The realm of our knowledge about dogs and dog behavior is unfortunately full of misinformation. Professional trainers are hit in the face with it every day when they meet with clients- owners who are basing their behavior on inaccurate or incomplete information-dont play tug with dogs, dont let a dog go out the door first, dont comfort a scared dog, its better not to use food in training and certainly never people food, Im sure you have plenty you can add to the collection. The more bad information the more we see an increase in the number of people selling it. The problem is that pet owners dont know that its bad information, and apparently neither do the merchants of it (Im giving them the benefit of the doubt here by assuming they are acting out of ignorance not greed). Any one of us could do something with a dog, with numerous dogs, and achieve the results we were after. I am not prepared to moderate discussions about what works or what doesnt when it strays from the guidelines for this group. We are all well aware of how quickly forums like this can degrade into messes of misunderstanding, wounded feelings and name calling. To avoid this I have specifically, and I hope clearly, defined the information and methods that are appropriate to recommend here. *Keep the dog feeling safe. If you cant manage their environment so they are not chronically stressed, see a vet about meds. If life happens and a dog cannot be kept feeling safe for some reason, dont lose sight of the need for it. Dont base your plan on helping the dog on a system that routinely puts the dog in situations in which they have concerns for their safety. That some dogs can learn to cope when flooding, desensitization on its own or habituation are used to treat their fearfulness is not good enough to make them acceptable tactics to suggest in this group. Its not easy to keep some dogs feeling safe. That doesnt change the need for it. *Desensitize AND countercondition to things or events that scare or worry the dog. If you dont understand this process its important that you do. It is an easy process to explain but also easy to do incorrectly and you will not see the desired results. It is also possible to be sloppy and get the results you are after, but dont be misled into thinking that your experience with this is an excuse to continue being sloppy. Sometimes we salvage a bad situation as best we can. Salvage it and get back on track asap. *Train using positive reinforcement. For most of these dogs food will be the reinforcer. Play and access to desirable resources can also be reinforcing. If you know what the behavior is you need the dog to perform and you know how to use R+ to train it becomes a question of figuring how much you need to break the behavior down into parts the dog can learn and build on them. You will need to figure out how to set the dog up to be able and likely to do what you want them to do. This is where ones training mechanics and understanding of the learning process are put to the test. My goal, and I see it happening beautifully, is for people joining and sharing their challenges with us, to be met with support and advice for devising solutions to the meeting the guidelines of safety, DS/CC, and R+ training. Thank you. Thank you very much.
Posted on: Sat, 03 May 2014 11:47:09 +0000
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