nematoad [he/him]
how can i find good books about leftist feminism? very new to feminist theory in general, trying to get my bearings
assignment after exam after exam after presentation after assignment for 2 weeks straight. it all ends on friday babyyy
Sure thing! The pattern games come from an amazing dog agility trainer Leslie McDevitt. She has three books in a series called “Control Unleashed”. The third book is specifically about helping anxious and reactive dogs. Dogs doing agility sport need to be able to focus on their handler off-leash in high distraction environments (think about a dog agility competition space where there’s tons of other dogs, handlers, judges, blaring music and lights, a full stadium audience).
You might also look into Karen Overall’s protocols. She is probably the world expert at behavior modification, and Leslie McDevitt studied under her. Here is a link to some of her protocols: https://belleplainevet.com/links/behavioral-protocols/. Grisha Stewart is also well known in this space with a training method called BAT (Behavioral Adjustment Training).
The problem with aversive methods is that they “work” in the short term. By punishing the animal for a particular behavior, that behavior is indeed repressed. But the thing is that you’re not treating the underlying emotional response, you’re just telling the dog that if it acts on those emotions, it gets hurt. What ends up happening is that the animal becomes even more fearful/anxious, but now has no way to communicate that fear/anxiety. So the handler has no way of knowing when the animal has gone “above threshold”. So you have a much higher likelihood of a bite that “comes out of nowhere”. But even if the animal never bites anyone, it still lives its life in fear and anxiety, which is just a shitty thing to do to a conscious being.
Behavior modification via positive reinforcement takes a long time. It’s essentially cognitive behavioral therapy for dogs, where you gradually over time re-condition responses to whatever stimuli trigger them, while building engagement with the handler. Counter-conditioning and desensitization. I’m working with my own dog right now who is reactive to pretty much all new things (barking/lunging at other dogs, people). I play engagement games with him with tug and fetch, and play other games that take the form of patterns. For example, I put a treat on the ground and when he looks up at me, I say “yes!” and put another treat on the ground. Rinse and repeat. Dogs are really good at picking up patterns like this, and they feel comfortable when they know what to expect next. While this pattern game is going on, I can get a person or dog to walk nearby. While we’re playing the game, he might look over at the person. But because he trusts me and understands the pattern game, the other person (which usually would elicit a fear response) becomes just another part of the game. He looks at me, I say “yes!” and put a treat on the ground, and the game continues. In this way, I can re-condition the stimulus of seeing another person from evoking a fear response to a neutral response.
There is a lot more to it, but that hopefully gives a small window into it! It’s a fascinating and really rewarding process.
netflix has a reality show called “Canine Intervention” which follows a dog trainer that heavily uses aversives (e-collars, prong collars) and positive punishment… fuck :angery:
she’s probably scared of something she notices on those days. when she gets like that don’t force her. try to take note of anything different in the environment, then try to work on a counter-conditioning/desensitization program. look up leslie mcdevitt’s work (look-at-that, pattern games). good luck :)
edit: in general. when she gets like that, try doing those pattern games while you’re inside but the door’s open. every once in a while, step outside and encourage her out (with just you, not a treat), then treat her when she does and go right back inside. this might help her to realize that she’s not going to have to stay in the big scary world for a long time, and help her feel more comfortable going outside.
Any recommendations for reading about race from a leftist perspective? I’m white and I’ve put my foot in my mouth a few times talking to poc friends and i’d like to learn more
