Trainer Tips--Things People do to Dogs that should be Banned: Part 2

As a trainer, I often see many things that people do to their dogs that is not good behavior.  Some of these things make me very sad for the dog, others make me down right angry.  Below is the continued blog of some things that people do to dogs that should NEVER be allowed!

See Also:  Part 1 of Things People do to Dogs that should be Banned.

#5 - Puppy Mills

If you haven't heard of the puppy mill problem yet, you must be living under a rock.  Thankfully, this horrific and barbaric practice has received a lot of negative attention recently from the media and animal activists.  

A responsible breeder will breed usually only one breed type, and will breed for health and temperament.  Responsible breeders usually have no more than 1-3 litters per year.  

A puppy mill is basically a place where people breed dogs purely for profit. These people breed multiple dogs in poor conditions.  They pay no attention to health, temperament, or behavior of the dogs they breed.  Most of these dogs have little to no human contact during their lives of breeding, and are generally kept in unclean conditions.  Most times multiple cages are stacked on top of each other where these dogs live out their lives in wire-bottom kennels with no exercise or interaction with others.  

Pets that are sold in most pet stores usually come from a puppy mill.  So do your part to help curb the problem...do NOT buy your new puppy from a pet store.  Instead go to your local shelter or rescue.  If you do have your heart set a certain breed, do your research and find a responsible breeder:  one that breeds for health and temperament.  You should be able to see the puppies with the mom in the space they currently live.  If the breeder is not comfortable showing you this space, that is a big RED FLAG...they are probably a puppy mill/ back-yard breeder.  Do not adopt/buy from a breeder that refuses to let you see the puppies with the mom!

Also see an Article on Puppy Mills by Victoria Stilwell

#6 - Selling Dogs in Pet Stores

Again, most dogs that are SOLD in pet store are breed in a puppy mill.  DO NOT BUY A DOG FROM A PET STORE.  Instead, adopt from your local shelter or rescue.  

More recently, many pet stores have been partnering with their local shelters and rescues to adopt animals out of the store.  This is great!  You are still adopting a pet in need, NOT paying the puppy mill breeder.

#7 - Tethering

Although chaining or tethering your dog can be helpful, it should really only be used for short periods of time.  A dog should NEVER be left tethered while unsupervised!  Dogs can easily be injured or even killed when left tethered and unsupervised.

#8 - Punishment-based Training

As mentioned above, we have learned over the past few years that dogs actually learn faster and retain information longer when taught using positive reinforcement training methods.  Using punishment-based techniques can actually set training back, and create unwanted behaviors, including aggression, and can create a relationship of mistrust between dog and owner.

See also:
Positive Reinforcement & Dog Training Basics
The History of Dog Training
Training Programs
Dog Training Philosophies 
Training Terms Help

#9 - Retractable Leashes

This is one of my biggest pet peeves when it comes to dog training.  A retractable or Flexi-leash is made in a way so that there is always tension of the leash.  This leash actually teaches a dog to pull.  Besides being contrary to training, this type of leash is also very dangerous.  I have seen many times a dog take off and hit the end of the leash and either the leash breaks and they keep running (putting themselves in possible danger) or the owner falls down when the dog reaches the end of the leash (causing owner injury).  I also know of someone who actually lost a finer when the leash got wrapped around and the dog took off running.  Very very dangerous, silly tools!

Dogs should be walked a regular 4-6 foot leash (or use a long line for training).

Previous blog on Retractable Leashes.

Training Terms Help

So you want to train your dog but where do you start?  Well knowing a little background about some common terms used in basic dog training will help.
(Also see other Common Training Terms.)

There are basically three essential elements to teaching a dog to learn. 
These are:  motivation, reinforcement, and punishment.

Motivation is a need (conscious or unconscious), desire, or drive that incites a dog to produce some behavior or action.  A dog must be properly motivated to change behavior.

Reinforcement are actions, events, or items that positively or negatively increase or eliminate a behavior.  There is positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement. 


Positive reinforcement basically means the dog works for you to get things he desires.  Positive reinforcement involves rewarding the dog the instant he performs the desired behavior. 
Negative reinforcement means the dog is working to avoid something the dog considers unpleasant.  Negative reinforcement is the removal of something unpleasant the instant the dog performs the desired behavior.

There are two types of reinforcement: 
1)  Unconditioned reinforcement
2) Conditioned reinforcement

An unconditioned reinforcer, or primary reinforcer, is something that is necessary for the dog's survival, or something the dog very much likes, and therefore, the dog does not need to learn that this thing is rewarding.  Not each unconditioned reinforcer will have the same value for each dog.  Some examples of unconditioned reinforcement include:  food, air, water, shelter, toys, praise, and petting.  The dog (NOT the owner or trainer) determines what their unconditioned reinforcers are.

A conditioned reinforcer, or secondary reinforcer, is something that does not inherently mean anything to the dog.  The dog learns to associate the conditioned reinforcer as a good thing.  Some examples of conditioned reinforcers include:  walks, food bag noise, toys, "good" or "yes," the sound of a clicker, and the doorbell.  The best example of teaching a dog a conditioned reinforcer is using the "good" or "yes" cue to mark behavior.  Using this cue at the instant your dog performs a desired behavior increases the communication between human and dog.  The dog learns to make a positive association between your marker word (good or yes) and a food reward.

Punishment is use of a penalty.  There is both positive and negative punishment. 


Positive punishment involves a negative consequence the moment the dog engages in an undesired behavior.  You are adding something negative. 
Negative punishment involves removing something the dog likes when the dog engages in an undesired behavior.  You are removing something the dog likes.

A helpful way to think about these things is this...positive means you are adding something...negative means something is being taken aways.


Dog Training Today

The popular method of dog training today is Positive Reinforcement.  This is a vast improvement from the history of dog training.  Into the 1950s and 1960s, it was common for dog trainers to use compulsion training methods, mainly positive punishment.  This meant that every time the dog performed incorrectly, the dog received a punishment.  Over the years and several studies later, we have learned that the use of positive reinforcement actually works faster and dogs retain the knowledge learned more easily.  Also, using positive reinforcement training produces an animal that is willing and excited to work for you, as opposed to one that is frightened or scared to make a mistake.  Such Good Dogs uses positive reinforcement training, combined with energy balance.




Energy Balance:
Such Good Dogs firmly believes that all living creatures must find the correct balance of energy to be both happy and healthy.  When training dogs, it is extremely important to be aware of your own energy.  Dogs pick up on our energy and what we may be feeling without us even realizing they have done so.  Further more, if you are unaware of your energy and try to train your dog when you are angry or frustrated, the dog will sense this and your training session will not go well.  In fact, you can actually set back progress of your training by doing so when you do not have the proper energy and mind-set.  To maintain proper energy balance, your dog must also have proper exercise.  A dog that has too much energy will not be able to pay attention for training.  Regular, daily exercise is vitally important for every dog.

So, if you are training or interacting with your dog and you feel yourself getting angry, upset, frustrated, nervous, or anxious...STOP, take a deep breath, and calm down.  Only then should you address the situation.

Common Training Terms

When beginning training your new dog, a LOT of information will be thrown out at you.  Everyone from the person you got your dog from, to the vet, to your next-door neighbor will be willing to offer you advice about how to train your new pet.  My advice?  Find a trainer that uses positive reinforcement methods and that you are comfortable with.  I highly recommend that EVERYONE take a basic manners dog class.  I have had dogs my entire life and had never taken a basic manners dog class until recently.  Even with everything I knew about dogs then, the information I learned in dog class was amazingly helpful.  Below is a helpful list of terms that you will probably come across in your dog training adventure.

Bribe.
Prior to asking your dog to perform a known cue or behavior, you show the dog something he values in an attempt to gain his compliance.

Capturing.
This is basically just waiting for a dog to do something specific, then rewarding him the second he does it.  Capturing training does not cue or prompt the dog in any way.

Lure.
Using a lure is enticing the dog with something he values in order to lure him into a position or cue.  The food lure is used in positive reinforcement training.

Molding.
This is actually physically placing the dog into the position you desire.  This is not generally recommended.

No Reward Marker.
This is a simple sound or phrase like "eh-eh," or "uh-oh" that communicates to the dog that the behavior you just presented me is not what I was looking for.  This is telling the dog, "that's not it, please try something else."

Proofing.
Proofing is the process of testing the dog's knowledge of a known behavior.  By testing where your dog is at with a cue, you can determine what he needs to work on and where to go from here.

Punishment.
A penalty that the dog does not like that will decrease the likelihood the dog will repeat that behavior.  This can be as simple as removal from an area, or as harsh as a physical correction (not recommended).

Reinforcement.
Anything that will increase the likelihood a dog will repeat a behavior.  Reinforcers are different for all dogs but generally include things such as:  treats, toys, attention, eye contact, and talking to a dog.

Reward.
Surprising the dog with something he values after performing the correct cue or behavior.
Example:  you ask a dog to sit, he sits, he take our a hidden food treat and give it to him.

Shaping.
This is rewarding any slow progress the dog makes towards the desired goal.  This is something that is helpful to be used with shy dogs.

Learning Theory

There are basically three essential elements to teaching a dog to learn.
These are:  motivation, reinforcement, and punishment.

Motivation is a need (conscious or unconscious), desire, or drive that incites a dog to produce some behavior or action.  A dog must be properly motivated to change behavior.

Reinforcement are actions, events, or items that positively or negatively increase or eliminate a behavior.  There is positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.
Positive reinforcement basically means the dog works for you to get things he desires.  Positive reinforcement involves rewarding the dog the instant he performs the desired behavior.
Negative reinforcement means the dog is working to avoid something the dog considers unpleasant.  Negative reinforcement is the removal of something unpleasant the instant the dog performs the desired behavior.

Punishment is use of a penalty.  There is both positive and negative punishment.
Positive punishment involves a negative consequence the moment the dog engages in an undesired behavior.  You are adding something negative.
Negative punishment involves removing something the dog likes when the dog engages in an undesired behavior.  You are removing something the dog likes.

A helpful way to think about these things is this...positive means you are adding something...negative means something is being taken aways.