07-08-2017, 11:34 AM
Inappropriate Training -
Is Confirmation an Owners Lazy and Should NOT have a Pet of Any Kind!
Before I show you what two other dog behaviourists think here is my take on it, I have witnessed shock collars being used on 2 Sarplaninacs and a mixture of 27 Havanese and Bolognese by Eastern European breeders both of whom were exceptionally proud of how they know this works because in their own country the dogs must be quiet and if this failed they have to cut the dogs vocal chords. I was gobsmacked to be honest, I then took several hours out of my time to explain the reasoning why actually the effect that it is having is encouraging wrong behaviour in a much wider spectrum than just barking. Firstly dogs need to communicate they do this in many ways such as sniffing, tail movement, ear moving, eye moving or static view and then barking or whining. Canine communication is much more complex than human communication, it has to be because dogs are a pack animal and they need really good communication skills to have and keep social order within that pack which could be 2 dogs or 100 dogs and anything in between. If a dog’s behaviour is causing its owners distress then as I keep reminding owners you must go back to those information sheets we give in a puppy pack usually sent via email or pm files and read them. You start from the beginning again as if this was a new puppy. Dogs need constant training throughout their lives, they can be quite a lazy animal and that means they would rather you do something for them so they will happily manipulate any situation to encourage silly humans to do it for them, that ranges from getting their food delivered on time by barking or whining at you when you usually bring food, dogs are excellent little event alarms especially when food is the order of the day! Barking to get some attention if they feel they are not getting the right attention for long enough, or being bored they will tap you to play and keep playing. The BEST way to get your dog to be a reliant little home lover is to do this :
1 Reward good behaviour at all times
2 Keep to routines at all times (except food delivery)
3 Ignore all bad behaviour
4 Do not shout or talk back to Fido when he barks, that is exactly what they want ….keep quiet !
5 Keep to a strict training schedule when Fido is a puppy and always end that on a positive note
6 Clickers are and excellent tool for training if you cannot snap yours
7 Manipulation is an effective tool for you to use with Fido just as they use it to train YOU
8 Dogs pick up on your emotions, if you are sad they will wipe tears, if you are angry they become anxious, if you are stressed they become neurotic
9 A dog cannot think why and owner is having a bad time, they pick up on pheromones , body language and tone of voice that will either encourage that dog to be a very close protective dog towards its owner which in itself can lead to separation anxiety . It also can had a very adverse effect and encourage a dog to become fearful, this will lead to fear anxiety and that is dangerous, so owners need to keep a check on how their behaviour maybe impacting their dog
10 Dogs witnessing violence can become reactive, using any type of reinforcement collar will not resolve a problem it will bring on 10 more. Using shock collars of any type can encourage a dog to become violent because it IS being violated.
The thoughts of 2 other dog behaviourists
There are many ‘quick fix’ products available to dog owners who wish to modify the behaviour of their pet. One such device is the electronic collar. The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors advises that the use of devices that rely on pain or discomfort to modify behaviour are inappropriate as they have the potential to seriously compromise the welfare of dogs, and ruin their relationship with their owners. Despite advances in our understanding of dog behaviour and training, and the general move towards reward-based training techniques, some people still continue to recommend unpleasant or painful techniques as the best way to train dogs, or to deal with behaviour problems. While the pain or discomfort of shock collars can work to suppress behaviour, their use comes with risks, and often the underlying reasons for problem behaviour are not dealt with. Even in experienced hands, it can be difficult to deliver shocks at the right moment and to predict the level of discomfort or pain experienced by a dog; in inexperienced hands the use of shock collars can result in poorly timed intense electric shocks that induce fear and ongoing anxiety in the dog. Owners are often unaware of the high levels of pain that they may be causing their dog. One of the most common behaviour problems encountered with dogs is that of aggression. In many cases, aggression is motivated by fear. When a dog is nervous or frightened, a natural behavioural strategy is to use aggression to get rid of the “threat”. Placing a shock collar on such a dog to stop it being aggressive can result in the dog becoming even more fearful of the situation, which can make the aggression more likely in the future. Imagine if you were scared of spiders or snakes and were shocked for trying to swat away a tarantula or cobra from your lap! The use of a shock collar to try and stop aggressive behaviour can also suppress the warning signs displayed by a dog before it is aggressive, which can make their aggression less predictable and more dangerous. Dogs learn by association - when using a shock collar there is a risk that the dog may associate the shock with something other than the behaviour that people are trying to stop. For instance, if a shock is administered for barking, there is a danger that the dog might associate a benign aspect of its environment (such as a nearby child) with the pain of the shock, rather than its own barking. This could lead to the dog developing distrust or even fear of certain locations, individuals, or other stimuli. Another significant risk with the use of shock collars is that rather than linking the shock to the wrong thing, a dog may not be able to link the shock to anything at all! This results in a dog becoming totally confused, anxious and stressed as it repeatedly suffers the pain of the electric shock for no apparent reason. Inga MacKellar MSc CCAB Mat Ward BSc MVS CCAB
Is Confirmation an Owners Lazy and Should NOT have a Pet of Any Kind!
Before I show you what two other dog behaviourists think here is my take on it, I have witnessed shock collars being used on 2 Sarplaninacs and a mixture of 27 Havanese and Bolognese by Eastern European breeders both of whom were exceptionally proud of how they know this works because in their own country the dogs must be quiet and if this failed they have to cut the dogs vocal chords. I was gobsmacked to be honest, I then took several hours out of my time to explain the reasoning why actually the effect that it is having is encouraging wrong behaviour in a much wider spectrum than just barking. Firstly dogs need to communicate they do this in many ways such as sniffing, tail movement, ear moving, eye moving or static view and then barking or whining. Canine communication is much more complex than human communication, it has to be because dogs are a pack animal and they need really good communication skills to have and keep social order within that pack which could be 2 dogs or 100 dogs and anything in between. If a dog’s behaviour is causing its owners distress then as I keep reminding owners you must go back to those information sheets we give in a puppy pack usually sent via email or pm files and read them. You start from the beginning again as if this was a new puppy. Dogs need constant training throughout their lives, they can be quite a lazy animal and that means they would rather you do something for them so they will happily manipulate any situation to encourage silly humans to do it for them, that ranges from getting their food delivered on time by barking or whining at you when you usually bring food, dogs are excellent little event alarms especially when food is the order of the day! Barking to get some attention if they feel they are not getting the right attention for long enough, or being bored they will tap you to play and keep playing. The BEST way to get your dog to be a reliant little home lover is to do this :
1 Reward good behaviour at all times
2 Keep to routines at all times (except food delivery)
3 Ignore all bad behaviour
4 Do not shout or talk back to Fido when he barks, that is exactly what they want ….keep quiet !
5 Keep to a strict training schedule when Fido is a puppy and always end that on a positive note
6 Clickers are and excellent tool for training if you cannot snap yours
7 Manipulation is an effective tool for you to use with Fido just as they use it to train YOU
8 Dogs pick up on your emotions, if you are sad they will wipe tears, if you are angry they become anxious, if you are stressed they become neurotic
9 A dog cannot think why and owner is having a bad time, they pick up on pheromones , body language and tone of voice that will either encourage that dog to be a very close protective dog towards its owner which in itself can lead to separation anxiety . It also can had a very adverse effect and encourage a dog to become fearful, this will lead to fear anxiety and that is dangerous, so owners need to keep a check on how their behaviour maybe impacting their dog
10 Dogs witnessing violence can become reactive, using any type of reinforcement collar will not resolve a problem it will bring on 10 more. Using shock collars of any type can encourage a dog to become violent because it IS being violated.
The thoughts of 2 other dog behaviourists
There are many ‘quick fix’ products available to dog owners who wish to modify the behaviour of their pet. One such device is the electronic collar. The Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors advises that the use of devices that rely on pain or discomfort to modify behaviour are inappropriate as they have the potential to seriously compromise the welfare of dogs, and ruin their relationship with their owners. Despite advances in our understanding of dog behaviour and training, and the general move towards reward-based training techniques, some people still continue to recommend unpleasant or painful techniques as the best way to train dogs, or to deal with behaviour problems. While the pain or discomfort of shock collars can work to suppress behaviour, their use comes with risks, and often the underlying reasons for problem behaviour are not dealt with. Even in experienced hands, it can be difficult to deliver shocks at the right moment and to predict the level of discomfort or pain experienced by a dog; in inexperienced hands the use of shock collars can result in poorly timed intense electric shocks that induce fear and ongoing anxiety in the dog. Owners are often unaware of the high levels of pain that they may be causing their dog. One of the most common behaviour problems encountered with dogs is that of aggression. In many cases, aggression is motivated by fear. When a dog is nervous or frightened, a natural behavioural strategy is to use aggression to get rid of the “threat”. Placing a shock collar on such a dog to stop it being aggressive can result in the dog becoming even more fearful of the situation, which can make the aggression more likely in the future. Imagine if you were scared of spiders or snakes and were shocked for trying to swat away a tarantula or cobra from your lap! The use of a shock collar to try and stop aggressive behaviour can also suppress the warning signs displayed by a dog before it is aggressive, which can make their aggression less predictable and more dangerous. Dogs learn by association - when using a shock collar there is a risk that the dog may associate the shock with something other than the behaviour that people are trying to stop. For instance, if a shock is administered for barking, there is a danger that the dog might associate a benign aspect of its environment (such as a nearby child) with the pain of the shock, rather than its own barking. This could lead to the dog developing distrust or even fear of certain locations, individuals, or other stimuli. Another significant risk with the use of shock collars is that rather than linking the shock to the wrong thing, a dog may not be able to link the shock to anything at all! This results in a dog becoming totally confused, anxious and stressed as it repeatedly suffers the pain of the electric shock for no apparent reason. Inga MacKellar MSc CCAB Mat Ward BSc MVS CCAB