[NAGDU] Softer Dogs?

[Julie Johnson]

This is interesting. Here's my take on dog personalities, treats and 
corrections.

A long, long time ago when I first began to learn dog training when I 
was in high school, I had a seriously aggressive Beagle. He was 
neglected as a young puppy, but I thought I could overcome anything.  I 
was like 13, and all 13 year old are invincible and can do anything.

This Beagle was not afraid of anything.  He would bite people to get 
what he wanted.  He would bite other dogs if they tried to take anything 
from him or invaded his personal space.  I don't mean nip or snap at the 
air, I mean real flesh ripping bites.  I took him through the basic 
obedience class offered at the time, which was correction based.  He 
tried to bite the instructor.  She lifted him off the ground, all four 
feet, by his correction collar.  That really made him mad and he 
attacked her full throttle.  She was fast though and lifted him up 
again.  It was horrible to watch.

I believe correction training made his aggression worse.  It escalated 
the situation.  Knowing what I do now, I think positive training and 
management would have been the best approach for that dog.  His early 
experiences in life caused permanent damage.  He needed gentle 
understanding and to not be put in situations he couldn't handle.

I've had a lot of other dogs in the 30 years between then and now.  Some 
soft, and some harder.  Monty used to be a harder dog, but his 
personality has softened a lot with age.  Jetta is a pretty dominant 
dog.  She was trained with clicker and I can't see how it could have 
made her soft.  I think what it did do is allow her control to make her 
own decisions and learn in her own way. She flourished in that space.

I think people frequently misunderstand clicker and the treats. The 
treats are not a carrot on the end of a stick to lure the dog into doing 
something.  They aren't a bribe, if you're good you can get a candy at 
the check out.  They are an unemotional reward given to communicate that 
the dog has performed the desired action.

Clicker is a training method, when the dog fully understands the 
behavior, the learning is done and the clicker and treats are no longer 
used.  Yes, that needs to be gradually phased out.  Yes, there are 
occasions when you can get it out to teach a new thing or help a dog 
with a difficult spot.  When you go to a new area or transition to a new 
handler it can be useful to use the clicker and treats to reinforce what 
the dog knows and make the transition smoother.

Corrections can and do work to train dogs.  They can be misused just as 
the clicker and treats can be misused.  Harder corrections are not the 
answer.  Better corrections are.  The type of collar used should be 
matched to the particular dog and handler.  You want the minimum amount 
of correction to get the dog's attention. I frequently hear people 
talking about two handed high collar corrections here and it makes me 
cringe.  Something has gone wrong if that's a common thing that's 
happening.  It's the wrong collar or the wrong timing or the 
relationship has deteriorated or remedial training is needed to solve 
particular problems. Getting the dog's attention is not the same thing 
as getting the dog to stop the action.  If you use the collar to get the 
dog to stop an action that is punishment not attention getting.  the 
collar, like everyone says, is used to get the dog's attention.  Once 
you have the dog's attention you need to do something to keep the 
attention on you or redirect the dog or whatever.  If the correction is 
the stand alone method for ending a behavior, you are doing it wrong.

I do not currently use treats with either of my dogs when they are 
working.  I haven't with Monty for years and not with Jetta for at least 
a year now.  Jetta, my super hard dog, has a check chain for working 
currently.   I don't really use it much.  She doesn't respond to 
corrections of any variety.

What she does respond to is clear communication, clear directions and me 
setting the example of not getting upset.   Getting her to do what I 
want is relationship based.  If I try to physically make her stop doing 
something by use of the collar, it will simply not work.  She will do 
what she wants.  I have to get her to want what I want.  Then we work 
beautifully together.

Remember she's a Doberman and a fairly dominant Doberman at that. She's 
pushed me to the limits of what I knew as a trainer and handler.  She's 
made me work hard to learn new and better ways of working with dogs.   
She's not the dog for everyone, probably not the dog for most people.

I think the programs put out softer dogs because they are easier to 
handle.  They don't challenge your position as leader.  They want to 
follow direction and please you.  The trick is to not have a dog who is 
too soft and can't handle the pressure of guiding or guiding in 
particular situations.   At one end you have a dog who melts under 
stress and at the other end you have a dog who will take charge.  The 
melty dog is easier to handle, but guide work might be a problem.   The 
take charge dog can guide under pressure, but may be difficult for 
people to handle, especially aging folks, those with multiple 
disabilities or those with minimal dog experience.

Julie