Training dogs from the outside in instead of the inside out
The way training has evolved in our culture over the last 60 years, was it people who got out of dog training at the end of WWII? They became civilian dog trainers. When I think back to the kind of training I was taught when I was starting out forty years ago, compulsion was the method. And when you think about it and think in terms of what the soldiers had to do, then you know why they trained military style. The mistake was taking him to the training of companion dogs.
A soldier had to be ready to fire his weapon at another human being without thinking. Ready, aim, shooting was what the soldiers had to practice over and over again and still people wouldn’t shoot. Sit, crouch, stay, which is a lot like clever, aim, fire was made for dogs. Have you ever wondered the reason and meaning of having a dog on your left side? It was because a soldier’s rifle was held on the right side of him.
Military trainers like “Koehler”, for example, was a high-profile trainer who worked with dogs in Hollywood, had experience training military police dogs, for which he published the “Koehler Training Method” in the 1960s His training methods emphasized negative training and punishment, physical corrections, and often involved chain training collars and other nasty training techniques, the dogs that were successful responded with military-type precision.
Although I followed “Captain Haggerty”, who also came out of military training, he did not use force or pain in training. He had a great love for German Shepherds, so we had several things in common, apart from being a genius at training his Shepherds with tricks. Next up was “Milo Pearsall” who applied punishments, then came “Barbara Woodhouse” who became a household name and used simple and effective training techniques. Training dogs was slowly becoming more humane. The 80’s “Ian Dunbar” brought back reinforcement training, “Karen Pryor” in the 90’s brought “operant” training to the masses.
When you train like this, when you employ compulsive training methods, and with each pull you become more energetic along with a go this, go that mentality; you are denying the dog as an individual. Just like boot camp denies the human being as an individual. They don’t care if you’re sensitive, sweet, nice, shy, cute, or smart; they don’t care, you will learn to become a soldier.
What we learned over decades of military-style training served no purpose for companion dog owners. It was usually only practical for obedience competitions. No matter how precisely the dog was trained for obedience trials, outside the ring it told a much different story. The dogs would keep pulling on their leashes, they would still not listen, they would keep jumping, because they were so-called “pattern and context trained.” But military-style training looked impressive in the ring and was now taught everywhere, we were taught to be loud, stern, rigid and domineering. Nothing natural.
What people didn’t understand while training is that if there was no change in the number of corrections, if they hadn’t reduced the number of leash pulls, what exactly did that tell them? Is it unnecessary to mention that his dog wasn’t learning anything? Hey! And if they weren’t specifically tracking fixes for a particular exercise, how would they know if there were any improvements?
The corrections are quantum and, more importantly, they are not instructive. Leash correction, electric collars, or other tools used for punishment are not instructive. You don’t tell the dog what to do instead. People were correcting their pets but they never seemed to think anything of it because this is what they were told and taught to do so it must be fine.
What happens to dogs when you train like this? Maybe forty percent of dogs will do well, if they have strong temperaments and bodies, but maybe thirty percent won’t. Ten percent can bite you and ten percent can close and express their anal glands.
Outside-in rather than inside-out training was developed for companion dog training just after World War II. Training is a mental game and not a physical one.
Training is essentially an art and a science. Now, there are a lot of coaches, but there aren’t that many artists. An artist requires a special skill set, lots of hands-on practice and with different species, as well as flexible and adaptable training techniques.
After my only obedience dog, I gave up obedience competitions. But he still carried this intense desire to train. Then I took a different path towards animal training. I started studying the students of “BF Skinners” the “Brelands” who trained over 140 species. I have read and studied almost all the books on the subject of animal training and behavior. Although my favorite students are dogs, I trained cats, fish, and a potbellied pig and yes, a chicken at Bob Baily’s Chicken Camp.
Training different species really sharpens your mind, your creativity, your timing, your eyes, your perspective and instills how behaviors are learned.
I am happy to say that today’s training is all about developing a working relationship based on cooperation and mutual respect that will motivate you to want to train your dog and will motivate your dog to want to train with you. I have to admit that the only good detail we learned from the military style training was how to handle a dog because everything was based on handling your dog, something that is missing in current training.
Training and learning is a mental process, rather than a physical one. Let’s use our brains to teach dogs to use their brains. What is training? Training is really about putting behaviors into a verbal cue. The old training jargon was “command” which impressed pet owners; the dog had to do it now!
We still want our dogs to respond now, we just now understand that they are not robots, they are not our slaves, and many factors may be preventing immediacy.
They are beings with five senses, they have wants and needs, they have emotions, they get distracted, they want 30 more seconds to chase that squirrel, they are absorbed in something, haven’t we all been absorbed in something and haven’t responded? tosomeone.
By using compulsion, you are showing your dog that your temperament cannot be trusted and you are only training him not to like working with you and not to like you. You’ll feel better about the training and you’ll be less likely to get mad at your dog. We have human brains, using science based applications will reap the success you are looking for without damaging the dog/human bond. Why would I make a dog make his life miserable when I can accomplish so much more using humane methods and providing feedback?
In my mind, training a dog is all about romance, love, and something beautiful. It’s an absolute myth that painful punishment is necessary, and it’s an absolute myth that you need endless reinforcement schedules to get to reliability. That’s not the pet owner, the pet owner is not consistent.
Teaching our dogs to accept different forms of reinforcement such as praise, petting, tennis balls, games, food, and games. As well as providing training exercises that a pet owner finds helpful. We need to teach to walk on a loose leash, teach dogs to settle on a mat, teach them to relax and be calm, teach them to come when called.
Teach owners that it is okay for the dog to sniff when out for a walk, sniffing with rules and structure is okay, refusing a dog to use its nose while walking is impolite; give your dog time to do this. Take a few breaks when you walk so your dog can enjoy the environment. Trainers must teach owners to play with their dogs, which is what dogs like the most, a moment to share crazy things with you, to fight, to chase you, to hear you laugh or simply to walk with you, to use part of your mental energy.
The Stay Exercise How many owners tell their dog to stay and go, none that I’ve ever met? It is best to teach your dog to calmly wait for you while he is securely hooked to a post when you rush into a store. Think about why you have your dog, why you decided a dog would fit into your life. If he has forgotten, check his reasons and then apply them.
Deep down, we are all dog lovers, so why would someone who loves dogs cause that dog anxiety or discomfort? The only reason I can think of is that their instructor has convinced them of this fact, the tradition still has a following in the year 2011.
“Violence begins where knowledge ends.” We now have the knowledge in us to know how to create understanding in dogs with peaceful, harmonious and effective methods. Remembering that each dog is an individual.
http://www.barkbusters.ca/about-us/trainers/dianne-richard-sarasin
