By Tyler Muto
The post is very important to me, and it is likely to upset some people. Those involved will not admit their guilt, will deny every aspect of what I am about to say, and place the blame elsewhere.
There is a silent killer in the dog training world. It is not a virus, not a piece of equipment, not a bacteria.
It is an idea.
It is the idea that all dogs, in all situations, should be trained with nothing other than rewards, and without ever the use of aversives. “Reward what you like and ignore what you don’t” is the mantra that is preached, and all will be well in the world. In the dog training community this philosophy goes by many names, some call it Pure Positive (which is not an accurate description), some call it Progressive Reinforcement, some call it Reward only, but for the purposes of this article I will refer to it as Aversive Free or AF
*Aversive Free (AF) Training can be defined as training which involves only the R+ and P- quadrants of learning. When I refer to Aversive Free (AF) Trainers in this article, I am not referring to those who simply choose this approach for themselves, but I am referring to those who vehemently oppose the use of aversives for any dog in any situation.
Let me be clear, what I am referring to is not the idea that reward only techniques are good, and work in some cases. What I am referring to is the dogmatic belief that this is the ONLY way to train a dog, or deal with behavior problems. The aversive free philosophy is that any type of consequence other than simply removing the reward, is cruel, inhumane, and barbaric.
I want to avoid going into a dissertation on learning theory here, but let me also be clear: If you think rationally, and apply simple logic, it becomes clear that this approach to training dogs will have significant limitations. ‘Contrary to their claims, a aversive free (my edit to terminology) training approach is not as effective and takes considerably longer to reach any level of reliability even close to what a balanced approach can produce. In some instances, reliability cannot be realized using a positive only approach and some dogs will not be trainable at all until appropriate corrections are included.’ (Quoted from Roger Hild.)
“Well,” you might be asking at this point. “What does this have to do with death and killing.”
Quite a bit in fact. You see, rewards are used primarily to create new behavior and offer little to no assistance in communicating to a dog that a certain behavior is unacceptable. However, millions of dogs are killed in this country every year because of behaviors that are deemed “unacceptable.” The AF fanatics have made such a roar that the majority of shelters and rescues have adopted an aversive free philosophy within their organizations. Why? Well probably a few reasons. For one, it sounds great on paper to say that you only reward dogs, and never punish with aversives. Secondly, they have drank the kool-aid. The aversive free proponents have created such a buzz, and are so good at promoting their philosophy that they have many people believing that anything can be accomplished with reward based techniques, and that corrections are always bad and will ruin your dog forever.
Yep, shelter staff, daycare owners, breeders, veterinarians, and many others (most of whom have only trained a handful, if any dogs in their life. And likely have never worked a dog, hands on, through a serious aggression problem.) have been duped into believing this non-sense.
Many well meaning dog owners have also been sucked in, believing that, armed with cookies, hugs, and rays of sunshine they can transform their aggressive, unruly pooch into a well mannered pet.
It’s an easy argument to sell. After all, rewarding dogs is fun, and correcting is not. So when people are told by a professional that they never have to correct their dog again, they are all ears.
Unfortunately, most dogs with serious behavior issues will not be helped with this approach.
And then come the excuses, “This dog needs medication,” “He was traumatized too much as a puppy and will never recover,” or the classic “It’s not the dog, it’s the owner.” the list goes on and on.
When the AF approach fails, the only other option is euthanasia. After all, it would be unheard of to just give a dog a simple correction, to help it understand that there are certain behaviors in life that have consequences. Simple, immediate, consequences.
Luna the Aussie has a history of biting eight people and dogs, Georgia has attacked several dogs, now they are rough housing together without a problem.
Use a leash and prong collar to create momentary discomfort. . . .Oh no, anything but that. Death is certainly a better option.
Don’t believe me?
I am a member of many online dog forums, one of which used to be over-run by the AF cult. (For more on the ‘cult’ of aversive free see here). One woman had a young dog who she was having some trouble with. Even though she was using the aversive free techniques that supposedly can fix any problem, she was continuing to struggle with her dog. Several people on the forum advised her that she should try a prong collar to correct her dogs behavior. “No way,” she said, “I’d sooner put him to sleep than do that.”
Well folks, guess what wound up happening to that unruly pup? That’s right, euthanasia. (Murder if you ask me.)
Needless to say, she was subsequently kicked off the forum, and other members stopped listening to the AF nonsense.
More recently, I was brought a foster dog by a rescue volunteer. The dog had been showing some fear aggression and no one had been successful in making any progress in the months that he had been with the rescue. The volunteer had been a client of mine with her own dogs, and seen success with similar issues, she had also been to the AF trainers that the rescue recommends, and seen no success. The rescue coordinator had already made it very clear that this dog was “running out of time.” (That means either he will be euthanized, or dumped on another rescue.) Several of the rescue’s volunteers had pleaded with the coordinator to let them bring the dog to me, because it is well known that I have a very high success rate working with aggression cases. “Out of the question,” they were told. Simply because I apply a Balanced Training Philosophy. In other words I apply both reward and consequence (beyond the removal of reward) to help create understanding. Yep, the rescue would rather give up on the dog, than send it to a trainer who doesn’t conform to their religion. Then, in subsequent emails, they blamed the volunteers. The very people who reached out to help this guy, took the blame for his failure.
Over 50% of these dogs have histories of aggression to people and dogs. By enforcing rules and leadership, every one can be together peacefully. (At our Pack Socialization Class)
Unfortunately, this dog’s fate is likely doomed now.
The other unfortunate thing is that these “trainers” who claim to be so positive with dogs, are often not so positive with people. The same trainer who yesterday recommended euthanasia to a dog, today will publicly bash me and call me cruel and inhumane for rehabilitating the same dog, all because I gave a small correction. I save the dogs life, but I’m the cruel one! Myself and thousands of other Balanced trainers have had to deal with name calling, accusations, slander and defamation by the AF. I even had another local trainer say to a client of mine “I recommend euthanasia for him, but whatever you do, don’t go to K9 Connection.”
As Josh Moran The Barefoot Dog Trainer has said, “The Aversive Free mantra should be ‘Death Before Discomfort!’”
The Black dog in the back had been told by other trainers that he should be euthanized due to dog aggression. After ONE correction, he is able to exist happily.
Of course if you talk to any Aversive Free trainer, they will never admit this. Why would they? It would put an end to their reign of terror.
Even in the situations were an AF only approach can work, it often takes a very long time. and time is something that many shelter dogs just don’t have. If they don’t show quick improvement, then off to the chopping block they go.
This is the reality for hundreds of thousands of dogs in this country.
Let me say that a bit more clearly: Aversive Free dog training is responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of dogs every year.
I am tired of this issue being pushed under the rug. I am tired of clients coming to me in tears after being told by positive dog trainers that their beloved pet could never be helped. And I am sickened to think about the numbers of innocent dog owners who actually took their advice.
The Aversive Free Trainers say they never punish, I guess capital punishment doesn’t count.
Gracie the Pit Bull would have died in the shelter if a volunteer hadn’t pulled her out and brought her to me.
Again, I must restate. I have nothing against positive, rewards based dog training (I myself use positive dog training every day, it is a necessary component of a balanced approach), or those who choose the positive approach for themselves. It is the dogmatically Aversive Free mentality that I am speaking against. Those who force this philosophy on everyone around them, believe that it is the only way, and bash other techniques.
We need to wake up and realize that there is a balance. Using corrections does not mean you must cause pain, fear, and intimidation. Aversive free training has a place in the dog training world, but it is not the only place. We need to return to open-mindedness in dog training. After all, lives are at stake.
Please read the articles linked at the bottom of this post, and if you love dogs, share this article. It is time for a change.
Relevant links:
Video of me introducing a prong collar to a foster dog. (If anyone can call this abuse, I’d be shocked.)
Plan B – Kill The Dog by Roger Hild
Behaviorism Vs. Intelligent Choice by Roger Hild
The Power of Balanced Training. By Sean O’Shea of The Good Dog
Love. By Jeff Gellman of Solid K9 Training
An Interesting Article on the direction of dog training from the Toronto Sun
Cults In Dog Training by Roger Hild
Last but not least, A Great Article by the very provocative Terrierman Patrick Burns.
Hello Tyler,
Clear and long over due, very well done!
All the best for your continued transformational success.
Aloha
Scott
Nicely done. I feel the same. I would add that positive training gives people the false impression that they are “trainers”. They are not, and never will be. Sadly, reality in todays dog world is not very popular. : )
This is spot on. Just so Everyone knows – the Aussie Luna (aka Lunatic) is part of my pack. Tyler has implemented the techniques he speaks of with great success. We were on the verge of losing a family/pack member before his expertise and that of his crew. Because of these techiniques I am able to use Positive reinformcement. The confidence in my posture, tone and actions are clear and she understands me well. this has made life with our other pack member even easier since applying the same techniques. These techniques are no more inhumane that shaking a can of pennies or clapping as long as the trainer is well balanced and not acting out of anger. (or at least willing to learn)
Well said! I am a client and great admirer of the work you do with dogs and their humans!
You mean to tell me that the treat in my hand isn’t more valuable than the squirrel darting across the freeway?
You mean to tell me that the head halter isn’t safer than a prong collar?
You mean to tell me that an e collar is worth the freedom my dog could experience anywhere we go?
Nonsense… I’ll stick to my milk bones, halter and flexi lead.
Great post Tyler. I couldn’t agree more.
Love your post, Tyler. Very succinctly puts it into perspective. I use a balanced approach and I use remote collars, NOT for problem solving but for every single dog I train so that we can get off-leash quickly and without any major issues. ALL KINDS of different temperaments, personalities, issues, rehab, everything. And I love it and so do our clients. Even every dog in our rescue program is trained this way and it’s amazing… before adoption. Within a month almost always. So people get to go home and they and their dog can TRULY enjoy one another and live an amazing, active life with PEACE OF MIND!!! …off leash…
dude that is one focused dog!! how the hell do you get him to ionrge the other dogs?!! my dog is 5 months old, and listens well, knows basic commands, but gets distracted easily.
well done and thank
you
Hear, hear! Prong collars aren’t a cure-all, but I agree wholeheartedly that the momentary discomfort of correction more than outweighs other, more dire, consequences. When used correctly, prong collars truly are life savers.
Excellent post Tyler! As a member of a dog club with plenty of “Pure Positive” trainers, it is ridiculous to see the number of people who drop out of their classes because they come to the club for help with their aggressive, reactive, unsocialized (insert any other word), but receive no practical solutions to their problems. They have no interest in listening to a balanced approach, even after they “ohh and ahh” after watching my (and others) upper level competition dogs (who are trained with balanced methods) work in the next ring.
Shannon, I have seen pics and videos of your dogs, you do beautiful work!
-Tyler
THANK GOD!! Someone has FINALLY spoken up!!I agree 100% that you have to have BALANCE! Do you know how many Springers (my primary breed) are “trained” by owners who don’t want to “hurt their baby” and the dogs bad behaviour escalates and it has to be put down? And yet, the few that come to my house I never seem to have a problem! I also think the smarter a dog is, the more likely you will be to have a problem. I will be referring your page OFTEN! Thank you so much!!
Sigh. Pure positive doesn’t exist. Force free is not PURELY positive. You are continuing the falsehood that purely positive even exists. Any trainer who thinks they are purely R+ doesn’t understand OC at all. So therefore they are NOT good trainers.
I consider myself a positive trainer, meaning that the training I use involves R+, P- and occasional R-. P+ is not part of the mix. I use the LIMA approach and it works. Positive is NOT permissive.
That whole “it will work or put the dog down” stuff is absolutely NOT true for the majority of force free trainers out there, in fact, my experience has been the opposite, that the other side of the coin has been quicker to tell a person to euth their “dangerous dog”.
The people like you mentioned in your anecdote are NOT skilled trainers and they are few and far between, thankfully. Just like exceptionally abusive trainers are not super common.
I agree, purely positive should not exist, but unfortunately it does. It some areas it is more prevalent than others. I have friends in california who do not have the same problem that I just described, so your experiences may differ from mine.
Unfortunately in my area, “trainers” who preach this rubbish are very prevalent and it has become a huge problem. I agree, they are not skilled. Thank you for your comment, it is nice to get a slightly different view point.
-Tyler
I total agree with you. I grow up with your type of training.
Behavioral research has advanced beyond Skinner indeed. There is a time and place for corrections, and yes it is necesary at times. If done correctly, you should not have to repeat a correction – the lightest possibel to make the point – more than a few times. Since I work with people, there is an emphasis on empirical evidence for every aspect of treatment. While dog research does indicate that the “dominance” model is unsubstantiated and ineffective, more research need to be done on more balanced approaches as above. Balance, yes agreed!
WOW. What a thought provoking article. I wish I knew how to change dogs behavior with one correction. This has made me rethink my purely positive approach, although I do let my dogs know they have done the wrong behavior with a verbal no reward marker. And you are right, purely positive takes longer.
Thank you for your comment, if a positive approach is working for you, then stick with it. I appreciate you having an open mind and seeing that there is more than one way.
-Tyler
I could not agree more with this and for the longest time felt I was “the only one.” I do in fact know of a situation where the dog was PTS rather then take the bull by the horns. Made me very sad..
Thank you for writing this and helping me not feel so all alone : )
I agree with the balance…..but how do you approach county administrators who have decided that a method is cruel when the consequence would have been murder and mayhem to the balance of the students dogs in the class.
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Bravo! Well put!!! It’s so nice to read the voice of reason. Thank you for taking the time to write this and share.
Paula
I have been surfing online greater than 3 hours today, but I by no means discovered any attention-grabbing article like yours. It’s beautiful worth enough for me. Personally, if all website owners and bloggers made good content as you probably did, the web might be a lot more useful than ever before.
I find your article a bit sweeping. And training and learning are not simple tasks and no one method used exclusively is going to be effective on every dog. No one should be doing any form of professional training without a thorough understanding of how dogs learn and how they interpret both rewards and corrections and the incredible importance of timing. And that which works quickly does not always last long–an important consideration in training any animal.
When dealing with aggression in dogs, it is crucial that one understand not just that the dog is displaying aggression, but type (and there are many types), and possible causes (pain, fear, anxiety, neurological issues). Two of the best books on aggression (in my opinion) are/were written by force free trainers: The Canine Aggression Workbook by James O’Heare and Aggression In Dogs: PRACTICAL MANAGEMENT
PREVENTION & BEHAVIOUR MODIFICATION by Brenda Aloff.
agreed. any trainer should have thorough understanding of how dogs learn and interpret rewards and corrections and the different types of agression, et all. AND not one method will work for every dog. I also believe,(in that we are one of Tyler’s clients) Tyler is fully aware of all of these things as well. In fact I have found him to be extremely knowledgeable in those areas. I’m puzzled as to how you seem (based on your post) to have come to the conclusion that he doesn’t understand any of the principles you point out. As I read his article, I found that he is only calling to the carpet the dogmatic PURE POSITIVE trainers as believing their METHOD is the only valid one and trashing not only other methods but the trainers too.
Some parents never say No to their children either.
Great post Tyler! I don’t understand how those who preach positive only can say they know and want the best for dogs!
2 years ago I was told my adolescent GSD was dominant, aggressive and potentially dangerous. I was warned against using any corrective collars and told to ignore bad behavior and reward good behavior. After raising 4 kids through the teen years and working daily with teens I know this is bad parenting, and figure it is also bad dog raising!
Turned out my dog just needed some limits, boundaries and consequences for bad behavior. ( and I know many others who have found the same to be true with their dogs)
My dog is now well behaved, happy and we are enjoying off leash beaches and camping.
If I had stayed with the positive only baloney, he would be sentenced to a life of being managed, or maybe even euthanized if he got out and bit another person or dog.
The humane use of aversives is a part of positive training needed by many dogs.
This is just GREAT! I am thanking you for this. This is something I strongly, more then strongly believe in. I loose a lot of clients because they think that only positive reactions are the only way, but in reality that is not how training goes. Its both positive and correcting. Its the same as raising a child. When we let our children do what they want and only pay attention to when they are only doing good, and not correcting them when they do wrong, well it just doesn’t work out that way. Both kids and dogs need rules, and boundrys. Let them know when they have done something good, and let them know when they are doing wrong. I know of way too many dogs who have lost their lives because people just don’t listen. You are doing something that is a huge dream of mine. Helping dogs and saving their lives. I wish I could find a place were I can do that. I have a foster dog in my house at the moment who had a live of no rules and boundrys, what a messed up case he was. Now he is a great dog and very happy. I am telling you that if I ever get the money to open a place up, I will save the lives of many dogs who deserve to have the second chance. You have inpired me that much more. Thank you soooooooo much for sharing this
I have to wholeheartedly disagree. I have rehabbed an insanely leash reactive dog and compete in competition obedience with another dog using 99% positive reinforcement training. I’m not a zealot out there telling people any other way is wrong, but I have no need for punishment. All of the dogs I have ever had have been rescues with major behavior issues and I was able to rehab them using those “darn cookies.” The problem with both methods is that the regular pet owning public can’t use either method effectively. I’m sure this won’t be posted…I just wanted to leave my thoughts.
It doesn’t sound as though you wholeheartedly disagree, maybe just misunderstand. As I say in the post, I have no problem with those who choose to train with primarily reward based systems. It is only the “zealots” out there who I think are doing harm. If the approach you are using is working for you, then I commend you.
The only statement you made that rubbed me the wrong way was when you said “those darn cookies”, it sounds as though you are implying that I have an issues with treat training. I don’t. If you browse through my page and my videos you will see that I use a lot of marker training and treat training in my work. To me, knowing how to use ‘cookies’ is just as important as knowing how to use corrections.
OMG we need more people like you to speak up. Your article is very well written and it is so true.
It is time for eveyone to take notice and do the right thing by all dogs not just the easy ones to train.
I love workig with hard to train dogs as i love to see the change and what they can become with balanced training.
I often say to people that dogs are just like children they are all different and what works for one may not work for another.
Well said and my hat goes off to you for speaking up about this issue that is killing so many great dogs.
Keep up the good work.
Tyler correct me if I’m wrong, but doesn’t Balanced Training mean you use multiple approaches to re-habbing a dog? in that the approach uses rewards, praise and corrections and perhaps other facets too? Why does it seem that people with a PP point of view continually contend that balanced training means only corrections which means ABUSE? IDK when I come to class with our dog, I make sure I come with a full bag of treats to reward good behavior. I nearly ran out once because she was doing so well. So if Balanced training is, as PP would have people believe, bereft of rewards and just horridly cruel corrections, why do we, your clients, hear you and your staff telling us to calmly go back to our dogs and praise/treat them? I’m new to this whole controversial subject. From my experience with our dog and logically speaking, in general, an approach called “Balanced” would imply that training would mean using several ways to rehab a dog. Which, imo, make more sense than sticking to only one way (ie just rewards or just corrections) especially when dealing with dogs with serious issues. IDK just an observation by a regular pet owner.
Positive is good but they like children need corrections. So they understand what is expected of them. What will and will not be allowed. That is why the owner is or should be the pack leader. Corrections need not and should not be abusive, painful, or mean or given out of anger or frustration. If I didn’t have a choke collar on Tasha, which some people consider mean and abusive she would be dead!!! As a herding breed she chases anything that moves which dangerous includes CARS.
You are saving their lives ! No good parent thinks it can be all sugar and fun. There ae times u draw the line. You have to set limits. I am a dog and I know this is fact. I would think it is common sense but it does not seem to be very cocommon….. Thank you Jeff for being willing to take the heat and get the hate mail from those who have no idea what Rehab is. You do this every day saving countless live. Forgetaboutit
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Exactly what kind of corrections are you talking about? Are you talking about aggression or just not obeying simple commands? I agree that sometimes you can’t just let the dog figure it out, they need help, but you have to be careful how you do the correction, Some breeds (shelties) are more sensitive then others I personally would not use a prong collar.
In this article I am talking mostly about corrections for aggression or other serious behavior. Although in reality some dogs need corrections for reliable obedience. I agree, they are not all the same, and care should be taken, especially with more sensitive types like shelties.
I have rehabilitated and trained a couple thousand dogs without using prong/choke or leash corrections at all. Do I use a verbal reprimand on a dog that barks at the neighbours? Sure, but since that dog already has a beautiful bond, he respects and needs nothing more. Positive training works, period. Every day, on thousands and thousands of dogs. If you knock it, it must be because you just dont understand it. If you understood it and saw how much more effective it is, you would be a crossover trainer like myself the thousands out there. I threw out my prong collars years ago and have never looked back. My goal is to help dogs, if positive training did not work, then i wouldn’t have crossed over.
It sounds like you must be a very good trainer. Do you have a website or any videos where we can see your work? I have been training dogs for many years and met hundreds of trainers, and I am yet to meet someone who has accomplished what you say. I don’t mean to sound like a skeptic, but I have met many who say they can do this, but then can never show it in person. I hope you don’t take that the wrong way, I truly would love to see your work, and perhaps I can learn something.
**Update: I have found your web site and youtube channel. Lots of cute tricks, not a single tough dog with aggression or any other behavior problems. Also on your website, a few testimonials about happy-go-lucky dog class, a bunch of new puppy owners, and one shy skittish dog, but again. . . no testimonials about anything serious. No aggression. I also see that you are very young, so the idea that you have rehabilitated thousands of dogs seems unlikely, although I may be wrong there. If you see my testimonials page, and my reviews on yahoo etc, nearly all of them are very serious. Many talk about dogs being on death row, being failed by other trainers etc.
Please show some evidence that you are not a phony, because right now. . . sigh. . it seems that you are just one more positive trainer who talks a lot but does little.
I don’t do tricks or agility, all day every, myself and my staff of 4 full time trainers work with dogs who have serious issues, I have it on video and testimonial. No BS here.
i hate when people preach about prong collars and the use of shock collars, always saying it is inhumane, etc.. fact is they are very effective tools and a trainer who does not know how to use them and help there clients that possibly should need them is an ineffective trainer.. i believe in many techniques but only for those trained properly to use them. as a working dog trainer and handler i must say no matter how well controlled my dogs are if they are on a prong in public no matter what, for many safety reasons. i also can say i have seen so many idiots out in the world that have no idea how to set the prong and fit it properly and shock collars that are on the dog in places the will harm them. so yes they can be menacing if u are uneducated in the proper way use and correct setting for them.. i have just had an article i wrote not to long ago on this for animal behavior collage. i wanna say i agree with these methods fully and k9 connections ability to use them properly!! there are some dogs that are very HARD dogs and i mean not hard to teach but hard as in the pain tolerance and the idea that they win an u lose.. an half the people i have met that trash prongs, etc are the same idiots that scream and yell at there dogs and act aggressive towards them.. sad but true.. over all with the right trainer and an educated handler these methods work great!!
You’re totally right, I have the same feeling since years. I have to add that personally I make a difference between training (= learning nice ‘tricks’ that you don’t especially need to live together but that just make fun) and education (where you really learn the dog how to behave when living together with us) : the former can be done AF, the latter can certainly not.
Interesting article. While I prefer to teach a dog what to do rather than punishing what not to do, I agree a balanced and thoughtful approach is key. I train using rewards primarily (rarely food, mostly play/tug) but I will most definitely let a dog know when they are making a mistake. If that can be done with a word, great, if not, I have no problem using the leash, body blocking etc.
A casual observation of mine from several forums I participate in as well as real life: Those who swear they use only positive means tend to have and primarily train small dog breeds. If they’re faced with an agressive large breed dog, they’re quick to have them euth’d rather than deal with the issue more directly. I know very few purely positive trainers who train large breeds regularly at all, never mind one with any severe behavioral issues other than minor leash pulling. In short, when all they have to do is scoop up their misbehaving dog, it’s pretty easy to claim ‘force free’ , even though they’re using force (picking the dog up, pulling it away etc) on a regular basis to get the results they want.
Thank you for this!! I teach dogs via positive reenforcement, why??? Because I DO NOT have the expertise/ training knowledge and therefore suggest aggression training needs be sought!! I offer what info/suggestions I can and if that doesn’t work I suggest the owner seek further professional help…that doesn’t always happen our the correct help is not found!!! The dog dies!!! I wish you lived close so I could refer owners to you oor so I could learn from you!!!
(
Good article. I just want to ask…how do you feel about using reward based training to teach desired behaviour, not necessarily being aversive free but working to limit aversives (they are not the first go to) and always having as mild an aversive as possible. I am very, very positive, rewards based trainer but I do not believe in euthanizing a dog before using aversive. However, I do follow a least intrustive/aversive philosophy when working with dogs.
Leadership is the foundation, and I think a lot of trainers miss this. Boundaries, rules, structure, all important. But rewards are used as much as possible and certainly when purposefully trying to teach something. When and if aversives are used it must be done carefully and thoughtfully.
Thoughts?
Yes, I agree with everything you said. Open-mindedness is all I am asking for.
You should definetly create some instructional videos and sell them as online streaming!!! After reading about only the ‘positive/clicker’ trainers out there I am kind of lost how to properly teach basic obedience using your balanced training philosophy!!
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This meant a lot to me…Tyler, I am living this RIGHT NOW. I have an adopted 5 year old shelter dog (border collie) and she is growly, and nips ankles. She is aggressive towards any dogs larger than herself, and growls at children. She nips unpredictably.
These are serious problems, yes. Is she “Cujo”? no, not all. She’s very loving to us, her owners.
But what are trainers telling me? PUT HER DOWN…..return her to the shelter. She is hopeless. She’s had clicker training, and it’s fine, but has not addressed her growling and nipping. (Clicker training is wonderful for POSITIVE learning; I have found it is worthless to teach a dog “what NOT to do”.)
I have expressed shock and dismay that supposed DOG LOVERS would say so quickly “put your otherwise healthy young dog to sleep” but they are very cheerful to do this, and give up. Of course, they violently oppose shock collars, prong collars, even choke collars. Everything must be done with “little treats” — never mind my dog was morbidly obese when I got her….under a strict healthy diet, has slimmed down to normal (in under 3 months) and as a result, I CANNOT simply stuff her with fattening treats all the time!
But mostly, I am traumatized by being told to give up. And they are adamant about this. I am reminded of the so-called “PETA animal lovers”, who oppose meat eating and experimentation on lab animals — but will release animals from a pound, only to euthanize them all in the end. Sometimes the softest-hearted “animal lover” does more harm than “compassionate but tough love”.
Very good article.
Every dog is different and every situation with them is different, so how can one approach work for every dog in every situation? It can’t. You are so right in your approach to training both animal and human. My dogs are my babies and I love them and spoil them but they are required to listen to commands, I also have fun training them to do tricks for treats, whatever works, and food works great for the tricks. This does not replace the standard training of sit, stay, leave it, etc. it just adds some fun to their routine. Use whatever works to get results without hurting your dog, what can possibly be wrong with that?
Excellent article, and so refreshing to find a trainer who actually understands the need for balance & individualization for each dog. Thank you for writing this!