POSITIVE PET CONNECTIONS

“I wish I had a dog like Lassie!”  How many times have you either said or heard that?  Having a well-trained dog is not only a wonderful benefit for a family, it is a great ego boost when observers see us walking along together, dog in a perfect heel, paying attention to nothing but her owner.  Unfortunately, unless you are attending a dog show, you are not likely to see this.  That kind of behavior takes concentrated training on a daily basis and, more importantly, a deep connection between owner and dog.  Today, positive training has made it possible for average pet owners to obtain a deep connection with their dog while training her good manners.  This increases the chance of the dog remaining in the home and decreases the chance of her ending up in a shelter or having to be put down.

To begin, we need to meet the dog’s basic needs – like most creatures, dogs need food, water, shelter, exercise, and companionship.  Food should be a quality diet (the internet has lots of information).  Shelter should be dry and warm – dogs are domesticated and cannot tolerate extreme temperatures as their wild counterparts do.  Companionship is essential for a well-behaved dog. They are social animals and do not do well left alone for long periods of time.  Exercise?  Well, a tired dog is a good dog.  Thirty minutes twice daily of walking and fetching is a guideline.  In addition to the basics, there are three absolutes for a well-behaved dog:

 
1)      Proper medical care – all dogs should receive yearly exams and vaccinations as recommended by your veterinarian. A veterinarian you trust is priceless.

2)      Leadership – dogs don’t really want that responsibility and would prefer a benevolent leader. Think about the bosses you’ve had. Compare the qualities of the best and the worst of them.  Just like us, dogs perform best under the guidance of someone who will teach them what to do and positively reinforce them when they do it.

3)      Training – dogs are thinking creatures.  Just as their bodies need work to stay in shape, so do their brains.  My favorite quote comes from the well known author and behaviorist Patricia McConnell, “Dogs are very smart and you must give them something to do.  If you don’t, they will find something to do on their own and you won’t like it!” Trick training is fun for both of you and can add cheap entertainment at your next party.  Also, get toys that require them to think and keep them busy – Kongs, Buster Cubes, Wiggly Gigglys.

So where should your dog training start? Usually, first it’s best to establish your goal.  Use current methods that involve primarily positive reinforcement (dog’s behavior makes a good thing happen, behavior increases) with minimal use of negative punishment (dog’s behavior makes a good thing go away, behavior decreases).  These methods are supported and used by trainers and behaviorists who have studied animal behavior for decades: Bob Bailey, who worked with dolphins on Navy projects; Dr. Ian Dunbar – veterinarian and founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers; Patricia McConnell – widely respected dog behaviorist; Pamela Reid - Director of the ASPCA Center for Behavioral Therapy in NYC, just to name a few.  All training in Sea World is done with positive reinforcement. Want to try telling a killer whale “NO!”?  You won’t do it but once.  You may wish to seek out the help of a trainer. The number of trainers using positive reinforcement continues to increase and many belong to the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com).  Members of the APDT pledge to use dog friendly techniques, but this does not guarantee they all use the same methods.  You should observe a trainer in action and be ready to question his or her methods.  You should never allow someone to use a method about which you have reservations and concerns.  If you choose to try training on your own, check out training books which emphasize positive methods such as The Power of Positive Training by Pat Miller, ex-President of the APDT.

You will have some studying to do when you choose positive training.  Most people are familiar with the traditional training method that began in the 1950’s.  Based on misunderstood wolf pack behavior, people were encouraged to “show the dog who is boss – act like the Alpha”.   Using the old methods will not make you the “Alpha,” but it will increase your chance of creating a dog with a problem – aggressive, shy, or fearful – and increase the chances of your dog biting someone.  Traditional compulsion training also increases the chance of physical damage to your dog.  Jerking a leash attached to a choke or prong collar can cause damage as serious as a crushed windpipe.  Attempting to act like the leader of the pack to intimidate your dog into behaving – scruff shaking or rolling a dog onto its back and holding it until it submits (alpha roll) - have been proven as ineffective training methods and damaging to relationships.  Dogs do not look at people as dogs – they know the difference.   

 Ultimately, we want our dogs to WANT to learn to perform good behaviors and not to participate in annoying behaviors that make us crazy.   We want to encourage that close human-animal bond that is so special.  Training should be positive for both of you.  Keep it fun and happy!  Using positive reinforcement for correct behaviors rather than punishing a dog for incorrect behaviors allows for this relationship of trust between dog and owner to grow. Oh, and Lassie?  Rudd Weatherwax, trainer of Lassie and eight generations of Lassie, has passed his legacy on to his son, Bob, who continues to train all the Lassies using the same positive training methods.

Remember, Spay or Neuter your pets, and don’t let them roam.

Questions for future columns?  Email Jan@smilesandwags.com