The New Dogma LLC

27/08/2018

BIG WIN!!!
CHANGE THE CULTURE

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the collars caused unacceptable "harm and suffering".

30/07/2018

EDUCATE YOURSELF
CHANGE THE CULTURE

05/07/2018

Good job, Netherlands!!!!!

The Dutch Animal Protection Forces have announced that Prong Collars have been made illegal in the Netherlands and the E-collar will be made illegal soon by a separate royal decree...

Congratulations to all my Dutch friends that have been campaigning for this so tirelessly! Let us hope the UK and so many other countries in the world that are yet to outlaw these barbaric tools see sense and follow suit soon too...

02/06/2018

CHANGE THE CULTURE

"The idea that you should “be the pack leader” is one that is so ingrained in our community that it is considered by most of the general public to be an incontrovertible fact. We have all grown up with the concept of the “top dog” or the “alpha”, and most people believe statements like “he’s a dominant dog” without question.

The idea has been so universally accepted by our culture that telling somebody “there’s no such thing as an alpha in dog training” is met with a knee jerk reaction of denial. Most dog owners hear that statement with the same kind of scepticism they’d feel if they were told the Earth was flat or fire was cold..."

CONTINUE READING AT:
http://www.beacondogtraining.com.au/no-such-thing-as-an-alpha-dog

This article is not about the effectiveness or necessity of punishment, but about whether or not we should consider dominance when training a dog.

Not all trainers that think you should be the pack leader recommend the use of harsh punishments, and not everyone who uses punishment also subscribes to the idea of being dominant.

The concept of whether or not dogs need to be punished as part of their training is a topic for another post. What this post is meant to convey is that you should NEVER punish a dog because you want to be dominant over them.

Many of the more benign type of things that trainers do in the name of being alpha, like not letting dogs go through doors ahead of them, can be quite beneficial to a dog’s training. Not because a dog that is allowed to rush through doorways will think that they are dominant, but because doorway manners will help prevent escapes and keep them safe, and are a good opportunity to practice good manners and impulse control.

Consistency, confidence and boundaries are all necessary for good dog training – but NOT because having them will make you dominant.

Nothing your dog does is an attempt to take over your “status”. Dogs continue behaviours that work – so if being pushy, impulsive and demanding works to get the dog what they want, they will continue those behaviours. Both positive reinforcement and punishment will work to stop a pushy and demanding dog, but neither works by “teaching the dog its place”.

Here are a couple of quotes to think about:

“The good thing about science is that it's true whether or not you believe in it.” - Neil deGrasse Tyson

“Leadership is not about being in charge. Leadership is taking care of those in your charge.” – Simon Sinek

-------------

I had originally intended to cover "pack theory" in our series of myth-busting graphics, but the topic is such a sensitive one that I decided it was best handled in a dedicated article.

Many of you will feel the scepticism I mention in the article; if you do, please consider taking the time to read through it. You may be surprised about the origin of ideas that most dog owners consider to be true.

Challenging long term beliefs is never easy. It can cause you to look back on the past with the power of hindsight, and feel guilt that your actions had consequences that were not your intention.

Before I became a trainer I used training methods based on dominance with my fearful and reactive dog, Toby. I yelled at him, hit him, cut off his air with a choke chain and very nearly put him in a shock collar - all in the name of "training". I truly believed that what I was doing was helping him, even though I hated to do it.

When I first began to learn about modern, science based dog training, and the reality of dominance theory, my first reaction was dread and denial. I realised that if it was true that it wasn't necessary to dominate my dog in order to train him, then all the abuse I had been dishing out was unnecessary. It would have been much easier at that stage to deny the evidence before my eyes, and insist that the things I was doing needed to be done.

Instead, I made the choice to make a change. Toby and I embraced positive reinforcement training, and began the journey that led to That Dog Geek.

The guilt over the things in our past still plagues me, but it is most definitely worth it when I see how Toby has blossomed since those early days.

I hope the article helps those of you in similar situations to Toby's and mine.

Happy training Dog Geeks.

15/03/2018

EDUCATION IS THE KEY.

If you are a trainer that thinks that Positive Reinforcement doesn't work in real life situations, and I have met and worked with some trainers myself that bekieve that, you're not doing it right. 9 times out of ten, you either don't have a strong enough motivator or the dog is too stressed out to focus.
Saying Positive Reinforcement doesn't work is like saying mathematics doesn't work. It just does. Your opinion about it doesn't really matter.

A blog about dog bites, aggression, fatal dog attacks, and other issues about canine behavior.

10/02/2018

THE WORDS WE USE MATTER.

Accent on the "with!"

07/02/2018

CHANGE THE CULTURE

EDUCATION IS THE KEY

11/01/2018

EDUCATION IS THE KEY

CHANGE THE CULTURE

Dog training based on wolf behaviour is misinformed. Take a look why:

1. A dog and a wolf raised in an exact parallel, social stable, human based environment will still be very different animals. The result based upon around twenty thousand years of completely separate evolution.

2. Domestic dogs typically do not, even when completely left to their own devices in a group situation, form the equivalent of a wolf pack in the wild. The dogs will form interaction preferences and show related body language, however this is ultimately where the similarities between the two ends.

3. A typical wild wolf pack has a far more established family structure than dogs. The male and female (parent) wolves form the head of the pack with their offspring, typically more than one generation, forming the rest of the pack. A wolf pack that has not been interfered with by humans is literally a family group that works, perfectly in fact.

4. A domestic dog group is rarely as organised as its wolf counterparts. This group will form in more sporadic types of friendships, some dogs play together and as a result form a distinct inner circle, whilst others will stay out of the group altogether – as documented in J Bradshaw’s book “Defence of dogs” (2011).

“A typical wild wolf pack has a far more established family structure than dogs” John Bradshaw

5. It is relatively unknown as to whether a domestic dog would ever actually revert to the social structure of wolves if left long enough, but judging by the behaviour of feral, stray and non-domesticated dogs this notion seems highly unlikely.

6. The latest studies into how dogs became our close friends, state that it is likely that dogs and humans first began to bond (with each other) between 14,000 and 60,000 years ago. Some evidence to signify this is that dog bones have been found buried in graves (sometimes even with people) dating back thousands of years.

7. One thing we can be certain of, is the way that dogs have become the domestic creatures they are today. This is through a history of breeding and tuning. Humans have taken wild animals and turned them into domestic animals, via artificial selection over many hundreds of generations.

So if you hear a dog trainer say “You need to be an Alpha wolf”, run away quick and take your dog with you.

[email protected]

11/01/2018

This is Why indeed.

20/11/2017

CHANGE THE CULTURE

04/11/2017

A very well written article by my mentor, Cristine Dahl.
Follow Seattle DogSpot!

The field of dog training is highly regulated like healthcare and law. Before being allowed to put hands on dog and influence the human/canine relationship first hand, trainers and behavior consultants must hold a four-year degree, with two subsequent years of specialty training. Most become involve...

07/08/2017

Working with dogs or in some sort of dog-related industry is a dream come true for many people. Unfortunately, an incredibly small percentage of those people take the time to learn about the dogs they love and work with. Instead, they rely on exposure to dogs as their expertise.

If you work or volunteer in a dog-related business, you should have a basic understanding of the following:

1. BODY LANGUAGE. If your description of body language is limited to dominant or submissive (or calm-assertive and the like), it's time to learn more about body language. Here’s a DVD I consider required viewing:

https://amzn.to/2vciSSS

Without it, you could be missing the signs that tell you a dog is frustrated instead of stubborn, afraid instead of dominant, or dangerously close to biting instead of “fine.”

2. HOW DOGS LEARN. I don’t care what methodology you subscribe to or what equipment you use, you damn well better understand the science behind what you're doing. This includes both classical (learning by association – affecting emotions) and operant conditioning (learning via consequences – affecting behaviors), which are in effect regardless of the method.

https://amzn.to/2OFMRKT

http://www.scienceofconsequences.com/

3. STRESS AND LEARNING. If you think a dog is dominant and not food-motivated because he “doesn’t listen,” and ignores a treat waved under his nose when encountering other dogs on walks, you need more information on how stress affects concentration and learning.

http://www.quickanddirtytips.com/pets/dog-behavior/how-to-tell-when-your-dog-is-stressed

4. CHANGING BEHAVIOR. It doesn't take any knowledge or skill to drag a dog across a linoleum floor, but if you believe that a dog “gets used to” something by being exposed to or immersed in it, now is the time to learn what desensitization and counter-conditioning actually are.

http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/introduction-to-desensitization-and-counterconditioning/131

5. How HEALTH affects behavior. Because sometimes a dog's refusal to sit or lie down is not defiance, but pain. And pain and discomfort increase stress. You don't have to be able to diagnose (nor should you, unless you are a veterinarian) a medical condition, but if you are giving training or behavior advice, you should be able to spot a potential health problem and/or recommend a veterinary exam.

6. MODERN METHODS. If you think that clicker training means carrying a clicker to get the dog to listen. If you think that dogs trained with food must see food before they will respond, it's time to learn how to use food rewards with skill. If you claim to use “whatever works,” then you should be open to adding capturing and shaping techniques to your training toolbox.

http://a.co/gfms5tx

STREAMING KNOWLEDGE

You don't have to spend thousands of dollars to attend days-long seminars like I have (and still do). The following organizations offer free and low-cost webinars on all of these topics and more:

www.4pawsuniversity.com

www.apdt.com

http://caabchats.com/list-of-chats/

www.centerforshelterdogs.com

http://www.dog-ibox.com/

www.petprofessionalguild.com

There is a service that delivers DVDs of seminars by top experts right to your door. Just like Netflix. They recently added 500 streaming titles to their collection, as well.

www.tawzerdog.com

KEEP LEARNING, DO BETTER

I've been in the world of dog training for fifteen years. I have worked with over 4,000 dogs and over 150 breeds. I've used "balanced" training. I've used prong collars and e-collars/shock collars, alpha rolls/dominance downs, collar grabs, scruff shakes, hard stares, leash corrections, verbal corrections, and more.

I don't use those methods any more. I don't need to. And the reason I don't need to is because, in spite of my belief that those methods and equipment were absolutely necessary with some dogs and in some cases, I loved learning and kept attending seminars, webinars, online courses, and workshops, as well as reading new books on learning and behavior.

And just when I think I'm at the top of my game, I read or watch something by animal trainers like Ken Ramirez, neuroscientists like Dr. Jaak Panskepp, biologists like Dr. Robert Sapolsky, and experts in psychology and learning like Dr. Susan Friedman. And I realize just how much more I can learn.

I made plenty of mistakes in my career. I look back on some of the things I wrote and recommended and cringe. We all do the best we can with the knowledge we have in the moment. The key is to keep expanding our knowledge so we can continually improve.

Choosing to maintain ignorance of these subjects only serves the ego. And egos don’t make for good dog trainers, vet techs, shelter directors, daycare employees, or rescue volunteers. More importantly, egos tend to become a priority over a dog’s quality of life. It’s hard and sometimes painful to admit that your knowledge may be outdated, that advice you’ve given could have been harmful, or that you’ve made life/death decisions about dogs that might have been wrong. I've done it. Any positive reinforcement trainer who has been in the business for over 10 years has done it.

You have a choice. To stay where you are and trust that your knowledge is sufficient, or to admit you might have more to learn. If you choose to move forward, try to forgive yourself as you learn. You can’t change the past, only the choices you make going forward.

“I did then what I knew how to do. Now that I know better, I do better.” ― Maya Angelou

COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This post is free to share on Facebook via the “Share” link. Downloading for redistribution online or in print form is strictly prohibited. ©2015 Lisa Mullinax. All rights reserved.

07/03/2017

THIS.
Friends, please, let the "alpha" thing die. Stop perpetuating a fallacy. It is time to take a look in the mirror as a culture and admit to ourselves that we have been doing it wrong. There IS a better way.

CHANGE THE CULTURE

01/03/2017

HEY GUYS!!!
So I found this video today in my private feed. I wanted to share it and kind of break down what is actually happening. I will be criticising the woman a bit. Not to shame her in any way, but to make some valuable points. I urge you to watch the video first, then come back and read.

Now go watch! Good job! =P

One of the key elements of positive reinforcement training is to set your dog up for success. That's where the learning happens. You need to set a simple, realistic criteria that you want met, drill it drill it drill it, then step up the criteria some more. There's obviously a whole lot more that goes into it, but that's kind of the bare bones of R+ (positive reinforcement) training. So how does that relate to this video?

We see a woman who is trying to teach her BEAUTIFUL Dobermann the difference between two toys using verbal commands. Not an easy task. Dogs do very little communicating verbally and the vast majority of communicating through body language. The dog appears to know "sit" very well as a verbal command and appears to be very tentative and eager to participate. So we see the woman put down the two toys and say, "Here's the platypus, here's the skunk.... get the skunk." And the dog nails it. What a smart dog, right? I'm sure many of you noticed though, every time the woman made some sort of physical gesture towards the one she wanted the dog to go for. You will also notice that in an effort to block the one she didn't want him to get as she said "don't get the platypus" he went for it anyway. Oooh, what a bad boy.

So here's the thing. All that dog is hearing is blah blah blah blah blah blah sit. Blah blah blah blah blah, sit. That's what he is hearing. He knows sit. How do we know that? Because when she says THAT, he does it, with no treats or anything. All the other stuff going on is just noise.

Then you see the dog start pawing at the woman and you can hear her say a couple times, "he just punched me in the face". This is total speculation on my part but I'm willing to bet that at some point they taught this dog a "shake" command, like a handshake, and what you are seeing is a dog soliciting the commands that he knows out of frustration in order to get a treat. Then you see her push his paw down, he does it again, she pushes away again and so on. So now there is an unintentional game of Patty Cake going on. The dog has no idea that she doesn't want him to do that because she is doing it right back. He's focusing on her body language, not her words, because dogs don't understand language. To them, it's just a bunch of weird sounds coming out of our mouth... until we create an association to the word, like "sit".

So I say all that to say this. When training a dog, you need to be extremely aware of not only what the dog is doing, but also what YOU are doing, what your body is telling the dog. As with anything, there is a right way and wrong way to do something. I give this woman all the credit in the world for trying, for using treats and not punitive measures while working with her dog. But through her body language and all the unnecessary words she us using, she is being extremely confusing to a dog that is, in my opinion, trying really hard to figure out what she was to him to do.

With any training, I, of course, recommend getting some professional help. If you can't afford it, which is understandable, there are many different resources you can use such as YouTube. You just need to be careful because as I said earlier, there is a right way and a wrong way to do things. And in this case, when I say wrong, I mean inhumane. And unfortunately, in our current culture, the "wrong" way is by far the most popular way.

So if you guys have any questions about any of this, or would maybe like to know some of these great resources, hit me up! I am at your disposal!

CHANGE THE CULTURE

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25/02/2017

This is JJ, a beautiful German Shepard, that I had the pleasure of working with today. He's a very smart boy and very eager to work and learn. His owner and I are going to be teaching JJ some solid basic obedience such as a strong recall, a solid "go to mat", "watch", and how to fetch a beer out of the fridge. (Kidding!..... maybe...=P) I was highly impressed by how quickly he picked up what I was I trying to show him. I definitely look forward to working with this gentle giant more in the future. =)

GOOD BOY, JJ!!!

14/12/2016

This is my mentor and founder of the Northwest School of Canine Studies, Cristine Dahl, explaining how to "charge a marker". Nine times out of ten, you would use a clicker, but her beautiful senior Am Staff seen in the video, Leroy, is deaf so she uses a vibration collar for the marker. Stay tuned for more videos!!

03/12/2016

Behold, the unbreakable spirit, of a dog.

There is so much we can learn from them.

30/11/2016

The more you know...

Dog saliva is a way of life for pet parents who get covered in drool and slobbery kisses. But did you know these five facts about dog saliva? Read on to find out more.

20/11/2016

Bad ASS!!!!

18/11/2016

Excellent article here.
The key to monitoring proper play is understanding the subtle communication that is going on between dogs and making sure that each dog is picking up on the other dog's cues and knowing when to step in if things start to escalate. If you are interested in learning more, contact me. Let's talk!

As your dog’s advocate, it’s important to learn the difference between appropriate and inappropriate play and intervene when necessary.

21/10/2016

Thought for the week

20/10/2016

EDUCATE YOURSELF
END BSL

Something to consider before you judge

02/10/2016

CHANGE THE CULTURE

Are you part of the problem,
Or are you part of the solution?

For animal people. Pass it on.

14/09/2016

BECAUSE SCIENCE

Reasons to take off the Prong Collar

14/09/2016

TAKE THE POSITIVE PLEDGE!