Dog Grrl

09/04/2024

Charles Schultz and the original Snoopy🫶🏼

09/03/2024

Before diving in, it’s important to note that this discussion is not about criticizing any individual trainers personally; it’s about challenging outdated and potentially harmful ideas that still persist in the dog training field. The goal is to encourage a shift towards methods that are supported by modern science and prioritize the welfare and well-being of dogs.

Recently, Ivan Balabanov publicly stated that punishment is required to stop behavior. This statement highlights a significant gap in his understanding of current, science-backed methods in dog training. I’m not pointing this out to embarrass him or his supporters but to emphasize the importance of being aware when prominent voices in our field promote outdated views that don’t align with modern animal welfare standards.

There are effective, humane alternatives to punishment, such as differential reinforcement of an alternative behavior (DRA) Don’t be scared of the jargon it’s actually very easy. DRA focuses on reinforcing a positive behavior that you want to see instead of punishing the unwanted behavior. For example, if a dog jumps on guests, instead of punishing the dog, you would teach and reward it for sitting calmly when guests arrive. This not only addresses the problem but does so in a way that builds trust and encourages dogs to choose positive behaviors because they are rewarding, not because they are afraid.

Shay Kelly has done an excellent job of highlighting the dangers and ethical issues surrounding aversive training methods. It’s crucial that we support efforts that promote humane, evidence-based practices that prioritize the well-being of dogs and foster positive relationships between dogs and their guardians.

Our mission is not to attack any individual but to advocate for the highest standards of care and ethics in dog training. The goal is to help dogs thrive without fear or pain, which we believe should be a universal priority in this field.

Take a listen to Shay’s response to Ivan if you are interested in hearing a modern perspective on the issue.

We will place sources in the comments.

Zak

04/25/2024

Have a wonderful day🫶🏼

04/25/2024

When different breeds come together to play, it's like watching a beautiful dance unfold. From the energetic herding breeds to the playful retrievers, each dog brings their own flair to the game. Encouraging positive interactions and teaching appropriate play behaviors can help create a safe and enjoyable environment for all furry friends involved.

11/04/2023

In the world of dog training, the use of aversive methods, such as shock collars, prong collars, and choke chains, has become a topic of controversy. Unfortunately, those who advocate for humane training methods, free from harm, are often labeled as extremists and shamed by their own community of trainers who support those who choose to use aversive techniques. This post aims to shed light on the hypocrisy of labeling and shaming, emphasizing the importance of promoting kindness and understanding in dog training practices.

It has been extremely disheartening to witness colleagues labeling and shaming individuals who advocate for humane training methods. By accusing them of being extremists, these trainers are engaging in the very behavior they condemn. This cycle of shaming only perpetuates division and hinders productive dialogue.

Advocating for humane training methods is not about being unkind or unwilling to engage with those who use aversive techniques. It is about prioritizing the well-being and mental health of our beloved pets. Humane training methods, based on positive reinforcement, have been proven to be effective, while avoiding unnecessary harm or pain.

Using aversive methods in dog training can have detrimental effects on a dog's behavior and overall well-being. It can lead to fear, anxiety, and aggression, which are counterproductive to the goal of training. By promoting humane methods, we aim to create a positive and trusting relationship between dogs and their owners.

Accusing those who advocate for humane training methods of being extremists while engaging in the same behavior creates a dangerous double standard. It undermines the credibility of the accusers and weakens their argument. It is crucial to hold ourselves accountable and ensure consistency in our actions and beliefs.

Rather than engaging in shaming and labeling, it is important to promote education and compassion. By sharing knowledge about the benefits of positive reinforcement-based training methods, we can encourage a shift towards more humane practices. Engaging in respectful dialogue and understanding different perspectives can lead to a more inclusive and compassionate dog training community.

Labeling and shaming individuals who advocate for humane training methods while simultaneously accusing them of being extremists is a hypocritical behavior that hinders progress in the dog training community.

Additionally, it is important to recognize that when individuals accuse others of shaming and then proceed to shame and label them as extremists, they are engaging in a form of gaslighting. Gaslighting is a manipulative tactic that seeks to undermine someone's perception of reality and make them doubt their own experiences and beliefs. By accusing those advocating for humane training methods of being extremists, while simultaneously engaging in the same behavior, these individuals are attempting to invalidate the concerns and perspectives of others.

Gaslighting in this context not only perpetuates the cycle of shaming but also creates a toxic environment where open dialogue and understanding become increasingly difficult. It is crucial to recognize and call out this gaslighting behavior, promoting empathy, respect, and a willingness to engage in constructive conversations that can lead to positive change.

By fostering an environment that encourages education, compassion, and open-mindedness, we can work towards a more inclusive and harmonious dog training community, where the well-being of our furry companions remains at the forefront.

🫶🏼

10/21/2023

In our interactions with dogs, it is common for us to misperceive their unique language and project our own onto them. We often reduce them to simplistic concepts, such as "aggressive," "stubborn," or "dominant." However, it is crucial to recognize that these labels are inherently flawed and fail to capture the true essence and complexity of canine communication. Let's explore why projecting our own interpretations onto dogs is dangerous and why it is essential to understand their unique language.

Labels and concepts are convenient shortcuts that our minds use to make sense of the world. However, when it comes to understanding dogs, these labels can never fully capture the richness and depth of their communication. By reducing them to a single concept, we overlook the unique qualities and complexities that make them who they are.

Projecting our own interpretations onto dogs can lead to miscommunication and misunderstandings. When we label a dog as "aggressive" or "dominant," we may fail to recognize the underlying reasons for their behavior, such as fear, anxiety, or past experiences. This misinterpretation can result in ineffective training methods or even worsen the dog's behavior.

Every dog has a unique personality, temperament, and communication style. By recognizing and embracing their individuality, we open ourselves up to a world of understanding and connection. Each dog communicates in their own way, and it is our responsibility to learn their language and respond accordingly.

Instead of projecting our own interpretations onto dogs, let us educate ourselves about their body language, vocalizations, and behavior. By learning to read their signals and cues, we can better understand their needs, emotions, and intentions. Empathy plays a crucial role in building a strong bond with our canine companions and ensuring their well-being.

In our interactions with dogs, it is essential to remember that projecting our own interpretations onto them is dangerous and limits our understanding of their unique language. We must challenge ourselves to learn and appreciate their individuality, embracing the complexity of canine communication. By doing so, we foster a deeper connection with our furry friends, promoting their happiness, and ensuring a harmonious relationship. Let us strive to break free from projections and celebrate the beautiful diversity that exists within the canine world.

09/06/2023

As a fellow positive reinforcement-based trainer, I want to emphasize the importance of considering both humans and dogs in our approach. While it is true that humans are our clients and require our attention, we must not overlook the well-being of the dogs involved. Treating both humans and dogs with empathy and respect is crucial to me.

I do not believe in shaming people for following certain training methods or attacking clients based on what they have been told. Instead, I have great empathy for those who may not yet be aware of alternative approaches. However, allowing people to continue harming their dogs because it works for them and accepting it as okay is something I find concerning. It goes against the very reason I entered the field of dog training.

My motivation for becoming a dog trainer was not solely to socialize or interact with humans. It was primarily driven by a desire to help animals. I believe that when we remove ego from dog training, things flow much better, and life becomes easier for both humans and dogs. Let's strive to create a harmonious balance where the well-being of dogs is prioritized alongside the needs of their human companions.

08/07/2023

08/07/2023

Introducing the incredible journey of Pedro, the curious canine extraordinaire!

From his humble beginnings as a young pup, Pedro faced challenges that could have easily led him down a reactive path. But with the power of positive reinforcement training, he has blossomed into a remarkable companion. It turns out, Pedro's DNA revealed a connection to siblings who also had a tough start in life, originating from a not-so-ideal environment in Stockton. But that didn't stop Pedro from finding his forever home with our loving family.

One of Pedro's endearing quirks is his love for licking, so I decided to put it on cue as "kisses." Little did I know that this simple cue would become a game-changer in managing his frustration. Whenever Pedro felt overwhelmed, a simple "kisses" command (DRI - Differential Reinforcement of an Incompatible behavior) would transform his frustration into a delightful kiss fest. Not only did this help redirect his energy, but it also provided an opportunity to work on consent and handling, fostering a deeper bond between us.

Now, I am thrilled to share that Pedro has become a sweet little guy, radiating love and joy wherever he goes. And the cherry on top? He has formed an unbreakable bond with his BFF, Harry. Together, they embark on adventures filled with wagging tails and endless laughter.

Pedro's transformation is a testament to the power of positive reinforcement training and the incredible resilience of our furry friends. So, let's celebrate Pedro's journey and continue spreading the love, one "kisses" cue at a time!

Keep shining, Pedro! You are an inspiration to us all. 🐾❤️

06/23/2023

Rest is important 🫶🏼

06/23/2023

05/25/2023

Raven visitors 🫶🏼

Taking a lunch break

05/25/2023

Taking a lunch break

02/24/2023

Shock collars work because they hurt. That's their intended purpose. Let's not be shy about calling this what it is. They inflict pain on your dog in an attempt to reduce behavior. But, behavior suppression is not behavior modification. People that use shock collars are looking for quick fixes, not long term behavior change.

There are no quick fixes in behavior - for dogs or humans! So while it may seem like your dog is barking less at things that scared him, unless we address the underlying emotion, and help him feel better about those scary things, he's still scared. He's just not barking. We haven't fixed anything AND we have possibly made it worse because he's not communicating he's scared and that increases the likelihood he will now just bite without other warning signs like growling.

Aversive training methods do not result in long term behavior change. Not sure what methods you're using? Reach out and ask. Let's - positive reinforcement and force free training methods to help educate and raise awareness.

Read more about Behavior Suppression Is Not Behavior Modification here:
https://rescuedbytraining.com/2021/05/31/suppressionmodification/

And, download my free guide: 3 Reasons Not To Use A Shock Collar here: https://rescuedbytraining.com/3reasonsshockcollar/

02/23/2023

Down stay with distance. Harry’s visual cue are the turkeys. As soon as Harry turns and sees the turkeys he immediately went further away and into a down stay.
I used play (tug) to build and reinforce this behavior.
I love my dog🫶🏼

02/16/2023

It is not just the general public watching the arguments between force free reward based trainers and force (pain/shock) based trainers.
New trainers are cancelling courses with well known FF dog trainers that are more concerned with the feels of those doubling down on using pain to train then the dogs they are constantly talking about rehabbing from it😵‍💫

I’m not at all saying online attacks are helpful, they are most certainly not, what I am saying is EVERYONE is watching and if you think “……shifting from Only FF to FF but inclusive of all”…..training methods is beneficial to the welfare of animals then we clearly think differently about why we became dog trainers.

This isn’t an argument, it’s my position💯

02/12/2023

With the force-free/aversive debates kicking off again, I’ve been quite surprised. Firstly at the number of people that still hold tight to the notion that we need to hurt or scare dogs in order to train them. I’m also a little surprised by some of the high profile trainers who say we should be open to learning from these people, or treat them as friends, or claim the divides are just differences of opinion. I get it, it feels like that approach is the middle ground and reasonable. There seems to be an idea that having been welcomed by force-free trainers, they will change their minds about aversive training. However, what I see is the opposite – since the infamous podcast discussion between two schools of training, I see aversive trainers shouting from the rooftops about how great their man is, about how great their methods are, about how it’s accepted (by force-free trainers) that we will eventually need to use force. I’ve seen no concessions that FF might be the way to go. I also see them attacking Zak George’s considerable attempts to defend force-free methods. No matter how many professional organisations he listed as being against the use of shock and prong collars (I lost count), they were all rubbished because they don’t fit the narrative.

I must have seen FF training described as ‘ideology’ about 50 times in the past few weeks, it seems to be their new tactic to discredit the notion that you don’t need to hurt dogs in order to train them. I won’t be sitting on the fence, and I don’t think we should ever entertain the idea that using fear to train a dog is just a difference of opinion. It is absolutely clear that pain and fear are likely to promote aggression. It’s clear that fear evolved to keep animals alive, because they avoid the source of the fear. Yet aversive trainers seem to think that because fear occurs in nature it’s an essential part of learning. No it is not. It’s an essential part of staying alive by avoiding danger. Sadly, the dogs are not able to avoid locations that are likely to cause fear because they are controlled by the very people who are producing the fear.

I long for an easy life – I wish I could sit back and not get involved – I wish I could keep my opinion to myself and reap the rewards of not upsetting either camp, but I cannot – I feel a responsibility to speak up for the dogs and oppose the normalisation of abusive training methods. It’s not my responsibility to accept punitive training in the hope my (none aversive) methods will miraculously change the minds of people who so far have ignored the overwhelming amount of evidence,

I don’t have feelings of hatred toward anyone. I hope they are doing what they truly believe, but I will not, for one moment, look the other way and pretend it’s okay to use pain or fear in order to train our dogs. I have taken the decision that I will have no connection with any organisation that does not unequivocally support a total ban on shock and prong collars. I have over the past few days resigned from a couple of advisory positions and cancelled some upcoming talks where I felt there was ambiguity. This is of little consequence to them, it’s probably more harmful to me, but I’m at a point where I can’t compromise. Give them an inch and they’ll beat you with it.

01/15/2023

As I long ago stopped wading into social media posts about dog training, especially those among and between other dog trainers, and even ignore tags by others asking me to step in (although I will usually privately send that person a link to post of the AVSAB position statement to let that do the talking - see below), I won’t actively participate in the one aflame right now. I do have some thoughts after observing the commentary:

First and foremost, no one should be shamed for advocating for the humane treatment of companion animals. Especially not in 2023. Especially not with the amount of research there is to support that position. Most would argue that it’s an important part of our job. That being said, most of us aren’t trying to sell trainer mentorship programs to the biggest possible audience, so goals being goals and all of that.

I’ve been taking fear and aggression cases for the better part of a decade now. The vast majority of client dogs in that case type started with general nuisance behaviors. Not realizing that this is a completely unregulated industry (no educational requirements, no licensing, no regulatory body for oversight), their owners first used dangerous (yes, dangerous) trainers who not only used tools and methods designed to suppress behavior, rather than modify, without disclosing the very predicable, well-known risks; they also pushed false narratives about animal learning and behavior to justify those tools and methods. I can’t say for sure, of course, whether that misinformation was provided to owners to obfuscate what was happening or because those trainers simply believed it because they aren’t better informed and don’t have a working knowledge based in known principles of animal learning. Again, it’s an unregulated industry and most are not educated adequately. I’m not sure it matters; because in the end, these are people making money on the broken backs of dogs. Not just a little money. Owners have paid thousands of dollars at a time to get a dog back that has been psychologically and behaviorally damaged to the degree that they are now considering euathanasia.

The majority of trainers in our region are doing that every day. In 2023. Not only do I see commentary by them that makes it clear they aren’t interested in better information, but the things clients disclose that they were told by these folks makes my stomach sink and my hair catch fire. It’s a real horror show, and whether or not to extend professional courtesy to these folks isn’t even on my radar. Nor should it be.

Not only do I not engage in social media posts debating training methods (utterly fruitless, and who has that kind of time??), I no longer post about it on my personal or business pages, save this likely unimpactful post - bear with me, as this is for me and my sanity. I haven’t for the better part or a decade. Because once it gets shared in groups of trainers who would prefer to continue using dangerous methods and tools and pushing misinformation to vulnerable clients, they go on business-ruining missions to protect their trade.

I have brilliant, well-educated colleagues who put themselves and their businesses out there all the time. They aren’t wading into threads to argue, mind you. They are merely sharing information about p*er reviewed, published studies. They are providing quality, qualified community education about the tools to use and those to avoid. And they spend the next four days after posting trying to defend themselves and thier businesses from vulgar campaigns for damage. They are heroes, every last one of them.

Unless you’ve ever run a small dog training business and tried to effect change, you can’t begin to imagine how terrifying and exhausting this is. I feel ashamed that I’m not helping them more. I feel ashamed that I don’t have the stomach and so, SO grateful they still do.

So let me make it as clear as I can. Animal welfare should be the primary concern of a dog trainer. For all dog trainers. Hurting and scaring dogs should never be normalized, surely not in this day and age. It’s not my job to “be a bridge” to those who haven’t bothered to put the time or money into a valid education; and frankly, I’m too busy trying to undo damage done by them and actually remain in an industry that bulldozes me to the very brink of burnout on a nearly daily basis. I sure as hell don’t have time to do the work for other dog trainers that haven’t expressed an interest in learning more or doing better, and I sure as hell won’t be shamed for that.

Finally, but not at all least, the damned misogyny in this industry is just mind blowing. The groupie level hero worship of men in an industry far more populated by women is hard to digest. Women in this industry that have given massive amounts of critically important material to us are skewered and vilified while men are glorified. I can’t even fathom the pushback that would occur if any of the brilliant women who have paved this industry with blood, sweat, and tears wagged their fingers at the folks doing the hardest work day after day in the trenches and tried to police our tone. So respectfully, no. Just no.

A gentle reminder that “disciplining” children and wives with violence was once commonplace, those who advocated to change that considered “extremists.” Keep doing whatever good you can do on behalf of companion animals. They don’t have a voice. Don’t let anyone shame you for having an ethical position based in science and empathy. And don’t bother arguing with people who don’t get it or have their own personal agendas. All each of us can do is what we believe in.

Lisa Skavienski

01/11/2023

It’s Not Training

It is most certainly planned learning.
What is the difference?
Us.
Our view, our mindset is the biggest hurdle to our own learning let alone that of our dogs.
Many of us can easily view the learning that is ahead of an eight week old pup. They will “need” to learn the difference between indoors and outdoors: places to p*e and get bonus rewards and places that don’t. It’s not house training, it’s certainly not house breaking, it is a build of the pup’s ability to memorise places of rewards and develop geographical awareness of their small world. This is a skill.

Read more ...
https://www.learningaboutdogs.com/its-not-training/

10/25/2022

Interesting that this popped up today…..
someone’s dog was running with one smashing the ground behind him as he ran fleeing into Harry (my pup) and wrapping him around and around in the line while his frantic owner tried to help. Harry was also spooked by it but was on a long line so I was safely able to calm him and keep him from bolting.

I am no fan of them yet I have no issue if others enjoy them.🫶🏼

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