Some new research which looks at differences in the behavioral characteristics of dogs obtained as puppies from pet stores compared to those obtained from noncommercial breeders has produced some disturbing results. The research appears in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Associationand was conducted by Utah veterinarian Frank McMillan from the Best Friends Animal Society and a team of researchers at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia.

(Source: fullpelt)

mooseings:

Documentary - Tough Love: A Mediation on Dominance and Dogs

It’s a commonly accepted idea that dogs are “man’s best friend”. We give them a special place in our lives and they are, in turn, loyal companions. At the same time, many modern dog owners also believe that they are supposed to establish themselves as the“alpha dog” in relation to their pets. This is a status supposedly achieved through attitudes and acts of domination, varying by emphasis on physical restraint and disciplinary“correction”.

Yet the notion that cherished “best friends” are meant to strictly obey our will is something of a paradox. How can we reconcile feelings of respect and even love with expectations ofsubmission and compliance? Is there a valid and compelling justification for establishing dominance over our dogs? Does our claim to that power follow from fixed biological facts? Is it warranted by the nature of dogs and what we are to them through a shared evolutionary history? Is dominance a “tough love,” something dogs actually want and need?

Since its advent in the 1940s, wildlife biologists have significantly revised the original“alpha wolf” theory and related ideas about wolf pack structure, including the claim that pack hierarchy rests on frequent aggressive displays. Likewise, they have dismissed the idea that dogs are merely domesticated wolves, so that to understand the one is to understand the other. This scientific shake-up seems to leave us on somewhat tenuous grounds for dealing with our dogs as if we were their alpha, gaining their obedience through domination. Still, millions of people continue using the “alpha dog” concept to order their relationships with their pets.

Tough Love confronts the current disconnect between science and popular practice by putting “alpha dog” in historical perspective. It begins with a look at the early wolf studies and the appropriation of that science by dog trainers and the general public. It ends with an assessment of contemporary dog training and rehabilitation, focusing particularly on disagreement between advocates of physical correction and proponents of exclusive reliance on food rewards and other “positive reinforcement.”

To all dog trainers, enthusiasts, owners and even horse and other animal handlers, whether you train traditionally or apply the learning theory, please watch this film. For a small $5 fee you can watch it online in HD, and it’s really worth it. Just click through the image above and find the option “Watch Movie Online Now” at the bottom left of the page.

It has some of the big names of dog training, such as Dr. Sophia Yin, Dr. Alexandra Horowitz and Karen Pryor, and it presents the scientific fact behind the dominance theory and the learning theory.

Sorry we’ve been so inactive lately!

(Source: niknak79, via angerinyourbones)

Speaking at the 2007 EG conference, trainer Ian Dunbar asks us to see the world through the eyes of our beloved dogs. By knowing our pets’ perspective, we can build their love and trust. It’s a message that resonates well beyond the animal world.

Veterinarian, dog trainer and animal behaviorist Ian Dunbar understands our pets’ point of view. By training dog owners in proper conduct (as much as he trains the dogs themselves), he hopes to encourage better relationships with dogs — not to mention their friends and children, too.

serveitindrag:

• Bitework without compulsion

Pictured above is Shade Whitesel with her dog (CD, BH, SchH3, FR 1) Reiki vom Aegis. Shade is a successful bitework trainer and competitor who trains bitework with the use of positive reinforcement and without the use of corrections/coercion. Her dog Reiki has his AKC Companion Dog title, his Schutzhund 3 title, and his French Ring 1 title. She has also competed with and titled other dogs. 

Shade’s accomplishments:

- ‘08 Malinois SchH1 Champion

- ‘09 DVG SchH2 Nationals Champion

- ‘11 USA Northwest Regional Champion

- 7th place in the ‘12 AWDF Nationals with a score of 281

- 2nd place in the ‘12 DVG Regionals with a perfect score of 100 in obedience. 

Literally the only difference between the training methods you outlined for working dogs, particularly drug and tracking dogs, is the use of a marker word rather than a clicker. Clicker training doesn’t mean just shoving food into your dog whenever he high fives and thinking that’s the case shows a fundamental misunderstanding of positive reinforcement/negative punishment training. The dog does not “look to the clicker” or food for guidance, the purpose of the clicker is that it’s a tool to precisely mark the exact second the dog performs the desired behavior. Also the food should always be out of sight when practicing a behavior the dog knows otherwise you are bribing the dog, not rewarding it. And while most clicker training resources tend to focus heavily on food because almost all dogs are food driven it’s not the only (or even best) reward for many dogs, especially sport and working dogs. Clicker training is about figuring out what your dog finds most reinforcing and utilizing that to reinforce the desired behaviors (read up on the Premack Principle for an excellent example of this).

I have a teenaged GSD and while he thinks food is pretty neat, nothing in the world is as rewarding to him as fetch. So I do Schutzhund-style ball reward training with him, using a clicker as a marker. I prefer to use toy rewards for certain behaviors like recalls and heeling because while food is calming, toys increase drive.  He also responds perfectly to a marker word (mine is “Ja!”) but marker words are less precise so when teaching a complex behavior I use the clicker. Read a single book on Schutzhund, or tracking, or French Ring and you’ll find that they ALL use food and toy rewards constantly, especially for complex behaviors. The only difference between those types of training and pure clicker training is the type of corrections they use (positive punishment for the former, negative punishment for the latter). You’ll be incredibly hard pressed to find top performance and working dogs that have been trained only using praise because it’s not a very effective way to train a dog.

I also think it’s incredibly foolish to differentiate between “trick” training and “obedience” training. The only supposed difference is that tricks are fun and obedience isn’t but that’s simply a failure of the dog’s handler.

My APBT/Dane mix recently learned to “sit pretty” and he looks pretty hilarious doing it. My Lab mix was taught how to “hug” which is a pretty worthless trick but she only does it when cued so it’s okay and pretty cute.