BAT - Behavior Adjustment Training for dog aggression

[dessertthingy]

So what would you do if the dog doesn't want to increase the distance to the other dog, but decrease it? Then walking away isn't a reward...

[ahimsadog]

@dessertthingy BAT is all about using the consequence that the dog 'wants.' So if the dog is just a frustrated greeter who wants to go greet, I generally use one step closer as the reward (although sometimes even for frustrated greeters, walking away is a reward, which feels paradoxical). If a dog isn't able to turn away but is actually being aggressive or fear-reactive, then work further away, because there is some distance at which they can do the 'good' behavior and walking away is a reward.

[dessertthingy]

@ahimsadog I have a 10 month old who just wants to run up and pick a fight. I have been desensitising him using treats and keeping him below threshold, and he has gotten a lot better, but I just don't see how it would be rewarding to him to walk the other way? If we're so far away that he barely notices the other dog, walking away would be neutral. If we're close enough that he notices it he wants to get closer (but these days he looks to me for his treat instead)

[ahimsadog]

@dessertthingy Why is your dog picking a fight? I suspect it's a way of telling the other dog to stay away permanently. So distance would be a reinforcer. Even for those kind of dogs, there seems to be some distance where you are close enough that the other dog is interesting, but far enough that walking away is a reinforcer. The cool thing is that they start to get a 'taste' for walking away from trouble.

[ahimsadog]

@dessertthingy The dog's response to walking away may look neutral, but it probably isn't. Walking away doesn't have the Yippee response of treats, but it's more naturally linked to the trigger. It becomes a way to self-soothe. When self-soothing is available to the dog, real confidence and trust grow. Learn more and try it. You won't really know how it works unless you try it, and since there is no emotional danger, it's worth trying out. You should see a solid trend after a few set-ups.

[ahimsadog]

p.s. I have a whole chapter on this sort of thing in the book that's coming out in mid-2011.

[dessertthingy]

@ahimsadog what is the name of the book? I will keep an eye out for it:)

[ahimsadog]

@dessertthingy The book will be called BATting 1000 with subtitle about aggression, reactivity, fear, etc. If you google BAT and Grisha, you will get to my main BAT page. You can pre-order the book on that site. It will be out this summer or at the very latest, early fall.

[ahimsadog]

Hi Kim,

There are 3 BAT DVDs. I can't type a web address here, but google these three words: ahimsa bat grisha

If you're not a trainer, the best choice is the Organic Socialization DVD.

[watchmoivies123]

Hi! Can someone tell me what dvd's they mention in this you tube?

Thanks

Kim

[makingasplash4rescue]

Just seeing BAT for the first time. wanted to make sure I understand something. On this video, noticed the dog seems to do look aways and not get rewarded. But these look aways are more like heel work attention looks to their owner. The real lookaways are after they notice the dog, you see them tense and then they choose to turn towards their owner, because they have been taught if they do this their owner will reward them by getting them out of the situation So 4 dog lookaway works

[ahimsadog]

@makingasplash4rescue You're correct, mostly. They don't have to look at the handler. They just need to connect with the other dog and then diffuse the situation by looking away, sniffing the ground, shaking off, etc. The DVDs have a lot more detail. Look at doggiezen(dot)com/bat

[plumwoodposse]

this was great, thanks Grisha and crew!

[oneacd]

Could you add food as well and get some Classical conditioning?

[LLB101]

The short answer is that we do use food, mostly for BAT on walks to

get more handler focus, but that food/toys during set-ups seems to

distract from the decoy rather than making learning faster. We might

use it to change things up during a session, too, or to decrease

stress in tight quarters.

[LLB101]

@oneacd more info at Function Rewards Yahoo group, for some reason the link won't work here now

[LLB101]

@LLB101 arrghh... sorry, that's Functional Rewards, not just Function

[ahimsadog]

Actually, I see huge changes in clients using BAT pretty quickly. Peanut, my nervous dog, went from barky at 100 feet to therapy dog in just a month, and we did sessions on Saturdays. The devil's in the details, and BAT in its current form has only been around since mid-2009. One of the keys is to follow the protocol doing set-ups - that makes progress a lot faster, months instead of years. Expect a dozen or more set-ups, and the more triggers they have, the more set-ups, & the longer it takes.

[GSDGunny]

One thing I do not like about videos like this is that no realistic time frame is given to the people watching it. Useing methods like those seen here it took 5 years to fully rehab one of my dogs of aggression. Sure some dogs may only need a small change up and are super in a few weeks, but most dogs with serious issues may take a year or more to truely fix them. Rehab is a labor of love, and owners would be better off to properly train and socialize their dogs from day one.

[musicofnote1]

excellent work, great video. I am in the middle of using similar methods to calm my Flat-Coated Retriever, which is overly-friendly and looses her mind, when she sees other people she could greet, Of course the jack-pot for a successful encounter is being allowed to actually greet the other dog and she's earning this jack-pot more and more often! I'm sure I'm not the only one with such a problem .. would be great to see a video from you on this subject.

[maxmistyjla]

A lot of progress in 35 minutes! This looks so wonderfully upbeat for the dog. I especially love that the subject dog is constantly moving. I feel this keeps the stress level much lower and releases tension. It also makes the entire procedure more realistic as dogs rarely hang around in one place while dogs walk past them. Great protocol, great work. Thank you so much!!!!

[ahimsadog]

The cool thing is that once you do this several time, the set-ups get faster and faster. Even with a new dog or person, the dog's time-to-acclimation is shorter.