Showing your dog love

Showing your dog love.

I recently received a dog publication in the mail that was titled at the top: “How much do you love your dog?” Underneath that line, there was a list of things that you could buy to “show your dog how you feel” about them. They were the following:

-Treats
-Toys
-Clothes
-More treats.
Let me tell you what I think is the best way to show your dog love: -An open field

- The beach.
-Trails in the woods.
- Structure and leadership

The publication was indicating that we should “humanize” our dogs”, meaning that we should assume that the things we would love and appreciate are the things that they would love and appreciate. We are so bonded with our dogs that so many of
us forget that they are dogs. The reality is that dogs are NOT people. Dogs are dogs, which means they have a very different thought process than us. Dogs are pack animals that have strong instincts to know their order within that pack, and to listen to a single pack leader, which is why they continuously crave and need rules, limits, and boundaries to keep them balanced, secure and happy.

I will tell you here and now that spoiling your dog with treats, toys and designer outfits is NOT going to make your dog happy, but real world dog training is going to make both your dog and you happier than you can imagine. Real world dog training is allowing your dog to run freely in those open fields, beaches and hiking trails under your guidance as your dog’s pack leader, without the restrictions of
a leash. Real world dog training is about being able to take your dog anywhere with you with absolute confidence that your dog will make good choices because
it actually understands the correct way to behave. Real world dog training will unleash the animal’s true spirit, that we as humans, should be obligated to do. If you truly care about your dog, it is your responsibility as your dog’s companion and leader to be aware of what it instinctually needs as the animal it is, which is the very best way to show your dog love.

Training methods coming from a highly emotional standpoint using only positive rewards such as treats, unlimited affection and toys are not going to work for real world dog training. These reward-based techniques may work extremely well for agility training, service dog training, or having your dog sit for you in a room, but are they going to help you integrate your dog seamlessly into your life? No.

If someone tells me that their dog is well trained, and I ask them if they can go anywhere without a leash, more often than not, they look at me with horror and say they’d never trust their dog to have a perfect recall in unfamiliar and/or distracting areas. Let me tell you something. It’s not about trust. It’s about control. If you
are not in control as the alpha pack leader, then your dog is not well trained and not living its best life possible. So how do we accomplish having complete control? Communication. When I train dogs, I establish communication.

To achieve the leadership you must have in order for your dog to be happy and balanced, you need be able to communicate with your dog in its own language, which means putting the human emotions aside. A mother dog is strict with
her puppies, giving them limits from the moment they were born. Dogs don’t communicate by verbal reasoning. They communicate by using quick corrections and moving on.

When did we as humans begin to accept bad behavior just because we feel guilty correcting the dog? It is a disservice to the dog and everyone else when you are not asking for good manners by simply ignoring the bad behavior and letting it continue. At what point did we accept that it’s better for us and the dog to isolate the dog when we know it will make bad choices, rather than changing our approach to training so the dog can be involved?

It is okay to feel a little discomfort when you change the way you think and react to bad behavior. Change is never comfortable. The key is to realize that it is far more uncomfortable to continue to allow the bad behavior for the rest of the dog’s life. If you simply step outside of your comfort zone and change your training technique, you will be able to derive pleasure from a well-behaved dog that will not only make your life easier, but your dog’s as well.

Sometimes in life we need to accept temporary discomfort for the long-term benefits. If you give the dog a bit of discomfort with a quick correction it will instantly learn that the behavior will not be tolerated because dogs will not do anything that is uncomfortable to them. This does not mean that the dog will stop the behavior because it’s frightened of you or pain! It’s the dog’s natural tendency to learn and understand that an undesirable behavior equals discomfort, and therefore is not worth doing. Humans learn this as well, but dogs are lucky because they figure it out much quicker than we do. So when will we, as logical, rational humans realize that the pain of isolation due to bad manners is far greater to a dog

than a split second correction, which is a natural form of communication to a dog? Remember that by making small, consistent changes each day we will bring about massive change in the long term.

A real world example: Lets say a dog is running around a doggy daycare mounting the other dogs. To stop this behavior, the employee walks up to that dogs, puts a leash on the rude dog, and puts the dog into “time out. “ The time out first of all isn’t teaching the dog; it is humanizing the dog. Dogs don’t understand time outs, because they can’t connect what happened sixty seconds ago to the time out that is happening now. Secondly, if you are pulling one dog on a leash out of a group of dogs off leash, you are inviting a fight. Time outs simply confuse and punish the dog, avoid the issue at hand, and can easily lead to a dangerous situation. Now lets say that doggy daycare employee is holding a lunge whip, and the instant that undesirable behavior begins, the employee gently touches the dog with a tap and a “knock it off.” The dog quickly learns that the mounting behavior won’t be tolerated, and then gets to stay in the play area and actually learn. The same results can also be achieved if that offending dog had on a remote collar and was given a "gentle" reminder to stop the unwanted behavior.

Can you imagine if all dog owners used their logic, learned about their dog’s actual needs and gave their dog exactly that? Happy and balanced dogs are absolute pleasures to own, and would not be given up on easily. Imagine your dog being able to accompany you anywhere, respect and respond to you in any situation, and always be welcomed, because they were so well behaved?

If there were more balanced and therefore happier dogs in this world, the pet overpopulation would drop. Dogs would be far less likely to be given up on,
and killed. To me, POSITIVE training means that the dog gets to live its best life possible, and in order to do that, we need to stop humanizing our dogs, and instead, learn about the options and skills necessary in order to communicate in a way they understand, which in turn, allows our connection with them to grow into perfect harmony.

Prong collars are lifesaving and humane trainig tools

Demystifying prong collars.

As your dog’s protector and pack leader, it is your duty to keep your dog balanced and happy.  When a dog isn’t getting the structure it needs, it will become emotionally and physically frustrated, which will then lead to behavior problems.  This of course frustrates owners who give up too easily, sadly causing millions of dogs to be turned into animal shelters every single day.  The walk, rules and boundaries all must be mastered if you want a harmonious, peaceful relationship with your dog.

The difference between responsible dog ownership and a potential accident is the way we use tools.  Tools are there to empower you as the handler and help to be the leader and completely in control of the dog, whether it’s inside or outside your home.  Every dog has the potential to be incredible if you use the correct tool.  I’ve trained many dogs of all breeds, ages, and sizes, and I am here to tell you with absolute certainty that the prong collar is by far the best tool to use to train a dog. Why?  Because it works. 

A lot of people have been told to never use a prong collar because it’s cruel.  Well guess what?  The very people that speak poorly of prongs are the people that have never actually used them.  Isn’t that amazing that they’re so unwilling to leave their comfort zone they’d rather sentence the dog to death by labeling it “aggressive” than try something that actually works? That is crueler than anything I can imagine.

So why haven’t they tried it?

 I hear these myths often:

It looks barbaric so it must be barbaric. 
Haven’t we learned by now that you can never judge anything based on its appearance?  The prong collar is made of interlocking blunt links so when you give a swift correction, mimicking the correction a mother dog gives to her puppies.  It doesn’t hurt.  Dogs mouth each other in play constantly.  YOU are the pack leader, just as the mother is to her pups.  We need to realize it’s OK to correct a dog. The prong collar works.

I don’t want to make my dog uncomfortable or unhappy.
This one is always amazing to hear because to me, a split second of discomfort when corrected for bad behavior is FAR more comfortable for a dog than to be put away into another room and isolated from its owners due to misbehavior all because the dog didn’t know its boundaries.  Isn’t a quick pop of the leash and temporary discomfort worth a day, a week, a month, or even a lifetime of good behavior and living in harmony with you, your dog’s leader?  A pop of the leash is a correction, while a lifetime of being separated from people due to bad behavior is punishment.

The prong collar will make my dog become more aggressive/anxious/shy.
I’ve trained thousands of dogs and have never seen a dog become more aggressive, anxious or fearful from a prong collar.  I’ve seen them become more balanced and confident because there are no more mixed signals.  A dog is happiest when they clearly know their boundaries., and are included in the family because they have consistently great behavior.

Prong collars are just as bad as choke chains.
False.  Prong collars are not at all similar to choke chains.  Choke chains have unlimited pulling capacity which in careless, abusive hands, can cut off a dog’s air supply entirely and cause severe injury and even death.  A prong collar distributes even pressure and a quick pinch.  That’s it. Again, this is a correction, not punishment.  The dog will respond with a rapid and positive behavior change.

Head collars are the most humane collars.
Head collars are the worst type of training collars I’ve ever seen.  Have you noticed dogs walking around with these? They look uncomfortable, right?  It’s because they are uncomfortable.  The leash is attached to the jaw, which is a highly sensitive area, and a strong pull practically guarantees a cervical injury.  Not to mention the fact that these collars must be fitted so tight you cannot even get a finger under them.  Have you also noticed that their heads are kept cruelly tilted, and that the narrow noseband turns the poor dog like a wrench?

It’s normal, and even cute to see the dog on a flat buckled collar, taking its owner for a walk.
Leash pulling has unfortunately become a widely accepted behavior in our society where a shocking number of people think it’s cute seeing a dog “taking the owner for a walk.”  How do people cringe when they see a photo of a dog with a prong collar on, yet laugh if they see a video of a dog dragging its owner down the street, straining and panting?  Do not assume because the dog is making the choice to lunge ahead that it’s not abusive to the dog.  A dog pulling you down the street is abusive to you both, and this should never be allowed.

7) My dog yelps when I correct him/her with the prong collar, which makes me feel guilty for hurting him/her.
Your dog is not hurt, they are simply objecting to the correction.   You should also note that if you’re dog needs a correction in the first place, they are in a high, agitated energy state, and when a dog is in that state of mind, sometimes a even clap of your hands can startle them, causing a surprised yelp.  Dogs also object when they are left alone, crated, are begging for the food on the table, etc.  They need firm, consistent leadership so they can make good decisions. Giving a correction is not hurting the dog.  Allowing the dog to misbehave every day of its life is hurting the dog.

Think about this:

Let’s say I walk into your house and your dog lunges toward me to bite my leg.  If the dog has a prong collar and leash on, and I give it a quick pop, the dog learns instantly that it is not ok to lunge and bite.  Again, just because you were willing to leave your comfort zone and try a different training method, a split second of discomfort for the dog could save you years of frustration and maybe even the death of your dog because other trainers said that your dog was too aggressive to handle. It’s devastating to see so many dogs on death row that wouldn’t be if their trainers had just used a tool that works.  I’ll say it again, the prong collar works, and if you say you’ve tried everything to train your dog, yet still haven’t tried the prong collar then you haven’t tried everything.

A lunging and biting dog will not stop lunging and biting if you give the dog treats.  A lunging and biting dog all too often gets kicked out of obedience classes.  A lunging and biting dog often gets killed.

With a prong collar, the lunging and biting dog learns that there are consequences to bad behavior, such as jeopardizing a person’s safety.
 They get another chance.
No dog should ever be given up on and killed.

The prong collar works.

The public needs to be educated that the prong collar is the kindest tool out there, and if you are accused of being cruel to your dog for using one, try and take the time to inform them of the benefits, rather than responding defensively. I know that if we can bring the properly introduced and well handled prong collar into our nation’s shelters, the dogs will have more structured walks, more effective training, and naturally better behavior, making them more adoptable to the public. An effective training tool can literally save millions of lives if people can be educated and in turn, receptive to a different method, that is exactly what our shelters need.

 

IMG_7534.MOV Watch on Posterous

How I got into dog training

I was reminded the other day how and why I got into dog training when I recieved a postcard from my vet,  Max is ready for his yearly visit. Max is a 10 year old male GSD who is my 1st "official" dog, the first 2 years of his life are quite similar and even much worse than most of my clients with there dogs.

Max had the same problems that I address every day, he pulled on the leash, jumped on people and counters, was not housebroken, broke all of his commands after holding them for just a minute or 2.

What is even worse was his "aggression", he would lunge and bite everyone in his site, even run across the beach, the woods, my property to bark, lunge and even bite people. I could not have people over the house, could not bring him to work I would always have to put him away when someone came to my house.

So I went to 6 different trainers in RI/MA and they all told me to KILL my dog, since he cannot be fixed. Up until they made that statement I learned how to use a clicker, head halter, tons of treats, and even yummier treats, I was told that when someone came to the house that I should have them throw him treats when he barks and growls, this way he will associate the person with something good.

This suggestion is given by hundreds if not thousands of Pure Postive trainers every single day and is one of the most harmful things you can do to a dog in an agitated state, reinforce the dogs aggressive state of mind with food. WOW, that is how attack dogs are trained and should not be used for family dogs.

I was constantly told to AVOID things that my dog did not do well with.

I was told to always ignore the bad behavior and praise and treat the good behavior.

I actually was never told how to walk my dog on a leash properly after all of those classes he still could not walk on a leash. This is probably the most upsetting since this is the foundation of what we do with my clients dogs, this is the first thing that all dogs learn in my program is the structured walk.

Everything was geared around making the dog Sit and reward when it did something it was not supposed to do. I worked hours and hours a week working on what I was told, I had regular treats and yummy treats and extra yummy treats. I made no progress.

Then I heard about a very famous dog trainer that has a facility in NH this person has written many books and speaks around the world on her dog training which is all postive w/clickers and food. I was going out of the country at the time so decided a 2 week board and train was a good option.

I got a call after 5 days(while I was in Europe), to tell me that they had not been able to get Max out of his kennel yet since he growled at everyone that went up to his kennel. I was in shock, how could it be that someone that says they are a dog trainer and can handle any issues cannot even get my dog out of a kennel. They wanted me to come and pick him up, looking back compared to most dogs that I work with at my Board and Train facility Max would be considered the easiest one to work with and for some reason, myself and my staff have never had a problem getting a lunging, barking and growling dog out of a kennel before.

That was the last straw, I tried week after week at the cost to over $6000.00 on my dog and hundreds if not thousands of hours of training week after week.

Then I found someone in Boston who works with dogs and does not use food, I remember when he told me "Jeff, its okay to tell your dog NO", it is okay to correct your dog, to let your dog that what he has done is wrong. I signed up for his classes, and would drive the 60 minutes 3 times a week to them to absorb everything he had to teach, I noticed an incredible change in Max. He not only stopped behaving badly but his commands were rock solid.

For so long I was told that if I said NO to my dog that he would be afraid of me, not trust me and that would ruin our relationship.I was told that if you don't use food that you are just punishing your dog, instilling fear into your dog and your dog will get worse. Well the same people also told me to kill my dog does that not also ruin the relationship?

After a few months when I was out and about with Max someone approached me and asked if I would train there dog, I immediately said yes and the course of my life has changed.

Since that day I have built my business to the point of going to 30 homes a week to work with families, having an award winning Board and Train facility where dogs come to me to be better balanced and trained. I have started a non-profit whose mission is NO DOG WILL BE KILLED FOR ANY BEHAVIORAL PROBLEM EVER, called Jeff's Pack Animal  Rescue Foundation where we practice my 4 R approach to saving dogs lives, Rescue, Rehab, Rehome or Retire.

I am currently looking for land to build my dog sanctuary so I can take my mission to a larger audience and we can rethink how animal sheltering is, dogs will be worked every day, they will live in packs with strong pack leaders (staff), all of the dogs mental and physical needs will always be met before our emotional needs are met which is the secret to the success of the dogs.

I have come to realize after training and rehabbing thousands of dogs is that dogs need a balanced training program. They need boundaries and consequences for bad behavior. Dogs look to us for leadership and if we only reward them for good behavior and if we ignore them for bad behavior or even worse if we avoid or remove them from the situation the dog will never learn.