Sandi’s K9 Management

There seems to be a lot of talk recently about a certain dog “trainer” with a popular television show.  People who are otherwise educated, are finding themselves as victims of the magic of television.   Many people are attempting these techniques on their own, and with good reason, these techniques are backfiring in ways that are leading to the demise of their pets. 

Sadly, I recently had the opportunity to witness first-hand a “school for dog trainers”.   It is no surprise that a couple of months before I visited, the infamous “dog whisperer” had paid a visit to the school.  I can only hope that what he saw made him rethink his own old-school, reactive training methods.   Having heard immediately upon my arrival that the dog whisperer had visited, I stuck it in my back pocket as the first red flag.  Unfortunately, my back pockets would fill up with red flags as the days went on. 

As the staff prepared to “wow” us with their knowledge of dog training, I could tell immediately that their own dogs were begging for any chance to break free.  I observed several stress signs in the dogs, but also saw the confusion that the trainers were placing on the dogs as their own timing was far off the mark.  As if physical punishment weren’t bad enough, I saw these dogs being choked via a choke chain around their necks for any step out of line, and incompetently timed.  And I remind you, these were the “trained” dogs that belonged to instructors.  I saw no bond between these dogs and their owners, but rather a fear and true distrust between them.  This was only the first hour of a six-week visit.  I began to wonder what was in store for the remainder of my visit, and just what would be expected of the students in the days to come.  I did not sleep that night.

The second day brought about more than I had even fathomed I was in store for.  As we were all told how “positive dog training” does not bring results, and that the choke chains would from then on be referred to as “training collars”, I realized that the instructors and the owner of the school had never been educated in the psychology of learning.  I was thankful for my background in psychology and my dog training experiences.  The owner of the school played a great intimidator as he played himself up to be a sort of dog training god.  He showed us a video of himself applying one of the most outdated and cruel dog training methods of all; the helicopter.  He laughed as he watched it, and I cringed in silence as not to bring attention to myself.  The man being the size of a line-backer, and seeing the way he treats animals, I knew it was best not to bring attention to myself but instead to collect information as best as I could.  For those of you who don’t know, the helicopter is an outdated method where the handler takes a step back with the dog on choke chain and collar at his side, jerking back quickly and forcefully, and spinning the dog out of control so it loses footing.  The owner of the school demonstrated over and over, and it was obvious that it made him feel like a hero.  My knowledge of the link between animal abuse and domestic violence led me to wonder if he had ever been arrested for abuse of animal or human.

We were all taken into the training room and paired up with our dogs.  Each of the instructors made his or her way around the room fitting each dog for a choke collar.  As an instructor made her way to me, I politely said that I would rather train with my own collar.  I was immediately told to “just try this one out for a few days”.  I gritted my teeth and began to wonder how much more of this I could take.

Over the next couple of days, I witnessed firsthand so many chokes on these dogs that three of them were now bleeding from their necks!  It was at that point that I drew the line and planned my exit.   Distressingly, some of the dogs that were demonstrated on were dogs who were dropped off for a “board and train”.  I find it hard to believe that the owners knew what was going on behind closed doors.  The dogs in for boarding were taken on what was called “walks”, where they were all tied up outside on 2ft. short leashes around an 8-ft. high wood fence.  I still wonder why they called them “walks”, and wondered if the owners were paying extra for their dogs to be “walked”. 

I only made it 4 days out of a six-week visit.  I made my proper contacts, gathered my information, packed my car, and then announced that I would be leaving.  I was given a refund minus a 5-star hotel per night room rate, which consisted of nothing more than a bed and a dresser in a room the size of a closet.  I assure you, steps are being taken to blow this thing out of the water.  Unfortunately, I have since learned that there are other schools like this that are using antiquated training methods and reactive techniques.

If you are thinking of becoming a dog trainer, there are several places you can go to receive the proper guidance, training and knowledge.  I would first recommend at least enrolling in a Psychology 101 class at your local college to learn the basics of learning methods and how to apply them.  In addition to that, it will benefit you to volunteer at your local animal shelter to get your hands on as many dogs as possible.  This will not only benefit your experience, but will also help to make the dogs more adoptable!  A win-win situation for all.

Remember the rule we all learned (or should have learned) as children:  “If it appears to be too good, it probably is.”  The next time you sit down to watch a dog training show, ask yourself the following questions:

• Is this trainer really “communicating” or “whispering” to the dog, or is he/she simply reacting physically to the dog’s behavior?

• Is this trainer applying the same correction technique to each and every case?  Ie: placing a choke collar or other outdated tool on the dog and forcing the dog to walk with him/her, and then with the owner?

• Does the dog really seem like he is “getting it”, or does the dog seem like he would run away if he had the chance.

Dog training should be a proactive experience, staying one step ahead of the dog.  Reactive, forced-based dog training means that you are one step behind the dog.  And what that really says is that you are dumber than a dog!

Copyright 2007.  All rights reserved.  Sandi’s K9 Management.  www.k9management.com