All Dogs Learn

12/03/2024

10/22/2024

09/27/2024

Putting a dog down and condemning them to death because you refuse to use any method that isn't "positive only" isn't very positive...

Sedating a dog into a zombie because you don't like other training tools isn't very positive...

Restricting a dog to a confined life without the chance to thrive isn't very positive...

Telling someone to put down their 8 month old working line dog for having lots of energy and acting like an 8-month-old working dog isn't very positive...

Guilting a young family that lives in an apartment into adopting a large dog with behavior issues isn't very positive...

Telling an older lady their dog would be better off dead then using a prong collar that helps her walk and control her dog isn't very positive....

Bashing other trainers because they don't train dogs using only one method isn't very positive...

Having an owner put a 5 month old puppy on 400mg of trazadone isn't very positive...

Harming dogs because of your own ego isn't very positive...

All of the things I just listed are REAL things that owners have dealt with by "certified positive only trainers and behaviorists."

Anyone can be certified online for $50. It means nothing.

Dogs and their humans deserve real trainers who care and emphasize for both ends of the leash. Trainers who will tailor training to each dog in front of them. Don't be fooled by the "positive" sounding approach. That's just fancy marketing from people who care more about their ego and lining their pockets rather than helping the dog community.

I've chosen to speak out on this because I care and hate seeing dogs harmed. The positive only cult is doing more harm than good to dogs. Dogs and owners that are already having a difficult time. Enough is enough.

09/16/2024

By Heather Koehn: "Worst case of jaundice I’ve ever seen. Ibuprofen toxicity. The dog got into a fight with the other dog and the owner gave one dose of 600mg ibuprofen about 5 days prior to presentation at my clinic. The owner elected humane euthanasia."

09/06/2024

Training should…

1️⃣ Equip the dog for the home they live in.

2️⃣ Equip the dog for the real world.

3️⃣ Serve as the vehicle to develop the dog’s ability to self control.

4️⃣ Improve and clarify the dog’s relationship with its owners and environment.

5️⃣ Maximize the dog’s genetic potential.

6️⃣ Teach the dog how to respond to feeling inconvenienced.

7️⃣ Provide the dog both mental and physical outlet.

8️⃣ Be done to a repeatable and measurable standard including off-leash m, tool free, reliability at a minimum.

9️⃣ Build a team.

🔟 Be more than just kitchen tricks for cookies.

Did we forget anything? Sound off below.

08/20/2024

Learning how to walk, before you can run...

One of the prevailing messages within any dog training 'method' is the use of pressure.

It has become a convenient means to explain what is being done to the dog to get it to perform an act.

We employ pressure in a variety of ways, using a variety of devices through a variety of applications. Dog trainers can create too much pressure, not enough pressure, oppositional pressure and directional pressure. Pressure can be delivered socially, environmentally, using our hands, or through withholding things the dog wants.

People often believe they are not applying 'enough pressure' when things go wrong, and either increase pressure to the point that there is no longer a reliable measure of knowing if it was 'too much'. Folks will often choose to use a device like an electronic collar or prong collar as a force multiplier because they inadvertently think they need to create 'more' pressure.

It's easy to overlook too much pressure. The Goldilocks Principle of Dog Training isn't new, and we have created some pretty unique ways of applying pressure while becoming less able to identify when we have achieved the 'right amount' of pressure.

We artificially create, apply and maintain pressure when training dogs. We disable the dogs ability to escape pressure by putting him on a leash and by compelling him to do this thing that we want him to do. The thing doesn't matter. It could be anything. A sit, or a down or to just not run away. The leash effectively removes any other option.

We apply force multipliers without even thinking about it; molding the dog into a sit, down or stand requires leveraging the leash and physical touch in very strategic ways to help facilitate those behaviors. We only use enough pressure to accomplish the task, in a very controlled, highly articulated movement.

The dog determines the volume of the pressure, the direction of the pressure and the duration of the pressure we apply. Where things go south is when we start applying more than is necessary for periods that are beyond usefulness in directions not relevant to the task.

People tend to get into wrestling matches with dogs and then wonder why their dog doesn't trust them. If the dog doesn't sit, they don't think about what their physical cues told the dog, only that the dog failed. They swing the dog around and jerk him into a sit because they saw someone else do it somewhere else on some other dog and didn't stop to ask themselves whether or not it was appropriate or necessary for either dog.

I have refined how I use pressure through the years. I understand the evolution of logic that makes one think More is Better, but what I have learned over the decades is most of the time, LESS is actually MORE.

I made a comment earlier about the volume, duration and direction of the pressure we apply being largely determined by the dog. What fails is our ability to read the dog effectively to know where to start on that scale.

Goldilocks went right for MASSIVE. She went for the grandest scale and found out it was too much.

Her next choice was an over correction from her first choice and discovered that it wouldn't work, either.

Goldi's only remaining option was "just right". THIS IS THE LESSON. Start out moderate. It gives you options. Start out extreme, your options become very limited, very quickly.

Learning to know how to be "just right" with any dog on the end of your leash is actually relatively easy. It does require that you understand a few physical concepts- first, that the leash is a conduit for information that flows both ways. Second, that you are the only one able to mitigate conflict by how you handle that leash. Finally, disabling the dogs ability to engage in inappropriate behavior doesn't translate to being preemptive, but it does require that you be prepared.

How you mitigate pressure is how you resolve problems. If your timing is off, if the volume is too much or too little, it will profoundly impact your dog and his understanding of his world. The consequences of his decisions will be determined by the correct application of some form of pressure.

Training is simply an appropriate application of pressure that informs the dog how to proceed. Couple it with a cue, apply it towards an end goal, reinforce it with a meaningful reward and ultimately, your dog learns to function without the pressure. That's the point. And the lesson.

It doesn't matter what the task is. Tools enable you to stretch the dog out, not string him out, or string him up. If you are incapable of applying pressure appropriately, what you are doing is relying on a tool.

That's not training.

08/12/2024

"I had a colleague ask me to create a post about positive reinforcement. She was curious about my response to prospective clients who specified or questioned whether I used positive reinforcement in my training. My colleague added that occasionally, she would get an inquiry that demanded only positive reinforcement training be used on their dog.

When she asks these folks what they mean, most people respond with the usual tropes about not wanting their dogs abused or injured. This is fair. I am concerned about the recent proliferation of ‘trainers’ being caught on camera physically abusing dogs. As trainers, we have a fundamental duty to prioritize the welfare of the dogs we work with. It’s crucial not to confuse some individuals’ misuse of training methods or tools with the appropriate applications of those things.

These are the landmines we face as a trade because our language has been hijacked. We argue over the semantics, even when the definitions are quite clear. Not that we wouldn’t use positive reinforcement, but as I stated in a previous post, it’s the intimation that we are using methods and/or tools that harm more than help.

The world wide web is a magical place. It enables folks to discover things they don’t know, but it requires some divination to transcend the first page of a Google search. There is always more information that reveals flaws in logic. It is human nature to be curious, but the internet has made us less so. And we cling to our confirmation bias.

In the information age, it can be challenging to sift through all the misinformation, as sensationalism often overshadows the details of any topic. Just look at how divisive politics and religion have become, and how difficult it is to hear news that isn’t tainted with opinions instead of facts."

The FB algorithms don't like links that take you off their property, so you can read the rest of the article at the link in the comments. If you are seeing this from a shared post, click on the image to take you to the original.

06/23/2024

I am frequently asked by potential clients and even fellow trainers what 'techniques' or 'methods' I use when I train dogs. It's an acceptable question, with a multitude of answers.

I tend to err on the side of caution since the vast majority of askers are rooting for information on tool use instead of really wanting a definitive answer on 'How do you really train dogs'?

Folks have a tendency to get lost in the weeds when it comes to methodology. Many become cognitively immobile over the prospect of a specific tool being used, or more than one learning quadrant being employed.

Trainers get caught up in the political hyperbole of tool use or 'methods' associated with one philosophy or another. None of this benefits the dogs, nor their owners, but that doesn't seem to shake the full-chested confidence of the acolyte trying to persuade their target audience.

Owners get caught somewhere near the middle of success or failure, as they are indoctrinated by a media that only serves the worst news about trainers who have harmed or killed dogs, and by service providers that are looking to sell them something.

It's a difficult road to follow when you're looking for a clear path forward. The average owner wants a mannerly pet. Folks looking for dog training are caught between the tidal waves of a narcissistic industry that eats it's own young, and the rocks upon which they will be cast, if they choose poorly.

And the conversation usually starts with "What methods do you use?"

My views on 'methods' have remained unchanged throughout my entire career. I view a 'method' as an outline to follow, that enables me to create the script, flesh out the scenes and the characters, and come to a finale.

Every step is listed, and every detail is crafted before the project is even begun. Every scene is planned, every line is scripted, for continuity.

The variables are determined by the weather, the lighting, whether the actor has a hangover, etc., but every screenplay is created using the same basic formula.

In training, the variable is the dog. It's always the dog. If a client has signed on to train with me, they have committed to trusting my expertise and are permitting me to access and hopefully improve their dog, and their relationship with their dog.

My end goal is always the same; produce a dog that is responsive, willing and happy to perform, to stop eating the mailman, or stop pooping on the floor.

I have argued this point for decades that a 'method' is simply the steps one follows, like chapters in a book, more so than the dogmatic practices of the religious rituals some 'methods' have morphed into.

I do what works for that individual, based on the trials and tribulations of almost 5 decades dedicated to the art of training dogs. My paintbrushes are varied in size, texture and other physical properties, but they all paint, and are all capable of creating art.

The determining factor remains the dog. The ability to shift gears and adapt any training methodology or tool is predicated on having had hands on a lot of dogs, and practiced with a lot of tools.

The vast majority of owners do not seek trainers to prevent problems, they come to solve problems. The vast majority of problems are because the basic mechanics were never taught to begin with, and now communication has broken down and all the internet's cookies and feel-good nonsense aren't enough to keep that dog in its home.

Methods and tools matter, but only so far as whether they work, and whether it's some thing the end user, the owner, is capable of following through with.

I tend to use methods that actually work.