My training philosophy - A contextual and historical framework for understanding dogs

I haven't really mentioned my general dog training philosophy. My dog training philosophy stems from understanding the evolutionary history of dogs. Dogs are the first domesticated animal in history. Based on tests of mitochrondial DNA which indicate a 1% divergence from Canis Lupis, which places the date of divergence from wolves at more than 100,000 years ago. You can find the original study here and a less technical overview published by the The Atlantic here. Based on the mitochondrial DNA divergence occurred at least 100,000 years ago and possibly more than 135,000 years ago. This means that dogs have evolved around humans, have depended on humans for survival. Dogs have a intuitive understanding of what humans wants. Dogs generally want to please their humans who provide security, food and a safe environment. The symbiotic relationship between human and dog is a close one. Humans can use this evolutionary relationship to their training advantage. Dogs can be trained with positive reinforcement. More aggressive negative reinforcement is generally not necessary and can be even detrimental to your relationship with your dog.

• For initial training use a treat that you only use for training - Make sure these treats are only used for training.
  
• Use positive reinforcement. Enthuisastic praise goes a long way. Men generally need to be more enthuasistic in their praise, raising the register in their voice.
  
• When correcting your dog, lower your voice. This is often a problem for women who need to lower their voice and don't.
  
• Work slowly, taking a five minute break every 15 minutes or so. Dogs have a greater attention span than many animals but they still need breaks to absorb what they have learned.
  

Today's Topic - How To Choose a Dog Trainer
With so many people involved in the field of professional dog training today, trying to determine who's truly qualified can be a difficult task. For those trying to decide on a professional dog trainer, the American Dog Trainers Network offers the following criteria concerning what to look for:

• An excellent reputation. Shop around and get recommendations from your vet, the ASPCA, the city's other humane societies, other reputable trainers, or your breeder/breed club.
  
  
• Widespread experience. Inquire about his or her training background, years of experience, and areas of expertise. You deserve to have your questions answered, so don't be timid about asking them. (Also, see consumer warning at the bottom of this article.)
  
  
• Humane training methodology and gentle, effective handling skills. Reputable trainers are concerned about their dogs' welfare. They also know that harsh or abusive handling methods are not only unnecessary, but are often counter-productive as well.
  
  
• A genuine love of and devotion to dogs. When you find a trainer with this important quality you'll know it. The joy of living and working with dogs makes this person shine.
  
  
• Extensive behavioral knowledge. Dedicated trainers keep themselves up-to-date by attending dog training and animal behavior courses, conferences, seminars and workshops whenever possible.
  
  
• Good teaching and communication skills. Trainers who have this gift make the learning process quicker, easier and more enjoyable for their students.
  
  
• A sense of humor. Training can and should be fun for both dogs and owners. A positive attitude and a little laughter goes a long way.
  
  
• Affiliations with reputable associations, organizations and training clubs. While this is not mandatory, it's certainly a plus.
  
  
• Ethics before profit. Is monetary profit his or her primary motive for training dogs? Is everything this trainer does geared towards making money? While financial success is great, ethics must come first.
  

A NOTE OF WARNING: Unless a dog trainer comes highly recommended to you by *at least* one reputable source, the bottom line for the consumer is BUYER BEWARE!

Remember, absolutely anyone can call himself a dog trainer or behaviorist. Slick ads with inflated claims, grandiose self-descriptions, and impressive sounding titles can be very deceptive. Investigate any stated affiliations a trainer lists on his or her brochure, Yellow Pages ad or web site. If a trainer claims to be affiliated with an organization (past or present) or claims to have "studied" with well-known dog trainers or behaviorists, ask for their telephone numbers and contact them to be sure. NOTE: A common ploy for some trainers, is to attend a couple one-or two-day seminars or workshops with a well-known dog expert (or University), then claim to have studied with that person (or at that institution).

Also, verify how many years the trainer you are considering has been training dogs professionally. While years alone are not enough to determine a trainer's experience level in and of itself, it's certainly says a lot.

A FINAL NOTE: Beware of dog trainers who care more about publicity, public relations, and celebrities, than they care about your dog and the quality of training they provide. Many professional dog trainers have worked with celebrities and high-profile people. But take note if the trainer seems totally pre-occupied with dropping names, and bills himself as the "Trainer To The Stars", something that says little or nothing about his ability as a dog trainer.

This web log is devoted to another interest of mine - dogs and dog training. Look for more information. Today's topic loose leash walking. Today I want to talk about loose leash walking. Many people find walking their dog a real chore. The dog constantly pulls against the leash, runs all over the place in general makes the experience unpleasant. If you have a larger dog, walking is nearly impossible as a dog that is as strong (or even stronger) than you pulls you all over the place. You may look at other people walking their dogs in a easy pleasant fashion and wonder,"How do they do that?" Well in just a few easy steps, I show you how to eliminate that pull problem and walk the dog on your terms.

When initially training your dog for walking, I would recommend that you start with a short leash, preferably no longer than 6 feet try this lead for example, a 6 foot leather leash. Avoid retractible leashes for the time being. Until you and your dog have developed a rapport walking, too much freedom is not a good thing.

The collar can be your standard collar. In a later segment I will cover the use of choke collars and choke chains. For a beginner these can be dangerous tools which can injury your dog. I don't recommend prong collars.

Remember that pulling is a learned behavior. A dog gets a reward when he pulls. He gets to go where he wants to go, be it further down the street or to the park. This behavior can be unlearned but the longer the dog has been pulling, the longer he might take to unlearn.

1. Find a comfortable area to work with your dog free from distractions. This can be in front of your house or a park. I would not recommend a dog park or a street that is too busy. You will need your dogs attention and need to be free from distractions. Your own driveway might be a good place to start.
   
   
2. Now, although what I am going to describe is simple, it doesn't work quickly for most dogs. The longer the dog has been successfully pulling, of course, the harder it will be to convince him that it is no longer going to work. So, you want to set yourselves up to be as successful as possible. The first thing you want to do is get him tired. Be sure your dog is not wearing any kind of choke or prong collar - just a plain "buckle" collar. Then you are ready for your training walk. Warm him up a bit with that first. Then start walking, just holding the end of the leash. Within a second or two he will probably hit the end of it and dig in to start pulling. YOU STOP (remember... you are teaching him that pulling no longer works to get him where he wants to go).. Give him a short correction sound, an "Uhn Uhn" should be enough when he pulls.
   
   Once he stops pulling and looks back at you, praise him. Praise & continue walking forward. And as soon as he hits the end of the leash STOP again with a small correction sound. Try to imagine that your dog pulling on the leash steps on your brake! This will take several sessions depending on the dog.
   
3. Some dogs get the concept pretty quickly, others have the pulling habit ingrained so well they have a more difficult time. They are not stubborn, just well trained pullers!! Eventually, though, your dog will figure out that pulling no longer gets him where he wants to go. Now, to get there he must not pull.
   
4. To be successful you are going to have to be as consistent as possible. That means never letting him pull you anywhere EVER (unless you actually have a harness on him for carting or tracking, of course). I think it's important to try to get several good long walks in at the beginning of the training. By long I mean time, not distance. People with hard core pullers may not get more than down the driveway the first few times! I believe the dog needs the many repetitions of him pulling-you stopping so he gets the point & can make the connection. At that point he can decide to alter his behavior to get what he wants, which is to move forward.