The application of using anything
aversive must be proportional and has to come at the end of the whole process. And, the process has to be behaviorally sound. “Throwing a dog on the ground because grandpa says that’s what dogs do in a pack is not behaviorally sound,” Jim said. “There is no science that proves that dogs actually do this.” Scientifically, dominance only applies
to two beings of the same species, thus a human cannot be dominant over a dog nor can a dog be dominant over a human. “Science,” adds Jim, “also says that
dogs do not think you’re another dog.” Jim supports legislation that would
require a trainer to be certified in order to obtain a business license. “Certification gives the consumer a
common denominator of skill and knowledge. It provides a minimum threshold that indicates, somewhere along the line, the trainer had to meet a certain set of criteria in order to gain certifica- tion. Does certification mean that someone is a better, more experienced trainer than a trainer without certifica- tion? No, of course not,” said Jim. When asked what would be his most
measured accomplishment, Jim recalled his evaluation and help with recondition- ing 29 fighting dogs from Ontario (pro- filed in The New Barker, Winter 2017 issue). The dogs, bred to fight and trained to kill, were confiscated during a raid of an alleged dog-fighting operation in 2015. There was evidence to prove all of the dogs had been used to fight. The Ontario SPCA’s (OSPCA) evaluation deemed the dogs unsafe and requested the court’s permission to euthanize all of them. A fight for the dogs’ lives ensued. Jim didn’t go to Ontario to save the
dogs, but to reassess them and make a fair recommendation. “One of the things I looked for was not only how they were behaving, but their ability to recover,” Jim told us. “Could their dangerous behavior be interrupted in exchange for an ulterior behavior? Using my understanding of behavior, we figured out how to replace the unwanted behavior with acceptable, more rewarding behavior.” After Jim’s reassessment, there were
two dogs he recused for being too dangerous. North Florida Canine Center in Wellborn received 21 of the dogs.
www.TheNewBarker.com
Aimee Sadler, with Dogs Playing For Life, oversaw their retraining and care. Guided by the scientific principles
of learning (see page 68, Four Quadrants) the dogs were trained using all of the tools and techniques available. “We applied as many things as
possible to training these dogs,” said Aimee Sadler. “They were complicated dogs, genetically bred to be high drive. Everything I knew and had done before with high drive dogs was not working. So, I reached out to others in the field for advice. People like Jay Jack, Ivan Balabanhov, Robin MacFarlane, who’s an expert in e-collar training. They all took the time to help us help these dogs.” Today, all but five of the dogs have
been placed. Only one dog, Joey, was euthanized for behavior. Nine of the dogs have new careers: six are working for law enforcement; three are service dogs. When choosing a trainer, make sure
they are willing to discuss their training methods and provide clear reasons why they choose to use a particular tool, especially if it is even remotely aversive. “A trainer should not have any
‘secret techniques’ or things that they cannot or will not do in front of you,” Jim said. “A trainer should have more than
one single set of tools in their toolbox of training techniques. Above all, if the trainer does or says anything at any time that makes you remotely uncomfortable, find someone else,” said Jim. We asked Jim if he had the power to
draft law around dog training to protect the consumer and dogs, what would it be? “Most laws only approach the mini-
mum threshold, that is, the minimum we are all willing, as a society, to tolerate,” Jim said. “For instance, our municipal shelters are providing only the minimum care for the animals in their charge at a level the public will tolerate. So, how do we write a law that would force the community (dog trainers, groomers, etc.) to do more than what we, at the municipal shelters, aren’t doing?”
*St. Louis County settles for $750,000
in a case where the SWAT team shot and killed the family dog. Source: St. Louis Post- Dispatch.
Continued on following pageg THE NEW BARKER 63 Copper Buster
813.355.6285 |
EarsRescue@gmail.com
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