Does your dog pull on lead? Has someone said your dog is dominant? Here's some helpful training tools and advice.
Find your clients a dog trainer in 4 easy steps!
Find your clients a dog trainer in 4 easy steps!
Save Them All by Doing Whatever it Takes | Deb Jones Dog Training
I have strong opinions on certain issues; okay on many issues, particularly when it comes to dogs and dog training. You may feel free to hold your own strong opinions and disagree with me. I’ve devoted many years of my life to learning about dogs, about learning and behavior, and about how to help dogs live the best lives possible. Based on my experiences and my perspective I have come to hold certain strong views on these issues.
Find your clients a dog trainer in 4 easy steps!
Find your clients a dog trainer in 4 easy steps!
Position Statement on Regulation in Animal Training and Behavior
The International Association of Animal Behavior Consultants (IAABC) strives to standardize and support the practice of animal training and behavior consulting and maximize the effective use of reinforcers to modify animal behavior. Scientific research has clearly established that best practices in animal training and behavior require positive reinforcement-based strategies, competent evaluation of effectiveness, and the ability to communicate effectively with both human and animal clients. Further, these strategies must be founded on established principles of learning and assessment.
How to Choose a Trainer
Choosing a dog trainer can be one of the most important decisions that you make in your dog’s life. The techniques that a trainer uses can strongly affect how you interact with your dog for years to come. Therefore, it is very important to choose your trainer wisely. Here are some guidelines for choosing a dog trainer. Remember, training should be a fun experience for both you and your dog.
How to Hire a Dog Trainer
It is advised that dog owners call, interview, and ideally observe a trainer prior to hiring them. If the trainer you are considering using falls into any of these categories, you should pick another trainer. The equipment recommended for basic obedience includes or is focused on choke collars, prong collars, or shock collars. Trainers …
New Literature Review Recommends Reward-Based Training by Zazie Todd, Ph.D.
New Literature Review Recommends Reward-Based Training A review of 17 papers concludes that reward-based dog training has fewer risks and may even work better than aversive methods. The review, by Dr. Gal Ziv (The Zinman College of Physical Education and Sport Sciences) looks at the scientific literature on dog training methods. Seventeen studies were identified that include surveys of dog owners, intervention studies, and reports from veterinarians. The paper identifies some methodological issues with the literature, but the conclusion is that people should use reward-based methods to train their dogs.
How to Select a Dog Trainer Guide for Veterinarians
Information owners should obtain before choosing a dog trainer * It is advised that clients call and interview a trainer prior to hiring them. If the trainer you are considering using falls into any of these categories, you should pick another trainer. · If the equipment recommended for basic obedience includes or is focused on choke collars, prong collars, or shock collars. · Trainers who ban head collars of any kind may rely unduly on force. · If the trainer instructs you to manage your dog’s behaviors by pinching toes, kneeing the dog in the chest or abdomen, hitting the dog, forcibly holding the dog down against their will, constantly yelling at the dog, frequently yanking the collar constantly, or using prong, choke, pinch or shock collars or electronic stimulation. · If the trainer believes most or all training is about encouraging the person to be “alpha” and teaching the dog to “submit”.
Choosing Your Dog Trainer or Behavior Specialist Guidelines
Choosing Your Dog Trainer or Dog Behavior Specialist Guidelines It would be rare to have an animal its entire lifetime without experiencing some type of behavior problem or training situation that might be helpful in managing your pet. Also, behavior problems are often complex and may require a more skilled professional with knowledge in animal behavior. So how do you know who to call? What’s the difference between the two? How can you assess their skills, training and education?
AN OPEN LETTER TO VETERINARIANS ON REFERRALS TO TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS
AN OPEN LETTER TO VETERINARIANS ON REFERRALS TO TRAINING AND BEHAVIOR PROFESSIONALS
IAABC Statement on LIMA
What Is LIMA? LIMA requires that trainers and behavior consultants use the “least intrusive, minimally aversive technique likely to succeed in achieving a training [or behavior change] objective with minimal risk of producing adverse side effects.” It is also a competence criterion, requiring that trainers and behavior consultants be adequately trained and skilled in order to ensure that the least intrusive and aversive procedure is in fact used. 1 LIMA Is Competence-Based LIMA requires that trainers/behavior consultants work to increase the use of positive reinforcement and lessen the use of punishment in work with companion animals and the humans who care for them. LIMA protocols are designed to be maximally humane to learners of all species. In order to ensure best practices, consultants/trainers should pursue and maintain competence in animal behavior consulting through education, training, or supervised experience, and should not advise on problems outside the recognized boundaries of their competencies and experience.2
Experiencing Anticipation Training Dogs – Using Time Outs versus Stops
“A common flaw in stimulus-controlled behavior is anticipation: Once the cue has been learned, the subject is so eager to offer the behavior that it acts before the cue has actually been given” (Pryor, 1984, 1999). I prefer to use the training correction “stops” given the context is connected with actively training dogs versus using timeouts for social corrections. There are inherent differences between the two types of context and use. To avoid confusion and provide consistent feedback between dog and owner/handler, understanding when, why, where, and for what reason should be considered at all times. Dogs learn best when provided clear rules concerning their behavioral responses, doing this avoids anxiety produced when any subject is unsure about any consequences that may result from their behavior. This also explains why using punishment, especially incorrectly, can cause serious learning deficits.
Why is positive reinforcement a better choice training dogs?
Attention is considered the most basic form of behavior and “both classical and instrumental elements closely cooperate” mediating effective “perception and action” (Lindsay, 2000). In a broader view, “attentional activities specify a dog’s intentions, reveal a dog’s motivational state” and sometimes define what he is prepared to learn, thus “attentional activities” are said to “reflect a dog’s overall disposition to learn” (Lindsay, 2000). How we stimulate and control dog’s attentional behavior can have profound effect on training and behavior modification. Lindsay (2000) says “dogs pay attention to occurrences that are significant to them and learn to ignore occurrences that are irrelevant” and stimuli associated with pleasurable events or those associated with fearful events gain the most attention than other irrelevant stimuli.
Dog Training Communication – Diverters and Disrupters
An important key to successful training is to identify what the dog is attempting to accomplish by its behavioral efforts. A dog working hard to get food may not find the opportunity to play ball to be an adequate substitute-ball play is irrelevant to the control-prediction expectancies at work. Similarly, giving the dog a biscuit …
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Humane Dog Training Position Statement
Humane Dog Training Position Statement This statement reviews the current literature on the effects of training style on animal welfare, training effectiveness, and the dog-human relationship. The statement includes an FAQ with questions from addressing behavior concerns to finding help and resources for more information. Based on current scientific evidence, AVSAB recommends that only reward-based training …
IAABC’s Position on Dominance
Written by The IAABC Editing Team (effective July 13, 2021) Dominance is a concept we frequently encounter in discussions of companion animal behavior. Many pet owners believe that the most important thing they can do to ensure their animal behaves appropriately is to establish themselves as “dominant,” “the alpha mare,” or “the flock leader.” When …
Solving the problem of genetic disorders in dogs
By Carol Beuchat PhD "Intense selection, high levels of inbreeding, the extensive use of a limited number of sires, and genetic isolation are all hallmarks of modern breeds of domestic dog. It is widely agreed that part of the collateral damage from these practices is that purebred dogs have a greater risk of suffering from genetically simple inherited disorders than their …
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