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Ask Yvette

Dear Yvette,

We are looking for puppy classes. Calling around, everyone seems to make sense, and everyone is different in how they train. On one hand, we want our dog to respect us, so we do not want to use food. But we do not want to hurt our new puppy either. Who is right?

Bill and Bailey

Both. You absolutely want your puppy to bond with you, and you definitely want your puppy to respect you. However, training methods really have nothing to do with respect.

Just as your paycheck at work has nothing to do with the amount of respect you carry for your boss, using food has nothing to do with gaining a dog's respect. Using leash corrections also has nothing to do with respect, just as getting written up at work has nothing to do with the respect you feel for your employer.

Respect is about the relationship you form with a dog, and the bond your dog feels toward you. Does your dog want to be with you, while having the confidence to be alone while you are away? Creating balance is a critical key.

All obedience training is about reinforcement and punishment. You can give a dog something good, or take something good away. You can give a dog something lousy, or you can stop something lousy from continuing. There really are no other options. Every training method available to you falls in one of those four categories. If you are dealing with problem behavior or prevention, you might see a fifth one emerge - classical conditioning. It's Pavlov's, “Ring a bell – dog salivates.”

New methods, and new marketing of old methods often emerge. When evaluating possible new techniques there is a basic formula that I use to determine if the technique will make it into my bag of tricks.

First question I ask is, “How effective is this method?” If something does not work well, then why bother?

Second question to ask is, “What are the possible outcomes of using this technique?” For example, kneeing a dog in the chest to prevent jumping is still a common practice. In some limited cases, it can stop the dog from jumping on people. However, are there any other possible outcomes? Absolutely. If your dog enjoys strong, physical play, your dog may enjoy getting pushed off. The dog will begin to jump more because it begins a fantastic game. Other dogs learn that strangers at the door knee you, so strangers are bad. Some of these dogs will cower in fear. Others retaliate. For me, the risk of creating aggression and fear makes this technique a poor option.

If possible, work out possible techniques and see if you can see a downside. Then weigh the risk versus the benefit. Many SPCA agencies and Humane societies have clear guidelines. When in doubt, a good litmus test is to ask, “Would I want this done to me, and is there another way?”

Yvette is an award winning pet writer and pet behavior columnist. She also is the author of Meeting Milo, a North American dog bite prevention program to reduce the approximately 2 million children bit by dogs annually. She is the owner of AwesomeDogs.ca and works as a behavior consultant in London, Ontario.

This column was originally featured in The Londoner
See more of Yvette... www.awesomedogs.ca
www.meetingmilo.com

Yvette has 2 dogs of her own, KIKI and KAYA. Take a look...

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