You did everything right but ….

But it still hasn’t worked out, even after 6 years?

Yeah, it can be disappointing, but at times even the “perfect” protocol, applied with accuracy can undo itself and we go around in the circle again. This is not something we did wrong, neglected to do or screwed up, this is the reality that often hides behind throwaway labels such as “reactive” and my personal teeth sucker: “high drive”. There is a host of complex conflicts between inherited instincts and individual personalities, especially in Collies but just as likely in any dog, or person for that matter. .

This is long read, it is complex, but it may be the most important thing you read today.

She, of the Angel Eyes, is very easy to arouse, just placing my coffee cup down will send her in a spin, yep a physical spin, dash to the door with some side screaming thrown in. Her anticipation of action is frequently on the edge this is her super power as well as her weakest trait. The ability to respond to movement as a reflex: sheep, prey or me without consideration or organisation: it can be chaotic. Her learning is a carefully navigated process in all that she learns: toys and tugs were stimulus of peak arousal that awakens the Collie-drive to prevent movement, all movement, especially mine. I am at great risk of being stopped and she is a great risk of extreme stress on sight of these objects. When a dog screams in anticipation it is time to listen.

Once we have explained the learning her party-time arousal of “getting it” begins to escalate, it becomes my challenge to keep her on the learning curve not actually letting her arrive.

In olden days she would have been considered an easy train since the need for approval provided her with sufficient reinforcement. A quick stroke, a “good girl” twice a year as she would work until her heart ran out. It is this sort of dog that is easy to abuse as they do not seem to “need” reinforcement.

Not a prospect in my book, although approval is highly motivating for her, it is dangerously addictive as it is never enough. I need food rewards as part of the communication and for the moments it asks her to take a breath, relax … she got it right: but there we hit the cycle again, getting it right and she would take skin alongside the reward delivery.

Teaching a very deliberate and clear reward pattern has been our best support system: cup on a stick. The process is simple, the cup is loaded, she watches, she responds, the cup delivers. My hands and face stay safe and even though the anticipation can be arousing she no longer  hits on the cup for her reward. That food-reward has the unspoken “no worry, you earned it, you deserve it sense of approval”. It allows me to reward her effort, to practice, build fluency, develop skills and takes us out of the arousal cycle. Her energy is channelled into the learning and uncertainties easily resolves through the frequent rewards process but without the escalating arousal.

This mixed little bomb of high energy, chronic need to please and explosive arousal has made me alter my expectations. There are times where we cannot do it right for being wrong, but in fact it is more likely these complex layers that reveal themselves and individually need attention and then reassembling; but may also be contrary in themselves.

If you have a dog that through anticipation of the reinforcement-reward process disassembles the crafted learning then perhaps you want to join us for some COAS exploration? This is more than a cup on a stick it is avenue that leads to resolving a conflict at the core of our spirit to build our learners. COAS is not the only pattern you can learn, but choose what is going to be suitable for your energy bomb.

Arousal is needed to be able respond with peak awareness and reactions, a survival mechanism; this is also the nature of a dog, but it can also become their weakness, their flaw, in that it overloads and goes to extreme very quickly.

Collies are susceptible to this alongside the hunting breeds, but there again, when is any dog not a hunting dog?

Symptoms of Extreme Syndrome (this is totally fabricated term I created just this minute) when arousal is likely to go off the scale:

• Unexpected Events: creepy person suddenly appears, (I know, having jumped out of my skin by a “silent car”)
• Anticipation of Expected Events, I know what is coming, who-hoo.
• Being right, working it out, learning = anticipation of reward, as above, who-hoo
• Not being right, forgetting it, unable to work it out, collapse of self-confidence and approaching panic.

This narrow pathway can seem impossible to navigate, but these dogs in particular are the ones most in need of a learning structure where arousal does not get it the way of itself. This is where the Pet Brain Repertoire or other patterns with good learning histories can give the dog their Safe Brain Mode when the usual operating system is exploding.

But remember Safe Brain mode has limited resources.

The video is of Zip after she first arrived at 5 months old and 5 year later, some extensive learning happened in between, probably for me more than her.