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Monday, July 1, 2019

Types of dog training methods


Types of dog training methods

Most beginner and novice dog owners don’t shop around for training methods when looking for a trainer. Many, if not most people, even many advanced dog owners, don’t know that more than one type of training method exists. In general, people use and adopt a certain type of training method, along with the equipment that is needed for that method that is introduced to them with their first dog. Many times, they stick with that particular method thinking that is all that is available. Up until around 1990, this was all true.

As a little girl growing up in Daly City in the 1970’s, I would buy the books available at the neighborhood bookstore, or rent them from the library, that talked about dog training. The common training method at that time, and for many, many years before that, was a chain collar and a thick leather leash, no matter if you had a Chihuahua or a St. Bernard. One method existed for all dogs. Period. Every book on dog training explained in detail how to properly put a chain collar on a dog and how to hold the leash to deliver the optimum “correction” to the dog. The authors explained in detail that I should listen for the “singing” of the chain collar as I gave the proper snap and release of the collar. What horrible things we did to our dogs! Learning theory was described by the authors that a dog will do what you tell it to or it will receive a “correction” from the collar. So the dog learns to do the right thing or else!

This specific method would work for very few dogs. The dogs that did not respond to this method were considered untrainable, and then more harsh methods were used on these dogs. The common belief held was that these dogs had been given the opportunity to learn the right way, and refused, so they deserved what they got in the form of beatings, shocks, hangings, yelling, isolation and torture. 
I saw this first hand when I worked as an assistant trainer for a dog training company in the mid 1980’s in Oakland following high school. The dogs that did not respond to the training methods used by this company were thrown against walls, hung up by leashes with their chain collars, tied to tiny tie-downs in three sided boxes, shocked with electronic collars and whipped with leashes, all in an effort to make the dog obedient, which is what the owners were paying for. This company also trained personal protection dogs for the public where they used similar types of harsh and violent methods to force the dog to act and respond to the agitator. 

When I questioned the methods the trainers were using and asked why less violent options were not used, I was told I would never make it as a trainer because I was not willing to tell the dog who was boss. I was moved out of the training program and moved into their chain of retail stores as a clerk. One of the owners once told me that I was being disobedient, and that his dog behaved better than me. I was eventually fired from the company after over three years because I was told I was unable to fit into the requirements of being an employee. 

When you are deciding upon a trainer and a training method or methods for your dog, keep some key questions in mind. 

Are you and your dog progressing along the intended path of the class? 

Do you feel that your dog is learning new things? 

Does your dog feel willing to learn by these methods?

Is your dog happy about attending class? 

Are you interested in attending the class each week? 

Is the effort you and your dog are putting into the class each week worth the extra time, money and effort? 

Are their dogs well behaved? 

Do they apply the same methods to their dogs that they are teaching you? 

If the methods the trainer suggests don’t work for your dog, or if you are having difficulty executing these methods, can they recommend another way of achieving the same results? 

Is the trainer patient and persistent and helpful and friendly? 

Can you ask questions in class or after class to help clarify some points the trainer has made?

Is the trainer willing to work one-on-one with you if you need the extra attention?

The best trainers are great people trainers as well as dog trainers. They understand that they need to teach you how to work with your dog. There are trainers who are like this. Be persistent in your search and be kind to your dog. You will find them!

Here is an overview of some of the training methods that are still being used and practiced today. I wish I could say they all want the same results in the end, but they don’t. Some want pure obedience and to have the dog “do as they are told.” Most of these methods apply force and pain. While others want the dog to be happy and willing to do what they are being asked to do. These methods give the dog the choice to do what they are being asked, and reward them when they do the proper action being asked of them. These methods also teach the dog the consequences of their actions if they choose not the follow along by withholding something the animal wants, like food, or to play. It is a difference between force and no force. In one, the owner is the “master.” In another, the owner is a leader. One treats the dog as if they have no soul, mind or conscience. The other assumes the dog has a choice to their own destination and teaches them how to achieve that. 

Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning
(see separate blog post of this subject.)

Chain or choke collar and a leash:
This training method uses a short, sharp jerk on the dog’s neck when the dog fails to perform the command that it has been given. The jerk and release of the slip collar, typically made of chain or fabric, is a form of “positive punishment;” that is, it the application of the collar is intended to discourage the dog from continuing its behavior, which is not doing the command. The dog will then attempt to avoid this “correction” and perform the behavior asked of them the next time the trainer asks for it. 


Prong, force or pinch collar:
A pinch collar is a type of training collar that uses many individual “prongs” with flat tips linked together applying pressure consistently to the neck when pulled, compared to the chain collar that pinches on a single spot on the neck. 

Most commonly, the pinch collar is used on a dog that pulls and lunges. The applied pressure is intended to stop the dog from pulling and lunging. This type of collar has a “Martingale” type of design. A pinch collar should never be left on a dog that is unattended. If the collar gets caught on something the dog could choke to death. 
Personally, I am not a fan of these collars either because this training method is still to use pressure and pain and discomfort to get a dog to do something, which is to not pull or control their direction.

Electronic collars:
There are three types of electronic collars:  “bark” collars, “shock” collars and vibration collars.
“Bark” collars, look like a regular nylon collar, except there is a small box attached to the collar. Underneath the box are prongs where the electric currents are delivered to the dog, somewhere on the neck. A “bark” collar is worn to stop the dog from barking by issuing shocks whenever the dog barks. The collar is activated automatically by the dog’s barking. 

An electronic training collar is activated by the owner by a handheld device the owner carries. Like the chain or choke collar described above, the electronic shock is used as a punishment to teach the dog to avoid the shock by stopping inappropriate behaviors they are doing. When the dog offers behaviors the trainer doesn’t want, the dog receives a shock. If the dog does the correct thing the owner is asking, he receives no shock. 

A vibration collar is used for deaf dogs. There is no shock involved, just a mild vibration to get the dog’s attention. The dog is taught to look at the owner when the vibration occurs. The vibration is not intended as something for the dog to avoid, just to get their attention. 

Use of food:
Food is used in a variety of different types of methods. It can be used as a reward or as a lure to move the dog into position and then give them the food when the correct action is taken. Food is a fabulous reward because all animals have to eat. You can use their daily meals as a reward during the training session. You can use a tasty treat or any other type of food the animal loves. The problem I have seen when using food exclusively, and no other types of rewards or variable reward schedules, is that the animal becomes solely dependent on the food, and won’t do anything unless the food is offered. Food should be used along with a variety of other rewards that the animal wants like playing with a toy or their owner or another dog. Each situation is different and calls for a different reward. You dog will become more reliable if you vary the type of reward and when they receive it, called a variable reward schedule. 

Clicker Training:
Clicker training got its start when training marine mammals for shows and tricks. It eventually found its way to companion animals, and has since spread like wildfire to be applied to all animals for almost all circumstances. The basis of clicker training is that the click or sound is used as a “mark” to indicate the exact moment the animal is doing something correct. Following the click is a reward, which typically consists of food. This type of training has been instrumental in allowing trainers to teach individual behaviors, eventually stringing them together, building upon them one by one and shaping the animals actions into a single outcome. For example, the clicker was used to teach dolphins in water shows how to jump through hoops, catch a ball and bring it back and teach a whale how to make a huge splash that falls into the audience. These were all individual behaviors taught one at a time, then put together by the trainer to appear as a single motion. It can also successfully used to teach a sit, a sit-stay and then a sit-stay out of sight, each action building upon the previous action until a single exercise is performed. This process is called “chaining,” which can be used to teach even very complex behaviors.
As I child I learned that the use of a chain collar and leash was how to train dogs. Eventually, I learned about the other, non-violent methods. I have chosen to stay with the idea that all animals have a soul, mind and a choice in their destination. I have decided my job in life is to guide them along that path. 

Your dog is happiest when he knows what to expect


This occurs when firm, fair and consistent training and leadership is part of your dog’s daily life. Maintain open communication and feedback from your dog. 

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