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Beyond the Myths: Facts Over Fiction

Beyond the Myths: Facts Over Fiction

Dog trainers who have been working at their craft for a long time are generally very skilled in holding their tongues about the myriad of things that they hear when working with clients or even when out in dog centered locales, overhearing the general dog loving public. The source of these outdated myths are usually well-meaning family and friends trying to “help” the dog parent. But sadly, in far too many cases, the source is sometimes people actually working as “trainers”, who haven’t updated their dog behavior education in a very long time. And then of course, there is “the internet”, a source of both truth and fiction alike. I am here to bust some of those myths up with facts. Get comfortable!

Humans should eat before dogs to establish dominance:
No, just no. This came from some outdated idea that alpha wolves eat first. In reality, wolf families share meals and in times of scarcity, they make sure that the pups are fed first. In a human run household with dogs, regardless of their age, the dogs are the pups. Feeding them first will not cause them to believe that they are dominant. It will make mealtimes for the humans much more pleasant as the dogs will not be annoying the humans while they eat, as they are already satisfied. I generally recommend to my clients that they plan both meals to be ready at the same time so that they can offer the dogs their meal as they are about to sit down to their own meal. Win/win.

More on that here: Pack leadership is not a thing!

Koro is done with the myths. Can you tell?

Koro is done with the myths. Can you tell? Photo courtesy of Ariel McCray.

More dominance nonsense. Dogs like cushy places like couches and human beds because they are exactly that, cushy places. They have no illusions of control being on such cushy places except if they are resource guarding such spaces. This is not dominance related at all. It’s a behavioral issue that can be somewhat hardwired in as a survival instinct, but can successfully be worked with to improve those nerve patterns. So, if your dog resource guards raised surfaces from either the humans or other animals in your household, then get yourself a quality modern methods rewards-based behavior consultant so that you can resolve that issue the right way. In the meantime, provide plenty of soft surfaces for all dogs at floor levels. Read Sleeping with your dog has benefits!  for how it improves the relationship to have your dogs sleep with/near you. Additionally, in a similar context, you can safely sit on the floor with your dog without them thinking that you are now a sibling/toy. But do realize that many dogs are soooo excited to have their humans on the floor with them that those who have not developed great impulse control skills yet will be super excited and possibly be all over you. This does not translate to “being dominant”. This translates similarly to being on the floor with an excited toddler. Adjust your expectations accordingly.

Dogs should never walk in front of a human:
That’s silly at best. Personally, I want my dogs walking in front of me on walks, as I hate the feeling of the leash slapping at my legs. “Heeling” is an outdated concept better practiced in competition “obedience”. If you aren’t doing such, then just worry about leash manners versus heeling. Will you need your dogs to walk by your side briefly in certain contexts? Absolutely! Two examples: you have a large dog and there are others headed your way and you need to give them space; you are walking into the vet’s or the groomer’s facility, and you want to maintain control in case someone else isn’t doing so. Both of these are perfectly acceptable reasons for “heeling”. But I don’t call it that and I teach it as a “stay with me” type of scenario that a dog is lavishly rewarded for and cued for in advance of need and then released as soon as safe to do so. “Heeling” on leash on a walk is B.O.R.I.N.G. for your dog. The walk is for your dog. Let them explore their environment and check their pee-mail as well as “read the landscaping” for critter activity. This is far more mentally tiring than walking in a military style protocol by your side will ever be. Tiring your dog out mentally so that they will be more relaxed at home is your goal with walks, right? Didn’t you ever wonder why your dog returns from a “heeling” walk just as amped up as when you left? Well, now you have your answer. Read both of the following for what a quality walk consists of: Your dog needs walks for enrichment purposes  and How to mix up your dog’s walks

Humans should go out of doorways first:
Same theory though not as militantly expressed. Generally, as long as you cue your dogs to exit said doorway/vehicle opening, it’s all good. The key is the cue. Teaching your dogs some impulse control so that bad things don’t happen because of excited exits is the goal here, not some outdated theory that your dogs see you as “alpha” if you go through that doorway first. Dogs don’t think in those terms. They just think you want out more than they do. Personally, I find it easier to exit after them, as long as I am sure that the coast is clear. Obviously, exiting after them applies to doorways, not vehicles. Practicality and all.

Alpha Rolls, just don’t:
This seems to be a thing that just won’t die with some “professionals” insisting that this places you in a “dominant” position. No, it doesn’t. Wolves in the wild never did this. It was disproved decades ago. Read here: Alpha rolls are dumb . Dogs will voluntarily roll on their backs when other dogs scare them or to appear non-threatening when trying to make friends. That is a gesture that means “please don’t hurt me” or “I won’t hurt you”, the first often referred to by trainers in the know, as a tap out. Tossing a dog on his or her back with force or at all, just causes the dog to think that you are unpredictable and not to be trusted. Is that the kind of relationship that you want to forge?

Some breeds need a heavier hand:
No, not at all. All sentient beings learn by both classical and operant conditioning as well as observation. How you implement modern rewards-based methods will differ with each individual dog. But all dogs can be trained/have their behavior modified without a “heavy hand”. Read these for more on this subject: No breed needs a firmer hand  and Each dog (not breed) is an individual  and also  Positive training works on all dogs  .

Pack hierarchy is a thing:
Don’t allow anyone to tell you to reinforce a mythical status of one of the dogs in your household. You are the parent in this equation. None of the dogs are “in charge”. The humans set boundaries and enforce safety protocols. The dogs don’t decide who does what, any more than you would allow your children to decide “status” in your home. Be a benevolent parent. Fairness is important, as is making sure that all dogs know that the adult humans in the home are the ones who provide safety. Read more on that here You do not have a pack!  and here Dogs notice fairness and here  How to effectively parent your crew!

Now go forth and educate your fellow dog parents who might be listening to the wrong crowd please. Their dogs will forever thank you for busting those myths!

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Pack Them Up: Leaving Old Fashioned Dog World Words Behind

Pack Them Up: Leaving Old Fashioned Dog World Words Behind

There are a few words in the world of dogs that will incite an eye roll in many a modern dog behavior professional. Pack is among them, as is dominant, alpha, command and in many cases, obedience. Faces twist, sighs are emitted and words form in our heads that we struggle to keep from uttering. While it’s a frustrating feeling, taking the dog parenting public to task over these words is not helpful because they simply don’t know any better. Professionals in the world of positive rewards based training, however, should know better and as the compelling words of Maya Angelou suggest, when you know better, do better.

For the dog parenting public at large, education is key but endless. It is a subject that screams exhaustion to every trainer who has to continually bring the facts to the forefront. I am sure that I am not alone in wishing for a way that I can educate a huge amount of people at once so I don’t have to repeat myself so often that I feel like a recording. I honestly don’t think I will see an end to the need to educate on this subject in my lifetime. And that makes me feel tired.

Graphic Dominant Pack Alpha Obedience Old School Command

The unfortunate fact that a self proclaimed dog trainer in the national spotlight sadly uses many of these terms makes it harder to make them go away. After all, if someone is on TV, they must be an expert, right? Nope. Said trainer in the national spotlight has literally no formal education in dog behavior. Furthermore, he failed a test for such in Germany when it was required for him to be able handle dogs in his show that had a tour stop in that country. A full education in dog behavior would erase those terms from the language of dog trainers when discussing the dogs they are attempting to help or even when referencing their own dogs.

I am sure that there are some people who although educated in this subject, simply stick to the words that they have always used. There cannot be any harm in that, can there? Yes, there actually is harm in that habit. Words decide how you feel about a subject. Words have great power. Words have strong associations that cannot be easily changed. Some words have been so poisoned with inappropriate meanings that they are better off left behind. Words that conjure a feeling that is no longer applicable, can and do give the wrong impression to those who know less on the subject, but are sponges looking to take in information. Making better and more modern choices with your words will create a kinder future for all dogs.

For example, dogs are not pack animals. That has been determined for many years now yet the number of people who still call their multiple dog household a pack is truly alarming. You are not a pack leader, you are a dog parent. You can also be the dog owner if you prefer a less relationship based term. The relationship that a dog parent/owner should aspire to is however similar to parenting. I have written at length on this subject so instead of reinventing the wheel, I give you links to previous works on that particular subject as well as a compelling study.

Parenting your dogs
Dogs are not pack animals

 

What true leadership means

More true leadership

 

If you by some chance had a group of dogs trained to hunt together en masse, then you could technically refer to them as a pack when they are doing what they trained for. That is the only dictionary definition of the word pack that applies to dogs at all. Otherwise, choose a more accurate term. If you read my book, then you know that my preferred term is crew, as in crew member. We are all in this together and we all have a say. We work as a team. Family works as well. After all, that is what you consider them to be, correct?

As for the dominance debate, I have also addressed that before as well. It would again be a waste of time to rewrite the facts. You can read more on this subject below.

What dominance really means

The term alpha is very much in the same category as dominance. However, far more people use that term than dominance simply because it’s just so sadly ingrained in the culture of dogs. But we are well past time to toss it to the curb with the others. It’s meaningless. Again, you are not an alpha, anymore than you are a pack leader. You are a parent/owner/team leader. Chose whatever compassionate and kind term you that most resonates with you. But you are NOT an alpha. There are no alphas in the dog world. More on that subject below.

Alphas don’t exist in the dog world

Another word that is still in use by some is the word command. I don’t know about you, but I don’t personally want a relationship with my dogs that involves commanding them to do anything. I call the term I use to signal my dogs to utilize a behavior, a cue. More on the inappropriate use of this word below.
Words have consequences

And finally, the word that is very likely in use most frequently among even the most educated rewards based trainers is the term obedience. Unless you are actually competing in Obedience trials and are using that term to describe that activity, then toss this word aside PLEASE. Similar to the term command, obedience implies servitude. I don’t want a relationship based on servitude with anyone, especially my beloved dogs. I do, however, want my dogs to have manners so that is what I call them. Furthermore, when done correctly, you don’t have to use cues once manners are taught because you will have taught your dogs to make good choices about life’s moments. What could be easier than that? Imagine, not having to continually tell your dog what to do! More on this subject below.
Teach your dog to make good choices

So let’s lead by example and toss antiquated terms to the curb. Choose words with their meaning based in the relationship centered world of modern dog behavior knowledge. Your dogs will thank you and you will leave a path of more knowledgeable and kinder-to-their-dogs people that you have influenced by your actions. Feel free to take the spaces below to tell me how you have moved beyond these old school terms.

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Command Performance: Do Words Have Consequences?

Command Performance: Do Words Have Consequences?

I think “yes” would be the accurate answer to this question. Words like “command” and “obedience” reek of control. They are included in the “hammer” style tools of dog training. I much prefer the use of “cue” and “manners”. Like the saying goes, “When you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail.” While this statement is typically applied to actual training tools, this equally applies to the words used in training as well.

Many people assume that words, once spoken, disappear. While that can be true but what can also happen is this; quite often, the words that are used can convey a specific feeling to the person who spoke the words. Words such as command and obedience are forceful. They imply those who they are directed to are inferior and in need of domination. This could not be further from the truth in relation to the dogs in our lives.

Photo of Dawn Goehring of Comedy Barn Canines. Photo Courtesy of Christine Romano, Rich Blessings Photography

Photo of Dawn Goehring of Comedy Barn Canines. www.comedycanines.com. Photo Courtesy of Christine Romano, Rich Blessings Photography

While our dogs certainly require structure and boundaries, they don’t need such words to provide said structure. What they need is kindness, empathy, understanding, and clear communication. They are not looking to take over our world. We have the opposable thumbs, after all.

“Breaking” is another word that is better off dispensed with in regards to housetraining. While the word is appropriately descriptive of the goal that is in mind – as in “breaking the habit” – it does speak to the notion that force can somehow resolve the problem.

According to Raymond Coppinger, dogs chose to join us; domesticating themselves by stationing themselves near human camps. The ensuing partnership was mutual. We provide for their needs. They know this. There is no need to lord it over them with force. They revere us already. They respect us when we work with them rather than on them.

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Dogs are the most forgiving creatures I know of. We treat them badly and still they adore us. Using kind words goes a long way towards promoting partnership and trust far more than words that convey the need to wield control with an iron fist. Every step taken towards dismissing such a partnership makes an additional step easier. It becomes a slippery slope.

Forceful words can cause even bigger problems in the multiple dog household. As with a multiple human household, personalities will differ among the crew. A dog that is pushier than another dog can feel emboldened by harsh words spoken at such from the humans in the household. Harshness can create bullies out of humans as well as canines. It is up to the humans to set good examples to be followed. Think of it in terms of children who are emotionally abused by their parents. While they may grow up stronger because of what they endured, there is an equal if not greater chance that they will learn how to be angry more easily than how to be kind.

Compassion and respect should not be reserved solely for one’s fellow humans. All sentient beings are deserving of this. Choosing words that you would use with humans whom you love, with the canines in your lives, will go far towards building the trust that creates a wonderful bond. Words DO matter. Choose them with care.

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