In Dog Training, Jerk Is A Noun, Not A Verb.
–by Anna Cooke
There are many techniques available to safely and effectively train a dog. One of the keys to positive reinforcement training is finding out what motivates the dog. It could be praise, toys or food.
A GROWING COLLECTION OF RECENT STUDIES is proving that positive reinforcement training of dogs is much more effective and ultimately successful than training involving dominance and punishment.
relationship between people and dogs, which considers only the needs of the human.” According to Dr. Karen Overall, Applied Animal
Behaviorist at the University of Pennsylvania, “The entire con- cept of dominance as applied to pet dogs is almost always based on a profound misunderstanding of the shared history of dogs and humans.”
DOG/HUMAN RELATIONSHIP HISTORY. Canines have relationships with humans that stand alone among all relationships between people and domestic animals. Anthropological evidence shows that dogs have lived closely with humans for at least 30,000 years and have been engaged in different tasks alongside humans for at least 15,000 years. For the past 2,000 years there have been specific breeds of dogs of vary- ing shapes and sizes that engaged in specific tasks helpful to humans. In fact, many of the physical differences among dog breeds developed as a deliberate effort by humans to match desired behaviors to physical attributes. Dr. Overall uses the example of field trial or working
English Springer Spaniels and show dogs of the same breed. These animals look like completely different breeds because they’ve been bred for different behaviors and ‘jobs.’ She theo- rizes the relationship between humans and dogs developed ini- tially to take advantage of the power of collaboration. Then over time, changes in actual brain function may have occurred with the result that today’s humans and dogs truly rely on each other.
Dr. Karen Becker and Roscoe. “Most behavior problems in dogs involve either normal
canine behaviors owners don’t like or understand, or undesirable behaviors rooted in anxiety,” said Dr. Karen Becker, an integra- tive wellness veterinarian, author and blogger for Huffington Post. “Unfortunately, dog trainers, veterinarians and other canine experts have been conditioned over the years to believe ‘bad’ behavior is driven by a dog’s desire to be dominant over his humans. So owners receive the message that exerting control over their dog – showing him who’s ‘boss’ – is the key to improving behavior. This is an anthropocentric focus on the
46 THE NEW BARKER
NORMAL DOG BEHAVIOR DOESN’T INCLUDE A DRIVE FOR DOMINANCE. “To be dominant is to have the ability to control access to resources, and to keep that control by winning out over com- petitors who also want to control access to the same resources,” said Dr. Becker. Dominance is often expressed as aggression. Dominance
shouldn’t be confused with having a higher status in a relation- ship. A higher status individual achieves the ranking not by his own behavior, but by the behavior of the lower status individu- als in the group who subordinate themselves to him. “In a social hierarchy where there are higher and lower status individuals, dominance rarely leads to aggression or fighting – just the oppo- site,” said Dr. Becker.
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