability to "read" dogs is vastly improved!

Donna's classes are always over full with interesting and relevant information that you don't typically find in many courses.

Registration

This is a self-study class. The lectures will appear directly in your library, under the "Self Study classes" heading. Self Study classes do not have class homework forums. You will not have any access to the course instructor for questions or feedback. Please note there are no refunds on self-study classes so review all the information provided carefully before purchasing.

You will have access to these materials in your library for one year from the date of enrollment. You can keep your library pass current by enrolling in at least one course or workshop a year. Alternatively, you can purchase a library pass for $25 per year for as long as you wish to have access to prior class materials.

BH200 Self-Study

	Self Study
Tuition	$ 50.00
Enrollment Limits	Unlimited
Access all course lectures and materials	✔

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Why Fenzi Dog Sports Academy?

BH200: Dog as a Second Language

Course Details

Self Study