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The idea that dog training and problem solving requires the establishing of dominance, with the human taking the role as pack leader (such as suggested by Cesar Millan and others) is challenged by scientific data that suggests that canines do not naturally have rigid dominance hierarchies Read More
Canine Dominance: Is the Concept of the Alpha Dog Valid?
Thank Dr. Coren for writing about dominance in canids. More discussion is very worthwhile since we still have cultural shifts to make to understand the role of dominance in canids.
It is a good thing. Unfortunately, the common cultural association with dominance is that it is mean, punitive, and crude, and just bad. Because the "D" word is associated with so many negative things, many people work hard to prove that dominance and alpha status does not exist in wolves or domestic dogs.
I am a wildlife veterinarian who specializes in humane capture and handling of wildlife. I work with free-ranging and captive wolves and coyotes and work extensively with street or feral dogs around the world. I am also author of the Feral Dog Blog in WordPress at http://feraldog.wordpress.com.
Dominance and the resulting alpha status is alive and well and a necessary component in canid relationships. The confusion is that dominance and alpha status does to not have to be mean and extreme. It is as simple as a raised tail or a body position to clarify the relationship.
Dominance used in a good way - with compassion - is an essential tool for working with fearful dogs. How can dominance be used in a good way? Think of truly compassionate parents who still guide their children with authority. I also explore the topics of dominance on my blog and have a video which demonstrates using it in a good way to catch a captive wolf. I respectfully offer this other perspective.
Sincerely, Mark Johnson DVM, Global Wildlife Resources, Inc. http://www.wildliferesources.org/
Canine Dominance: Is the Concept of the Alpha Dog Valid?
No one is saying that the concept of Dominance Relationships between dogs is not valid (at least I hope not). The issue is that many people, trainers, yes even veterinarians, use the concept of dominant relationships to explain ALL aspects of canine behavior. Dogs do not jump up on people because they are trying to dominate them, for example. An animal is dominant in a relationship (notice that the word dominance should always be used with relationship since dominance is not a personality trait but relates to how two individuals determine access to resources)if it is able to acquire access to valued resources (food, resting areas, territory, sex, etc). This can be done with overt aggression but more often, since it is counterproductive for animals to be constantly engaged in "warfare", it is determined by ritualized posturing and threats. The outcome is often determined by the subordinate individual deferring to the higher ranking one in THAT PARTICULAR CONTEXT (since the relationship can vary and is context specific based on the conditions of the interaction (type of resource and location, for example).
Where this really comes home to roost is when people try to explain dog's interactions with humans in the same manner. In order for this concept to apply accurately in interspecific interactions you would need to see a pet dog displace a person from a resource (since defense of an already acquired resource can occur with disregard for the existent dominance relationships in a group). This would mean, for example, the family dog can get a person in the household to relinquish their meal or their seat on the couch. This does not happen in my experience. Dogs mainly react aggressively due to fear. They learn that aggressive displays made in situations in which a stimulus is triggering a fear response in the animal, and that aggressive behavior causes the departure or retreat of the individual, is positively reinforced and, therefore by definition, is more likely to be used again by the animal in the future. Using force in fearful animals may temporarily suppress the outward expression of that fear but it does nothing to change the underlying motivation. It may also suppress the earlier expressions of anxiety (tongue flicking, yawning, raised paws, sideways glances, growls, etc) such that the animal may only signal through the use of the actual bite making the aggression "unpredictable". Force can also cause the animal to escalate its aggressive response as a means of self-preservation or link the punisher with the stimulus that is present at the time that the punisher is applied.
Remember, aggression is a symptom (as is vomiting a symptom of an underlying medical disorder) of an underlying emotional state. Without addressing that state you are merely managing outward signs and this is usually a temporary approach.
Excellent response!
Excellent response!
Cesar Millan Dominance training methods
When I apply some of the methods I picked up in whatever form from Cesar Millan, I never feel like I am hurting my dog. I don't feel bad about letting my dog know what rules, boundries and limitations I expect. I don't hit or kick my dog, and when I calm the dog it is not through roughness. Another family member trains their dogs with treats and their dogs will bite , but not me. Cesar has learned different techniques over the six seasons of his show. They do include positive training methods, but I will not let my dog run the house, of that I am positive. Besides, he has changed alot of people's minds about spaying and neutering their pets.
You are extrapolating the
You are extrapolating the idea that using treats in training means permissiveness, from only one example. That is not true.
I also train my dogs, and teach my students to do the same, with rewards. We set boundaries and limitations, and have expectations. The dogs change their behaviors, including giving up biting and other unwanted behaviors.
I have seen it work, over and over, with many dogs. And those much more experienced and knowledgeable than I am, have seen the same.
True Positive Training methods
True positive training methods is not just treats, in fact I rarely use treats, the trainer has to find something the dog will work for. My dogs all work for a variety of rewards, praise, play, squeaky toy even a cuddle on the sofa with me.
Another part of positive training is to set your dog up to succeed, if you leave food on the counter many dogs will think it is fair game and eat it, by making sure there is no food on the counter, eventually your dog will stop looking. This works, it is what I do. It is the same when they raid the garbage, don't leave it out and they can't. You cannot train a dog if you are not there.
You say you use CM methods on your dog, have you been taught how to use them properly? If you haven't how do you know you are doing the right?
One of the reasons why CM gets away with it with dogs is he know how to use the methods, unless you are taught can do damage to your dog and to yourself. I know people who have had really bad bites in the face when alpha rolling a dog, they had seen CM do it.
I have 4 dogs now, this time last year I had 6, all came with problems caused by handling/training by other people, all were turned round, all sleep on my bed and the furniture and I am always being told what well behaved, well mannered dogs I have. I ask my dogs to be quiet when they are barking, they are, I ask them to come, they come. My dogs don't rule my house, we all live together in harmony respecting each other.
Positive does not equal
Positive does not equal permissive. I have trained my seizure alert dog with positive methods only, never corrections.
Why?
My life is in her hands. She has to know disobedience is allowed, even encouraged, in life threatening situations. If I raise my hand to my dog, she will fear me, she will fear to disobey, and my life will be endangered.
My dog needs to trust me, too. Not wonder when I'll start screaming like a maniac or yelling at her or force her onto her back. That damages the relationship.
What you see as firm discipline is actually psychological abuse. While you never see Cesar hang dogs by their collars, I assure you it happens off camera. All that does is teach the dog that whatever the trigger is means pain is coming. And dogs, when faced with pain, will react to protect themselves, violently, if needed.
Don't discount the reward based methods of training based on one example of a friend of a friend who has a cousin that knows this guys.
Instead, go out into the world of dog sports and look at the agility dogs freely, joyfully performing complex behaviors because they were taught by reward and not punishment.
Adopt the training philosophy that the dog is never wrong, just not right. Every behavior has a bit of correctness in it, just like that essay question you get partial credit for. If your dog isn't performing correctly, figure out where your training method was flawed, go back and retrain it using smaller, incremental criteria.
It works a lot better than the 'dominance' BS.
Interesting...
I wonder how many dogs have been put down because their owners failed to recognize and deal with dominance issues properly and the dog became human and/or dog aggressive? I wonder how many trainers who deal only in positive reinforcement have recommended that a dog is "unfixable" and recommended a death sentence? It has been my (albeit limited) experience that the majority of the dogs that develop aggression are owned by people who are unwilling to provide physical boundaries to a dog that is showing early signs of trouble.
You are making a huge leap to
You are making a huge leap to assume that people who accept the fact that the popular concept of "dominance" is false are somehow weakly failing to show any control, and that they give up on dogs as untrainable. It's a real straw man argument.
There are lots of dog owners who are disorganized and don't really train their dogs, whether they are throwing treats at them or yanking on the leash and going "tsssst." Bad dog handling is bad dog handling.
Proper training based primarily on positive reinforcement also includes management to prevent unwanted behavior, and getting the dog to choose preferred behaviors by not getting what he wants with unwanted behaviors. It is not loose or permissive.
In any case, seeing the dog as "dominant" may mean one is not being astute and observant about what is going on. I have seen it be more likely to blind a person to the dog's real personality and training needs, and go for a cookie-cutter anti-"dominance" solution.
Very few dogs are dominant,
Very few dogs are dominant, if you had a group of dogs you would see this, there is no true leader, the leadership changes depending on how a status a dog puts on something. One of my dogs has balls high status, she would have all the balls to herself, she won't even pick up another toy, another dog will have that as a high status.
The dogs I have taken on that were aggressive both to humans and dogs were all trained by dominance methods, it was positive training that has turned these dogs round into very loving, well mannered, dogs that I have been able to take anywhere including hospitals and nursing homes.
Dogs do need boundaries, so do children and even us, we also need boundaries, we have boundaries in our jobs and our homes. They don't have to be physical boundaries.
From a Professional in the Field: Excellent Article
For the last six years I've been a professional dog trainer working with companion dogs as well as dogs for the entertainment industry. I've been a PT reader for about as long and am thrilled to see this article in your publication. In a first meeting with many of my clients they admit to having been bitten or behavior becoming worse after trying "be the alpha" methods like those seen on Cesar Milan's show. Like one of the posters above, despite the multitudes of research saying otherwise, they think training with positive reinforcement doesn't achieve the same results. Many are unwilling to admit, or they truly don't believe, they are training with fear and pain. After six years of trying to change minds on a local level with results from reward based methods I'm glad to see this come to print on a large scale. After training hundreds of Fidos that jump when their owners come home and the cute dogs you see in your favorite TV commercials, the best tool in my training belt is consistency and and a well-timed reward. I'm hoping as this information (finally) becomes more mainstream people will leave dominance theories at in the '50s and enjoy building a better relationship with their dogs.
Thanks to all that have
Thanks to all that have supported +R !!!
It so very rare to read such an article and see so many people respond PRO positive.
One thing which concerns me is referring to the opposite of millan's methods as "Postive Reinforcement". To the average person, and to many, who call themselves professional dog trainers, that means giving a treat every time a dog does something asked. Of course that is not going to seem practical or make any sense at all to them. And, it is going to lead them to say things like, "throwing treats", and "ending up with a fat,lazy dog".
So I am very glad to see that one person did point out that reinforcement does not equal food. My dogs would much rather do other things, given the chance. They are going to get their meals, regardless, every day. Playing frisbee, going for a ride in the car, an ice cube, a game of tug, or "find it",(the possibilities are endless) are things they don't get for certain, every single day, or at a regularly scheduled time. Also, variable reinforcement schedules are just as important. So many people are not taught (within some of the large retail pet store training programs) how to properly fade out lures, and to vary their reinforcement, so that they are not so predictable. Then, these trainers try to teach "clicker" training, when they have no earthly idea about how the concept works themselves.
There are so many reasons that "positive" is often rejected due to misunderstandings.
Just as punishment does not equal pain, reinforcement does not equal food. I can tell by responses that most are at least have SOME knowledge of Training and Behavior, if not professionals, if you are using +R, then chances are, you are also using -P. And surely you recognize that the general public has no clue what -P means. Most can't even give a proper example of -R. They believe that -R is +P.
I don't know how many times I have had people tell me they never use -R on their dogs. When I ask them to give me an example, they give me an example of physical punishment.
So when we, as trainers, us the term, positive training, we sometimes are leaving some to assume that everything is dependent on food and doing everything right all the time. Which, of course, we DO want to see and achieve all things done right ultimately, but during training and in the real world, there is nothing that will always be RIGHT, all the time, in all situations.
Finally, this is the most important thing that has been needing to be done for quite some time, and hopefully, under the American Humane's new committee, soon WILL be accomplished, a standardized licensing should be required for anyone offering training/behavior services, PERIOD !!!!!
Currently, there is the CCPDTA, which is the only organization I would ever consider to become certified with, if I were looking to become active in the Dog Training industry in the next few years. In my opinion, that is probably going to be the guideline for any standardized license that will be issued, considering who the committee members are and, their ethical views on behavior modification and training.
Until that is accomplished, I don't see an end in sight. It is like allowing just anyone to practice psychology, without any education or background experience to speak of, whatsoever. Would you take your child, or yourself, for that matter, to someone to have back surgery done, who had an advertisement in the paper, or online, or better yet, a Reality TV show, who had absolutely no education or degree in the field at all? I would seriously hope not. Groomers have to be licensed, even hunters have to have a license. Why is it, anyone can be a dog trainer?
A wonderful article! It can
A wonderful article!
It can be especially frustrating when such an ivory-tower, anthropomorphic idea as the rigid dominance idea is touted as both down-to-earth and natural.
I'm happy to say that I travel in circles in which the inevitability of the "D" word being misused is getting rarer. There are dog trainers and owners who are keeping up with the science, and have the common sense to realize that it couldn't possibly be the issue with virtually every dog.
I work with families and their dogs, and feel that a lot of the damage was done by the mistaken idea that "the dominance thing" was not only rigid and part of a dog's permanent personality, but also an almost magical insight into canine culture.
Once enough seemingly authoritative people repeated the chant that groups of dogs, and individual dogs living with people, were always vying for dominance, I can see where innocent dog owners began to feel they were being let in on an important secret, by the "experts."
I've worked with people who were utterly blind to the dog in front of them, because they had been urged to see almost every move the dog made as having to do with dominance.
Some of those dogs were fighting back, some were cowering, and some were offering all kinds of behaviors that were probably appeasement or avoidance, but were being punished as dominant, in an endless cycle.
Thank you, Dr. Coren, for these thoughts!
Positive is not permissive
Mike wrote, "I wonder how many trainers who deal only in positive reinforcement have recommended that a dog is 'unfixable' and recommended a death sentence?" I can say that it's pretty rare among my colleagues to do so. In my 13 years of using positive reinforcement with a variety of dogs, I've recommended ONCE that a client consider euthanizing her dog - an 8-year-old dysplastic German shepherd, aggressive to children, who the client had inherited from her mother. No one else would take the dog, and the client had young children in her home. The dog was otherwise obedient and "knew the rules of the house". The dog's issues had nothing to do with a question of leadership or dominance; the dog was not competing with the kids over resources or "ranking". The dog was in pain and did not trust kids not to hurt him, and was too big for the adults to physically handle. Putting the dog to sleep was one of the options we discussed and it was the one the client felt most comfortable with. It still pains me and I wear it like a scar.
Among my colleagues, such recommendations are incredibly rare; I think another blow that TV personalities has given our profession is to give dogs labels like "unfixable" or "red zone"; I don't know any professionals who use that sort of ranking. We design behavior modification programs that use positive reinforcement and negative punishment, and strict management, but not positive punishment or negative reinforcement. We look at *behavior*, and focus on teaching the dog to behave the way we want, rather than trying to guess at how it will behave if we change the dog's opinion about his rank in the world.
It's been 20 years since Dr. Mech tried to revoke the concept of alpha wolves; I'm so glad Dr. Coren is bringing the news to a wider audience.
Thank you for such a great
Thank you for such a great article.
I agree with my fellow veterinarians -- and the professional trainers -- who have posted here. No one questions the need for our pet dogs to learn which behaviors are acceptable and which are not. The question is about tools and techniques.
Ironically, I have yet to meet one aggressive dog that has not been through some kind of aversive training, whether initiated by the owner or at the hands of a professional trainer. "Dominance" training, shock collars, and other painful techniques often lead to fearful dogs; and fear is one of the leading causes of aggressive behavior. So, you can see the vicious circle.
I have had great success, even with these fear-aggressive dogs, in using positive reinforcement: replacing shock collars with head harnesses, "alpha rolls" with clicker training, and shouted commands with hand signals. It's such a great feeling to see the bond between these dogs and their owners start to strengthen.
Thank you! Keep up the good
Thank you! Keep up the good work! We need more vets like you!
submission
I am a little confused about this new view point.
I have a datchund 2 years old, female and she has a very submmissive attitude with me, its so sad... she always feel that made something wrong when I arrive at home and look around..
Dr. Coren, it's good to know you've made a turnaround on this, but...
...does it also mean that you're going to admit you were wrong in your book, "The Intelligence of Dogs," and revise it so that you no longer offer the advice that dog owners should force their dogs over on their backs once a day, every day, because it puts the dog in a position that “signifies submission to the authority of a dominant member of the pack?”
And have you been reading my articles on the subject? If not, perhaps now would be a good time to catch up...
"Is Your Dog Dominant? Part I" (April 9, 2009)
"Is Your Dog Dominant? Part II" (April 10, 2009)
"Is Your Dog Dominant? Conclusion" (April 13, 2009)
"Pack Leader or Predator?" (June 6, 2009)
LCK
PS: I also agree, at least partially with Mike: Positive reinforcement, while a gentler alternative to dominance training, is often ineffective, not because dogs need to be dominated (they don't), but because behavioral science is not really scientific nor is it based on any truly sound scientific principles. In fact, it's almost as much of a myth as the pack leader paradigm. (This is the 21st Century, but both dominance training and operant conditioning have their roots in 19th Century modes of thought.)
"Why Behavioral Science Is Losing the Training Wars"
"Is Behavioral Science Failing Our Dogs?"
"The Negative Effects of Positive Reinforcement"
"All Dogs Are Good Dogs at Heart"
Confused
Is anyone else confused?
I love the article and have read some of the links provided by Lee Charles Kelley - but now feel more confused than ever. I have a PhD, and can barely get beyond the jargon - how are dog owners/consumers to make sense of what is best for them and their pets?
I found myself searching for information after my Weimeraner went for my face last night- he did leave a mark. He was left on the streets by owners who moved and abandoned him. He's been with me a year - during which he attacked and killed a small dog that was unleashed; he gets along with my female Labrador but is very possessive and can be aggressive when she gets attention.
I have books, read blogs, watch the shows - and can't make sense of what is the best way to deal with him or what sort of trainer I should hire.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
What to do
Here are some good books:
"How Many Dogs?"
"Feeling Outnumbered"
Look into BAT - Behavior Adjustment Training - it's about filling a dog's needs and helping them make better choices to fill those needs. Click here for info on BAT.
Hire a trainer or behaviorist who avoids using dominance to fix your problems, preferably one who knows about BAT or at least uses rewards or counterconditioning instead of corrections. Where are you?
Another link
This is new, a jargon free series on BAT by Irith Bloom: http://bit.ly/cWtek7
Another link
This is new, a jargon free series on BAT by Irith Bloom: http://bit.ly/cWtek7
What to do
Here are some good books:
"How Many Dogs?"
"Feeling Outnumbered"
Look into BAT - Behavior Adjustment Training - it's about filling a dog's needs and helping them make better choices to fill those needs. Click here for info on BAT.
Hire a trainer or behaviorist who avoids using dominance to fix your problems, preferably one who knows about BAT or at least uses rewards or counterconditioning instead of corrections. Where are you?
All Aggression Is Based on Fear
Hi, Confused,
All aggression is based on fear. Dogs who act the way your Weimeraner does are essentially exhibiting a form of PTSD, caused by past mistreatment. As you can imagine, acting tough (i.e., dominant) doesn't usually work well with such dogs because it only exacerbates the problem. Being overly affectionate can also backfire because the owner's attention becomes like a drug the dog constantly needs injections of to "feel normal."
Dogs are descended from wolves. As Coren and I point out, wolves don't really have pack leaders. As I point out in several of my articles, wolves are group predators who specialize in hunting large, dangerous prey animals. There are only two other species that engage in this style of hunting, humans and dolphins (esp. orcas).
In order for wolves to hunt successfully, their aggression (the urge to bite) has to be supressed or sublimated into pro-social behaviors. When proto-dogs were going through the domestication process, their urge to bite had to be sublimated or supressed in order for them to survive to be part of the human household.
One of the biggest mistakes people make when raising their puppies -- who are, by nature, very oral -- is to come down hard on the pup's urge to explore the world through his teeth. This almost always comes back as some kind of behavioral problem in the adult dog. (Most people label their dogs' behavioral problems as being "just part of his personality;" that's not a viable "out" with your dog.)
The urge to bite has a valid purpose for dogs. That's why most dog owners have baskets full of toys. But when the natural energy behind that urge is repressed, or not given a proper outlet through playing games that satisfy the dog's prey drive, the dog feels out of balance, both physically and emotionally. (Physical and emotional memory go hand-in-hand in dogs, which is how PTSD operates: dogs don't remember their mistreatment; certain environmental triggers cause them to be plunged back into that first moment of danger and they immediately re-live it.)
I'm not sure what exactly you were confused about, but I hope my precis helps a little.
It's very difficult, if not impossible, to go into all the necessary details on how to deal with an aggressive like yours dog here, in the comments section of Coren's article. Suffice it to say that Cesar Millan essentially lived with a pack of half-feral village dogs in his native Mexico when he was young. His type of training is based on the survival-oriented behaviors of those dogs, which doesn't always translate easily to situations involving most people and their pet dogs, whose survival is pretty much assured.
My first job as a trainer, esp. when working with an aggressive dog, is to make the dog feel safe, NOT to make him feel submissive (which, btw, isn't a real feeling state for dogs; it's a mental state found only in human beings, and some other primates).
My next job, once the dog feels safe, is to get the dog to play. This can be a long hard road, and it's not a road you should race down as fast as you can, but play eventually heals all wounds.
Why? Because all that repressed energy behind the dog's urge to bite is finally given a positive, safe outlet as part of a group "hunting" dynamic. As a general rule, the harder you can get a dog to bite down on a toy as part of a game of tug or fetch, the less likely that dog will be to bite other dogs or people.
My first recommendation would be to read the material on my website, particularly "The Pushing Exercise." Print out the pdf file I've made available and start feeding your dog all his meals this way. (The exercise was designed by a former police K-9 trainer; and these are dogs who are trained to be able to take their aggression from 0 to 60 in a heartbeat, and who can also take their aggression from 100 to 0 just as quickly.)
I hope you're feeling less confused.
LCK
Some ideas
Find a trainer from one of these sources:
http://www.peaceablepaws.com/referrals.php
http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer
http://www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=4
Thank you for the feedback
Thank you for your feedback - it all makes sense. I am relatively new to dog ownership - 2 years- and I am trying to learn as much as I can to deal with the Weimaraner; the Lab thinks she's human - she's a smart, easily trainable, energetic and loving dog, no issues there.
Grisha = I am in El Paso, Texas, so I will call my vet to see if she knows of a BAT trainer.
Mr. Kelley= I appreciate your feedback. I will continue to read your articles and search some additional books. I think my confusion was more information overload - there is just so much out there one can easily get lost.
Take care,
Not as confused - Norma
Some ideas
Oops! I finally got the hang of putting on a subject, so my first few words aren't automatically chosen, but I replied under the wrong post!
Trying again:
Find a trainer from one of these sources:
http://www.peaceablepaws.com/referrals.php
http://www.karenpryoracademy.com/find-a-trainer
http://www.trulydogfriendly.com/blog/?page_id=4
Master Class Dog Behaviour Trainer
I think some people are lacking in basic Common Sense and principles here. People need to deal in fact and not theory. A PHD and a degree does not mean a trainer is correct.
I would like you all to consider; is a domestic dog a pack animal and does it have free will? Does the pack have treats and lure rewards?
I often feel that some people feel 'Pack Leader' is too harsh a word. I can say we are looking for a 'partnership' but there is no doubt your dog has to look to you for leadership, instruction, guidance and rules. It has to obey your command and when under uncontrolled situations obey it without question. It all sounds so easy but establishing yourself in this role is not as simple as many think because of all the methods used by trainers.
We all should differentiate dominance from leadership, and recognize that most dogs don't need to be dominated, but all dogs need to be led is a fact not theroy. Most important, an owner's ability to dominate his/her dog may have very little to do with success in resolving most behaviour problems, fact not theroy. However, leadership skills, as dogs use them are another story, fact not theroy. Some leadership skills may include dominance, but is established more through transactions that build trust, respect, bonding, a willingness to follow, and more. Calm assertive leadership as a long-term effect and is far more stable than just dominance training and just positive training. A dog was born into a pack to follow, have a roll to play in that pack and have strong instinct, we should recognise that that fact.
The moment the puppy leaves the pack it becomes a member of the human family. Now the connection between puppy and his human family is more akin to other human relationships than it is to a pack, which is where many behaviour’s start. Now ask yourself is a dog born to be in a pack or born to be in a family? A dog is simply an animal like a human but a human is the only species on this planet with free will on being responsible for one's action and all choices, by understanding this fact not theroy we can more understand a dog.
All though very intelligent a dog lives in the moment and can’t rationalise, it is driven by instinct and human conditions we have shaped out of habit from day one without knowing.
Free will has been at debate with philosophy, psychology, ethologists and dog trainers for decades. For some reason we want to think of our dog as a free spirit with free will not just a personality and character is enough. To understand the term free will we need to go back. Free will was earliest seen and documented in the bible. This section of scripture clearly shows man's free will to accept or reject God's calling, to do good or Evil. Does a dog know he/she is doing, good or evil and accept doggy heaven? In holding that free will is a feature of a human's soul, and thus that non-human animal’s lack free will. Humans have a habit to manipulate words, meanings and over complicate to feel self worth, to be known has educated. Give long explanations but really are trying to take another one’s free will and condition other humans not to think but follow a certain trainers way.
Good behaviourist must have free will in bundles and be flexible using initiative all dogs are not the same. Having the intelligence, to act without the instruction of others and do whats right for the dog, not what the owner thinks is right. Food for thought as many don’t like to be wrong and see the simple facts. Many trainers say Cesar Millan as put back dog training forty years and many say that just (R+) lure-and-reward trainers like Victoria Stilwell or even Ian Dunbar have done the same. Fortunately a dog can’t speak and if they could someone would be overhauling their whole beliefs because people use theory and not fact. Unfortunately lure-and-reward does not always work with all dogs and is much more suited to puppies from the day you get them with training off leash and socialized because this is where problems start. I’m not in any camp. I have always been flexible with method, dog and owner depending on behaviour. Dogs should always have fun and reward training but we do need rules and a firm hand with some strong breeds but not punishment is key.
I see Positive Reinforcement trainers use dominance with treats all the time. With holding a treat is dominance. Simply standing over a dog is dominance. Iv'e not seen one Positive Reinforcement trainer not use dominance. I have seen a Positive Reinforcement trainer bitten because of treats waiting to redirect the behaviour. I personally feel long term use of treats or lures to keep a dog's attention actually demonstrates a lack of leadership.
Counter Conditioning, Shaping, Positive Reinforcement and Immersion therapy methods etc are just labels. The basic fact is not everyone can be a world champion racing car driver. World champions will crash a very good trainer will get bitten.
The fact is you need a very good professional trainer not just copying some trainers ways or doing a fly by night training course.
It takes years and years to perfect. A doctor is not let loose on a human for 10 years or more in most cases.
The hardest part of training is communicating with the dog in a humane way that the dog understands. Only very good professionals can see this. However, the underlying principle of all communication is simple: reward desired behaviour while "correcting" undesired behaviour. We can not ignore a dog thats going to bite. Positive Reinforcement redirect or lure will not work in that moment with a high level K9.
"Corrections" should never include harmful physical force or violence. Using force while training is controversial and should not be taken lightly, because even if it ends the behaviour, when applied inappropriately with some dogs it may lead to a loss of drive (enthusiasm for the given task), stress, and in some cases even aggression. A handler may decide to use force, however the standard used by most trainers is the minimum amount necessary to inhibit the unwanted behaviour like the pack leader would. This is done to the level above of the dog’s energy of flight in that moment. The sooner you spot the behaviour the lower the level correction is needed. If we let the level get to high the harder it becomes.
I must stess reading books and wathcing TV is not enough for you and your dog with medium to high level behaviours. A K9 Professional with at least 15 years practical and educated experience is need not a book, TV blog or forum chat.
P.W.James
Dog Behaviour Psychologist
K9 Behaviour Centre
Plymouth Pet Care Ltd UK
Parachute regiment Dog handler
http://www.plymouthpetcare.co.uk
Plymouth Dog Training
I do deal with fact, it is
I do deal with fact, it is what I have learnt in my lifetime with dogs and other animals, I am not into theory very much, I find it very boring and have never managed to finish a dog book yet.
Humans don't have free will, we do have choices and responsibilities,we chose to have our dogs and they are our responsibilty for us to take care of them to the best we can. We have bred dogs to do a job, some have been bred to obey, Collies, Labs etc. others have been bred to think for themselves, if they don't they get killed, JRTs and other Terriers etc. You have to take each dog as an individual and take into account what they were bred to do.
Victoria Stillwell is does not lure and reward, there are consequences for the dog if reward training is done properly but the dog has a choice, he can choose to do what is asked or ignore it. If he does what is asked he gets a reward, this isn't always treats, many dogs won't work for treats and there is no point in expecting a dog to work for treats after they have been fed. The consequence of a dog not doing what is asked is no reward. The fact that when dogs get used to reward training they choose the reward no matter what it is. With dominance training the dog doesn't have a choice, he has to do what he is told.
Having taken on dogs that have been trained by dominant methods, beaten, starved, brain damaged by previous owners etc. Dogs that only want to kill other dogs, dogs that attack you, and turned every one round, I can assure you that Positive training does work far better than any other method. It not only works with dogs but parrots, horses, and many other animals.
Positive training isn't just treats, any trainer that only uses treats should not be training dogs and taking money for it, you really do need to see what positive training really is and how it works, you may be very surprised at how well it works.
If you have a dog that you know will bit, you make sure the dog is not in a position to bite, that doesn't mean the dog gets his own way, we have a much better brain than a dog, we need to use it. We need to open our minds up to other methods, learn to think differently so we don't accept the challenge that a dog will give, by accepting the challenge the dog wins.
The principles of teaching is very similar no matter who we are teaching, dogs, horses, children, dolphins etc. we need to adapt them to the species, everything learns better if we reward them for doing well.
We work better the more money we are paid, our salaries are our rewards, far too many people stay in jobs they hate because the reward, salary, is high, it is the same with dogs, get the reward right and you can teach your dog to do anything you want.
Dogs
As a dog owner who tries to study my dogs as well as read as much as I can, this is something that many dog owners like me have known for many years but it seems the experts, trainers and behaviourists are only just finding this out.
At the moment I have 4 bitches, all came from a pound and all get on well, this time last year I had 6 dogs, 4 bitches and 2 dogs, several died from old age conditions. I love to watch my dogs interact with each other, watch them communicate and play, there isn't a leader but they older dogs do teach my youngest dog how to be a dog.
I have no intention of dominating my dogs, I don't have dogs to control them, I have them for companions. Of course they have to be taught how to live in our society but I don't need to dominate them to do that. Like us humans dogs should have good manners, in fact my dogs have a lot better manners than many humans.
A pack of dogs to me is mum, dad and their offspring, just like a human family, parents have the job of teaching there offspring just as us humans do. I don't have a pack, I have never had a pack of dogs, I do have a group of dogs that live in harmony.
My dogs sleep on the furniture and my bed, if I ask they get off, they go through doors before me, I find that much safer as I can see all of them, they are not allowed barge through a doorway, that is bad manners.
Why if owners like me have known this for years, the experts who are writing books and teaching are only just finding it out?
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