DeltaDogz

21/11/2024

20/11/2024

Wonderful work that will pay a lifetime of rewards.

13/11/2024

I get complaints about a dog snapping when touched while he’s resting way too often. A little respect for a dog’s private space goes a long way towards keeping everyone safe.

10/11/2024

A simple fun game that will help preserve your recall cue, so your dog will come when called every time.

03/11/2024

I think we should collectively agree about something. Here it is; relationships are not actually the way they are portrayed in the movies. If you attempt to smack your significant other across the face during an argument, don’t count on it ending up in some mushy romantic scene on the closest sofa...

30/10/2024

This sentence is used to justify a lot of things around dogs as well.

The way things were are not always the way things should be. We can’t change the past. But we can shape a kinder future.

30/10/2024

"Life isn't "purely positive" so I can use a prong/shock collar to train my dog..."

This is a ridiculous trope which is often served up as some kind of gotcha. But it's not.

When we are growing up, life is hard. Many of don't need to imagine this because we've lived it but imagine going through life as a child or teenager and not being able to come home and finding safety or support from your parents abd siblings. Imagine doing a task at home and being worried about being berated or physically harmed by your parents. Would that be necessary for life?

Imagine going into a new place of work where your teammates/supervisor are hostile. Would that help you learn how to do your job? Would it make it easier or harder? Now you not only have to worry about the new skills your learning but you have to defend yourself and let people know you won't be treated that way (or dogs don't have that option under these conditions, if they communicate this, it will lead to more punishment).

You go into a new gym class and either (or both) the instructor and other participants are sneering and nasty. Would you go back? Our dogs don't have the option not to go back.

Let's flip that. A child goes home from a particularly hard day at school and are supported by their parents, who then equip them with the skills of how to deal with the hardship.

A new employee joins your team, are welcomed, and taught properly. Do you think they will give a better performance?

A martial arts class has a new student. The instructor starts at their level and partners them with someone who will meet that level and gently expand their comfort zone.

I could give loads more examples - school, college voluntary work, interactions with people in the street.

Yes, life is hard. We don't need those who are in the position to teach and support us pouring on more pressure when we are already struggling.

Our dogs are the same. Life for them in a human world is hard. They need us to teach them kindly, humanely and effectively and this can all be done by reward based training.

They don't need the added pressure of prong collars, choke chains, slip leads, grot/garotte collars, shock collars etc. It's hard enough for them as it is.

N.B. this page is not a place for anyone to promote, endorse, justify or excuse the use of so-called "balanced" training methods or tools. Take it elsewhere.

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29/10/2024

Even if you teach your dog just a fraction of these tricks, you’ll have a happier better behaved dog.

20/10/2024

Please get a dog who is a good fit for you.

It's not a pleasant post but a necessary one. Many of the "behaviour" and "training" issues we come across would not be issues if people had made different choices. I certainly don't mean to sound judgemental here, but with over a decade and a half of working with dogs and their people, I've seen a fair number of cases where people choose the wrong dog or type of dog for their lifestyle.

Some examples

Someone with 8 dogs. They didn't all get along, and the person was out of the house for 10 hours a day, 5 days a week. Some of their dogs were crated the full time, every time, they were out the house. Too many dogs, not enough space and time.

A retired couple who bought two giant breed dogs because "they had always had them." They did not training until the dogs were over a year old and over 60kg. Now reactive to other dogs and they couldn't physically control them.

A family with a working gundog breed. All the gear, no idea. They wanted to dog as a fashion accessory. No outlet for the dog's working needs, the dog couldn't settle as a result, so was now excluded, 20 + hours a day in the utility room. They had money and time, just not the inclination to take care of the dogs needs.

I don't think everyone has the lifestyle for a dog and I certainly don't think every person is suited to every type/breed of dog. When I'm in my 70s, despite being active and physically fit, I'll likely choose a smaller dog. If I live beyond that, I certainly will.

Ask yourself

Do you know what this dog was bred for? Cam you meet some of those needs?

Border collies and springer spaniels were bred to be active, throwing a ball repeatedly as theor exercise is not meeting their needs though.

Are you physically capable of controlling this dog if you need to? If you struggle to carry your shopping 10m from the car to the house, a 45kg labrador or German Shepherd isn't a good choice for you UNLESS your training is consistent and reliable.

Do you have the time in your life to train your dog (and no, exclusion and crating is not the answer to this)? Do you have the knowledge to do so? Or the willingness to learn? This takes time and effort and sometimes money.

Clients of mine years ago complained about the cost of lessons. The woman came to every session with false nails and the guy regularly went on weekend golfing trips with his pals (they were expensive from the description) but neither of them were willing to sacrifice their luxuries for a few months to help their dog (because what would their friends say?)

Who suffers as a result of all this? The dog. They get rehomed. They get ignored or excluded. They may develop destructive behaviours. They become fodder for some 🤡 to slap a shock collar or noose on the dog and hurt them for living.

Many people can have a dog, few (if any) can have any dog.

Having said all of the above, we work with truly amazing clients week in, week out, who rise to the occasion. They change attitudes, invest time and effort into understanding their dogs AND meeting their needs. We get feedback that working with us has not only helped improve their dog relationship but a greater understanding of behaviour has filtered into other aspects of their lives. The learned, adapted, overcame. It's truly awesome to behold.

Please choose wisely. Our dogs deserve it.

08/10/2024

Halloween decorations provide opportunities to introduce your dog to novelty. But don't start this big! Check out this great demo by Maggie Hunter of Rewarded Behavior Continues and her pup, Violet!
https://puppysocialization.com/introducing-dog-to-novel-holiday-decorations/

22/09/2024

BEYOND CESAR MILLAN

20 YEARS LATER.....The following review was submitted to National Geographic by Dr. Andrew Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB (board-certified veterinary behaviorist).

Dr. Luescher, former director of the Purdue University Veterinary Behavior Clinic was asked to provide feedback on "Dog Whisperer" tapes prior to the show's airing.

In this letter to National Geographic (date unknown), Dr. Luescher writes,

"I think this series, if aired, would be a major embarrassment for National Geographic. It is not stimulating or thought-provoking, since none of the presented techniques are new. They are outdated and have long been abandoned by most responsible trainers, let alone behaviorists, as inappropriate and cruel. I very much hope National Geographic will pull the plug on this program."

Please read the entire letter (It's not long.) and share: http://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

This program and trainers who have mimicked the behavior seen in this program have done so much damage to the dog training industry, dogs, and the human-animal bond.

I have met and spoken to Dr. Luescher personally, and I share his sentiments, as do all other trainers in the evidence-based, best practice camp. Meanwhile, much of the unsuspecting public still looks to National Geographic as an authority and has no idea it has thrown science to the wind, at least in terms of dog behavior and training.

Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Canine Connection LLC
Willard, MO

Image copyright Valder Beebe Show, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Cesar_Millan_Mar_2018.png

22/09/2024

The number one reason dogs get into trouble has to do with our expectations as owners compared to the level of education our dog has.

21/09/2024

As ever, Eileen Anderson provides valuable insights based on her own (very informed) journeys with her dogs.

You've heard of trigger-stacking—how about happy-stacking! This post describes how I support my young dog on walks.

19/09/2024

16/09/2024

Over the last few days, it feels like a firestorm has been unleashed. It’s clear that outdated dog training practices will no longer go unchallenged.

The release of a study using shock collars (cited below) has sparked unprecedented backlash and even made national headlines, and triggered a major reckoning within the dog training community. The study, seen by many as politically motivated, appears to have put dogs in harm's way to prove a point.

Professionals across the field agree that it should never have been approved by the ethics committee - and their fears were substantiated, given that every single dog in the shock collar group is documented to have yelped in pain while receiving shock collar “corrections”.

The outcry continues to build as more people in our field demand accountability and transparency. Reputations are being hit hard, institutions are facing scrutiny, and balanced trainers like Ivan Balabanov have been fully unmasked, revealing the harmful and outdated methods still being promoted under the guise of expertise.

This glaring evidence underlines what we’ve known all along: pain and fear have no place in professional dog training.

Let this serve as a stark reminder to those in our field who continue to promote outdated methods and deny the overwhelming scientific consensus. The community will no longer remain silent. The evidence is clear and we are moving beyond these harmful practices. Trainers who continue to use pain, fear, and intimidation in their methods do not deserve legitimacy in this field.

Ivan Balabanov, once considered a leader among "balanced" trainers, now faces intense scrutiny following his involvement in this study. It is now scientifically verified that 25% of the dogs he and his mentee worked with in the shock collar group could not be trained effectively, and 100% of those dogs yelped in pain.

This once again undermines the narrative propagated by many trainers who use shock collars and falsely claim that their methods "don’t hurt."

The reality is, the tools they promote rely on pain as a teaching mechanism, and better alternatives exist that teach dogs to comply enthusiastically without the need for fear or discomfort, and without the risks associated with using pain and fear to change an individual’s behavior.

For too long, the welfare of dog trainers has been placed above the welfare of dogs and the public. This has got to stop.

The campaign to expose outdated training methods, like those Ivan Balabanov will likely promote in his upcoming UK workshop, is gaining momentum. Even members of his own community are stunned by the facts that have come to light in this study.

This is not an effort to embarrass an individual but to stand up for the public and make it clear that the propaganda surrounding shock collars is just that — propaganda.

Below is a newly published article from Psychology Today that lays out the facts on the recent shock collar study. For those who think this is about social media “clout” or personal opinions, this article should clarify that our advocacy is rooted in concern for public and canine welfare.

I’ve always said, don’t take my word for it—look at the evidence. This article does just that: https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/animal-emotions/202409/is-balanced-training-fair-to-dogs-or-is-it-a-cop-out

And here is a link to the study in question: Johnson, A.C., & Wynne, C.D.L. (2024). “Comparison of the Efficacy and Welfare of Different Training Methods in Stopping Chasing Behavior in Dogs.” Animals, 14(18), 2632. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani14182632

Based on the reaction to this study, another major domino has fallen in support of aversive dog training methods. This so-called "landmark study" will likely be remembered not for the efficacy of shock collars, but for exposing the unnecessary use of pain in dog training as a legitimate strategy.

We are prepared to provide support and education to those willing to update their methods in the interest of public health and safety. But make no mistake—those who refuse to be unequivocal in rejecting pain-based methods will face increasing scrutiny.

The livelihood of trainers promoting harmful practices is not our concern when it comes at the expense of dog welfare and public trust.

The time to end the misrepresentation of science-based training and to uphold welfare and ethics in dog training is long overdue. We are standing together for a better future for our industry, our dogs, and their guardians.