Thanks to “Nightline” for the episode about puppy mills in Pennsylvania. Watch the video, and think about it before purchasing a puppy in a petstore. By “saving” that one pup from the store, you are causing several more to suffer. This will only stop if we quit shopping and supporting these types of stores.
I have always been aware of the awful conditions that puppy mill dogs come from. Trying to educate the public on this subject, however, has been a huge challenge. When stores such as Petland continue to supply the ever-demanding and unknowing puppy buyer, it is too common that individuals will feel as though they are “rescuing” a pup from the store. Not seeing the conditions that the pups have come from, or that its parents continue to live in, it is literally an “out of sight, out of mind” situation. Worse yet is the fact that individuals are being told by Petland employees that the puppies have come from “reputable breeders”. I sadly think that the majority of these workers truly believe that to be the case. However, I find it incredibly difficult to believe that management doesn’t know the real situation. The sad reality is that the public is flat out being lied to and told whatever they want to hear in order to make the sale final.
Having worked with puppies from puppy mills and reputable breeders both, I can assure you that the puppy mill pups are NEVER developmentally healthy. I attribute that to the fact that they have not had proper stimulation, socialization and/or treatment during their first couple of months of life. In fact, the majority of these pups have accepted the fact that living in their own waste is perfectly acceptable. These pups are difficult to housetrain as a result, and are oftentimes turned over to rescues and shelters due to housetraining issues. It frustrates me as I see it over and over again, while the public is kept in the dark and refusing to believe that their puppy has come from these implorable conditions.
Be in the dark no more, people! The Humane Society of the United States has recently completed an investigation of Petland, one of the nations top retailers of puppies. I am attaching HSUS’s video investigation to help spread the word and educate the public about the sickening subject of puppy mills. I hope after you watch it that you will join in the trend of no longer supporting stores like Petland.
Be educated…
Copyright 2009. All rights reserved. Sandi’s K9 Management.
I am happy to report that tomorrow, Oprah Winfrey will be dedicating her show to the horrors of puppy mills in this country. If you aren’t able to watch it when it airs, make sure to set your DVR’s to record as this will be a show you will not want to miss. Kudos to Oprah and Lisa Ling for helping to educate the public on this sensitive subject!
Wednesday, March 5th marks a milestone in the fight against dog fighting as Wyoming becomes the 50th state to make the illegal activity a felony. Idaho had just marked the law a felony on February 25 of this year.
I am excited that the right information is finally getting into the right government hands to see issues such as dog fighting given stiffer penalties. Dogfighting has been in the news recently due to the conviction of Michael Vick (or Beck, or whatever his name was), and I feel that it has made the key individuals sit up and take notice where they might not otherwise have done so. It is unfortunate that it took a horrendous situation to shed light on this subject, but every single day there are horrendous situations that these dogs are living in and so you really have to look at the silver lining in this cloud.
If you know of anyone involved with dogfighting, I urge you to contact your local authorities. Many humane societies across the country are offering cash rewards for information leading up to the conviction of such felons.
So you got that Christmas puppy after all? Hmmmm. Well, since he is with you now… what is your next step to turning this little guy into a well-behaved adult dog? This will quickly sum up a few quick tips that I get questions about every day.
The first thing I suggest is to get that puppy around as many well-socialized adult dogs as you can find. This is extremely important for the mental well-being of the pup in order for him to continue learning proper body language. Playgroups are great, but dog daycare is even better! See if you can get your dog enrolled in the nearest dog daycare tomorrow. Off-leash play with well-behaved adult dogs is a must.
The next best thing is to get that pup around as many different people and places as you possibly can. Your puppy should have the opportunity to pleasantly meet people of different sizes, races, and ages. Making these meetings as joyful as possible will help your pup to learn that people are not to be feared or dreaded. On that same note, getting the dog out and about to different locations will help to ensure that he looks forward to going places with you.
Lastly but certainly not least, the use of a crate is an absolute must. Keep in mind that if you cannot keep an eye on your pup, he should be in his crate. This helps tremendously with housetraining, and also helps with managing other situations such as chewing inappropriate objects. Give him something to do that he has to look forward to in his crate such as a stuffed Kong or a Nylabone. And please remember to spend quality time with the little guy. His experiences with you should not just be taking him outside and putting him back in his crate! Interaction with you will help build a stronger lifetime bond.
Congratulations on your pup. Having a dog is a lifetime commitment, and the training should never end. Remember that life with a puppy can be hectic at times, but the amount of effort you put in while he is a youngster will help him to grow into a great adult companion!
Copyright 2008. All rights reserved. Sandi Hansen. 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
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