After watching her and watching the rise of the positive only methods growing up I realized that positive training is wonderful and worked with most animals, that there were many “brutal” methods that did not traumatize certain dog personalities while some dogs stressed out/became utterly frustrated with the positive only camp teaching. From there out I vowed to use a blend or techniques that are the least stressful for the animal, setting it up for succcess. Some dogs flourish with positive only training. Some only learn with a 2x4 (figuratively) applied upside the head. My motto is use what works best for the dog.

I’d always had very good luck getting my dogs to do what I wanted. Then came Woody, a terrier mix literally on his last day at the shelter. Sweet, smart, but with BIG behavioral problems that only came out a couple weeks after he came home with me.

He snapped. He peed. He guarded. He had panic attacks. He lurched between submission and aggression. I was totally out of my league with this one. I was seriously considering finding him another home when a really good trainer walked into my life.

I didn’t agree with this guy’s philosophy - he was very focused on pack order and leadership. Woody had to spend weeks on a leash, off the couch, working for everything he got. I’d never treated a dog that way in my life. But I stifled my doubts and gave it a shot - it was Woody’s last chance - and it WORKED. We don’t have those problems anymore.

So I guess what I learned is that I didn’t know as much as I thought, and that my behavior was as much the problem as the dog’s was, because I didn’t understand what that particular dog needed. I’ve mostly gone back to my soft-hearted, intuitive ways, but it’s good to know what to do when that doesn’t work.

I had a ‘conversation’ with a woman who’d attended a ‘professional dog training school’ who informed me that although I’d been working with animals (of numerous species, not just dogs) for 35+ years, I couldn’t know as much as she did after her 24 week education (she was also less than half my age), and I shouldn’t think I knew anything about dog training. All my dogs and the dogs (and a couple cats) of friends and aquaintances I’ve ‘helped’ with house manners would laugh that my innate knowledge and skills don’t exisit without ‘certification.’

“Walkies” works because it is not a command, it is an invitation— you can’t help but say it in a positive happy voice!

However, when she wasn’t nearly as good at relating to people, and by being less apt with people, her message was lost with many of them.

And I understand that, too. I have to work hard at it in classes because I’m often known as the dragon lady. I do not tolerate fools easily. Especially fools who mess up dogs. Luckily my business partner, Petra and Kate, are much ‘kinder’ than I am and balance me. smile….But I continue to try to change myself; it’s just not easy.

I fully admit that to be the best - to make the biggest difference in peoples’ and dogs’ lives - one cannot focus totally on the dog. A huge part of training is teaching people. As you and I talked about.

One of life’s mysteries, or not.

Although BW did some things with the dogs that made me cringe even then, it was still incredible to see her go from mocking and berating their owners to cooing in the dogs’ ears.

HOWEVER… her total fail at interpersonal skills doesn’t change the fact that she could get a whole room full of unruly dogs she’d never met before to look at her and do what she wanted.

The other thing that she did, which I’ve actually written about before, is something Heather mentioned: She would believe her success was due to her techniques or tools (like her special choke chains!) when none of those things had anything to do with it. She had a way with dogs, and it was inborn or came to her with her mother’s milk.

Liz and I were chatting about this yesterday, in fact… how I can teach a dog to walk on a loose lead, but totally suck at teaching their owners to do it, LOL. Maybe I AM more like BW than my friend. ;)

Even now hearing ‘walkies’ will send chills up my spine!

Heather we need to meet over coffee one day - we’ve got a lot in common! smile….

Liz

The thing is, people forget that animals are animals and as we get more removed from nature and having critters in our day-to-day lives a connection is lost—along with a lot of common sense.

I’ve been in my field too long and can’t tell you whether my skill comes from a natural ability gleaned from exposure to animals, an intuitive knack of paying attention and “listening” to what the animal is communicating, or also to my years of training (practical and academic) in animal behavior and training.

Ultimately, it doesn’t matter as long as you sort out the situation without getting anyone hurt or killed in the process.

Sometimes it is as simple as using common sense and your gut to get to your other side. (I’ve had people get mad at me for spouting the obvious.)

My belief is that training is an art AND a science. You have to blend the two but making the right choice doesn’t always compute but it mostly seems to work and that is the art of it.

Make sense? Hope so…