Don’t Shoot the Dog.
Don’t shoot the dog. The title of my first blog is also the title of the first training book I ever read. It was 2000 and I was working at the San Diego Zoo Wild Animal Park, having just accepted a job as a dolphin trainer for the U.S. Navy Marine Mammal Program. I had extensive experience taking care of animals, but very little training experience. Actually, my training experience, at the time, was limited to my one dog, Missy, who I trained when I was 10 years old. I asked one of our very knowledgeable trainers in the education department for advice. One of the first things she recommended was to read Karen Pryor’s Don’t Shoot the Dog. I didn’t see how a dog book would help with dolphin training, but I trusted this trainer and read the book cover to cover. Twenty-three years later, it still holds as one of the most influential animal training books, whether you are training dogs or dolphins, or anything else in between.
Many dog (and cat) guardians, parents, or whatever you refer to yourself as, will at some point question whether getting their animal was the right choice. It might be a 3:00am barking fest, finding trash (vomit, diarrhea, etc.) spread throughout the house, or after the dog destroys a $900 smart phone. If this happens to you, hopefully your first thought will not be to shoot your dog. I have had more than one person contact me and offer me their dog or tell me they want to take their dog to a shelter. This is not an ideal situation either.
Whenever there is a problem with your pup, the first thought should be, “is everyone safe?” You, your dog, other animals, or people in the area. If the answer is no, do whatever you have to in order for everyone to be safe. If the answer is yes, then you are at a good point to stop and think about how to best address the issue. Addressing any issue with your pet is going to depend on a variety of factors. If a sudden new problem arises, your first call may need to be to a vet. This is also true if your dog ate or drank something, has an obvious injury, or is just acting weird. The health and safety of your dog always comes first. (I’m probably supposed to say the health and safety of the people come first, but hey, I’m a dog trainer.)
What should you do once you know your dog is safe, healthy, and well fed? What if they are doing things you don’t like or are unsafe? What if they are loose and aren’t coming to you when you call them? You don’t want them to get lost, hurt, or killed. What do you do if your dog is barking, jumping, getting in the trash, or has some other annoying habit, like pooping all over the house? What if you just feel like your dog is stubborn and doesn’t want to listen? What happens when you feel like your dog is pulling your shoulder out of the socket on walks? These are the situations where you don’t want to rehome (or shoot) your dog, but rather talk to a trainer or behavior consultant. I’ll have more on the difference between the two in a future blog post. (I happen to be both a trainer and behavior consultant, so I have you covered.)
Do you really want to hire someone else to train your dog? Should you use books, magazine articles, and free videos on YouTube? To answer both of these questions, no! Let me clarify. I’ve watched hundreds of videos of dog training, read dozens of books, and lost count of the number of research articles I’ve read. First, you probably don’t have to time to read and watch all of that; it’s taken me over 20 years. More importantly, what I’ve learned in those 20 years, is you have no idea the quality of the trainer whose advice you are following. I read a book, nearly 20 years ago, that I thought 95% of was totally nuts, but the other 5% was golden. Ok, it was probably more like 98% and 2%, but I still follow that 2% today. Years ago, I began watching a serious of videos to get some new ideas. The videos were free on YouTube. They appeared professionally done and the trainer appeared competent. As I watched more of them, learned more about the trainer, increased my knowledge on the scientific and academic side of dog training, I realized that this trainer was still just a little bit off the mark. The science behind animal training has improved a lot over the past 20 years and not everyone has kept up.
So, should you hire someone to train your dog? My answer is still, no! (Let me throw in one caveat here. If your goal is to have your dog trained in a highly specialized skill, especially protection training, then, that is the time you want to make sure to hire someone who specializes in that service.) This is your dog, they are going to be living in your house, will be part of your life and your world. It doesn’t do you any good for your dog to listen to someone else. If a trainer uses the “board and train” or “drop your dog off for the day” approaches to training, you will have no idea what methods the trainer is using and how your dog is being treated while you are not there. What is your alternative?
Aside from finding a good vet, finding a good trainer is one of the best investments you can make for your dog and your family. Hopefully, you will have your dog for 10 to 20 years, maybe longer. A few months of training your dog can pay off with a lifetime of fun and good manners. It can be difficult to find a trainer and if you do find one, how do you know they are a good one? First, a good trainer won’t train your dog, they will teach you to train your dog. This way the dog will listen to you. If a behavior breaks down over time, which can happen, you will know exactly how to train it back up to speed. If you take your dog to a new setting like on a hike or to a restaurant you know your dog will listen to you.
What else does a good trainer look like? They will keep up with current training knowledge. Currently positive reinforcement training is the scientifically proven best training technique for the overall health, well-being, and safety of your dog, you, and those around you. I’ll get into what positive reinforcement training is in more detail in future blog posts. How will you know what technique a trainer uses? If you hear them talk about or see shock collars, pinch collars, prong collars, choke collars, or slip leads, make like a bunny being chased by a dog and RUN!!!! That is not positive reinforcement training. If you hear them talk about or demonstrate scruffing, dominance, alpha, or alpha rolls, make like a dog chasing a squirrel and run. All of the above-mentioned items and terms are old and outdated forms of punishment-based training. If they tell you to get in your dog’s face and growl at your dog or bite your dog’s ear, make like a coyote chasing a roadrunner and run.
How do you tell if you have a good, positive reinforcement trainer? A good trainer will help you understand your dog. They will talk about building your dog’s confidence, helping them learn, rewarding their good behaviors, and teaching them be part of your family. You will probably hear lots of talk of food, treats, toys, and play. They will likely recommend a good buckle collar, or better yet a harness. They will want you and your entire family involved in teaching your dog. They will generally recommend a regular nylon or leather 6-foot-long leash and will have you avoid retractable leashes. (Retractable leashes are unsafe and encourage your dog to pull. More on that in a future blog post.) After your first session with a good positive reinforcement trainer, your dog (and you) won’t want them to leave and will be excited when they return.
I hope you enjoyed reading my first blog post and hope it helps you create a more harmonious life with your dog. That is all for now. Stay PAWSitive.