How NOT to Raise a Rescue Dog
As a professional dog trainer, I am always researching and learning, whether it is from a new dog I am working with, another dog trainer, a new book, or a television show. I prefer to continue learning because the day I think I know everything is the day I fail in my work. Dog training is a constantly developing profession that moves in tandem with science and study.
I started and finished a book called Rescue Dog to Super Dog - Ultimate Rescue Dog Training Guide yesterday. It is brand new, having only been launched in June of this year. Clearly, rescue dogs are my specialty, and I enjoy seeing how others operate, especially if anything new or improved. This book has made me upset, indignant, and compelled me to create this blog.
The author calls himself The Rescue Dog Whisperer, which should have given me a hint about his technique, but I didn't want to think that because he used the word whisperer, he'd be out of touch with current dog training like Caesar Millan. This author is all about dominant dog training, thus I should have gone with my first instinct.
This entire book is best defined as a how-not-to-train-your-rescue-dog manual. If you want to increase your dog's tension and anxiety, go ahead. Let me explain why I think this is a horrible book......
What you will require to train your dog.
The author offers several items you'll need to train your Adult Dog Training, including
No complaints with the Halti 6ft training lead. These are fantastic multipurpose leads that I use. You may adjust the length of the lead to your needs, and because it is double ended, you can clip it to the front and rear of a harness to help educate a dog not to pull.
A partial payment The writers choose chain collars because they produce an awful noise when you yank on the lead to pull at the chain, which you do when the dog does something you don't like, such as pulling. The idea is that the loudness will scare the dog away from pulling.
I have no issues about using a long line lead while teaching recall. It allows your dog to be free while being tethered, allowing you to train recall at distances of 5, 10, 15, and 20 metres.
Verbal correction is making a low loud sound, similar to a growl, to alert the dog that what they are doing is incorrect. This negative sound can be employed alone, with a loud hand clap, or in conjunction with stones or water.
A squeezy bottle of water is used by the author to chastise the dog. If the dog does anything you dislike, such as yanking on the lead, you splash water in his face. The idea is that the dog would dislike it and hence cease pulling. This is once again frightening the dog into submission.
A bottle full of stones - the author's intention is to scare the dog into listening. For example, if you call your dog back and he ignores you, throw the bottle near him; the fear will force your dog to stop what they're doing and look at you. This is once again frightening the dog into submission.
To be honest, these tactics do work, but only with limited effectiveness and require a significant amount of effort. Scaring a dog for natural behaviours causes most dogs to shut down, which means they stop doing everything until they are commanded to do anything. Who would do anything when the repercussions of each action may leave you terrified?
Let's face it, if you have to terrify a dog into behaving, you don't need a dog. I can't take the thought of my dog Erick being afraid of me, that he can't be his usual goofy self because he only does what I tell him to do. There would be no clowning about, no spontaneous joy, and no part of him being the fantastic smelling dog he is. THAT IS REALLY SAD.
As I read this in the book, I nearly fell to the floor. With your rescue dog, you must be the alpha.... What a bunch of fuckbollocks. The author urges you to envision a leader board or points board between you and your dog, where every time the dog is "dominant" over you, he gets a point and you receive a point. The Alpha is the one with the most points.
This is an outdated, disproved training approach that should not be used. For those of you not in the know, in the 1930s and 40s a Swiss animal behaviourist called Rudolph Schenkel examined captive Wolves to learn how the pack function, live and thrive. Based on his Dominance Theory, his study inspired humans to train dogs.
According to this belief, wolves struggle for control of their pack, with the victor becoming the Alpha of the pack, or the leader. Because dogs are derived from wolves, they must have a need for or be an alpha leader, hence in order to teach our dogs, we humans must become the Alpha. While dogs are descended from wolves, thousands of years of development have separated them, so what is appropriate to the wolf today is not applicable to the dog.
However, if the dog fights back by continuing the behaviour you wish to stop and refuses to submit to you, you should raise your threat. As previously said, the author advises you to use a verbal reprimand, if that doesn't work, use a loud clap, if that doesn't work, use a stone bottle, if that doesn't work, use a water bottle, and if that doesn't work, stab the dog in the rear of the legs. WTF, I mean.
While again this type of training can generate benefits they tend not to be long lasting, some dogs can grow accustomed to the reprimand to the point they can ignore it, so if you're to the point of poking your dog in the leg and he still ignores you what are you going to do next….
Did you hit the dog? Some dogs can only tolerate a water bottle to the face before attacking the water bottle (and you, because you are the one carrying it). Some dogs even enjoy being squirted with water; it becomes a game for them.
Another disadvantage of dominating training is that if you are always giving the reprimand but your spouse or child aren't, does it guarantee the dog won't do anything you don't like in your absence? For example, you may have taught your dog not to pull by making a frightening noise with the leash. Now when your spouse is walking the dog, he is likely to pull because there is no terrifying noise or lead being pulled by your partner. So, has your dog learnt anything or is it merely afraid and fearful in your company to the point that they will only perform the bare minimum?
Fortunately, it was discovered that these captive wolves struggled for supremacy since they were not a natural family and were forced to live together, which was the source of the tension and struggles for power. In the 1970s, a behaviourist named David Mech discredited The Dominance Theory by demonstrating that wolves live in family groups in the wild, which includes a mated pair and their offspring. There is no Alpha or wolf attempting to be an Alpha since the mated couple, termed mother and father, look after the family.
You should train your dog by making it fail.
Another thing I couldn't get my mind around was that to train your dog not to do something, you keep encouraging them to do it until they respond to your vocal reprimand and quit. At this point, I think I yelled at the book. I understand the author's analogy of a dog leaping up on people, but I don't enjoy it when a dog jumps up on people.
In this book, you are actively encouraged to encourage your dog to jump up, to become enthusiastic and pat your leg for your dog to leap up, and once their paws are on you, to use your voice to reprimand and repeat it until your dog's paws are on the ground. Continue doing this, and if your dog does not leap down, begin loudly clapping your hands together while using your voice cue; this will shock your dog off, and if that does not work, go on to the water bottle, then the leg pokes.
You'll end up with a dog who is too scared/frightened/worried to jump up when welcomed. Thus, in essence, the training was effective, but you achieved it through terror. What did I do when my own dog, Ally, would jump on me when I arrived home? I moved out of the way to avoid her; she desperately wanted my attention so she could follow me inside my flat. I stepped out of her reach whenever she attempted to leap, and once her feet were on the floor for more than a few seconds, I would kneel down and touch her. She quickly realised that keeping her paws on the ground gained her my attention faster, and my attention was what she desired.
Training that is based on rewards.
This is the strategy I employ; it was discovered/developed by Karen Pryor in the 1980s and popularised by Ian Dunbar in the 1990s. To train your dog, this method employs gentle and compassionate ways. We teach the dog the behaviours we WANT them to accomplish and reward them with praise in this manner. Additionally, it has been scientifically demonstrated to be a successful and long-lasting method of dog training.
My favourite aspect of this approach is that you don't have to ask your dog to do anything to praise them. For example, if I ask Erick to sit and he does, I say excellent; if he greets someone quietly and nicely, I also say good. According to dogs, what is rewarded is replicated in the world.
No, I don't always give my dog rewards for good behaviour. I use a lot of rewards while teaching anything new, but any competent trainer will tell you that you should phase them away as soon as possible. Instead of a reward, I may give Erick a good bottom scratch - his favourite place - or I might grab Ally's tugger and play with her. While I will continue to give out rewards, merely hearing nice from me makes my dogs happy.
Does this imply that I disregard all undesirable behaviour? No, depending on the scenario, I will either ignore the dog, like with Ally's leaping up, or control the issue. For example, Ally used to bark like a madman whenever she saw a bike ride by; instead, I complimented her for noticing the bike; the moment she spotted a bike, I'd say excellent, and she'd turn to search for a reward. I kept her under control by rewarding her for gazing before she started barking. She can now go near motorcycles off leash and not react; she gets a good girl and treats on occasion.
Dogs are intelligent beings, and teaching them to think for themselves and make their own decisions is not only enjoyable but also quite beneficial. It's amazing to see a dog finally understand and enjoy a training game. Furthermore, when dealing with Rescue Dog Training, it is critical that we help them feel comfortable, increase their confidence, and win their trust. I don't see how any of it can be accomplished by making a dog afraid instead of happy, by training them via fear rather than being their partner in their new life.
Final Thoughts
I am truly disturbed that, despite improvements in science and study, there are still people in the world who make a profession by teaching dogs via terror. I can only imagine how this book may result in dog rescue. It is designed to cause dread, tension, and misery in the dogs, as well as confusion in their owners. I can see potential behaviour problems in dogs who go through this training. This book belonged in the 1940s, where it would still be completely incorrect.
My concluding opinions are that while working and living with dogs, you should consider yourselves partners, even though you are in charge because you are the parent. You should build a connection with your dog based on mutual love and trust, one that includes clear rules and limits that are taught without the use of fear, pain, or punishment.
Finally, I encourage any conversation regarding dog training, and if you want to learn more about what I do or need help training your dog, please contact me.
