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Dog Training
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Published: September 27, 2006
Dog training helps dogs socialize to human society. It teaches the dog to respond to human commands so it can be protected from harm. Effective dog training also keeps a dog from harming other animals or people.
Dog training used to be fairly simple and straightforward. Professional trainers taught obedience commands such as "sit," "stay," "heel," "come" and "lie down," as well as how to walk on a leash, to dogs either in one-on-one situations or with the dog's owner present.
When the dog responded properly to physical and verbal cues, it was given positive reinforcement in the form of treats and approval. The reinforcement might have been preceded by the sound of a clicker or bell, so the dog knew exactly which behavior was being rewarded.
Then came Cesar Millan and his "Dog Whisperer" TV shows. Millan's "dog rehabilitation" philosophy and dog training methods put him in deep doggy-doo with more traditional dog training professionals.
Millan relies upon "instinctual" dog training, which leans heavily on the concepts of pack leadership and dominance. His approach, as he explains on his Web site www.dogpsychologycenter.com, is not to train a dog to obey commands such as "sit" and "stay." Instead, it is to quell undesirable behavior by teaching a dog to submit to the owner's will.
Millan's dog training mantra is "discipline, exercise and affection" applied with "calm and assertive energy" equals a psychologically well-balanced dog.
Dog training and obedience experts who employ positive reinforcement find some of Millan's methods highly objectionable. For instance, Millan uses "flooding" to desensitize a dog to something it fears. This involves deliberately exposing the dog to the fear-provoking stimulus. Traditional, reward-based dog training professionals believe this is a cruel and abusive method.
Millan also uses the "alpha roll" to establish himself as pack leader over extremely dominant dogs. The alpha roll involves pinning a dog to the ground. Reward-based trainers say this technique is unnecessary and can be dangerous to both the dog and the trainer. (Note: Millan's TV shows stress his dog training techniques should not be attempted without professional supervision.)
As trainer Paul Owens, who calls himself "the original Dog Whisperer," explains, "The definition of dominance is 'who controls access.' Using physical force is not necessary to accomplish this . . . dominance doesn't mean who is bigger or stronger . . . It simply means setting up your environment so that you control access to things your dog wants, and he has to look to you to get what he wants."
The two camps do agree on several points. One, dog training must be consistent. Family members should use the same prompts, responses and method when training to avoid confusing the dog.
Two, the owner – not the dog – must take the lead in determining what behavior is acceptable. Dogs often wind up in shelters or are put down because "they're too wild," when the problem actually stems from the absence of training to avoid problematic behaviors.
Three, dogs need daily exercise. This is especially true for dogs that have to be alone in a house or apartment for eight or more hours a day. You know how grumpy you feel after being sick in bed for a few days? Dogs feel the same way after being confined to a crate or quiet house all day. They need the physical and mental stimulation exercise provides, as well as a chance to eliminate waste.
Which is the best approach to dog training? Certainly, dog owners want to be as kind and loving to our canine companions as possible. Sometimes, though, "tough love" might be needed to make them aware of the consequences of their actions.
Perhaps the best way to approach dog training is to consider Hippocrates' directive to physicians: "First, do no harm." Then, investigate different dog training and obedience programs and instructors. Decide whose dog-training philosophies coincide most closely with yours. The online magazine Dog Owner's Guide offers an extensive checklist of what to consider under a section entitled, "Obedience Training Your Dog" (http://www.canismajor.com/dog/yobed.html). Also, an interesting discussion of the pros and cons of Cesar Millan's methods has been posted online by a Phoenix dog training professional, Sam Basso, at www.samthedogtrainer.com ("Cesar Millan - The Dog Whisperer?).
Owning a dog is a big responsibility. Dog training is the promise you make to your dog and society that you will do right by each of them.
Dog training used to be fairly simple and straightforward. Professional trainers taught obedience commands such as "sit," "stay," "heel," "come" and "lie down," as well as how to walk on a leash, to dogs either in one-on-one situations or with the dog's owner present.
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When the dog responded properly to physical and verbal cues, it was given positive reinforcement in the form of treats and approval. The reinforcement might have been preceded by the sound of a clicker or bell, so the dog knew exactly which behavior was being rewarded.
Then came Cesar Millan and his "Dog Whisperer" TV shows. Millan's "dog rehabilitation" philosophy and dog training methods put him in deep doggy-doo with more traditional dog training professionals.
Millan relies upon "instinctual" dog training, which leans heavily on the concepts of pack leadership and dominance. His approach, as he explains on his Web site www.dogpsychologycenter.com, is not to train a dog to obey commands such as "sit" and "stay." Instead, it is to quell undesirable behavior by teaching a dog to submit to the owner's will.
Millan's dog training mantra is "discipline, exercise and affection" applied with "calm and assertive energy" equals a psychologically well-balanced dog.
Dog training and obedience experts who employ positive reinforcement find some of Millan's methods highly objectionable. For instance, Millan uses "flooding" to desensitize a dog to something it fears. This involves deliberately exposing the dog to the fear-provoking stimulus. Traditional, reward-based dog training professionals believe this is a cruel and abusive method.
Millan also uses the "alpha roll" to establish himself as pack leader over extremely dominant dogs. The alpha roll involves pinning a dog to the ground. Reward-based trainers say this technique is unnecessary and can be dangerous to both the dog and the trainer. (Note: Millan's TV shows stress his dog training techniques should not be attempted without professional supervision.)
As trainer Paul Owens, who calls himself "the original Dog Whisperer," explains, "The definition of dominance is 'who controls access.' Using physical force is not necessary to accomplish this . . . dominance doesn't mean who is bigger or stronger . . . It simply means setting up your environment so that you control access to things your dog wants, and he has to look to you to get what he wants."
The two camps do agree on several points. One, dog training must be consistent. Family members should use the same prompts, responses and method when training to avoid confusing the dog.
Two, the owner – not the dog – must take the lead in determining what behavior is acceptable. Dogs often wind up in shelters or are put down because "they're too wild," when the problem actually stems from the absence of training to avoid problematic behaviors.
Three, dogs need daily exercise. This is especially true for dogs that have to be alone in a house or apartment for eight or more hours a day. You know how grumpy you feel after being sick in bed for a few days? Dogs feel the same way after being confined to a crate or quiet house all day. They need the physical and mental stimulation exercise provides, as well as a chance to eliminate waste.
Which is the best approach to dog training? Certainly, dog owners want to be as kind and loving to our canine companions as possible. Sometimes, though, "tough love" might be needed to make them aware of the consequences of their actions.
Perhaps the best way to approach dog training is to consider Hippocrates' directive to physicians: "First, do no harm." Then, investigate different dog training and obedience programs and instructors. Decide whose dog-training philosophies coincide most closely with yours. The online magazine Dog Owner's Guide offers an extensive checklist of what to consider under a section entitled, "Obedience Training Your Dog" (http://www.canismajor.com/dog/yobed.html). Also, an interesting discussion of the pros and cons of Cesar Millan's methods has been posted online by a Phoenix dog training professional, Sam Basso, at www.samthedogtrainer.com ("Cesar Millan - The Dog Whisperer?).
Owning a dog is a big responsibility. Dog training is the promise you make to your dog and society that you will do right by each of them.
