Heidi's Haven Canine Camp Dog Boarding and Training

08/21/2025

This is when I lost respect for National Geographic too. Very sad, as they had given my idol Jane Goodall funding and visibility. 😔

LETTER TO NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC ABOUT THE DOG WHISPERER

by Dr. A. Luescher, DVM, Ph.D, DACVB (Diplomate American College of Veterinary Behaviorists)

Former Director of the Animal Behavior Clinic
School of Veterinary Medicine
Purdue University

I personally met Dr. Luescher when I took a week-long dog behavior modification course at Purdue University Veterinary Behavior Clinic 15 years ago.

This is a review he wrote of preview videotapes of the Dog Whisperer show in which he discouraged airing of the program.

".....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 They are outdated and have long been abandoned by most responsible trainers, let alone behaviorists, as inappropriate and cruel.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.

My colleagues and I and innumerable leaders in the dog training community have worked now for decades to eliminate such cruel, ineffective (in terms of true cure) and inappropriate techniques. It would be a major blow for all our efforts if National Geographic portrayed these very techniques as the current standard in training and behavior modification....."

National Geographic aired it anyway, and this is why I've lost all respect for the National Geographic I knew growing up as a child, whose mission I understood to include a commitment to education and scientific excellence.

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

https://beyondcesarmillan.weebly.com/andrew-luescher.html

08/14/2025

08/14/2025

Dog's can respond better to hand signals than verbal cues, meaning dog sign language is a viable option for training any dog.

08/14/2025

Resource guarding is pretty common, and pretty unacceptable if your dog has something dangerous. As usual, Dr. McConnell has a compassionate, *relationship strengthening* approach to dealing w this issue.

Years ago, I took care of a gooey-sweet adolescent Border collie, (Tilly, I’ll call her) who flattened her ears and folded like a bird’s wing every time you said her name. She was responsive and polite, and the other dogs seemed to like her as much as I did. It was especially rainy when she […...

06/29/2025

I must admit, when I started training dogs 40+ yrs ago, I used a choke collar and physical correction. It was what was known and taught at the time. 😔 Joining the kennel club in Morgantown WV introduced me to positive training. At the time (late 90's), the Mountaineer Kennel Club had a wonderful obedience chairperson, and a wonderful agility chairperson. I learned a TON from these two women, as well as the other awesome trainers at the kennel club.

Balanced dog training is anything but as negative reinforcement can heavily outweigh any positive reinforcement in a dog's mind.

06/09/2025

A landmark study that directly addresses this question is:

Cooper, J. J., Cracknell, N., Hardiman, J., Wright, H., & Mills, D. S. (2014). The welfare consequences and efficacy of training pet dogs with remote electronic training collars in comparison to reward based training. PLOS ONE, 9(9), e102722. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0102722
Summary of Key Findings:

Study design: This was a controlled, scientific field study conducted by researchers at the University of Lincoln. It compared three groups:

Dogs trained using e-collars (shock collars) by experienced industry trainers

Dogs trained by the same trainers but without shock

Dogs trained by independent force-free trainers using positive reinforcement only

Trainers were certified and professional, with Group A and B trainers belonging to the Electronic Collar Manufacturers Association (ECMA) and having extensive experience using the devices.

Key results:

There was no significant difference in training efficacy between the groups using shock and those not using it.

Dogs trained with positive reinforcement exhibited fewer signs of stress and anxiety.

The study concluded that the use of shock collars was unnecessary and posed welfare risks without added training benefits.

Salivary cortisol levels, behavioral stress indicators (e.g., yawning, lip licking), and vocalizations were higher in the shock collar group.

Conclusion:

The researchers explicitly stated that the use of e-collars "has negative welfare consequences for some dogs" and "no clear advantage over reward-based training"—thus the use of shock collars is not justified.

So, even if the person operating the collar is a manufacturer-trained professional, this study showed the results were no better than training without shock, and the use of electronic collars resulted in unnecessary stress.

Cindy Ludwig, MA, BS, RN, KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Owner, Canine Connection LLC
Voted Best Springfield, Missouri Dog Trainer

06/05/2025

05/30/2025

Sundowners in dogs that are aging can be hard for their owners to deal with. Fortunately, you can help your dog slow the progression of the disease.

05/29/2025

We are a group of Veterinarians, Veterinary Technicians, and Doctorate level Animal Behaviorists dedicated to improving the lives of animals and people through an understanding of animal behavior. Join us and discover how insight into animal behavior can strengthen the human animal bond and enhance....

05/29/2025

Dietary management including high fiber dog food can be an effective way to manage and prevent a**l gland issues in dogs, but fiber is not the only cause of gland issues.

04/17/2025

Trying to figure out something new to train your smart dog? I had a friend teach her dog to push a bar stool into the middle of room, climb up on it and then sit on her haunches and wave- all done w clicker training! So many fun options to train something new. 😊

04/08/2025