Tuesday 19 July 2011

訓練乖狗教戰守則之三:老大優先!

下一個訓狗守則很簡單,但建議你要回來重複閱讀,確定把細節都弄懂,尤其是不能讓狗搶第一個出門這部份。

優先進入新環境


帶狗出去散步的時候,是誰先出門?是你還是狗?如果你的狗散步老是暴衝,讓你手臂上的二頭肌越來越壯,又或者牠老去找別的狗麻煩,甚至對某些東西表現出恐懼,那大概因為搶先出門的正是牠。很多人總是跟我說同樣的故事:「多多在家裡很乖,但只要一出門就像脫韁野馬,超級難控制。」如果你家的狗也是這樣,或者完全相反,也就是在外像條蟲,在家裡像條龍的話,你就該好好找出原因了。

每當面對新環境的時候,不管是在戶外、到獸醫院、穿過小巷子、進入狗公園、下樓梯,或只是進入自家花園,你都要走第一。這麼做不是因為當狗群的領袖一定要走第一,事實上狗狗的領導能力比我們好多了,就算牠們位在隊伍中間或後方,還是可以帶隊帶得嚇嚇叫。這麼做的背後原因比較複雜,但也比較有趣。

順應各種場合的優質領袖

在義大利他們針對流浪狗做過調查,發現每群狗通常有一、兩個領袖,帶隊的通常是母狗,但是有些狗群在不同場合有不同領袖。如果在巢穴附近是母狗當頭的話,去外頭擴張領域、驅趕入侵者或覓食這類的工作,可能就是另一隻狗的責任。這麼做可以有效確保狗群不管在什麼時候都能維持壯大,其他的成員也能視情況需要,隨機應變接受不同的領袖。

如果你想在任何情況取得領袖地位,最好的方法就是走進任何地方都搶第一,不讓狗有趁隙而入的空間。如果每次出去散步你都允許狗搶第一出門,拖著你在後面跑的話,那不管牠在家有多乖,出了門牠就認為自己重新取回領袖地位,偏偏牠的能力又沒好到可以決定什麼時候該追、咬、吠、害怕或攻擊,沒多久就會惹出一大堆麻煩來。

門口決定老大

所以,如果你想清清楚楚跟狗表明,你就是說話算話的老大(在下命令時務必保持冷靜自持,下一章節會提到),那麼解決方法很簡單:在出門之前,先把狗管好,保持冷靜態度,你先走出門,狗狗等你打信號後再跟上來。接著你把門關上,準備出發散步。

那我們又該如何讓狗狗乖乖聽話呢?我們要下命令,讓狗乖乖坐著,等門打開,直到人出去為止嗎?不必,發號施令不見得是維持領袖地位的最好方法,最好還是讓狗自己去摸懂規則,並用自己的語言告訴你,牠已經接受你控制了門戶並率先走出去的事實。如果你確實做好下面步驟,狗狗自然就會聽話。

如何先出門

(要記得,仔細閱讀以下內容,按部就班做到,絕對有效,如果想看實際操作,可以參考我網站上的影片)

如果你能把狗召喚過來,並為牠繫上牽繩,而不必窮追著牠跑只為幫牠套上牽繩的話,出門這一步就容易多了。首先你站在門邊保持冷靜自信,等狗乖乖過來穿上牽繩(我知道這對很多狗來說十分困難,如果是這樣的話,以最短的時間趨前為牠繫上牽繩,動作越快越好)。你也可以下指令要牠過來,但只要一次就夠了,不要唸個不停。如果狗狗肯這樣讓你上牽繩,就表示牠已接受你的領袖地位。

把狗牽到門口,若是牠搶先在你前方,等你過來開門,甚至開使用爪子抓門時,你必須插手奪回「門」的所有權。設法站在狗和門之間,可以適度使用牽繩把狗拉開,讓你有空間前進。等空間挪出來了,放鬆拉繩,冷靜確定地朝你的狗位置走去,嘴裡不忘發出「啊!」或「ㄟ!」的聲音。不要作任何與展現權威無關的東西,像是大吼大叫、胡亂下指令、發脾氣、提高音量等等,因為這只讓狗覺得你在失控。也可以試試對牠比著食指,意思像在說:「你想都別想。」的樣子,或狗的頭上擺個東西,讓牠覺得「上頭有人管」而服從,又或者輕輕用手指推一下牠胸口,有點像狗在「咬」的動作,要牠聽話。


建立新的互動
你的狗這時就會後退一步,一臉困惑的樣子,搞不懂你出什麼新招,然後坐下,或者站著等你會有什麼新花樣。你接著打開門,要有心理準備這時狗應該會打算一個箭步衝出去,這時候你應該要和之前阻止狗靠近門一樣,只是再加上非常嚴肅的表情和肢體語言,好像在說:「不要作得太過火!」這不會讓狗怕你,而是更尊敬你。接著要牠再退後幾步,準備要踏出門去的你,確保牠待在原地乖乖等候你下一個指令。狗狗通常很快就會毫無疑問地接受新領袖,而這也是我們很快成功的原因。

現在你應該要側著身站在門和狗之間,確保兩者中間暢通無阻,這很重要,因為你想讓狗出於對你的尊敬而留在原地,而不只是因為你站在中間擋路。打開門,往前踏一步,用同樣方法讓狗退後,不過你很快就發現狗狗學得很快,牠們會先看看門、看看你,然後後退等著你下指令。走出門,回頭看看狗有沒有打算衝上來,這時只消輕輕一拉狗鍊或下個簡單命令就可以做到。可以的話,等狗看到別的地方以後,再叫牠走出來,因為這樣就不是牠「要求」或「拜託」你讓牠出來了,這兩者是有差別的。

進入新的情況
走出門以後,還是要把狗控制好,因為此時牠們可能以為可以趁機搶在你之前衝出去。只要輕輕拉著牠,一副忽略牠的樣子,默不關心地一直等到牠恢復冷靜為止。接著把門關上,等狗冷靜下來不再躁動,才開始散步,並輕輕拉著狗給牠打方向。要記得,每次拉狗鍊就要立刻鬆開,這樣可以避免雙方拉扯,狗狗也不會產生抗拒之心。出發以後給牠大量讚美或小點心,讓牠知道你很高興牠願意接受你這個領袖。

只要練習幾次之後,你很快就成掌握流程,狗也能理解你的用意。千萬不要失去耐性或對牠低聲下氣,也不要妄自加入一些自以為有用的步驟。要取得控制權,就要保持一切簡單扼要,你第一,場合第二,接下來才是狗。每到一個新領域、環境或場合時就按照這步驟走,讓狗知道事情沒有商量的餘地,你就是老大,而牠的喜怒哀樂也在合理控制下。這個簡單的方法在什麼情況都能適用,也能幫你的狗狗認同新的階級地位。千萬別同情牠,如果毫無頭緒的人是你,他就會起而稱王,到最後累的還是你。

重點整理

  • 你要先出門
  • 狗在不同情況下有不同領袖
  • 如果讓狗搶先出門,牠會認為自己是這個新領域的老大
  • 每隻狗都有自己的性格弱點,如果你當牠的老大,只能讓牠稱王,並坐視牠的問題越來越大
  • 狗狗很快就能接受新的領導者
  • 取得領袖地位時,務必保持冷靜自信疏離
  • 讓狗走過來上牽繩,不是你走過去
  • 用手勢和態度讓狗退後,而不是蠻力
  • 輕扯,不是用力拉;輕拍,不是用力推
  • 隨時準備好面對狗的挑戰
  • 趁狗冷靜乖巧的時候,再叫牠出門
  • 狗狗表現好的時候不要吝於給予獎賞
  • 享受你的領袖地位吧!

Friday 15 July 2011

訓練乖狗教戰守則之二:善用關注!

注意囉,所有狗主人!

狗跟人一樣,希望能得到關注。要察覺這點不容易,但你一旦作對了,會發現一切都很值得,也能一再鼓勵狗狗表現出正確行為。就像只要你忽略小孩,久而久之,他會尋求別的方法來引起你注意,甚至開始調皮搗蛋,為的就是換取大人的反應,而他也樂此不疲。有很多小孩,就是因為太常得到大人反應,進而培養出壞習慣,這時若不斷指責或處罰,只會給他們更多關注,在不知不覺中鼓勵他們的行為,變成惡性循環。同樣的,對我們的狗狗也是。

我們可以使用很多獎賞方式,來鼓勵狗狗某些特定行為,不管是給牠小點心、摸摸肚皮、大力讚美、開心碎念、散步或玩耍等,都能讓牠們高興飛上天。但常被忽略的獎賞方式,則是「給予關注」,只因我們從來沒好好想過給予關注的時機和方式,思考不夠周密的結果,就會造成諸多問題。

這裡有個相當受用的訓狗守則:只要狗狗表現出你所期望的行為,就特別注意牠;若是牠表現不好,就加以忽略(或短暫糾正)。很簡單,也相當符合常識,但我們卻很少付諸實行


謹慎使用你對牠的關注和忽視

以下就是典型的例子,在我幫主人訓練狗狗時經常碰到的問題是:每當有客人上門,狗狗就往人家身上撲,我問主人怎麼解決,回答則是對狗狗大吼大叫,不斷把狗推開,重複下指令,或把狗帶到另一個房間後把門關上。我再問,等客人踏進家門,狗狗也安靜下來,接下來會發生什麼事,通常得到的回答是,主人會小聲請客人儘量輕聲細語,才不會再度激起狗狗的情緒。其實,說到如何讓狗狗在客人上門時冷靜以對,這個作法是完全錯誤的!

把恐懼轉化成自信

另一個如何正確使用注意力的重要方式,比較難懂,甚至更難實行,但是效果立即可見而且影響深遠,尤其當你碰到的是個性膽怯的狗。例如,有的狗出門時很怕碰到陌生人,只要有人從遠方走來,狗狗就會向後退縮、拉扯牽繩、驚慌失措,儘可能躲避對方。這時候主人通常會用冷靜的語氣跟狗說話,不斷重複:「沒事,沒事,好乖。」以試圖撫平牠的情緒。但是當狗狗安安靜靜走在主人身邊時,主人卻什麼都不作也不說。這樣一來,主人便在無形中鼓勵狗狗的恐懼行為,卻沒在狗狗冷靜穩重時給予獎賞,問題的癥結就在這裡!

我在訓練這些狗狗的時候,會沈靜又自信地拉著牠們的鍊子,同時要主人限制自己的言行(甚至連想都不准想),不要介入。狗狗一開始和我離這麼近,總是嚇到失神,但我什麼都沒作,只輕輕扯一下牽繩(這裡所謂的「扯」,就是快速而輕微的拉一下,然後立即放鬆,千萬不要死命拉著牽繩,這樣只會製造緊張,加深狗狗的抗拒),專心帶著狗往前走。 如果狗狗表現出恐懼,我會儘量忽略,並維持堅定自信的態度,甚至像個高貴神聖的領袖,滿心期望下面的人自動跟上來。通常這招就跟變魔術一樣神奇,原本狗狗就一心期待強而有力的領導出現,帶領牠穿越眼前的「可怕逆境」,這下子牠當然會乖乖走在我身邊,讓主人瞠目結舌大呼不可思議,自己的狗居然乖乖聽一個陌生人的話。

展現冷靜自信


接下來我會帶著狗狗走,嘴裡邊給牠甜言蜜語,狗狗也會越來越開心自信,但我也不忘專注在散步上。只要狗狗一有退縮的意思,我就會別開頭,輕輕拉一下他,記得絕對不要看牠,因為這不但是給予牠關注,同時也允許牠挑戰你權威的意思。若是這時有人來了,我

知道狗狗會驚慌,我會輕輕把牽繩往上同時往我身體方向拉,嘴裡一邊發出「啊!」或「ㄟ!」的聲音,翻譯成狗語來說就是:「不行!」(對說中文的人來說,採用「四聲」的字眼最有效,邊作邊跺腳也有用,任何其他語詞對狗來說都太輕微,起不了作用)。我有時會把腳擋在狗身後,以阻止牠後退,接著再讓牠坐下,等陌生人從身邊經過。只要狗狗表現出些微「冷靜以待」的樣子,就對牠說好話或摸摸頭。若是牠顯現出恐懼的跡象,就輕輕拉一下,或輕吼一聲「啊!」或「ㄟ!」。重複作個幾次,狗狗就能接受路人經過,過沒多久,我通常能讓狗狗在有人經過時很有自信地自動坐下,或忽略那些躁動的小朋友。

究竟是為什麼,效果如此神速又顯著呢?簡單來說,就是「(以高音調的語氣)鼓勵善行,忽視(或以短促低沈語氣糾正)惡行」,狗狗可以很快接受新領袖,並快速對主人的關注起反應,這也是我們能迅速達到矯正行為目的的不二法門。狗主人或許很難接受自己過去在錯誤時候給予的仁心,竟會釀成狗狗的恐懼或不安。我發現,要改的確不容易,但若你真心想要幫助牠們,就必須克制自己的本能,避免在狗狗出現不安和恐懼時,給予不當的注意力和情感。


善用神奇的「注意力法則」!

同樣的方法也適用於任何訓狗守則和任何情況。例如,若是狗狗喜歡往客人身上撲,你就應該趁牠安靜下來時給予溫和鼓勵,並且請客人完全忽略狗狗又撲又跳的舉止(不看、不摸不說話,完全表現出漠然的樣子,好像狗狗根本不存在),如果狗狗把爪子伸出來,轉身迴避即可(千萬不要用手把牠們拉開,導致牠以為你要跟牠玩)。只要狗狗一安靜下來,就請客人給予正面鼓勵,若是狗狗又要撲上來,立刻轉身迴避,讓牠們的腳落地,這一招超有用,試試看就知道。

結論就是

在這裡和你分享一個我生平聽到最受用的建議,不要光是試圖「矯正」問題狗狗,同時也記得要努力讓生活過得更美好。若有不喜歡的事情不斷發生,告訴自己:「這都是我造成的。」並且自問:「我到底作了什麼,才會鼓勵牠這樣為所欲為?」很可能是你在不自覺情況下鼓勵狗狗這麼做的,誠實地、仔細地好好想一想吧,到底是哪裡出了錯,找出問題根源,加以調整,在適當時機善用注意力,必要時採取忽略,接下來就等著看問題逐漸獲得解決。

快去給予狗狗一些溫暖又平靜的關注吧,前提是牠真的表現良好喔。若是牠出現興奮、跋扈等惡行,就忽略或簡短糾正。告訴我效果如何,我很期待你和狗狗之間產生美好的化學變化!

Wednesday 6 July 2011

Lucky Needs your Help




While heading home in a taxi late Friday night, we just happened to glance out the window as we sped past a black dog, lying hunched and looking scared at the edge of the elevated expressway. This is one of the most dangerous places to try and rescue a dog—dangerous for both dog and person—so a rescue in such a situation can only be performed by a professional. Or someone stupid. So I decided to try.

We stopped the taxi as it came down from the expressway and dodged cars to get to the same edge, though a good half a kilometer away from the dog. We then spent about ten minutes slowly walking up along the kerbside, stopping to hug the crash barrier each time cars and trucks got too close. To those speeding past, it must have looked as though we were considering jumping.

No one called the police, however, and we finally made it to within about ten meters of the dog, who was precariously close to the wheels of passing, speeding vehicles.

The danger in this situation is that, while trying to rescue the dog, it's very likely that he or she could get spooked and run into the speeding traffic. There is also a very real danger of either the dog or rescuer being clipped by a passing vehicle.

We put our bags down on the kerb and waited for a break in the traffic to run up the middle lane and around to the other side of the dog—the idea being that, this way, if spooked, he would stick to the edge and, if he could run, he would head towards the closest exit.

We slowly edged towards him, again hugging the barrier, and it soon became apparent that the dog was calm—and badly injured. And also very happy to see us. As we got closer, he dragged himself closer to us and lay his head on my foot.

He had visible injuries to his head and back legs, including a bloody eye. We had to get him to a vet as soon as possible. A leash was put over his head, but, when he tried to stand, he yelped in pain and collapsed again. So we very carefully wrapped the leash around his muzzle to stop him biting and lifted him up to carry him back off the elevated expressway. He was heavy—about 26 kilograms, but thankfully not struggling too much.

But progress was extremely slow and very scary, as we had to try and walk forwards while constantly watching behind us so we could stop and lean against the barrier each time vehicles got too close. It was while turned and looking at the oncoming traffic that we heard a kind voice behind us: "Are you OK? What's happened?" The young driver of a minivan full of his sisters and friends had stopped in our lane just ahead of us, with their hazard lights on, and they were coming to help us. It was an incredibly welcome sight, and I explained what had happened as they guided me into the safety of their van, insisting on changing their plans so they could drive us to the 24-hour emergency vet in Neihu, about 25 minutes away. They were all animal lovers—some with many dogs of their own—and wanted to do whatever was necessary to help this poor black Lab, who they decided to name Lucky.

We finally arrived at the vet, and Lucky was examined immediately, with blood tests and x-rays taken. His injuries are extensive: his face and legs are scarred, he has concussion and air in his chest cavity, a dangerously high liver count . . . and a badly broken pelvis. But he cannot undergo surgery until his liver count is down.

We are hoping to move him to our regular vet, YangMing Vet Hospital in Tienmu, to have the surgery performed once it is safe to do so. We will do all we can to bring Lucky back to health. But his vet bill is already high because of using an emergency vet service, and we desperately need some help to pay for that.

If you would like to support Lucky's recovery, please contact Anri Sung (tagged in this album) to learn how you can go about that. You are also welcome to visit Lucky and pay the vet yourself, though do contact Anri to find out if Lucky has been moved yet if you want to see him. (Update: I've added donation info below.)

Huge thanks to 龍也 and all the pretty ladies in his minivan for being kind enough—and brave enough—to stop and rescue us!

We'll be posting updates about Lucky's progress, so watch this space. You can also join the Taiwan Animal S.O.S. page to learn about other animal rescues. :)

http://www.facebook.com/TaiwanAnimalSOS

Thank you!

Street view of rescue location, thanks to Google Maps:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=taipei&hl=en&ll=24.997958%2C121.535351&spn=0.001145%2C0.002411&sll=37.0625%2C-95.677068&sspn=32.472848%2C79.013672&z=19&layer=c&cbll=24.998262%2C121.535331&panoid=_qq_EgQEQyUA_v63PSvEDQ&cbp=12%2C202.02%2C%2C0%2C19.92

UPDATE 3/JUL/2011: The vets at National say that Lucky's kidneys are OK, but his liver count is still very high, though lower than yesterday. He is no longer vomiting, so they will now try giving him liquid food. Dr Yang at YangMing Vet Hospital will examine Lucky's x-rays tomorrow in preparation for performing the surgery to repair his smashed pelvis.

To donate directly (and only) to Lucky's medical bill (our other expenses are minimal and we fund-raise separately for those):

宋安莉 Anri Sung
paypal: Anri0408@gmail.com
Acct.no: 124-20-046128-9
Bank code: 008 (華南商業銀行 Hua Nan Commercial Bank)
東台北分行 Tung-Taipei Branch

Lucky thanks you!

UPDATE 5/July/2011: Dr. Yang at YangMing Vet Hospital did more x-rays and found that Lucky's spine is broken. It's likely he'll not walk again. But we will keep trying, and we'll get more opinions to see if anything can be done. If not, then Lucky will become a wheelchair dog, that's all.

UPDATE 6/JULY/2011: Lucky has a future—maybe not the future he envisioned, but a future nonetheless. As someone with disabled dogs myself, I can tell you that they accept their new situation and simply get on with enjoying life any way they can.

WE NEED TO RAISE FUNDS TO PAY FOR LUCKY'S SURGERY. Although he will probably not walk again, we decided to fix his pelvis to give him greater comfort and prevent further problems down the line. Our vets did an outstanding job, and the surgery went well. If you would like to contribute, we really need your support, and every little helps—it really does.

We have created a ChipIn account so you can see exactly how much we need and how much we have raised. The total may change from time to time to take into account other expenses or donations received through other channels, but we will always notify of the changes on the ChipIn page, which is right here:

http://luckthelab.chipin.com/lucky-the-lab

Again, every little helps, and we are working hard already to find Lucky a home for life no matter what his physical limitations. He thanks you!