#16 Realize the Real Lies
This letter is especially addressed to those who have been lied to.
Dear reader,
There are false statements being spread by an extremist group in the dog training world. This group includes professionals from various services such as veterinarians and trainers. They state that there is a battle going on between dog training methods when, in fact, there isn't anything to battle over. Dogs have had it right for thousands of years.
All it takes is experience, facts, and a common sense perspective to debunk their claims.
- Correcting a dog's unwanted behaviour will NOT make him aggressive. Too many people have been told to ‘never correct a dog for acting out in rebellion or reactivity’ as it might further agitate the dog. Sure, this may happen if the correction consistently falls short of the dog’s own intensity and timing. However I want you to question what made the dog become aggressive in the first place. In most cases, correction can't be blamed because it had never been applied. What is the excuse then?
Same goes for using aversive tools. If prong collars and remote collars created aggression, why is it that most dogs struggling with aggression have never been on those tools? What created that aggression in the first place?
- You are not being abusive if you say Nope or implement discipline. Discipline is the act of training that corrects, molds, holds accountable, or perfects the mental faculties and moral character. It takes discipline to know whats expected and to act accordingly. Sometimes it's just not about asking, it's about telling. That goes for children and dogs. Many times if you don't say No, you end up being the one with crossed boundaries, rising frustration, and guilt as you deal with someone disrespecting you just because you never made your boundaries clear enough. Ironically, most of us practice discipline with ourselves and proper boundary management on a daily basis with other human beings, but we suddenly refuse to train our dogs the same way. Its almost like the species gap keeps us from seeing things in the similar light.
The new fad is all about ignoring bad behaviour but by ignoring it, you are actually allowing it. You need to send both warm and cold messages to be able to communicate and build a relationship between any species. This works with humans, works with dogs, works with any species. It's not anything new.
- Prong collars might look vicious, but they have the ability to be the gentlest tool out there. They are designed so the contact points are set to create pressure without choking or wounding. Until you've actually tried a prong collar on yourself, it can be easy to let your imagination get carried away upon the sight of a prong. But think about it... A dog who pulls is a dog who chokes. The prong collar uses pressure and release techniques to eliminate pulling, so now what do you have? A dog who doesn’t pull and doesn’t choke.
Also it absolutely does not help that uneducated people (even those in another dog profession such as veterinary or grooming) will openly shame people who use this tool because they personally do not understand how it works and why it is being used. Funny... They never seem to have any experience or true evidence to back up their claims. And thats because they don’t have anything to back up their beliefs, because prong collars can even be used improperly and they still won't inflict damage like a slip lead, halti, or flat buckle collar will. Not only that, the prong also can be the one tool that allows an person to really start enjoying their dog without having to linger in both physical and psychological pain.
I challenge anyone to show proof of what they claim. Be responsible and use common sense and you’ll find the prong collar to be an invaluable tool.
- Your dog will love you just as much and actually even more if you can utilize tools, discipline, and rewards properly rather then spoiling them constantly. Spoiling dogs considerably lowers the value of reward and creates lack of discipline to the point that they feel disconnected, as though they have no purpose in life. And a dog without a purpose is a dog who is lost.
- There is no such thing as force-free, science based, or purely positive training. This title itself is a red flag, a marketing scheme. We leash our dogs. We confine our dogs. We make these predatory animals live in our constricted human world. And, despite the title, even positive-only trainers utilize consequences, some which are harsher when looked at from the dog's point of view.
They'll throw the proven-by-science card around but, in doing so, they shoot themselves in the foot. If you look into science, you'll see that there are four quadrants of conditioning. Pure positive training tries to eliminate all but one of them. This just isn’t reality. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty sure I wouldn't want to live in a world where humans were allowed to murder and steal without consequences in place for those actions. Without rules, we'd be in jail or we'd be dead! Sometimes boundaries create much more positive outcomes than trying to be nice without gaining any positive results.
- Too often we want to be extreme. We use too much force or we use too much reward. Sometimes we start by using a softer approach and then become increasingly frustrated to the point of a resentful explosion. Then we feel guilty afterwards and proceed to bring on an emotional approach all over again. We shouldn't be using only food or only force. We have to aim for the dog's natural need to please. We reward for their good choices and occasionally have to correct their wrong choices. It's a BALANCE.
We need to start thinking about the best for our dogs. Human beings are very selfish and many of our actions are for our own gain. I've met those who use dogs as an emotional crutch. I've also met those who won't leave their own comfort zone for the wellbeing of their dog. Many of those dogs continue to live in pain unless their human guardians make the right choice to free them... NOT by euthanasia but by putting effort and training into changing their relationship. That might mean trying a different approach that makes you uncomfortable. Just don’t be one of those people who choose death before discomfort for a dog.
I'll end with saying that I didn't just make this up to suit a biased opinion or marketing ploy. I've done behavioural rehab with many dogs including my own and began using a variety of methods to bring relief, balance, peace, and absolute success. My dog loves playing fetch while wearing her remote collar. She loves walking with the pack and respecting their boundaries. She's more content, relaxed, and responsive then she ever was before and no one can convince us otherwise. That, my friends, is the truth.
Jenna