The kinds of things that we have focused on in the beginning weeks of our online community adventure are understanding the value of thinking micro, the value of reinforcement, and we have also offered specific ideas for training.
I started the first week with a video about Vulnerability because learning requires an ability to embrace and expose our imperfections; that is not easy, and especially for adults. Thank you to those who have shared videos — they are valuable learning opportunities for all, and your willingness to be vulnerable is honored and appreciated.
This is the week in which I want us begin to more explicitly consider the parallel tracks of training dogs and the whole human side of things. Yep—we are going to start tackling the monster that is Ring Nerves.
The name is misleading even as it gives us a shared concept to discuss. It isn’t really nerves nor is it limited to a ring — rather, it is a physiological response to a perceived or real threat that happens to so many at dog events.
Why do people experience this response at dog events? Are dog events dangerous?
Note that the threat can be real or perceived. Therefore, it doesn’t matter if a dog event is actually dangerous or not. If a person perceives a threat, the response is activated and it is real (and unpleasant).
But that response does more than make humans sweat, tremble, and need to run to the facilities — our fight-flight-freeze response distracts dogs.
Keenly attuned to us because of eons spent evolving the hard-wiring to be that way, our stress response triggers dogs to be on high alert for the threat. I bet you can imagine that when sirens are screaming about impending attack, it is hard to focus on anything else — like heeling.
Dogs do not understand the concept of perceived threat and we cannot simply explain, “Never mind that I am a Hot Mess of Screaming Stress Hormones right now. There is not actually not a lion, tiger, or bear — I just perceive a threat to my self-image.”
And so the dog is on alert for the danger, scanning the environment to be ready for the imminent attack and preparing to get the heck out of Dodge — and the human cannot understand why the dog is not happily engaged in the ring.
I left my camera in Boise — sigh. Therefore, I am photo-deficient these days.
This week’s video invites consideration about both the impact of perceived threats at dog events AND how to figure out what those perceived threats are; they are not the same for everyone. If we understand the perceived threat(s), we can change things — I promise.
In addition, I pose what I think is an important question — what are we practicing when we continue to show a dog whose ring performance is disengaged and/or not what we want to see?
This is an honest question and not asked with judgment — I really want to know what drives people to continue to show a dog who does not seem ready to achieve the human’s hopes and dreams. If we understand what drives such decisions, maybe we can be helpful.