|
Location: Dogsey and Worcestershire
Joined: May 2004
Posts: 49,483
|
|
Originally Posted by
ClaireandDaisy
Yup! Me too - but with mine it was people. Now with positive training and a lot of patience she`s a normal dog and we have fun together. And I never once had to kick, poke, shock, choke or frighten her.
..me too .
If a dog is already fearful/aggressive because of previous experiences is it
really necessary or fair to add to a dog's fear by choking it into submission by pulling a lead so tightly the dog's air supply is restricted and it is forced to submit,or to kick it between the back legs then wrestle it to the ground where it is forced to adopt a freeze response which 'closes it down' to outside influences, and how about lifting a dog from the ground by placing a hand around its throat so that its legs are left to dangle.
What does a dog learn from being subjected to these methods, it learns that humans are aggressive, are associated with pain and are to be feared not trusted.
As Claire and many here have found 'red zone' dogs or to be more specific dogs which are fearful/mistrusting/untrained respond well to understanding , kindness and patience. Using these methods when training enables a dog to build a bond of trust with the owner and to progress, and to do so without developing further fear based behavioural problems.
The positive training methods used by many here have been endorsed by the latest research from Bristol University ...
A new study shows how the behaviour of dogs has been misunderstood for generations:
in fact using misplaced ideas about dog behaviour and training is likely to cause rather than cure unwanted behaviour. The findings challenge many of the dominance related interpretations of behaviour and training techniques suggested by some TV dog trainers.
Contrary to popular belief, aggressive dogs are NOT trying to assert their dominance over their canine or human “pack”, aaccording to research published by academics at the University of Bristol’s Department of Clinical Veterinary Sciences in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior: Clinical Applications and Research.
The paper “Dominance in domestic dogs – useful construct or bad habit?” reveals that dogs are not motivated by maintaining their place in the pecking order of their pack, as many well-known dog trainers preach.
Far from being helpful, the academics say, training approaches aimed at “dominance reduction” vary from being worthless in treatment to being actually dangerous and likely to make behaviours worse.
Instructing owners to eat before their dog or go through doors first will not influence the dog’s overall perception of the relationship – merely teach them what to expect in these specific situations. Much worse, techniques such as pinning the dog to the floor, grabbing jowls, or blasting hooters at dogs will make dogs anxious, often about their owner, and potentially lead to an escalation of aggression.
“In our referral clinic we very often see dogs which have learnt to show aggression to avoid anticipated punishment. Owners are often horrified when we explain that their dog is terrified of them, and is showing aggression because of the techniques they have used – but its not their fault when they have been advised to do so, for example by unqualified ‘behaviourists’ recommending such techniques.”
http://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2009/6361.html
..this latest paper also reinforces the findings of Alexandra Semyonova the internationally acclaimed animal behaviorist in her study 'The Social Organization of the Domestic Dog
A Longitudinal Study of Domestic Canine Behavior and the
Ontogeny of Canine Social Systems' .
http://www.nonlineardogs.com/