A ~ Great question and I don't know the answer. I'm sure at some point I had a better explanation, but all I can say now is that for me, those are words that go together. You gotta live, you gotta love life, you gotta have a dog to live that life with and you've gotta love that dog as much as she loves you.
Q ~ "What do you have against traditional and dominance based training? It's what I grew up with and it worked. You shouldn't have to reward a dog for her to learn"
A ~ Really? Would you go to work if there wasn't a paycheck? The dogs you grew up with may have "behaved" ...and they might also have been shut down, distrustful, or even fearful of their owner and only 'taught' how to suppress normal canine communication. Alpha and dominance training is not only harmful to your dog and your relationship, it is also embarrassingly outdated and miles away from what is known today about dogs and how they learn. Here's a great article by Alana Stevenson, MS. If you are still training dogs the old school way, please please please - do just 10 minutes of research on this subject and see what you might be missing! ...
How's this for a start? (excerpt from a UC Davis handout [you know, the professionals, the people with real science backing their work]) ..."Punishment-based techniques, such as leash corrections, alpha-rolling, shoulder jabs, verbal disrupters (such as ‘baaaaa’ and ‘tssssh’), and training discs/chains tossed at dogs, do not address the underlying motivation, require constant direction and force, and typically do no result in positive long term benefits. These types of punishments have been shown to actually increase aggressive behavior. Positive reinforcement training and behavior modification methods focus on changing the underlying emotion of the dog’s aggression, while promoting and rewarding desired behaviors."
Also, see The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) position statements on dominance theory and punishment based training.
Q ~ So, you don't watch that guy with the first name of a salad dressing and the last name of a city in Italy?
A ~ Ugh, I'll be as nice as possible here. ...I'm sure that in his mind, he's doing the right thing. I can agree with him on at least one thing - exercise can help the mind and emotional state of animals (and people). Also, ...oh wait...I guess that's all I can think of to agree with him about. I can say that today's trusted and highly respected trainers do not use his 'methods'. One last word on this - TV is a great vehicle for selling sensationalism.
Q ~ What trainers do you like or recommend?
A ~ See the list of recommended reading and behavior/training links on my "Links" page. Also, for fun stuff, check out Zak George! I lurve him! (I say 'for fun stuff', but that doesn't mean he doesn't also have some great videos about dealing with behavior issue, not to mention his strong opinions about positive training vs. 'the other kinds' of training)
Q ~ "Why aren't your dog's issues fixed if you've done all the right training?"
A ~ Why aren't yours? Or mine? Or your friends? She's a living, feeling, thinking animal, and a work in progress just like a lot of other dogs and people.
Q ~ "This is fascinating stuff, when will you complete your FAQ page?!"
A ~ When I get around to it.
Q ~ "What do you have against traditional and dominance based training? It's what I grew up with and it worked. You shouldn't have to reward a dog for her to learn"
A ~ Really? Would you go to work if there wasn't a paycheck? The dogs you grew up with may have "behaved" ...and they might also have been shut down, distrustful, or even fearful of their owner and only 'taught' how to suppress normal canine communication. Alpha and dominance training is not only harmful to your dog and your relationship, it is also embarrassingly outdated and miles away from what is known today about dogs and how they learn. Here's a great article by Alana Stevenson, MS. If you are still training dogs the old school way, please please please - do just 10 minutes of research on this subject and see what you might be missing! ...
How's this for a start? (excerpt from a UC Davis handout [you know, the professionals, the people with real science backing their work]) ..."Punishment-based techniques, such as leash corrections, alpha-rolling, shoulder jabs, verbal disrupters (such as ‘baaaaa’ and ‘tssssh’), and training discs/chains tossed at dogs, do not address the underlying motivation, require constant direction and force, and typically do no result in positive long term benefits. These types of punishments have been shown to actually increase aggressive behavior. Positive reinforcement training and behavior modification methods focus on changing the underlying emotion of the dog’s aggression, while promoting and rewarding desired behaviors."
Also, see The American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB) position statements on dominance theory and punishment based training.
Q ~ So, you don't watch that guy with the first name of a salad dressing and the last name of a city in Italy?
A ~ Ugh, I'll be as nice as possible here. ...I'm sure that in his mind, he's doing the right thing. I can agree with him on at least one thing - exercise can help the mind and emotional state of animals (and people). Also, ...oh wait...I guess that's all I can think of to agree with him about. I can say that today's trusted and highly respected trainers do not use his 'methods'. One last word on this - TV is a great vehicle for selling sensationalism.
Q ~ What trainers do you like or recommend?
A ~ See the list of recommended reading and behavior/training links on my "Links" page. Also, for fun stuff, check out Zak George! I lurve him! (I say 'for fun stuff', but that doesn't mean he doesn't also have some great videos about dealing with behavior issue, not to mention his strong opinions about positive training vs. 'the other kinds' of training)
Q ~ "Why aren't your dog's issues fixed if you've done all the right training?"
A ~ Why aren't yours? Or mine? Or your friends? She's a living, feeling, thinking animal, and a work in progress just like a lot of other dogs and people.
Q ~ "This is fascinating stuff, when will you complete your FAQ page?!"
A ~ When I get around to it.
No comments:
Post a Comment