DeenaM on HubPages
My passion for dogs has always been, even if dogs were not part of our family as a child. Reaching adulthood, I began studying dog behavior and training long before getting my first dog.
Since then I have trained and helped people train many, many wonderful dogs. Some were stars, some were challenges, but all were teachers, and each one continues to be. I believe a dog trainer should forever remain a student, not only to dogs themselves, but also in study time. Ongoing study, be it reading, attending seminars, sharing with other trainers, is critical to evolving skills.
Over the years I have been involved with many areas of dog training and sports, including police canine units, tracking, retriever field work, competitive obedience, conformation, rally, herding, earthdog, and of course, nice manners.
My training philosophy, in a nutshell:
1. Understand the nature of dogs and how they view the world;
2. Teach foundation skills through positive reinforcement;
3. Provide clear leadership, including letting your dog know what you want, not just what you want them to stop doing;
4. Use foundation skills as a part of every enjoyable activity your dogs engages in, from getting a meal to taking a walk, to getting petted;
5. Use non-confrontational methods daily to underline your leadership role, and non-violent corrections to communicate that compliance is:
a. not optional,
b. to their benefit (i.e. reinforcing)
6. Use methods appropriate to the individual dog.
Concerning "corrections": very early in training, I use a conversational "no" to let the dog know that the response was the 'wrong answer', and will not earn a reward. They learn very quickly the difference between the marker for "right answer"=reward, and "no". Soon, when they hear "no", they understand it's meaning, and simply offer a different behavior. It is simply information. It's difficult to learn anything if you don't know when you're right and when you're wrong.
Appropriateness is one of my favorite training words, and the reason I do not utilize only one method for all dogs. You simply cannot train a shy sheltie exactly the same as you would an exuberant lab. Yes, the basic teaching phase will utilize the same theories and largely the same methods, but there will be differences in the application or delivery of them. Sometimes big differences. There are differences between breeds far beyond appearance; most people don't realize how vast differences actually are. This is where the art in dog training comes in. I have been lucky to work with some talented dog trainers through the years that taught me the skill of reading dogs, essential to making appropriate training decisions.
