Why ALL Dogs Should Receive Training

While going on a walk today with my two dogs Tucker and Lucy we were met with several challenges.  One I could only find one leash so Lucy who does not have the high level of training that Tucker does went on leash and I decided it was ok to have Tucker off leash and without an electronic collar.  As many know Tucker has recovered well from some serious behavior and physical health issues and his training has allowed him to live the life of most normal dogs instead of being euthanized.

Our first encounter was passing within 3-4 feet of someone mowing their lawn.  I did have to give Tucker a "heel" command to help keep his attention on me and not the distraction but we continued on.  We passed a cat lounging in its front yard and several backyards and homes with noisy barking dogs.  

Then we were only one house down from ours when IT happened.

That one thing we all fear when we walk our dogs.  A man came out the front door with two leashed dogs, a small miniature pinscher mix, and a huge Great Dane.  His dogs saw me and my two dogs and they were off.  The Great Dane broke, yes BROKE, his collar and came rushing towards us.  Me with my two dogs, one of which was not on leash.  I gave Tucker a 'down' command and he complied.  Lucy I told to 'sit' but her fur went up and she was ready to fend off this pony sized dog.  The Great Dane realized he was not welcome and his fur was up as he danced around me with my two dogs.  The dane's owner came rushing up letting his littler dogs to rush right up into the face of my two dogs as he attempted to wrangle his Great Dane.  

I picked up Lucy (note if I did not think she could be picked up easily she would be muzzled on every walk to prevent a fight between her and another dog for this very reason).  Lucy is a beagle/border collie mix we rescued from a kill shelter in 2008.  She is a very sweet and loving human friendly dog but she has severe fear aggression when it comes to other, especially bigger dogs.  I have no trouble walking her except in the case of loose and uncontrolled dogs (same reason dog parks are a major issue).  

The man apologized multiple times however I did not appreciate the lack of control or the thought of my safety or the safety of my dogs.  I realized that there are many people who do not understand the risk they put others and their dogs at by not having any training.  Yes your dog may just be a family pet but that does not mean they are not going to experience challenges that can pose safety issues.  If my two dogs with their severe behavior issues (reason they are living with me and not adopted out) were not well trained this situation would have ended very differently.  

This lack of training and control is how dog fights happen, people get bit, feelings are hurt, dogs get deemed "dangerous animals", laws get strict and out of control, dogs are euthanized, and lawsuits are filed.  Dog bites are a serious issue, many occur with the family structure between family dogs or bites to human family members and they go unreported.  The ones that are reported are because a strange dog bites another strange dog or person or someone suffers injury enough to require medical care.

We as dog trainers need to advocate the importance of our profession.  If you can not be in control of your dog to the point where they are breaking collars, lunging after other dogs, starting fights, or just being aggressive than you and YOUR dog need help before an accident happens.  Many people are lucky and just never end up in this situation but I KNOW that today what prevented a fight and injury was the training that I and my dogs had.

Remember to stay alert, maintain control of your dog(s), and seek help from a dog trainer if you have difficulty controlling your dog(s).  It's better to accept help before it's too late than trying to defend your dog after an accident has happened.
This Great Dane could have caused serious injury and would have if it was a person walking a leash reactive dog or a child walking their puppy.  Experience and putting myself between this dog and my dogs prevented him being able to start a fight with my dogs.  If he was people aggressive he likely would have attacked me and not just tried to attack my dogs.
Please do not assume that just because your dog does ok at home that training is something that is unnecessary.  It strengthens the bond between you and your dog.  It gives you better control should something go wrong.  Your dog will have more confidence in himself and more trust in you.

Dog Training Philosophies and Styles

Let's start with some clear cut scientific facts.

Types of Operant Conditioning - well operant conditioning for dog training means that someone is interacting with the dog.

1. Positive Reinforcement - simply put this means you are adding something (say a treat) when a dog sits to increase the behavior of the dog sitting

2. Negative Reinforcement - you are taking something away (leash pressure on the dog's collar) when a dog sits to increase the behavior of the dog sitting

3. Positive Punishment - you are adding something (discomfort on a gentle leader) to decrease the likelihood that the dog will pull on the leash

4. Negative Punishment - you are taking away something (your attention and praise) to decrease the likelihood that the dog will jump on you

Why is it important to understand these terms?  There is a LOT of misinformation and information that is presented in ways to favor different training methods and philosophies.  I want YOU to be able to understand these basic principles so that you can make your own conclusions about dog training.

Let's start by discussing some popular dog trainers.

Karen Pryor, Zac George, Victoria Stilwell, and many trainers "certified" by the Association of Pet Dog Trainers, or Animal Behavior College make up what I will refer to as the positive only dog training philosophy.  This is also includes clicker only training, many popular dog store chains, and force free training.  The positive only dog training movement believes that dogs can be trained using ONLY positive reinforcement.  Many of these trainers use devices such as gentle leaders, no pull harnesses, spray bottles, noise, citronella collars, air blasters, and other devices to supplement their treat based training methods.

Sounds great right?  It does but lets go back to those 4 types of conditioning.  What category do these devices fall under?  Are they positive reinforcement?  Clearly these gentle or force free devices must cause some type of discomfort to work.  However these trainers, many of which have been fed information in their education telling them these are not the same as prong collars, or choke chains, truly believe they are not using positive punishment.  For me it is not the equipment used on a dog but how well the dog accepts the positive punishment and if it corrects the behavior it is being used for.  After all I would not subject a dog to positive punishment if it is not decreasing the unwanted behavior.

The Dog Whisperer has also gained popularity by encouraging owners to bond with and adapt a better understanding of the canine they live with.  His techniques are sometimes very unconventional and he does from time to time get bit.  How could one not working with dogs that suffer behavioral issues, especially aggression?  A TV show made in Hollywood can encourage people to seek professional help but it leaves many trying techniques that could be damaging or unsafe without proper training or supervision from an experienced trainer.  While many would say he only uses positive punishment, there is a good deal or praise (positive reinforcement) offered to many of the dogs he works with.

From personal experience, over 10 years training dogs in two different states for everything from teaching puppy classes to training working dogs for protection it is in my opinion that training requires an understanding of the importance of all four types of conditioning.  Throughout any of my training programs I will as much as possible discuss the reason I use certain equipment in training.

K9 180 and myself adopted a balanced or mixed style of training.  We use all areas of operant conditioning in our training methods.  The aim we have is to limit the amount of stress put on the dog during training to efficiently reach a desired training or behavioral goal.  Dogs should train to build a loving and respectful bond with their owner.  Confidence, desire to learn, focus, and motivation are keys to success for the dog as much as they are for people to be successful.