Nature Seeks Harmony, Not Confrontation, continued. “The crate was so small, he wasn’t
able to sit, lay down or turn around,” said Connie, who saw something in Frankie, despite the conditions underwhich he was found.. “I had to have him, to fix him.” After bringing Frankie to her train-
ing facility in Plant City, Connie placed him in a kennel and allowed him time to decompress; to not be around other dogs. Each morning she brought a bag of Burger King cheeseburgers to him. Without making eye contact, Connie broke up pieces of the burger and tossed them over her shoulders toward Frankie. Day by day, Frankie began inching his way closer to Connie. This went on for about two weeks, after which, Connie entered Frankie’s kennel and sat down with him. As his trust in her increased, Connie
slowly began exposing him to other things –– a leash, people, dogs. With each new exposure and gentle encouragement, Frankie became more confident. The once fearful dog, who also frightened oth- ers, became a good dog — the dog Connie knew was inside him all along. “No force was needed in working
with him,” said Connie. “It was all about trust. The only thing I ever asked of Frankie was to be social.” When working with dogs, her own
or a client’s, fun is always the key. “The dog must like the trainer. If the dog fears the trainer, he’ll be working out of fear,” said Connie. “Clearly, if you have to harm an animal to get the results you’re hoping for, you should not be training.” Another important piece of advice
from a voice of experience. “If you’re not having a good day or are in a bad mood, do not train that day,” Connie said. “If you’re not going out there to have fun with the dog you’re training, you will set him back. If you’re not feeling it, just go do something else and give the dog a rest.” Apprenticing under seasoned trainers
at a shelter is the best way to gain good on-the-job training. The shelter environ- ment provides a variety of dogs and per- sonalities. “You’ll learn more about dogs in six months at a shelter than you would in six years working with the public,” said Connie. “Each dog must be evaluated before determining a training plan. No two training plans are alike because the dogs are going to present with different
62 THE NEW BARKER
scenarios. And in a shelter environment, you’ll be exposed to a lot of different situations.” For Connie, making world teams and
being an accomplished dog trainer are nothing compared to the feeling she gets from taking the worst shelter dog off the euthanasia list and turning him into a companion dog. “When everyone else says that dog needs to die, he can’t be fixed, it gives me goose bumps to think about the dogs we’ve saved,” she said. “Using every tool in the toolbox, without force or compulsion.” James W. Crosby MS, CBCC-KA
has been training dogs since 1999. The retired police lieutenant with the Jacksonville, Florida Sheriff ’s Office is a director with the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers, Inc. and with the Canine Encounter Training at National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse. Jim holds a Master of Science degree in Veterinary Forensic Medicine. The
humans. He teaches safe handling and rehabilitation of Dangerous Dogs and Investigation of Fatal and Serious Dog Attacks to police and animal control agencies across the United States and Canada. Jim also does extra work on cases
where police use deadly force on com- panion pets. He recently assisted with one such case resulting in a $750,000 settle- ment, based on violating a woman’s 4th Amendment rights after police shot and killed her dog without justification and due process.* Jim works with the National Law Enforcement Center on Animal Abuse and National Sheriffs’ Association on a program to help reduce animal injury in police encounters. “Many conflicts can be defused or
even avoided by understanding dog behavior,” said Jim. “Keeping officers and pets safe is the focus of the course. Large liability awards have resulted from officers needlessly using lethal force.” Context should always be considered
when developing a training plan for a dog, no matter what method is being used. “The scientific term for punishment means anything that stops a behavior. Punishment, by definition, is not painful,” said Jim. The use of positive reinforcement is
anything that makes the behavior you want, to occur over again. “Anything the dog likes to do, that you can live with, that makes the behavior most likely to be accomplished,” said Jim. “And be sure you’re clear on what behavior it is you want to accomplish with the dog.” As far as the term aversive, Jim said,
Cirque, one of the Ontario 21 brought to the
North Florida Canine Center for retraining. Photograph by Anna Cooke
other letters behind his name, CBCC-KA, stand for Certified Behavior Consultant Canine-Knowledge Assessed. He is recog- nized in and out of court as an expert in the United States and Canada on Dangerous Dogs, canine aggression, fatal dog attacks, and related issues. He has investigated more than 20 fatal dog attacks on humans, and evaluated more than 40 dogs that have attacked and killed
“Life is aversive. Success in dog training means that you’re meeting the animal’s welfare while it is functioning within our society.” The Certification Council for
Professional Dog Trainers (CCPDT) holds its certificants to the LIMA policy (Least Invasive Minimally Aversive). That does not mean a member will be kicked out of the Council for using a prong collar. Adhering to LIMA means that the trainer has tried other least aversive ways before incorporating another tool. The trainer has also explained to the dog’s owner why another method, in this case, the use of a prong collar, is being used. Transparency is key.
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