I've been reading alot of articles and posts recently about 'traditional' training methods vs. positive reinforcement training and I wanted to write something to reflect on my experience thus far. I am definitely not a dog trainer, just a new puppy owner who is learning as I go. When I was little my family had a chocolate lab. She was a great dog, but my parents used a lot of punishment based methods with her. They used a choke chain, and would grab her by the scruff when she did something wrong. She was never completely relaxed and at ease because of this, and it only improved once I got older and could take over looking after her. Fast forward 15 years and I bring my first puppy home. I was overwhelmed, as many of my posts on here can attest to. However I made the commitment to only use force free training methods. Yalom is now 7 months old, and he's great in so many ways. But most of all he's happy and he's relaxed. His tail wags constantly through training and we would do it all day if his kibble stretched to that! He sometimes decides that the middle of a sit stay is a great time to have a really good itch. He sometimes jumps up on me when he's so excited he can barely hold it in. For a long time he would try and drag me to the other dogs we passed. He also finds the counters in the kitchen far too interesting if he's bored. But now, he walks really well on the lead 80% of the time (decent for 7 months I reckon), his recall is amazing (for now... I'm sure it'll go to pot once he hits adolescence fully), he wants to play with other dogs but can pass them nicely at most distances, and I feel confident that I could take him anywhere, and frequently do. He is not perfect, but he is a joy to be around the majority of the time. I was thinking about this and wondering whether the trainers that use force spend a lot of effort making their dog behave perfectly, and less time just enjoying being with them. Most of the time when Yalom does something 'naughty' it's actually pretty funny, and using positive reinforcement means he learns things so quickly! I taught him to walk backwards (to get out of the way of me in my wheelchair) in 3 x 5 minute training sessions, and we're currently proofing it. I guess what I'm trying to say is that, although there may not be the quantitative evidence fully established for force free training, the qualitative, experiential evidence is so rich I don't see how anyone can ignore it. Also, ultimately, I would rather have a happy dog who is well-behaved 90% of the time than a nervous, scared, or uncomfortable dog who was perfectly behaved 100% of the time. Anyway, these are just my ponderings from the first 5 months with my pup. I'm so interested to hear other peoples' experiences I thought I'd share.
Interesting observations @RuthElizabeth . You've answered the question about his age. You can use raw carrot for training treats. The lack of cooking means the dog does not absorb the carrot as nutrients. Accordingly, you are not going to end up with a weight issue. My observation is thar a sizeable percentage of dog owners here don't do much training at all. Take their dogs down to the dog beach and just let them loose. Have no ability to recall the dog. When at home, the dog is put in the garden.
Personally, I’ve experienced first hand the difference in traditional training methods and positive reinforcement methods. My first childhood dog was trained with more traditional methods. My parents hired a trainer and we were taught to use a choke chain on him to walk him. We loved him and he was a great dog, but there were characteristics in him which arised because he wasn’t trained the way I am training my current dog. I think the main thing I noticed was he was really in fear sometimes when he did something he wasn’t supposed to, because we would yell or hold him by the scruff.... for something like going to the bathroom inside....Just stuff that I’ve learned was not supposed to be done, was done. I was also a child when we got him so he wasn’t always trained properly, since my parents aren’t great with dogs and I was too young to really care. As I got older, I became more interested in training my dog and formed a close bond with him. I cared more about training and slowly turned into more of a positive reinforcement trainer with him. And he loved it and so did I. Right now, I can’t imagine training my current puppy the way my old dog was trained. I would feel awful doing some of the things we did with our old dog and I do absolutely have regrets with things we did with my old dog. I still love my old dog to this day and even though we trained him the wrong way in many cases, he was still amazing. I have learned from mistakes in training him and I use those learning experiences to form a better relationship with my current puppy. I am so glad that my new puppy has no fear, no aggression, no anxiety, etc. He’s a bundle of energy and work, but I enjoy the daily training with him... and he seems to love it to with his tail wagging for just the simplest things.
Where I live, most people still wear punishment necklaces on their dogs, wearing very short leash, believing in dominance, ... It's very sad. My bitches sleep with me in bed, not in the yard. They are my family, not my possessions. C.M. here is considered an example to be followed by many people, unfortunately. I have yet to learn many things, but I would never damage the confidence of my bitches by teaching them "human rules". I want my bitches to be happy, I do not want them to live stressed, afraid of my reactions
I wonder if this is an Australian thing? Maybe because people often have backyards and dogs aren't welcome in many places out and about people don't bother training. I mean, I live in the innerish suburbs of Sydney and most people here have little dogs, so their behaviour is not so noticeable, but people always looks at us very strangely when we are out and about with Chewie with all our training bits and pieces. I often get asked if we are training him to be a guide dog (though that might be his snazzy Ruffwear harness and matching lead). I usually respond with "No, just to be civilised!" I've never had a dog before, and I love using positive methods to train. I think using physical punishment would break my heart, but I suppose it used to be the norm and people didn"t know any different.
Thanks Chews mum. I now understand. I had thought it might mean compulsion method. Never dawned on me that he had made it on Spanish television.
Thanks everyone for taking the time to read and reply. I agree with all of you that said you can't imagine training your dogs another way. The idea of using a choke chain or grabbing Yom's scruff just upsets me. And it obviously doesn't result in the kind of dog you want. Also @Chewies_mum I love that you say you're training him to be civilised!
