Proper Education, Not Faulty Legislation For Pet Dog Trainers
The profession of companion, or “pet” dog training is one that requires little more than the willingness to do it and promote oneself. There is no licensing required. Let me state right up front that given the appalling lack of education and the major divisions among pet dog trainers, there cannot be proper legitimate licensing that will give consumers more assurances of quality when they choose to hire someone. It is for these reasons and a few others that I am against the licensing of any pet dog trainers in… Continued
Laughter and Learning at the PPGBI Mini-Summit
The PPGBI Mini Educational Summit, which took place in early September at the Leeds Mercure Parkway hotel in Yorkshire, England, was a roaring success. Much fun was had on the first night as the attendees started to gather, register and receive some PPG Swag. Everyone then got to know each other over a welcome drink in the bar. This was followed by a weekend packed full of fun, educational learning and networking. PPG President, Niki Tudge, opened the Summit with a welcome address to the attendees and also presented several,… Continued
The Power of Project Trade
When I first learned of the Pet Professional Guild (PPG) I had just recently worked with a handsome little elderly dog named Pete and acquired my first shock collar. Rough handling turned Pete into a hand-biter; adding a shock collar made it much worse. Taking it off Pete probably saved his life and spared his owner the heartache of euthanizing her long time pet, as many around her had been advising. I was highly motivated to see shock collars taken off all dogs and wanted to persuade a local legislator to… Continued
Desensitizing a Dog to New Equipment, Toys
Report from PPG’s Four-Day Pet Care Technician Certification Program Workshop (Part Five of Eight) This is part of a series of blogs in which we will share a few of the highlights from day two of PPG’s recent workshop and my presentation on Pet Care Tools, Equipment and Toys – a study of pet care tools, equipment, supplies and toys that are available in today’s marketplace. The presentation covered such topics as learning how to identify appropriate equipment and understanding how to safely and practically use this equipment including desensitization protocols. Everyone also… Continued
The Perfect Dog
I have the perfect dog. He doesn’t bark, “potty” in the house, chew on furniture, or do ANY undesirable dog behaviors. Perhaps you have one too; mine is called Fido, and he’s a big stuffed dog! Real dogs bark, dig in the yard, eliminate in the house, whine, chew on furniture and other delectable human artifacts. And they do this unless the dog-guardian knows how to prevent the behavior from occurring while showing the dog what behaviors they’d like him to do. Unfortunately for a lot of our dogs, their… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Launches Worldwide Advocacy Program
Project Trade encourages pet owners to exchange aversive training devices for discounted force-free training services provided by PPG members Tampa, FL – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has launched Project Trade, an international advocacy program that encourages pet owners to trade aversive equipment for scientifically sound, force-free training and pet care services. PPG members may opt in to the program and, in doing so, will provide incentives for their clients to switch to more appropriate training and pet care tools by giving them professional educational support at discounts of 10-15… Continued
Force-Free: Are You Getting the Correct Message Across?
Recently I learned of a trainer whose specialty is working with hunting dogs. For the purpose of this blog I will call him Bob, mostly because I like that name, and I like the trainer. The majority of hunting dog trainers use traditional methods, but several years ago Bob gave up the methods he was most familiar with and formally studied modern methods based on reinforcing desired behaviors. Today Bob identifies himself as a “positive” trainer meaning that he does not use a shock/choke/pronged collar and does not impose fear,… Continued
The Dog Decides
“The dog decides what is reinforcing.” Positive reinforcement trainers frequently say that to their human students. What they mean is that people can easily be mistaken about whether something constitutes reinforcement. For instance, we may think praising or petting our dogs are reinforcers, but if they do not cause behavior to increase or maintain, they are not. Dogs don’t sit down and make cognitive “decisions” about reinforcers; that’s just a semantic shortcut. But their subsequent behavior is what tells us whether something is a reinforcer or not. If you give your dog a piece of… Continued
All I Want for Christmas…
Dear Santa, All I want for Christmas is an e-collar…that I can use without violating my professional ethics. Thanks to modern technology and micro circuitry dog owners and trainers alike enjoy a variety of devices for use in training. Unfortunately, not every one of those devices is enjoyable by dogs. Some, in fact, are utterly shocking. A common justification for using shock collars is that people need to communicate with their dogs at a distance, while hunting or if the dog is working livestock. Slapping an e-collar on their dog… Continued
Dog Training: It’s Not Just Semantics
Stop press! Have you heard? You don’t need to be a military commander to train a dog! You don’t need to yell or shout. You don’t need to use threats or physical punishment. You don’t need to know a single command. You don’t need to be the dog’s “master” or “pack leader”. The dog does not need to be “calm submissive” and you definitely don’t need to dominate him! So, how can you train a dog without using any commands? It’s actually really simple. You teach the dog what you… Continued
The Arrogance of Punishment
As a professional force-free dog trainer I often hear dog owners use the term “punishment” and understand it from their perspective as a word in common use. Webster’s dictionary: 1 the act of punishing; 2 a. a suffering of pain or loss that serves as retribution; 2 b. a penalty inflicted upon an offender through judicial procedure; 3 severe, rough, or disastrous treatment. I will address each definition in context of “punishment” as applied to pet dogs by their owners, rather than the use of the term as understood by… Continued
But It Worked for My Dog!!
What happens when someone shares a “success” story about training with aversives? Here’s my response to a commenter who did so on one of my previous posts. A Parable Once there was a woman named Reva who had a serious health condition that needed intervention. Her intexagog was inflamed and could rupture any day. Reva looked up intexagog specialists in the phone book. She found Dr. Bleppo, who had an ad that was both slick and reassuring, and picked him. She made an appointment. He was a likable guy and radiated competence. He said sure, he could fix… Continued
Progressive Zoos Never Use Aversive Punishment — Should You?
This series of blog posts recounts topics drawn from the Pet Professional Guild Radio Show, featuring Linda Michaels (2). Question: What are some of the benefits of using Positive Reinforcement (+R)? Answer: The benefits of using Positive Reinforcement training with our companion animals are pretty much the opposite of the drawbacks of using aversive punishment. Goodness, today, all progressive zoos and wild animal parks use management and positive reinforcement ONLY even with large and potentially dangerous animals. (See Video from San Diego Safari Park and the San Diego Zoo). Surely, we can train our… Continued
What Does Citronella Really Do to a Dog?
My ‘Paws for Thoughts’ blogs are just what they say – thoughts. I don’t profess to be an expert on my subject matter or feel that we should believe everything we read, but it should always make one think. This train of thought started with an email I received the other morning from a man with a cocker spaniel, Bertie. The four-year-old dog was now on his third home. A couple of months previously this client had canceled his appointment with me because my simple telephone advice had worked instantly. Obviously I was… Continued
Nothing Changes if Nothing Changes
This article was written by Barb Levenson BS and first published in BARKS from the Guild (2014, April) pp. 26-27. Are you shouting cues or asking your dog for behaviors with a soft tone of voice? In a beginner rally class one night, I had an opportunity to show the difference between using a soft tone of voice to some of my students. One of the dogs, an adolescent lab, was somewhat anxious during class. I noticed that the owner, who was a very receptive student, was ‘barking’ cues to… Continued
A Simple Walk: Training a Puppy
There’ve been days this long, long winter — days when the sun hadn’t been out in weeks, the wind was shrieking and the mercury read 35 but the wind chill was a bit less — that I wondered what in the world I was doing out walking my puppy all over the streets of my town. Oona is just over seven months old now. She tops 110 pounds. When you touch her, she’s springy and taut with new muscles. She’s an Irish wolfhound, a force of nature now, and she… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Raises the Stakes in Virtual Competition
Tampa, FL – The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) is offering an unprecedented range of prizes to entice the participation of members, supporters and pet owners in its virtual community event, The International Day of Celebration for Force-Free Training and Pet Care (ICFF), taking place between now and February 17. Like its predecessor last year, ICFF 2015 entails a photo and video competition where members are invited to submit entries in various categories. However, the prizes on offer this time round are even more alluring, with a free pass to PPG’s… Continued
Helping a Fearful Dog Feel Safe
If you have a fearful dog, you probably read all sorts of conflicting advice about what to do about that. Everybody’s got an opinion, and unfortunately some of them include very poor methods. Even if we rule out the methods that are obviously based on aversive practices, like prong collars or shock systems, we are not out of the woods. A lot of the suggestions made regarding fearful dogs, while well-meaning, are not helpful in the long run and can easily cause our attempts to help the dog backfire. My favorite… Continued
The Many, Many Problems with BSL
I recently had the pleasure of both attending and speaking at the Coast to Coast Bully Walk in Chesterton, IN. The walk is held every year, in various locations across the USA to celebrate Pit Bull Awareness Month. Both Jambo and I were kindly invited by Piper’s Page of Life but, unfortunately, Jambo could not attend. In my speech there, I focused on the importance of training your dog without force; improving the image of the “bullies”; why it is important to spay/neuter dogs; and why we should all fight… Continued
Spending Time with Dogs Brings Joy to Our Lives
When I add a dog to my life, I consider our relationship the beginning of a voyage. I look forward to creating a bond based on understanding and trust. There isn’t a timetable for these events to occur. The bond takes time to happen. My idea is to enjoy the journey. In these days of cell phones, texting and reality TV, many of us expect instant gratification. In human and canine relationships, taking the time to establish communication is critical. I like to prioritize the behaviors I want my dog… Continued
Pet Professional Guild Announces Second Virtual Force-Free Training Competition
The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) has rolled out the guidelines for its second international virtual community event, The International Day of Celebration for Force-Free Training and Pet Care (ICFF). Taking place on 17 February each year to honor one of PPG’s founding members, the late Leah Roberts, the event was created to recognize Roberts’ lifelong crusade for force-free training and better treatment for all pet dogs. Like its predecessor in 2014, ICFF 2015 will entail a photo and video competition where members are invited to make their submissions under a… Continued
Is It Worth It?
Working in the industry of companion animal behavior and training, we all do things that are not financially lucrative and maybe take up a lot of our free time. Whether it is writing training articles and blogs; helping to raise money for animal shelters; running a Facebook page to help educate people; taking the time to talk to somebody who has concerns about their dog or maybe just taking the time to let somebody who is scared of a certain breed – or perhaps even scared of dogs in general… Continued
PPG Responds to American Kennel Club’s Backtracking on the Use of Shock in Dog Training
In the light of a recent study stating that – unsurprisingly – electronic training collars present a welfare risk to pet dogs, The Pet Professional Guild (PPG) was delighted to hear American Kennel Club Vice President Gina Dinardo speak out in favor of positive reinforcement training methods in an interview with Fox News on 13 Sept, 2014. “There are better training methods than using shock collars,” said Dinardo. “Shock collars can cause stress, distress, sometimes pain. Used inappropriately they can prevent dogs from even being receptive to other training methods in… Continued
Why Prong Is Wrong – Physically and Psychologically
A man’s best friend deserves better Prong collars are used to decrease behavior and involve waiting for the dog to do something wrong, like pulling, and then jerking the dog. Used “correctly” they ride high up on the neck. Starting with a play on words, replace the P in Prong with a W and, well you get the picture. The PPG BARKS from the Guild Editor has asked me to write a blog on prong collars and I graciously accepted. Apparently people want to know why prong collars are harmful (physically… Continued