Simple answer - yes, of course we should try to think dog. I'm surprised actually - if we are the more "intelligent" species, who take dogs into our lives, we do need to take the time to bother to understand them.

The late John Fisher wrote "Think Dog" - it taught me more than many things did about dogs and how we live with them.

The inference being that it's in my interest to get everyone to run to a behaviourist when there is a problem? Is that what you mean?

The studying is because I want to continue to educate myself and to formalise it. In time, I hope to join eitherthe APBC, or the UKRCB, (if Rob will let me in LOL) or both. I have been helping people and dogs with problems for much longer than I've been studying.

Yes - I do think many problems are best helped by a trainer or behaviourist and yes I do wish people would go earlier rather than leave it to the last minute when often the damage has been done.

It makes me very sad that some owners think nothing of spending say, £60 on a night out, but would balk at paying that to perhaps improve their relationship with their dog and save it from rescue, going from home to home,having a miserable life, or whatever.

Wys
x

God I hope not!!! I know a man, who owned a Dobe (note I said owned) he also had a negitive attitude to discipline, smacking the dog on the nose, or butt, holding it down in a dominace hold ..guess what he had to rehome the poor boy in the end... why because the dog had had enough of the negitive training, and bit him

It's strange but to be honest, many of the people I come across who use more traditional methods seem to be GSD people. Glad you are different Joedee

Wys
x

well said.

Nope, I`m right along side you. I grew up with a military handler father whose working dogs lived and retired with the family then my own Alsatian.
His and mine were not hit either.

My eldest brother had a rescue dog incidentally, poor dog was absolutely terrified of newspapers in the hand to the point where my brother would not even let the dog see his paper until it was opened for reading on a table and therefore non-threatening.

He went as far as keeping it under his jacket until letting the dog into the garden so the dog would not have to see the paper in his hand as the lad was so traumatised by the sight of a held folded paper. This was nigh on 30 years ago before things like desensiting were widely understood and used, he dealt with the problem by completely shielding the dog from something which literally caused sheer terror to his dog.

Was the dog hit just once with one before rehoming ?
Twice ?
A hundred times ?

For many dogs, once is enough to cause the damage, if not through pain but through the fear association that the human they should be able to implicitly trust will strike or threaten them [ in terms of the dogs own perception ] just for being a dog doing dog things, and for communicating in their way, including and even especially for growling, one of the most important communications a dog has !

Thats what people who use punishment methods are completely missing the point of imo.

Cheers!

Wys
x

Much like the one you brought in for Blondi...
You know what I think of that one but the inference of being in `the business` which you have used against Wys goes for him too

Agree. I find too that often those who use punishment have "middle of the road dogs" in the sense that those dogs are not very sensitive and not very strong minded.

I'd love to see people try to smack a seriously aggressive dog who could floor them and see if they still like the idea then

I'd think they might do a quick "rethink"

Wys
x

Could`nt agree more.

I think everyone else has said it all - sorry I'm going to go a little off topic with the hitting thing.

My dad's friend's brother used to own 3 labradors. The dogs would do anything he tells them to do, but they were terrified of him! Everytime he went near them they would lie straight down and shake, with a very scared look on their faces.

I don't believe any dog should have to do something out of fear, they should do it because they want to please