Thursday, July 17, 2014
Tuesday, July 15, 2014
Plan To Train Your Dog? Adoption Denied
Rescues & Shelters: Plan to Train the Dog you Adopt?? -- Application Denied
Trainers: Aggressive behavior -- Don't Train the Dog. Just Rehome. Or Better Yet Kill the Dog.
You would be outraged if that were common practice. But the truth is, they are putting down dogs
that have potential to be perfectly trained dogs. And doing it in the name of all positive
training.
Daily practice around this
country in many towns, including ours, denies adoption of dogs to potential adopters
who are willing to get them trained. Dogs
with common, fixable issues die every day because to fix them would require
using a training method that is not a treat or clicker. Dog’s that show any sign of aggression, even
if it’s rooted in fear, lack of socialization, or shelter stress are killed
because the all positive trainer can’t fix it with a treat and affection.
So it’s better to die than to let a trainer like me correct them. We’re not talking full on aggression – but common
issues.
Keep Reading……
Last year, I went to a trainer’s conference and was completely
distraught at the message of many trainers there. Upon posting
my blog, someone I know personally, began a campaign to beat me up through
social media. Floods of all positive
trainers rallied to condemn my point of view.
Truth be told, I was rattled to the core. Despite how totally hateful my “all positive
peers” actually were, I explored many
resources in an effort become a convert to all positive methods. But I failed.
I have looked for videos and information demonstrating PP success with the
kinds of dogs I see every day. I can’t
find it. At least not with long-term
success and efficient results.
Gosh, what the heck is wrong with me that I
can’t figure out how to be successful without correcting a dog or without using
training tools for some dogs? Surely, I
ought to be able to do it too.
Wrong. I truly was
spending time on a losing effort. And
still there are frequent recommendations to kill dogs who need training that
corrects behavior.
Thankfully, though I have found several other like-minded,
experts in their field who believe using a balanced approach to training saves
lives.
________________________
I meet dogs and handlers every single day struggling to
coexist together. Dogs that are
miserable to walk, stressful to live with because they are simply out of
control. Owners struggle with common,
fixable issues. Some dogs may have signs of biting, separation
anxiety, dogs that are scared of their own shadows, dog fighting, peeing in the
house and so on -- but in most cases it
can be fixed.
And at least a few times a week, someone contacts me about a
dog that someone else has told them needs to be rehomed or put down. This
is not an occasional problem anymore.
It’s becoming much more frequent.
If our goal is a no-kill nation, and a home for every dog – we have to make some changes to attitudes and
opinions. Take a very close look at those you
support and follow and when you find yourself appalled or outraged, take action.
Owners just want to fix the dog they love. In most cases, they don’t really care about
agility, championships, or other high performance sports – they just want a
family dog that is calm and happy in their home.
Owners are stressed.
Financially impacted. And
sometimes at risk of someone getting hurt or of losing the dog. Literally, ending the dog’s life – because
who the hell else is going to take your dog with issues?
So yes, too many shelters and too many rescues are killing
dogs because they refuse to allow the dog to be given a correction (aversive: verbal no, touch, leash correction, bark
collar, pet corrector, use a prong collar or ecollar) or with a trainer who can
actually fix the problem using these tools.
Without pain, without stress to the dog, without unnecessary financial
costs and without significant time.
Dogs are being denied adoption to great families who are
willing to train a dog – because the owner has said they will work with a
trainer who may use a training tool to end bad behavior (prong or
ecollar). I see it more often than I
can stand, and I am finding a very large number of balanced trainers who are
seeing the same thing all over the country.
Owners struggling.
Dogs are dying. Some problems are just not being fixed with affection and food. If you
can make it happen with a marker and a treat – do it and rock on with absolute
accolades from the balanced trainer community.
But, in many cases some trainers either refusing to take the dog on at
all or suggesting the dog be put down.
Some owners kill their dogs without hope because a vet or trainer gave them none. Some owners refuse to give up and continue
to seek help – thank goodness.
My findings are that there are a number of excellent
trainers with many years of experience and 1000s of successful rehabs that
believe what I believe. They are seeing
the same problems
Help is available.
Sometimes, to fix a broken dog, you have to communicate with
them in a new way. You must give a
correction that they understand. A way that creates a new response. Treats and love alone are not going to fix
aggression. Treats are not going to fix
a reactive dog dragging their owner down the street to attack another dog. Treats are not going to fix Separation
Anxiety. These
issues can be corrected without stress or pain to the dog. It’s done daily by really good trainers and
committed owners.
What’s worse?
- A correction to a dog using prong or ecollar that is quick, uncomfortable but not painful (yes, I’ll prove it to you and give you a list of referrals) and effective almost immediately - OR – Your kids being at risk?
- Financial burden because they are eating the couch?
- Injuring people (someone else’s pain) because you don’t want to correct the dog?
- Vet bills because they are hurting themselves (pain) or emotional stress (also pain).
- What about your stress? Lack of sleep? Fear of what if? Giving the dog away? A dead dog?
In most cases, your problem can be fixed.
I BEG you – before you consider the death of a dog or rehoming a dog you already own or another day of struggling with problems – go talk to a balanced trainer face to face. Get a demonstration. Get help. You have everything to gain. You have nothing to lose with a consult.
More from experts in
the field of aggressive dog rehab:
Tyler Muto:
Jeff Gellman:
Leerburg:
Just keep digging if
you need more info….. True, there are
two camps. I will always land in the
camp that saves dogs. I'm still open to having my mind changed if you have the results and shared knowledge to back it up....
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