Dog Trainers are Magic!

I watch dog training shows on TV. And, for the record, the best one out there is It’s Me Or The Dog. Victoria Stillwell uses dog-friendly methods which are endorsed by Veterinary Behaviorists and those who study dog behavior scientifically. She doesn’t rely on intimidation methods like some of the other TV trainers.

I watch the other guys too, it's research. As Cesar and Brad become more popular, people think that their methods must work. After all, they have TV shows. They wouldn’t put them on TV if they didn’t know what they were talking about! Wrong!!!! But this isn’t about questionable training practices.

I want to talk about what I see happening in my own practice over and over again. And, I see it happening with the TV trainers too. The trainer walks in and with a few words and a little body language, Spot is amazingly transformed into a model citizen!

When the trainer demonstrates an exercise, it only takes a couple of tries and the dog performs it beautifully! I would like to think that in my case, it is my years of training experience and perfect timing that makes these little miracles happen. And, to some extent that is true. If anyone could do it the first time, you wouldn’t need a trainer.

However, there is another factor that makes it easier for a trainer to take a strange dog and transform his behavior in mere minutes, that is history. Dogs operate in our world by sizing up the family dynamics and watching their people. They process routines and see what is and isn’t allowed. They are constantly checking to see what they can and can’t do. So, almost all of a dog’s behavior is a product of how a person lives with that dog. The dog has a history of reinforcement either for doing “good” things, or, in the case of problem behavior, reinforcement (often unintentional on the part of the people) for doing “bad” things.

When a trainer comes in, the dog has no history with that person. So, the dog begins watching and sizing up the new person. What behaviors will be rewarded? What behaviors will be ignored? What behaviors will be stopped?

Let’s look at dogs that pester guests. When I go to a new appointment, usually the first thing we do is sit down and talk about why I am there. Many dogs will want to check me out. After all, I have lots of good doggy smells on me and treats in my bag of tricks. But, some of these dogs will take it a step further. A dog may jump up on me, or climb on the chair with me. What do I do? My usual reaction is to pretty much ignore the rude behavior. I will continue talking to the owner and simply remove the dog when he is inappropriate. I don’t talk to him or pet him until he settles down. I will begin to give rewards for any calm behavior.

In most cases, the dog is sitting quietly within a few minutes. Owners are usually amazed that Fido becomes so good so fast! But, Fido didn’t know what to expect when I came in. So, he began his usual routine of being obnoxious because it generally works. This time, it didn’t work and because he had no prior history with me, he didn’t quite know what to expect. So, he started to back off and watch this strange new person. When he realized that he could get rewarded, either by attention or treats for sitting still, that’s what he did! Smart pooch.