Water Sprays!

I'm fed up with seeing a line of water sprays on training clubs desks.
Even my club has them but I refuse to use them.

I attended a club last night and was blocking a stressed dog from the source of anxiety. The trainer came over and told me that blocking won't work and handed me a water spray!
The dog was already stressed!

I looked around the room and saw a couple of other handlers using sprays! Whenever their dog barked they would say 'no' and spray.

I think they used it as an interupt rather than a punisher but I just don't like the idea.

Can anyone tell me water sprays are ok to use?
I have seen some normally good trainers use them.

I`m not sure why people use them.
Interrupting a behaviour is easy - a silly noise, a clap, a strange movement (like jumping up and down ) will make my dogs stare at me in astonishment. Spraying them with something is not an interruption, it`s an aggressive act.
If a dog is nervous of something and then it`s beloved Person gets aggressive as well - where is the advantage?
For interrupting a behaviour I use the watch-me command, drilled into the dog till it becomes automatic. Of course, it isn`t an instant fix............

They certainly don't always work I used to go to a club with one of mine where the trainer used one. My boy got very agressive & growled & snarled at the trainer when he used it on other dogs not on him. I couldn't get his attention till it was put back behind the wall out of sight.

I'm a trainer and new to it but I just don't understand the thinking behind it.
I walked into this club last night and there was six bottler of water spray on the desk!
I should have done an about turn and kept walking!

Well it does not work on my lot as they all love water and have to be shut away when the hose pipe is on.
Spraying water at them wuld mean PLAY woohoo

I really don't like them. I used one in the past before I knew any better and it made matters worse.
I'd personally steer clear of any training club that advocated them or any other such methods (ie shaking stones in a bottle).

I used one once to stop a temporary dog from persistently humping one of mine. He would not stop, was not receptive to "no" or clapping hands to interupt the behaviour, growled at me when I tired to pull him off, and then tried to bite me when I insisted. The next time I squirted him and he leapt straight off. From then he was receptive to "no" and after a couple of weeks stopped altogether. There are a few occasions when I would say they can be useful and this was one.

The training school I took Eddie to sang the praises of squirting dogs with water. He said it would help me train Eddie. He said it would interrupt any unwanted behaviour. But if we make a stupid noise it interrupts his behaviour so why squirt water? Anyway, making stupid noises is far more fun, it takes his mind of the unwanted behaviour and we end up having a game.

I would not go near a trainer who is so ready to use aversives instead of sorting out the problem with training.
Is this an APDT registered trainer ?
See the APDT website Code of practise.

Appendix 1
Such equipment includes check/choke chains, prong or spike collars, electric shock devices in any form, and high frequency sound devices which are designed to startle. There can never be a definitive list of equipment and techniques that the APDT does not permit. The following list gives examples of some of the equipment and training methods which are covered by the Code of Practice (‘Practice number 1’) not to be used in a dog training class.
Pet corrector – emits a hiss of cold air
Dog stop – emits a high pitched sound
Remote controlled spray collars
Automatically triggered spray collars
Antibark collar – emits spray directed onto dogs skin (including new product jet master)
Training discs
Liquid sprays
Loud noises e.g. rattle cans/bottles/Chains/keys
Throw stick/chain
Strong smelling substances e.g. smelling salts/ bite back
Punitive methods not to be used in a dog training class
Pinching – ears/feet/toes
Hitting
Biting (of dog)
‘Alpha roll’
Any manhandling that causes pain or discomfort

http://www.apdt.co.uk/about_APDT.asp#appendix1
If the trainer is a member of the APDT (which I very much doubt) report them.
I would recommend anyone looking for a trainer to look for a member of the APDT, there is a list on their website .

Hmm, the puppy training class I went to did use water sprays and encouraged all of us to use it to stop unwanted behaviour...funny enough it didn't help my dog at all (or made it worse) and we have a behaviourist booked in as a result.
And guess what, the two trainers that run the classes are both registered with the APDT