Score one for critical thinking!

I just read this Globe and Mail article "Are the Dog Whisperer's methods safe?" at this site. Now, normally I try very hard to refrain from these sorts of posts. Those of us in the positive training world all know what the science and research says, and we all know that these methods DO NOT WORK.

However, I just wanted to comment because I am thrilled to see critical thinking on this topic happening in the general media. I want to say thank you to Rebecca Dube, who wrote this article, for looking at things objectively and seeing past the glitter of "Cesar's Empire."

The problem with the celebrity of someone like this, who uses outdated and potentially harmful methods, is that as a nation we trust celebrities, and if they do it, we think we should do it. This is proven by the fact that he is a celebrity in the first place. On top of this, to use words like "whisper" and to defend obviously harsh physical punishment as "natural" does a disservice to dogs, and to their owners. Misinformation is like a virus, and one drop can kill a lakeful of positive intentions.

Remember to think CRITICALLY! Celebrities are just people. They are not gods, or prophets, or experts in anything other than being celebrities. When something looks too good to be true, and someone with perfect teeth tells you it is true, it is best to be wary until the facts are in.

There has been a lot said about this argument, so I will not repeat it again, but please check out the following links if you are interested in further professional opinions about the science of dog training and animal behavior.

From Jean Donaldson (also lots of other great articles)
http://www.urbandawgs.com/divided_profession.html

The Anti-Cesar Millan
Ian Dunbar's been succeeding for 25 years with lure-reward dog training; how come he's been usurped by the flashy, aggressive TV host?
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/15/CMGPHL9D1N1.DTL#ixzz0tVk63bsZ

Paul Owens, The ORIGINAL Dog Whisperer, who really does whisper
http://www.dogwhispererdvd.com/faq-national_geographic_dog_whisperer.html

First video! Billy learns to wait!

OK, so this may not seem very impressive at first. However, Billy is a very hyper dog, and he has never, in his six years, had to wait for anything. He has come to my friends after 6 years of living with total instant gratification. Suffice it to say, he has some impulse control issues. Especially when asked to stay still, and ESPECIALLY when it comes to his ball!

So...as soon as he arrived (about a month ago) we instituted the Nothing In Life is Free plan. He can just manage to sit for a second before we go through doors. He still can't contain himself when freedom and great smells are just on the other side of the door. But today he learned to wait for his ball!!!


So, I made a video. Here it is....enjoy!

Back home...

Well, it has been almost a week since I have been home from my Peaceable Paws experience, and I have not got a great blog post for you. I have been spending the week working on business promotion, marketing, setting up my office (the little desk in the corner of the living room, that is) and otherwise settling back in. Keep checking back, though, as I have plans for all sorts of things. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of my week at Peaceable Paws:

 

Day One....trying to get a down!

Day Two....brrrrr!!

 

Graduation Day!

Academy Days at Peaceable Paws...

I am here at the end of day 4 (of 6) of my Peaceable Paws Level 1 Academy and I am so incredibly blessed, honored and enthusiastic about being able to work, not only with Pat Miller, but with her helpful staff and the other 7 wonderful students in my class.

I am working with this little guy:



His name is Bean, and he is a 5 year old chihuahua mix. He is just so sweet, and I couldn't have picked a better choice of dog. Of course, leave it to me to pick the one labeled "difficult" to train...but we are diligently working to understand verbal cues without lures or prompts. Today he got his first few verbal "downs" and I couldn't be more proud. He is walking beautifully on the leash, which he started out a little scared of, but once we get going he does it perfectly. I will be so heartbroken to say goodbye to him on Saturday...I had hoped to take him home with me! Hopefully, though, he will find a terrific, loving, positive home where they will constantly give him fun stuff to do and lots and lots of snuggle time.

As I write this it is almost 1:00 am, and I just finished my third quiz. It is definitely time for bed, but if you want to see how it is going, Pat has been blogging about it - with pictures! - on her site, which is here.

While I will be excited to get home and start marketing my newly honed skills and talents, I will be sad to say goodbye to the whole experience. Is it tiring? Yes! Very! But would I do it again next week? Yes! Definitely!

Following a Positive Path with Dogs

It began with a simple desire, "I want a dog."

This was several years ago, but due to my and my husband's work schedules, small cramped apartments and life in general, I never got my wish. Eventually I began working from home, and while I now had the time for a dog, our landlord said no. I have sorely missed the company of a dog since my childhood, and I started thinking of some way to be with dogs again. One day it hit me - I can learn to work with them! I began a quest to find out all I could.

I had been watching all sorts of dog-related television -- everything I could set my remote to. I looked for educational programs that could teach me to be a dog trainer, but I decided that most of them used methods that seemed harsh and unnecessarily cruel. I even visited one local school where I was horrified to see a dog being led around a tiny room by each student, with its tail between its legs and each student, in turn, yanking on a choke chain to get the dog to sit/heel/stay, etc.  It was then that I began looking for a program that wasn't physically cruel or harsh. I hated choke collars, so-called "training collars," shock collars and anything else that caused dogs to flinch in fear. Many programs included "clicker training," but all of them seemed to focus on traditional aversive methods. Using "clicker training" as a search term, I was rewarded with a whole new world of positive, fun ways to work, train, and "be" with dogs.

It is now almost a year later, and I have been learning, reading, volunteering with and walking dogs. I am so excited to be launching my training business as I work towards my certification as a Certified Professional Dog Trainer. One of the most influential books I read was The Power of Positive Dog Training by Pat Miller.  In just a week or so I will be attending a positive training program run by Pat at Peaceable Paws. I couldn't be more excited to have the opportunity to work with someone so experienced and knowledgeable, and I will be even more excited to return with just a small piece of that knowledge.

In the end, what matters is that we and our dogs can live in harmony. We love them! We bring them into our lives for a reason. What that reason is is different for each person, but nobody brings a dog into their home in order to add stress, complications, or frustration. I believe that by helping people to understand their dogs, and helping their dogs to understand their people, everyone benefits and builds a strong, life-long bond of trust, love and happiness together. Isn't that what we want from our dogs - and isn't that what our dogs deserve from us?