Hi folks, I was going to write another blog along the lines of the pack instinct in humans (as you know I like to “dogify” people, rather than humanise dogs), as in the recent hot water incident involving the Sarkozys (France’s first couple), referring to the Alsace region of their own country as Germany ( a BIG no no), or the fears of violent clashes between Serbs and Croatians… at the Australian Tennis Open (which gives a whole new meaning to the term break point).
Instead, inspiration struck after doing my first filming sessions with Channel 7 over here in Australia. Bondi Beach, to be precise.
Someone has to…
Anyway, the client in question was a famous swimwear model…
See above comment…
Her dog had a few behavior problems, including possessiveness over other dogs’ toys when out on the walk. Getting the thing out of her mouth was a struggle. She had previously snatched the fluffy microphone cover from the camera and was very reluctant to give it up (the dog, not the owner I hasten to add).
My producer wanted this behaviour to be reproduced in front of camera, which worried the cameraman as these fluffy mike covers are very expensive apparently. Of course, to a dog, it looks just like a little animal that it can eat, hence the interest. There is also the added incentive that this kind of behaviour can often work at getting attention.
The compromise was one of the client’s gym socks, and the diversion technique I used was an empty plastic water bottle. The important thing, if possible, is to get the thing you don’t want the dog to have by introducing something of more interest that you don’t mind the dog having.
Right on cue, during the interview section, the sock was swiped. I brought out the bottle and Hey Presto, she let go. Success!
Now for the twist. As we were packing up, our previously glamorous assistant pilfered the fluffy mike cover again. This time, the bottle held no interest at all, and all I could think was, “How expensive is this thing?” At this point (and this proves that knowledge can be passed on passively sometimes), the soundman lowered his boom microphone near the scene of the crime. Yes, you guessed it, the boom had an even bigger fluffy cover, and as our canine star went to grab that one, he pulled back and I took the other cover away. Result!
So, for the first time, I am going to end with a scientific equation (anyone reading this who has seen me at a talk or on a course knows that I teach in a way that is actually a lot of fun, rather than being dry and clinical, so you may be surprised at this). It goes as follows:
Gym sock < plastic bottle < fluffy mike cover < even bigger fluffy mike cover
(Where < means less than in terms of interest to a Bondi Beach-dwelling Staffie).
In plain English, here's a useful dog training tip - if your dog takes something that you don’t want it to have, don’t chase after it and force the dog’s jaws open if you can help it. Instead, find something of more interest and get the dog to come to you.
Cheers, Tony
