Survey Says

Some dog professionals use studies and surveys in an attempt to prove that one method, tool, training, activity, and so on is better than another as a whole (whether the study or survey came to their conclusion or not). Some money has been spent, granted or donated to design, create, test, sample, and compile this data.  I don't know how helpful these studies ultimately are to the cause they are designed to serve.   I do know that they open up useful dialog about dog training, especially amongst dog trainers, dog behaviorists, and veterinarians.  Then what happens is that the interested dog professionals turn their conclusions and the advice based on their conclusions to the dog owning public (in other words not professionals in the canine field), who will probably not refer back to the studies or probe to deeply into what they may or may not reveal.   Much like if you got to a tax professional, you may not feel the need to research the validity of the tax law a Certified Public Accountant is explaining to you.  They are professionals, and their clients pay for their professional opinion so that they do not have to do the research.  Many dog owners given information by a dog industry professional in the form of an online article are not going to necessarily second guess that information.  Sometimes in order to make the right informed decision, dog owners should investigate more thoroughly what "professionals" may be telling them.

Raw data can be analysed many ways and correctly (or incorrectly) support different conclusions.   I do not find results to always be black and white, glass half full, or glass half empty.   Unless you are dealing with compounds or chemicals measured exactly the same each time, a reliable and predictable can not be guaranteed when you are talking about living individual beings with varying environments, temperaments, and upbringings.  Not every child brought up with a privileged background is going to grow up to have the same career for instance or even have a positive relationship with their parents.  Even siblings growing up in the same environment react differently to the circumstances of their upbringing.    No study can determine the guaranteed correct way the best way to bring up a happy child that can be predictable among a large sampling of children.   Dogs are also living individuals who all have differing needs, temperaments, interests, activity levels, and varying behaviors that may cause problems for their human owners.   Surveys or studies do not necessarily and definitively suggest the absolute best path to take for any large population of individuals.

Let's take this study for example:

Survey of the use and outcome of confrontational and non-confrontational training methods in client owned dogs showing undesired behaviors

Made available 1/24/2009 by Meghan E. Herron, Frances S. Shofer, Ilana  R. Reisner

The purpose of this study was to "describe the frequency of use, the recommending source, and the owner reported effect on canine behaviour of interventions that owners of dogs with undesired behaviors had used on their dogs"(as quoted from this study linked above).

No conclusions were reached in the study per say.  At least after several readings, I could not find a conclusion, and so I believe this means no conclusion was made as to best "interventions" (this document's word for acts made toward a dog to reduce the incidents of undesired behavior, I believe).  The result section simply pulled out statistical data of what was sampled, but this was not correlated later on to identify who or what results correlated to things like breed, source of information, and so on that could be linked to the later tables and charts in any kind of meaningful way.  That being said, and because of this, I do believe the study supports that differing temperaments, breed characteristics in general, and owners all thrive by the use of the proper method.   That being that no one method is the proper method for a whole sample of populations.   However, that is my anecdotal conclusion of the results, and the authors came up with much of the same conclusions that were not a result of scientific data analysis alone or in conjunct or with other scientific and/or statistical data study.

Another trainer and behaviorist have pointed out the very obvious flaws in the "study" or survey as follows:

Smartdog's Weblog "That Dogma Won't Hunt"

Smartdog's Weblog "Dogma and Pony Show"

Aggressive dogs, poor training techniques, sound statistics and good advice in the discussion-shame about the methodology

How other articles have reported the findings of this study:

If You're Aggressive, Your Dog Will Be Too, Says Veterinary Study

Dog Training Methods and Aggression Linked

Training Dogs With Positive Methods Can Decrease Dog Bites

Do Confrontational Dog Training Methods Work?  Is That Really The Point? (Surprisingly noticed the same thing I did about the data summary, but did not care that other methods might work for dog…)

Why punishment and negative methods don't work

Confronting the Controversy Over Behavior Modification Methodologies

Do Confrontational Methods Work

Can Dog Training Cause Aggression?

This article is not meant so much as to go into the flaws in the study, and there are many.  If those interest you, please see the first series of articles linked to above and entitled "Another trainer and behaviorist have pointed out the very obvious flaws in the "study" or survey."    There are more flaws than just these, but for the brevity of this article I won't go into the others just now.

What I found far more interesting was the numerical data conclusion (in a biased study or survey) that at least 40% of the population of dogs had been helped by methods that the survey is trying to focus the public away from.   By the way, one very obvious flaw in this study is that not one of the lists is a "method".  The other term that they use, "intervention" would be more accurate.  Training as an art does not use any one particular thing, and in the case of this list most professional dog trainers would not recommend some of these things ever.   This point just needed to be made before sharing the numerical data results with you in the form of percentages.

		Pos	Neg	None	Total		% Pos	% Neg	% Non	Proof
Direct Confrontation Per Study:
	Leash Correction	59	7	29	95		62%	7%	31%	100%
	Choke Prong Pinch Collar	26	7	17	50		52%	14%	34%	100%
	Muzzle	18	20	11	49		37%	41%	22%	100%
	Force Release of Item	17	12	6	35		49%	34%	17%	100%
	Alpha Roll	14	8	10	32		44%	25%	31%	100%
	Force Down W Leash	17	3	8	28		61%	11%	29%	100%
	Knee Dog  In Chest for Jumping	13	1	15	29		45%	3%	52%	100%
	Hit or Kick Dog	3	9	14	26		12%	35%	54%	100%
	Grab Jowls/Scruff	7	8	10	25		28%	32%	40%	100%
	Dominance Down	10	5	6	21		48%	24%	29%	100%
	Jab Dog in Neck With Fingers	8	0	10	18		44%	0%	56%	100%
	Remote Activated Shock	6	4	4	14		43%	29%	29%	100%
	Rub Nose in House Soiled Area	0	1	8	9		0%	11%	89%	100%
	Bark Activated Shock	5	2	2	9		56%	22%	22%	100%
Subtotal Direct Confrontation Per Study		203	87	150	440		46%	20%	34%	100%
Indirect Confrontation Per Study:
	Yell "no"	50	14	40	104		48%	13%	38%	100%
	"Schht htt" Sound	26	1	45	72		36%	1%	63%	100%
	"Stare Down"	16	11	20	47		34%	23%	43%	100%
	Water Pistol/Spray Bottle	19	11	21	51		37%	22%	41%	100%
	Verbal Reprimand for House Soiling	18	5	22	45		40%	11%	49%	100%
	Force Exposure to Frightening Stimuli	6	4	10	20		30%	20%	50%	100%
	Growl At Dog	5	9	8	22		23%	41%	36%	100%
Subtotal Confrontation Per Study:		140	55	166	361		39%	15%	46%	100%
Subtotal Direct and Indirect Confrontation		343	142	316	801		43%	18%	39%	100%
Reward Based Per Study:
	Food Rewards	96	1	13	110		87%	1%	12%	100%
	Sit for Everything	79	1	13	93		85%	1%	14%	100%
	Food Stuffed Toys	48	1	28	77		62%	1%	36%	100%
	Use Food to Trade for Item	53	1	8	62		85%	2%	13%	100%
	"Look" or "Watch Me"	39	0	16	55		71%	0%	29%	100%
	Clicker Training	20	1	10	31		65%	3%	32%	100%
Subtotal Reward Based Per Study:		335	5	88	428		78%	1%	21%	100%
Neutral:
	Avoidance	72	1	20	93		77%	1%	22%	100%
	Increase Exercise	66	1	29	96		69%	1%	30%	100%
	Pheromones	3	1	20	24		13%	4%	83%	100%
Subtotal Neutral		141	3	69	213		66%	1%	32%	100%
Subtotal Reward Based and Neutral		476	8	157	641		74%	1%	24%	100%
Total All Sample Per Study		819	150	473	1442		57%	10%	33%	100%

Forty six percent of dogs, according to a biased study were helped by so called confrontation interventions (interventions are not methods, a dog training method is a process created and owned by a particular dog trainer sold through seminars and books and includes more than one type of "intervention" or actions).   Though even these numbers are curious.

If 74% of reward based interventions worked positively, then why are they involved in a study by behaviorists where these interventions failed?   Unfortunately there is no data on what the actual diagnosis thereafter was, or the success level.  In other words, were these clients then directed to so-called confrontational interventions?  Probably not considering where this study came from, and that the listing of confrontational interventions demonstrates a lack of understanding of basic dog training principles.

So much more I could say about this study, but the attached articles in the boxes above go into much detail about the flaws.   I find it particularly disturbing when other trainers, without any though or analysis, hold this study up as proof that it by the study or survey's own words does not prove.   This type of action presents to me more of an agenda to retain market share in training, where perhaps performance is a lacking.

Robin Katherine Rubin
Mannerly Mutts
http://www.mannerlymutts.com
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com (main blog address)
York Beach, Maine USA
207-809-6300
IACP Professional Member #1942
E-Touch Seminar Attendance Certification
Bedrock Training Method Three Day School Attendance Certificate
Companion Dog Title completed in June 2008 for Jack CD ILP159648 Doberman Male 4 years old. Owned, handled and trained by Robin Rubin (deceased on 12/23/2009 and forever carried forward in our hearts)
Companion Dog Title completed June 2010 for Bri CD American Staffordshire ILP159964 female of 8 years old. Owned by friends of Mannerly Mutts. Trained by Robin Rubin. Handled by Robert and Robin Rubin.
Companion Dog Title completed June 2010 for Magoo CD Great Dane WS 28720301 male of 4+years. Owned by friends and clients of Mannerly Mutts. Trained and handled by Robin Rubin.
Leon (aka Pamelot's Ogelthorpe) CGC owned and handled by Robert Rubin in November 2011 (2004-2012 will forever remain in our hearts) Red Doberman Pincher male WS10508601 of 7 years old.
Boris (aka DRU's Boris) CGC owned and handled by Robin Rubin in November 2011 (just Black Doberman Pincher male of 3+ years old.  (to be registered in UKC as he is a tripod)

I do not support the following organizations: People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), Truly Dog Friendly (TDF), No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC), Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) and IPDTA (International Positive Dog Trainers Association).

Potential Dog Park Dangers and Problems

Dog parks can be a dog owning city dweller's solution to a space challenged environment so they can provide for their canines exercise needs.  Urban budgets usually do not allow for dog park supervisory staff. There is no one in most parks checking on the doggie guests coming in, whether people are cleaning up after themselves, or available to safely and knowledgeably break up an inevitable fight. Vaccination or pest control medical records are not checked before people come in.

The population of individual dogs and personalities changes all the time in these parks. Not all dogs are going to get along with any strange dog that walks up to them, even if they get along with most dogs. Some dogs are reactionary around toys and strange dogs, some dogs just don't like certain other dog personalities, and some dogs are jealous of attention taken away from their owner or live in canine companion. Combine with this the changing pack order that happens, and dog wanting to naturally maintain or protect their status. The changing of the pack alone can cause problems of aggression and fights. This might not be a problem with your dog, but remember you are surrounded by other strange dogs that this might be a problem with. No one wants their dog to get in the mix to simply defend themselves.

Most dogs that go to dog parks are not trained. Here I am using my definition of trained, not the mere assuming the position of sit for a second and then releasing. Training is what makes a dog more likely to be controllable when unpredictable situations occur. Training allows most of us to keep our dogs safe, and it's why most trained dogs don't need the confines of a dog park to get their exercise. Untrained dogs have no one to follow but themselves when a problem arises. The communication between the owner and dog for direction is non existent. This will only add to the problem above if a dog to dog or person to dog problem breaks out.

Finally, as intimated above, disease and pests come into the dog park. Even waste that is picked up can leave behind germs, which can be a problem if you don't know what the many dogs that come through there might have. Because of the lack of supervision, sometimes these parks are nasty and dirty. Fleas are a pest that is common to be picked up at a dog park. An owner will never know if a dog has been fully vaccinated or potentially exposed to something like rabies (if there is a supervised dog park, this issue might be solved).

The best solution is to train your dog so that you don't need a "dog park" to visit. Also, have friends whose dogs you know get together with you and your dog. Be sure that your dog is in control through training, when you walk them around strange dogs. This is the kind of socializing dogs need, not instances that increase danger to your dog. I would love to hear about supervised dog parks, please e-mail me or comment if you know of any.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/

Work With The Dog You Have, Not With The Dog You Wished You Had

Jackie CD 2003-2009
He was never going to like
strange dogs in his face:)
We loved him anyway,
and worked the dog we had!

If you spend time working with the dog you have, you will grow to appreciate them for who they are, and be able to maintain and design and incredible working relationship:)

I have said before, I do not see dogs as a listing of their faults as their total personality or "the real dog".   I always see dogs as them plus their potential.   That being said, not every dog's potential is to be the idealized "bomb proof" dog who loves everything and anybody no matter what.   A dog has a very statistically high probability of dramatic improvement in some way.  If we get beyond the point expected for the team, I will gladly take that.   Sometimes and not often a dog does much better than I imagined for them.   Owners should take that kind of success, if it happens but should know not to expect more of their dog than they can deliver realistically.

If you have stopped working with a behaviorally challenged dog, realistically you should expect the behavior will revert back.   Some people call this "unpredictable", but trainers who work with dogs know that is highly predictable and likely.   An owner can not get to a level, and then drop back to no social interaction, no training ET, and expect the dog to be fine later on when put into a situation that is no longer familiar to them.  

Too many owners feel that because a dog now gets along well with the dog that lives in their home, suddenly they are now opened up to meeting all sorts of strange dogs.   If you have a dog that does not like dogs getting into their face, and has not relaxed later on (though is in control around these dogs) with strange dogs getting in their face----please do not think your dog is now fine to have loose, not under command, and suddenly like strange dogs doing this.   It is not unpredictable that something bad might happen, it is a highly predictable event.  The owner is still responsible to manage the environment and work the training to keep their dog and others safe (or humans safe).  This does not matter if the dog coming up is cute and friendly, if the behaviorally challenged dog does not perceive the circumstances in this way.  

Through socialization and practice the trainer or owner can find out that their dog does in fact like play, does like strange dogs.   Sometimes their frustration at not being able to play comes across as aggressive actions as the dog gets too aroused, stimulated, and frustrated.   Remember though, the DOG is coming to that conclusion under their own free will, a dog can not be forced to like playing with another dog.   A skilled handler or trainer can bring out that natural inclination if it indeed exists.

Some dogs are not going to like other dogs, especially strange dogs, coming right into their face.   Often, one can train these dogs to be controllable and learn not to react when given a directive from their owners.   This requires a lot of serious and consistent training.  A dedicated owner is necessary for this to work.   It takes a lot more work than if you happen to own a dog that really does like other dogs.  Stress is involved in owning and working a dog like this.   Again, dogs are more than their behavioral issues to those who love them.   The rest of the dog is worth the additional work needed to get them to a safer and consistent base.   When they are there and in control, this does not mean an owner can sit back, put up their feet, and forget what their dog is up to or doing, especially in new and different situations.  

I have owned two dogs like this, Jackie CD and Neptune.   So I am really aware of what it takes to do this.  Sometimes owners do not listen or heed my warnings and an event occurs.   It usually occurs when they decide it's okay to let Ginger meet the friendly dog after all.   Sometimes it is because the owner is embarrassed that they do not own the kind of dog who they could expect to greet "miscellaneous friendly dog" politely, and they give into the peer pressure of the other owner who assures that their dog is friendly.   The point is, it does not matter that "miscellaneous friendly dog" is friendly or not, what matters is how your dog perceives the situation.   If you release them into "miscellaneous friendly dog's" space to their own devices, you have just given up control of your dog and are now hoping that your dog is not going to repeat the predictable behavior that they have historically done in the past.   THAT does not work for the dog.   They are not reading your mind, and we are not able to tell them in English that we would prefer if they did not bite "miscellaneous friendly dog".  

Trainers always try to explain to clients the clarity of being able to tell your dog WHAT to do rather than trying to have them guess what we want them NOT TO DO.   Also, when walking a potentially aggressive dog in control around other people, we can not expect those humans to know what our dog is capable of.   That is the owner's responsibility to know their dog, and to explain that to a public that will erroneously release their friendly dog towards you.   The general public expects all potentially aggressive dogs to look wildly out of control, and be openly aggressive.  The only one that can let someone in on the hidden behavioral challenges of their dog is their owner.

Some owners will be so proud of what they have accomplished, they drop the training, and remain in complete denial about some aspects of their dogs personality.   They believed that even though their dog never showed an acceptance of strange dogs, suddenly their dog is going to be able to handle this (out of the blue so to speak).  So suddenly their dog is released in social situations that they would never have been while training was going on.  That is not a good combination to have.   It virtually guarantees that an incident will happen in the future.  To the dog owner this guaranteed incident feels "unpredictable" when it happens.  They feel they can no longer trust their dog.

That is a shame, because what they can trust and predict is that their dog never did and still does not like dogs getting in their face.   Should you not prepare them or release them to do "as they will", it really should be no surprise that they will exhibit the aggressive behavior.

It really happens with all sorts of behavioral issues outside of aggression, but aggression is what will have dog owners giving up on their dogs, so that is what I am concentrating on in this post.  If you go for years with a potentially aggressive dog that has not had incidents, this is usually due to training continuing, management of the environment (IE "no my dog is not friendly, my dog can not meet yours and your dog can not come over", muzzles and such).  Just because the incidents did not occur does not mean that your dog suddenly loves every strange dog on the planet.   The ones who do decide they are into strange dogs are pretty obvious about it.   Though one point I should make is that their behavior can vary depending on the handler in whose hands they feel the most safe.   I have at least one client's dogs who comes here, and their owner can not make them feel safe enough to release them to play, while the dog views me and my place as a safe zone.   This does not frequently happen, but it can happen that a dog does not feel safe with their owner.  Maybe because their owner is not that good at reading other dogs and/or their own dog.   Lots of reasons may come into play for this, but again it is usually fairly obvious when this happens.   So if this client suddenly decides that just because their dog is relaxed enough to do this here, that their dog can suddenly do this with them without the additional work and training (in this case to train the human), they are fooling themselves.

http://www.mannerlymutts.com/
http://mannerlymutts.blogspot.com/
mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com

The Magic Wand Or The Affect of Extremist Politics in Dog Training

Let me ask you a question, what does dog training mean to you or your dog training clients? To some it means tricks that might distract a dog out of a situation short term. To some it means no work. When they call a trainer, what they are really asking for is the "magic wand" solution.   That is a solution that does not require any inconvenience, time, patience, or practice on their part.



Magic wands come in all sizes and shapes, and sometimes are just verbal tips. This is very frustrating to a dog trainer, because our definition of dog training is different. Dog training focuses on the long term relationship, and long term communication between owner and dog. This does not come in a shake can, a spray bottle, an electronic collar, a metal training collar, a prong collar, a way of speaking loudly, an alpha roll, treats being given constantly, or the clicker. That being said, that does not mean these are not all tools used in DOG TRAINING. However, dog training is a bit more than that. A vast majority of the general public really does not get it. They will say things like "my dog already sits" or "my dog comes when called" but there's always that except. Sometimes it's "except when they like to go for a dip in a lake". Sometimes it's "except when they are lunging and growling at another dog". If these are things you would like to fix, I do have a magic wand to sell you, but it won't do the job for you. Hence, since I am an ethical trainer, I will not sell you my magic wand.



There are trainers that will. If that is what you seek, I can provide the names and numbers of those trainers for you......gladly. I want to work with owners that are seeking a long term and permanent solution to the problem they are having. I want owners that want to work with and enjoy their dog as they build onto that relationship. I do not have time for owners that are setting themselves up to fail from the get go, and won't even try and grasp what is being told to them. I can't speak over some one for an hour long lesson, and there isn't enough money that I can charge that would make me want to do that. People who do not follow thru on training may put me and other dogs in danger. The last thing I want is for them to say they trained with me!!! Now if a training plan needs to be tweaked or changed, I am hip to that, and I look for those opportunities as no two dogs are the same.



The previous statement is also why I never give a training plan or attempt to train or diagnose a problem over the phone. You really need to meet the dog, and may not get a full picture of the dog for a few weeks. If I am doing hour weekly coaching sessions, it may be very hard to get a full picture of the dog, but the dog is right in front of me while the owners are describing their difficulties. Trainers who diagnose problems over the phone, and have not met the dog are being unethical IMO. I would rather they do that, than me.



Because training takes time, I do not offer one or two sessions. Packages may be purchased six at a time for private training lessons (understanding that basic training is usually done in 12 weeks), or three weeks at a time for Board & Train packages. If I want to see if the dog has something beyond what I am capable of dealing with, I offer free consultation at my facility or the client's home depending on the problem (and usually with directions for keep everyone safe). Then I can give out trainers names that may be able to help with the problem, but also do not deal in the "magic wand" business.


Sadly, much dog training has been downgraded by the reluctance to teach or require your dog to do anything. This has caused the "easy fix" ideas. You know, if they work, hey great!!! Most times that people are calling me, is because the "easy fixes" have not worked. I am including tools that I use as "easy fixes" when used incorrectly by people. The problem is the extremist (one minded one thing fixes all) trainers jump on this as proof that tools (alone) make dogs aggressive or unreliable, not realizing it's the lack of TRAINING, patience, and time that can cause these results. This is the reason that I do not sell tools to people who are not training with me. In fact, the determination to sell them one or not comes only after they have shown that they can use the training (with time, patience and consistency) correctly, and have TRAINED their dogs beyond just a trick performance that can only happen in the privacy of a kitchen without guests.  With proper training, reading of the dog, appropriate tools for owner and dog, these types of things just do not generally happen. But are their guaranteed ways to make this happen? You betcha. Please do seek a professional for training purposes, and not so they sell you a "magic wand". Groups like "Truly Dog Friendly" (TDF), Humane Society of The United States (HSUS), and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are setting up the public to believe there is less to dog training (or no dog training required or no dogs required) than there is, and that is a dangerous message. It can have horrible consequences for both dogs and their owners.



If you are serious about training your dog in the York Beach Maine area, please call dog trainer, Robin Rubin at 207-361-4395. All other inquiries (and training inquiries also) can be e-mailed to mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com. Mannerly Mutts is committed to our client's success, and the successful development of a dog and owner bond.

The Definition of "Violence"

According to an online dictionary definition, violence is defined as "Physical force exerted for the purpose of violating, damaging, or abusing".   May think of spousal abuse, child abuse, sexual assault, or criminally motivated physical force. Others try to equate this definition with methods and tools used in dog training, selectively.

Is there violence and abuse against dogs?  Unfortunately, there are evil minded people that get great pleasure in harming other humans and/or animals.   Yes, there are humans who meet this definition of violence when interacting with a dog.   However, those people are not the responsible owners, trainers, or handlers that are seeking to train a dog to live in the domestic human situation.   In other words, it is not the owners', trainers', or handlers' intent or future result to be "violating, damaging, or abusing."

There are people in the dog training profession who seek to convince the public otherwise.  Anything that does not conform to their narrow view of training tools and methods becomes the incorrect definition of "violence".  Don't believe me?   Here are some blogs and sites that mention training collars or leash corrections as violence against dogs:

Elsa Larsen's Rant on Violence
Labrador Retriever Dogs Blog
Innerself.com  read all the way through, first part is abuse and neglect
Shibashake.com  Actually a good article that includes the correct ways to use a leash and collar.  I only disagree that correctly using a training collar really is all that difficult.  There are ways to make it easier for people.

Why are leash corrections not consider violence for some?   One, teaching, molding and repetition all occur before a leash correction is given in many methods, which allows for gentle leash and collar corrections later on.  Preparing a dog for corrections also relates to an article that I wrote about being proactive rather than reactive.Two, the human always has control of the correction level and when it is applied.   Three, the quality training equipment, like Herm Sprenger metal training collars or the modern electronic collars, have been designed and modified to not cause your average dog in an average training situation (who has been trained correctly using teaching, molding, and repetition) pain but only mild discomfort.  

Now comes the controversial part.    A human can use these and many other tools to cause discomfort or even pain.   Take this a step further, a dog that intends to harm a living being, like another animal or human, needs a correction above the normal working level correction, if that is appropriate and works for that individual dog.   However this is very different than intending to harm, violate, or damage the dog.    In fact, the equipment used is designed to keep us safe without harming, damaging, or violating a dog.    The very intent of the equipment is to keep corrections and control as gentle and mild as they need to be.   The handler or trainer is always able to override the intent and proper use of any equipment, when that happens it could meet the definition of violence.   More often it meets the definition of poor or sub standard training practices.

Trainers, owners, and handlers who know how to use methods and equipment properly are not largely populated by people, who relish and enjoy hurting a dog.   Professionals and people who care about their dogs, and the dogs safety largely want to use all four quadrants of learning in order to avoid or train because:

1. Dog not performing a recall in an emergency situation and suffering the consequence of being hit by a car.
2. The elderly and disabled sometimes need certain training equipment to level up the field.   The elderly and disabled should be able to own and train dogs if they wish to.   I am not saying they should not use the equipment and methods properly and perhaps with a little help at first.
3. A non savvy dog person taking mouthing or jumping as an attack.   Training, real world training, can allow a dog to go into a sit on the first command in a distracting situation.
4. To prevent a likely outcome of euthanasia and rehoming where either other methods have not worked, no methods were used, or the dog has gone to a state of being so behaviorally and aggressively challenged that progress is required at a speedy pace.

It is hurtful when other trainers and the well meaning public try to call acceptable training for the individual dog abuse.   Remember, that successful training happens when corrections and rewards are not relied upon in the future.   There are many worse things than a leash or collar correction.  Please seek to understand those that provide for the niche market of dog to owner aggression, dog to dog aggression, or danger to the public as is.   For some, this being even present in a term of the dogs life is unacceptable and requires euthanasia.   My take is that if I have 1) an owner willing and able to carry on the work after we or I am finished and 2) I have a dog where the severity of the condition is temporary and significant improvement can be made both in the dog's life and behavior, then that team deserves a chance to salvage the relationship and possibly the dog's life.

Remember that rehoming does not equate with success.   I don't consider a dog and owner team a success until we are years beyond the problem, and everyone is doing well at home.


Maine and New Hampshire Dog Trainer
Mannerly Mutts Dog Training Blog
E-Mail Mannerly Mutts With Questions

PACK TO BASICS

(Republished from years ago.   Leon, Jackie,and Jazz have since passed away.  These are my dogs used as examples below of how individual pack members drive pack dynamics)

While science may try to dispute pack theory, there is no question that group dynamics are relevant and exist when dogs and/or humans hang out together. I first became aware of how a group of dogs could change with the introduction of just one new member when I used to volunteer to train Dobermans at Doberman Rescue Unlimited. In fact, the dynamic impressed me so much, that in the future I would like to offer rotating group classes where the individuals switch up constantly in order to improve obedience with a VERY powerful distraction.

There are many reasons why this new member may be fascinating to others, may be intimidated by others, may be bossy towards others, or may cause others in the group to be very concerned. Dogs are expressing themselves in a foreign language (to us humans) to each other that include body language, eye contact, mouth position, tail movement, and other various methods to which we are largely unaware, unless humans happen to be to dealing with groups of dogs on a regular basis.

A fair amount of my dog training business deals with multi dog issues. This relationship is more complex than a one dog to human family relationship. So many things may be affecting the dogs from unrealistic expectations of what the relationship should be, resource guarding, power struggle, geriatric issues, health issues, lack of training overall, nor rules or boundaries or allowing another dog to abuse another (just to name a few).

In my pack, some changes have started to launch the pack dynamics around here. One my grand dame, Jazz, has died. She has been the undisputed boss of the canines (besides myself of course) for 13 years with me. She was fair, just, tough, and fun all at the same time. Every time a new boarder came, the very first thing she did was lie on their bed with or without them. The message I believe was "you are welcome here, but understand this is my domain." Instead of upsetting the dogs with this, I noticed that all dogs respected and looked up to her. We have had many pass through here that sought to learn from her and definitely play with her. A very special presence has left me, my dogs, and my client's dogs lives.

It's not just that which has started to mix things up. Jackie had an unfortunate altercation with a daycare client who collided with him during a dash through the woods a few months ago. That seemed to change every one's demeanor for a bit, and start Jack off with bullying Leon (our other Doberman). At this same time, I have been getting Jack ready for open, which has launched his hardwired resource guarding issues. I readily admit that due to the amount of work to get him to where this is, I had put working him around key items on hold. Now that work is being done, which also means things that were simply managed before have made it to the training threshold point. This is not a short process that is solved in hours, days, or weeks. We are talking about months for improvement to take hold in a consistent and reliable fashion. Again, his brother, Leon, remained the favorite punching bag.

Therefore it's important to consider every one's needs or the Pack's needs if you will. Leon needs to feel safe and free in his own house. My husband and I need to feel that Leon's safety and the safety of our client's dogs are not in jeopardy. At the same time, even though it's concentrated training time for Jackie, his needs are also important in respect to exercise, attention, stimulation, and having fun. Training also remains an activity that can supply this, but it's important to know that your dog can not be in working mode 24/7. Service dogs, police dogs, and all sorts of dogs need a breaks even when they totally love their work.

A leader's most important tools in working with a project like this are knowledge of their dog's personality and triggers, rules and boundaries, consistency and a well thought out training plan. Mine has relied on the additional skills that my dogs know such as "place", "go", "fetch", "give", "out", "leave it" and "over". These are in addition to basic obedience skills of heel, recall, stand, sit stay, and down stay. A pack problem is truly difficult if you have done no reliable training work with your dog. Leon's fetch, for instance, has helped Jack understand that I approve of Leon "getting" items for me, and this is not to be interfered with.

It's not about dominance training or dominating Jack. My only goals are to 1) make it clear that Leon is not his to abuse, 2) make it clear that performing the commands has huge rewards, 3) remind Jack the benefits and joys of having Leon as his friend, and 4) teach Jack alternate ways to deal with his resource guarding. I did something like this with my dog, Neptune, and dog aggression many years back. It worked so very well, and I am beginning to see Jack pick up some understanding of this. Retreating, looking to me for direction, giving a look instead of attack, bringing his toy into his crate (by the way he is never unsupervised around toys) ET are all appropriate ways to get his point across.

Management had worked up until this point. I may not have even picked this battle up right now, except that Jack did two very inappropriate things that were inappropriate in two situations with Leon. Had these remained at a "let them work it out themselves level"; I may have chosen to regard this as an internal household mild issue that came up now and again. It became clear though that Jack was trying to gain inappropriate and damaging control of Leon, which was affecting Leon's quality of life. There is always the option of keeping the two dogs separate or always under strict supervision when together. In analyzing the situation though, I could see the additional work that could be done with Jack. Had I already met that threshold and no improvement had been made, this most likely would have been my solution to the problem. Jack always seems to improve even through my doubts on some things. For instance, the obsession he had with seaweed when we first got him. I didn't think he would EVER be able to just walk on the beach.

Be aware, relationships can change with your dogs, and it doesn't mean you need to throw in the towel. It may mean you need some help to evaluate exactly what is going on. Some are easy to solve, and some are more challenging. I have yet to see a multi dog situation that was not able to be resolved with a bit of elbow grease and maintaining some rules, boundaries, and consistency. That is not to say that there are not sometimes really wrong matches in dog relationships. Most of my cases to date have been dogs that have lived together for a long time, but "something" has changed the chemistry of the relationship.

Having problems in your pack?
Call Maine Dog Trainer, Robin Rubin, at Mannerly Mutts Dog Training 207-809-6300. Or e-mail for your Maine Dog Training needs mannerly_mutt@yahoo.com.

What is Dog Friendly and/or Positive?

Leon the Friendly Dog
As Opposed to Dog Friendly
(though he is that too)

There is so much information available on dog training via the Internet and books, and there are many trainers from all sides who claim their way is the "correct" way. It's hard for a pet owner to figure out the right thing to do. In fact, some training methods and tools are the subject of hot debate in the professional dog-training world.


Before that question is answered, let me explain what my own personal definition of dog friendly is. To be dog friendly is to offer your companion dog what they need in terms of food, shelter, exercise, training, and affection. The key words here are "what they need".

Second, the definition that I have for positive is different than the extremist positive movement in dog training, and you can find this definition in the dictionary.  The defintion of postive I use has the meaning "Measured or moving forward or in a direction of increase or progress."  Positive to me is allowing the dog to fulfill their potential and be all that they can be.


Each dog is an individual. As a dog trainer, I have never trained two dogs in the exact same way. The differences may be subtle in some instances, and very obvious in others. Furthermore, as I have witnessed improved relations in dogs who were problems to families, I don't go by the theory that some trainers share that only the most sedate and friendly of dogs should be pets. Indeed, some dogs are born with a certain drive and high intelligence that may not make them the right pet for most families. However, that same dog might be perfect for another family who wishes to do some very specialized activities. My family for instance is one such family. Finally, in that some negative behaviors in dogs come about from the lack of training and care by their human owners, it is our responsibility to make that right in so far as it is safe and possible to. These experiences, as a professional trainer with the time I have spent socializing and training dogs in shelters, have helped me develop my personal idea of "dog-friendly" and "positive" (the training definition and not the 4 quadrant definition or the extremist positive movement definition).

Many results based dog trainers use some additional tools and methods in their trade. These tools vary from trainer to trainer based on their interests and specializations. There are tools such as the prong collar; metal training collar, nylon slip collar, and electronic collars (talking about those that cause the most controversy, and the least research among some trainers) that are humane and dog -friendly training methods and tools when properly used, under the guidance of a professional trainer. These tools can not only quickly help an owner obedience train their dog quickly and effectively, they can also provide such things as increased freedoms and safety for the dog due to the speed and effectiveness of their obedience training. Freedom, purpose, and increased inclusion with their family is the highest value reward that I can think of (long term).

There are some trainers and even certain professional organizations are folding to the pressure of what is called "purely positive" training. This is a whole different can of worms that I can't get into in detail at this point. However, this political movement in the dog training world is the belief that EVERY dog can be trained without leash corrections, collar corrections, verbal corrections, body corrections, or any kind of negative or stressful stimulus no matter how slight it may be.

This is the reason that I am highly offended by the hijacking of this term, dog friendly and positive (along with a whole list of definitions that have been changed and manipulated) by parties with only their personal interests in mind. We are all professionals, and we all got into this business because of our love of dogs. I am proud to call myself a results-based, dog-friendly, and definitely positive trainer.

Need your dog trained? Visit the http://www.mannerlymutts.com services page. Or contact me at 207-361-4395 in York Maine. Ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer.

Say no to HSUS, PETA, No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC) or Truly Dog Friendly Organization (TDF). Articles and information on why I do not support these organizations is on here and here.









Need your dog trained?  Visit the http://www.mannerlymutts.com services page.   Or contact me at 207-361-4395 in York Maine.   Ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer.


Say no to HSUS, PETA, No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC) or Truly Dog Friendly Organization (TDF).  Articles and information on why I do not support these organizations is on here and here.

Mannerly Mutts Ten Commandments

1. Potential students of Mannerly Mutts will complete our client application form before any services are rendered.
2. Potential students of Mannerly Mutts will sign a contract, which outlines the expectations of both parties for private training sessions or residency training sessions, and be held accountable to the terms of that contract.
3. Students of Mannerly Mutts will complete their homework every week per the detailed directions given.   If Thou has a reason for not completing their homework (including your dog not feeling well, which is exceptable but you will need to reschedule the next lesson accordingly), thou shalt contact Mannerly Mutts with the problem before the next lesson starts.
4. Students of Mannerly Mutts will have been truthful and honest about any behavioral problems or aggression that have been observed in their dog.
5. Students of Mannerly Mutts will verbalize any concerns during a lesson before that lesson ends.   Thou shalt be asked at the end of any lessons if any concerns and problems are foreseen completing the homework.
6. Lessons will not advance until all homework has been verified as completed by the performance of the canine and human team as specified in the directions of the last lesson.   The client has the option of either completing that day's  homework in front of their trainer, or leaving and forfeiting the lesson fee for that day.
7. Students of Mannerly Mutts will additionally be providing the appropriate nutritional, medical, physical, grooming, and mental care for their dogs.
8. Students will provide Mannerly Mutts with up to date vaccination records.
9. Students of Mannerly Mutts will not bring in a dog that is not feeling well for a lesson or require them to train (an exception for the homework rule).   If an illness has come on suddenly, we will waive the expected notice fee for the cancellation of that lesson.
10. Thou shalt leave Mannerly Mutts with a partnership that has met or exceeded your goals, only by following the 9 commandments above and information detailed in your lessons.

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Science in Dog Training

Like statistics, science can either be a helpful tool in the right setting, or a tool of manipulation. Scientists and veterinarians are not God and are not ordained with skills beyond their training set by divine intervention. Some veterinarians are occasionally wrong in their diagnosis. Like a veterinarian that "diagnosed" a client's dog with "rage syndrome". Rage syndrome is not the result of predictable circumstances, but is the result of a seizure like disorder which may have a trigger (light, being startled, smells, ET) such as epilepsy. The "scientific" diagnosis was to put this dog down, because behavior is not affected by age or discomfort either, according to their now FIRED veterinarian.


So they found Mannerly Mutts and our Residency Program. I suggested that in addition to training, after observing their dog, they find another vet, who ended up to be Kindred Vets in Orrington Maine. Now diagnosed, it was known that teeth infection, ear infection, and bladder infection had made Hannah decreasingly patient with her aging sister (they had lived together since puppies until their then 8 years of age). Also Kate had known hip problems. Hannah used to jump on Kate to play, and this had become painful to Kate in old age. Normally bomb proof Kate would snark at her sister, and the more "dominant" (according to her owners, who thought they should let her do whatever she wanted henceforth) dog who had no training, Hannah sought to teach her a lesson.


Three weeks later the girls went home. Six Months later with frequent contact and assignments (we changed up through training old ways that they dealt with each other), the girls were harmonious in the house again and the owners sent pictures with the girls out, wine in the owners hands, guests there, and smiles all around. It's been three years now, and the girls and family are living happily ever after.  Although, at a ripe old age, Katie died just a few weeks ago.  

Science is used as some fancy term, as if we are talking rocket science here. The meanings of facial expressions in dogs and body language is, of course useful to the trainer. You can major in the minors though, if you don't learn to take the dog into account as a whole of what they are telling you. This may be skewed if they are a different breed, worked in a different purpose, or were not socialized around other dogs. These signals can become confusing if you use this as your total understanding of behavior, which is why it's somewhat frustrating that the "academics" out there are not necessarily the best and brightest minds in dog training. In other words, they don't necessarily do anything all that worth while with the actual dogs and training. However, they think they should talk on it, rather than stick to their specialty or admit that perhaps they are out of their element when talking about the real living thing that is in front of them, and is not a theory. It would be rare to find one where you can bring a dog to work with, they are either not there in attendance or provided for you.
Science also takes credit for positive training. Positive training is both a part of "traditional training" and "balanced training". Motivation has also always been a part. The big "gift" of science has been "clicker" training. The traditional clicker was "good boy". There has been no "new aged" and "enlightened" modifications in training, only stealing, re labeling, branding, and marketing for trainers who at first sought only to differentiate themselves from the rest of the market. This has later become a very ugly trend that is now pushing not only the ban of equipment, the ban of breeds, the euthanasia of dogs with very easily fixed behavior problems, and the push for training to now only be "prescribed" by PhD. In other words; in the future the goal is that veterinarians, biologists, or behaviorists only will be able to tell you how to train your dog.

We could talk about Skinner vs Pavlov. Operant conditioning vs Classical conditioning dog training 101. It's not terribly complicated science as science goes. You can add something to increase behavior. You can withdraw something to increase behavior. You can add something to decrease behavior. You can withdraw something to decrease behavior. These are the basics of a training plan. 1) Positive Reinforcement 2) Negative Reinforcement 3) Positive Punishment and 4) Negative Punishment. Some trainers wish to train primarily or only (and this is a challenge) with Positive Reinforcement or one quadrant of learning. Which is fine, right up until the point that you need to debase others in order to justify that decision.

In the meantime, newbie trainers can get sucked into the void and drink the Koolaide early on for the cult like sect. Luckily, most people that e-mail me with questions on who to see and where to go for seminars, are already aware of what is out there. They also have limited funds to spend on their education. If they want to find the animal rights activists and purely positive politic dog trainer fanatics, they only need go as far as their computer. That is pretty easy to do. By the time they realize they are not seeing what they want to, results by any method, they start looking around and wondering where the trainers are that produce results. Well the answer is, unfortunately, most of them do not live in New England. They live in Maryland, Florida, Georgia, Missouri, and due to the cult like climate here, rarely bother to come up this way. Even the closed minded cult like trainers neither live around here or come here that often.

How did it get like this? Money. There is lots of money to be made if you are good at branding something. Petco and Petsmart has figured this out. All in one shopping includes pet food, toys, leashes, collars, e-collars (they sell but don't agree with???), metal training collars, veterinarian services, and grooming. Tufts veterinarian behaviorists have figured out ways to get trainers to refer to them, and not follow up on what happened because they "know better" and their is (sound of heavenly music) science involved. There are also drugs involved. Vets are so fed up with trying to explain to some that they have a perfectly normal dog, prescriptions are written out for problems such as crate training or separation anxiety or simply being a dog that is not being exercised enough. Some of these are worked on very "scientifically" by the use of fax only evaluation, rather than go through the necessity of actually seeing the dog or what is going on.

And how easy is it to brand "fun"? It's not that traditional training isn't or can't be positive and fun, it's that a fanatical group figured out how to pull language away to put themselves up as the "new age" authority, simply by playing with marketing. The trainers who were simply training dogs were not concerned THEN with this trend. However, it has morphed now into an all out attack against dogs basically.

Am I saying all positive trainers are evil or incredibly naive? No, but I am saying that I can spot nonsense when I read and see it from the sect of cult like fanatics. Like a trainer that says she respects traditional trainers, and then writes that she does positive reinforcement only because when "you know better you do better." Or when Truly Dog Friendly claims not be an organization or one that bans tools, when all you have to do is see the list of members and the articles that they promote banning tools. That if you have a niche market or talent, you normally don't need to convince people to follow your way only be debasing other methods or trying to ban training tools. There are clicker trainers or rewards based trainers out there that do not have a need to do this. I will see them, and not the ones that align themselves with such fanatical groups as Truly Dog Friendly or the No Shock Collar Coalition (http://www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=2 scroll down).

Professional organizations such as APDT, Association of Pet Dog Trainers, like the money and enthusiasm of the "fun" way to train as well. However, they don't so much like loosing results orientated dog trainers that may be using equipment the cult like sect would like to ban. Their "educational" contribution to this in the past has been to squelch all open communication about the election process, the tools in question, yet try to appease each side. This finally came to a head when Truly Dog Friendly organization (though they claim not to be) tried to seed their members through campaigning outside of APDT into the BOD. In the meantime, the training discussions in the APDT could only therefore be at the very basic levels of dog training and nothing else. IACP, International Association of Canine Professionals, had spun off from them previously to be open to all methods and members unless they were actively seeking to promote the banning of tools.

This has been a bit of a rewriting and re-editing of an older blog. Later on, I found the following article by chance on conflicts of interest in veterinary medicine.

Conflicts of Interest in Veterinary Medicine
 
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Sophie the Golden Retriever Puppy Beginning Training

Sophie was a very young 8 weeks when she came to us.   She is just 12 weeks now.   Here are some training videos on her progress.

Day 1 and a couple of days after, Sophie was pretty shell shocked and scared.   Probably only due to the breeder not handling her very much.   Everything was so new.



Crate training and house training the beginning on Week 1:



Week 2 we are working on engagement.   Sophie is a very independent Golden Retriever puppy, so I had to work very very hard to get her to interact with me for training.   Luckily, we had a strong prey drive.



Week 2 Also starting the sit, down, and attention.



Week 3 worked also on sit, down, and attention.   Also walking in the house on leash with distractions.   Now this is her on week 4 starting on our outside and very distracting walks.





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Dogs In Daycare, If You Are Turned Away Do Not Take It Personally

I have a number of rules that I put in place for the taking on of new clients.   I have to admit that every now and again, I wonder if I am being silly.   Maybe I should just bend the rules, ignore the fact that a dog is not fully trained, and perhaps that slightly pink flag is nothing to worry about.  So what if they refer to their dog(s) as "furry children", and are not concerned that their dog can't go into a sit on the first command in the least distracting of settings.

Should I give in to this, it is a mistake on my part.   In fact, I can name a few times I did ignore my rules, and lived to regret that decision.   There are very nice people and dogs out there.   Some of them can not conform to the things that I need in order for them to be clients of a certain type.  

This does not make them bad humans or dogs, but bad for certain situations in my business model.  Many times, I will read negative reviews about another dog facility that turned away business.   The dog's owner is usually quite offended, but often times I see this from the facility's standpoint.   I also understand that the client can not see the real issue at hand, not having worked with so many dogs in one small area.  They think their dog has been seen as a "bad" dog or a "problem" dog.   This may not at all be the case, this dog just might not fit into either the pack or business model that this facility caters to.

The pack can be a tricky situation.   Packs that work here are expected to have a certain level of basic obedience.   If one does not have that level of basic obedience or a way to reinforce a command should the training not be up to par, I have been aware in the past that it causes problems.   As time marches on, it is easy for a person like myself to forget the problems that can crop up, if I bend the rules for someone.

The problem with bringing a dog into a pack that can not respond to the first command given during distractions takes away from the leader's ability to promote well being within the pack.  If that one dog is allowed to freedoms which they have not earned, it will cause problems.  Should a problem occur, more than one dog may need to respond to a command in an immediately.  It is not about just that one dog, but the relationship among the whole pack including me.   Managing a pack is about teamwork between the human and all the canines in the group.

Another problem is that the other dogs who are well behaved loose their freedom by needing to be put from command to command more often, to keep the untrained dog from getting into sticky situations that they can not handle.   The canine groups may not able to communicate to the newer member the ways in which they would like to be interacted with.   Often I help this communication among unfamiliar members with the use of training which has produced workable commands.  There are some dog day cares that cater to mostly untrained dogs by screening out other untrained temperaments that will not work in their structure.
 
Human owners who feel their dog is "trained well enough" often have suggestions for you in having their dog to come to your daycare.  Often this includes commands either commands that do not work as they have not been taught to the dog or an expecatation of free training from the daycare provider. Often even when the owner sees their own suggestion does not work even for under their own guidance, the owner will not acknowledge that or just does not get the level of performance that is required.   As a dog professional it's more important to see to the needs of the group than the one.  

TFor a daycare owner and operatator to ignore that is a big mistake.   My advice to other dog professionals is to not forget what your protocols are.   If they have worked for you in the past, then please do not forsake them for the sake of not hurting someones feelings or offending them.  It's better off for all involved if you just stick to your guns.   In this economy, it's always hard to turn away business especially for a nice (yet untrained) dog and people.   Sometimes, it's just the right thing to do.

Human clients please be aware that if you are turned away, it is nothing at all personal.   There often is a larger scope to think about than just your dog.  An area where a lot of dogs gather is so much different than a dog with your friends and their dogs that they see once a weekend at the beach.   Dogs have relationships as much as we do.  Like our relationships grow and change with other people, so do dog relationships especially in the beginning.

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Four Levels of Completing the Training Process

I don't know if most of the dog owning public is aware of the levels that we pass through when teaching a dog a certain command. Here are the four levels that I usually think of:

1) Demonstrate to the dog what you want him to do.You can do this by positioning or luring your dog into position. Dogs need to be shown what to do, because they don’t naturally know the things we take for granted that older dogs have already been taught. Obviously they don't understand our verbal cues, and need to be shown what they will correspond to in the future. In the Demonstration phase, the command is verbalized in conjunction with the luring or placing the dog into correct position.

2) Teach your dog what you want him/her to do (consistency and repetition). Let them know this is not a one-time command performance. There are rewards for the correct completion of a task Be consistent. Don’t tell your dog to “sit” unless you are ready to help him/her into a sit if they don’t quite understand it yet. This is still the teaching phase, and they need to know that this word isn’t one of the stream of sounds they hear from you each day. Don’t converse with your dog during training time They need to know that these command words have a meaning, and that is what we are teaching them. Other sounds in the day may not have a meaning, but our commands do.

Now once certain indicators are present, is the time you start to say the command BEFORE they go into position.

3) Learning: For dogs learning happens in that instant they analyze their choices. Those choices normally are non-compliance, flee, aggression, or comply. You want to give them a few seconds to contemplate their choice once you get beyond the teaching phase. Only compliance will allow them to be rewarded, and you want to do it as soon as the correct performance happens. As the exercises go on the three Ds will be marked as well (distance, duration, and distraction To end the session on a good note, you want to have the dog succeed at least four times in a row. If it takes way too many reps to get that four times in a row, you have most likely rushed the dog forward past their threshold. Now is the time to back up to where their performance was more reliable, and move in a slower fashion forward.

You will need to be patient. In dog training anger or impatience will not get you and your companion where you need to go. If you find yourself getting frustrated, take a deep breath and imagine where it is the training will take you if done correctly. Then begin the exercises again. Allow your dog to be successful, and remember you may need to redefine what that is. Do not try to add things too early. The dog should fully understand the beginning of every exercise before being pushed on to the three Ds.

If corrections are used, it is now that they start being used correctly, of course.


4) Maintenance is the most forgotten step. I can say this simply by "if you don't use it you loose it". Also if you become inconsistent, then you will start loosing it. The best way to maintain is make sure you use all commands in real life situations everyday with consistency. Most of us slip at this though. Keeping up a working schedule with your dog of a few minutes going over things on a consistent basis is also helpful. Remember, it's as easy to untrain your dog as it is to train your dog:) We all vary on where we need our dogs to be, so this is largely up to what the owner wants and needs in their life.

This article has been re-edited from an older one.  

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Small Electronics in Dog Training (Republished)

Small Electronics
By Robin Rubin, Owner and Training of Mannerly Mutts
http://www.mannerlymutts.com/

A controversial sector of Training equipment are the electronic training tools. These tools combined with all other tools of dog training (consistency, reward, correction, praise, motivation, ET AL) are what complete the entire training plan. There must be a training plan in order to train your dog to the level of acceptable obedience that I want from my human and canine client teams! Electronics are one option of tool, but not a requirement by any means.

A remote collar is one where the remote collar goes with you remotely and the transmitter and receiver go with you and your dog, respectively. You control the collar; a trigger of any sort other than your finger does not control the remote collar. Before we get into why anyone would ever consider using something electronic on his or her dog, let’s go briefly through the history of the remote collar. The technology of this collar has changed drastically in the 1950s.

Can you imagine, in the 1950s we did not have so much in electronic technology that we take for granted now! There were no cell phones. If there were computers at that time, they took up entire floors of large corporation, with huge spools of tape running all the time. Well, guess what, the remote electronic collar took the same journey in advancement that the rest of the electronic world took. When remote electronic collars were first produced, they were manufactured to be used as an aversive to stop the chasing of deer and the like. They would not have been able to be used gently as an obedience-training tool. First of all, you wouldn’t have had a choice in intensity to change it to. Later on in the early 90s or so, you could change the intensity, but only by changing the prongs on the collar. So you couldn’t change a remote collar’s intensity “on the fly”, you were stuck with the level that you attached to the collar. Now, you can have levels that go from 1 to 100, if you want that. Most humans and canines do not feel the lower levels. The technology of the remote electronic dog-training collar has greatly changed with time. It is now an effective and efficient tool that is used in obedience training, hunting, dog sports, and overall gift of fun and freedom for the dog. I will explain more the process for this later, for now; I just want to go over the equipment in summary.

REMOTE ELECTRONIC DOG TRAINING COLLARS (also known as shock collars, although this term is recognized more for the old fashioned ones, which are not sold anymore)

Some Pros: 1) Most dogs adapt well to the collar, especially when a foundation in training is put on first. 2) In my opinion, this is the perfect companion to positive training. I know, I hear the gasps from positive only trainers around the world too. However, I get many positively trained dogs that are just not reliable enough, and are able to use that training to make this a cue type of tool at the lowest levels for the dog. 3) Once trained, gets rid of the awkwardness of working with a long line. 4) Does not put a strain on the neck or back of the dog.  5) Improves timing of communication with the dog, thereby making training easier on most clients. 6) Rewards the dog quickly with increased freedom to do fun things with their owner. 7) Waterproof receiver (collar) on all quality models. Waterproof transmitters are available for additional cost from certain companies (Dogtra models for instance). 8) As long as you live outside the city, these can replace invisible fences as long as you supervise your dog when they are outside (which I always recommend no matter what). 9) Range of collar varies from ½ mile to 2 miles on the quality made remote collars.

Some Cons: 1) This is not the right collar for every dog, although it’s a small percentage that will not work on it, if the training is done correctly. 2) Like any equipment, in careless or abusive hands this collar could be abusive to the dog. 3) Like any training equipment, professional help is strongly suggested before venturing out and using it on it’s own. Why reinvent the wheel and stress out your dog? There are many trainers out there that can help you. 4) The good ones are from 180-240 for a one-dog model, and you want to get a good quality collar. So in other words, this is an expensive training collar. 5) Pressure sores can develop on the neck due to collar not being tight enough, collar going into water and not tightened or coat not dried, or movement of tight collar during play with other dogs. This is not often, and when it happens once it usually does not recur again.

Uses: 1) Once training is done correctly, this collar provides the safety of a leather leash without the leash attached to the collar. This makes for very enjoyable and safe off leash walking. 2) Many hunters do not want to loose their highly trained dogs. These collars let those dogs know when it’s time to look for their owners. 3) They can be used as an emergency measure to stop a dogfight, with a dog trained to know what the stim means.

Types/Brands: 1) Dogtra is made overseas (Korea, I think). They are the more affordable unit with 100 levels of stim (also known as shock). Dogtra can come with either a beeper or a pager (vibrate only) function. 2) Tri-Tronics is American made and the more expensive of the models. The newer models have 12 levels and the collars can come as one, and be built on to up to three at the owner’s convenience.

INVISIBLE FENCE TYPE SYSTEMS:

Some Pros: 1) When done properly, safe way to keep dogs in a boundary area. 2) Allows people with a view, to keep their view without putting up a fence. 3) Generally cheaper than wooden fence systems, and some chain link systems (depends on the square footage). 4) Unlike other non-electronic fencing systems, your dog can’t dig out of it or open the gate to get out. 5) Portable non-fixed (i.e. movable boundary systems) can be brought with you to places like campsites. 6) Nice for city situations where houses are close together, and there is a busy street nearby.

Some Cons: 1) The general public does not understand that this system requires a boundary-training program for the dog in order for it to be efficient and effective (and not abusive). 2) While this keeps your dog inside an area with the proper training, it does not keep loose dogs or other critters outside the area. 3) Dogs should be supervised at all times whether inside a wooden, chain link, or electronic fence for their own safety. 4) In addition to the boundary training, dogs should be trained so as not to alarm the general public walking by their house (as a trainer, I consider this a pro, but the public at large does not understand this). 5) If the electricity goes out, so does your fence (in one type of system, it will cause the collar to activate). However, if your dog has known the boundary for a significant period of time, they aren’t likely to test it. 6) The non-fixed fence system (it has movable boundaries) can cause some duress to your dog, as the boundary is movable even by accident. 7) It hurts, as it’s meant to completely dissuade your dog from crossing the line. However, if training is done properly, your dog may only try it once (after proper boundary training has been done) to find out. Flags and the audible warning also help with this.

Uses: 1) To contain dogs in a defined area outside. 2) Sometimes used to keep a dog outside of defined areas inside (i.e. the kitchen or dining room).

Types/Brands: 1) Fixed wire underground system. This is one in which a shallow trench is dug around your yard where the wire is laid. The collar going over or a specified distance near the wire first causes an audible warning, and then a shock warning. The key is here though that the signal from the wire turns on the collar, as opposed to the movable boundary collar. 2) Systems that have a movable boundary. These are hard if not impossible to set up with the flags, and often have a circular area. They also have warnings of an audible nature, before the dog walks into the shock. However, the signal sent out for the boundary, keeps the collar OFF. So that means, if the electricity shuts off, the collar is turned on to shock the dog. I am not sure, but I believe there is an emergency shut off in these collars.

BARK COLLARS:
I won’t go into these much here, as I have never used them. I use the command quiet (with a metal training or electronic, and I haven’t yet had a dog that was so resistant that I felt the need. That being said, some people summer or live in campgrounds where your dog barking is not going to make you a welcome guest. Many people use this type of collar for those packed in situations. However, I can’t go into much personal detail, never having used the equipment myself.

These types of electronic collars that work on a trigger (such as the vibration of the throat). Some dog figure out how to either move the boxes so they can bark or bark at the lowest level that doesn’t trigger it. I have heard from some people that these work for them.

VIBRATION ONLY REMOTE COLLARS:
I tried one made by Unleashed Technologies.   I like the concept, and wish the collar was made in a quality way.   However, this company did not take the advice of many dog trainers who were curious and ordered it.   Some of the features are automatic, and can not be fully controlled by the handler if the dog is doing the correct thing or incorrect thing.   The vibration is sketchy and inconsistent.   I find the Dogtra receiver put on backwards is a fine tool right now, if you don't want any chance that the electronic stim button might be pressed.   This is what I use on dogs that need only vibration as a remote signal.



Need your dog trained? Visit the http://www.mannerlymutts.com services page. Or contact me at 207-361-4395 in York Maine. Ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer.



Say no to HSUS, PETA, No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC) or Truly Dog Friendly Organization (TDF). Articles and information on why I do not support these organizations is on here and here.

Need your dog trained?  Visit the http://www.mannerlymutts.com services page.   Or contact me at 207-361-4395 in York Maine.   Ask for Robin Rubin, Dog Trainer.


Say no to HSUS, PETA, No Shock Collar Coalition (NSCC) or Truly Dog Friendly Organization (TDF).  Articles and information on why I do not support these organizations is on here and here.