Dog Training Tips

A Discussion About The Remote Trainer

Today’s technology is subtle and effective

 

For the past 29 years the passion in my life has been dominated by the constant improvement and development of my breeds of interest; those breeds being the working Doberman and German Shepherd Dog.

As a fervent believer in the Doberman and German Shepherd Dog being working dogs, I accept without question that these dogs require constant testing, training and development in order to see the breed’s progress, and also individuals within the breed, move forward in the way most advantageous to all dog owners, trainers and breeders.

It has been suggested to me by many that this controversial topic of the “Remote Trainer” will severely hamper the “palatability” of my tracking book however this book has not been written to be a best seller but a means of educating our community into the possibility of what knowledge and education can do.

In essence it is the lack of knowledge and understanding that has created the controversy that currently exists. I know in my heart that you the readers and dog owners are an entirely reasonable and scientifically minded thinkers. Based on these assumptions my intention is in encouraging you to think critically about the support and stance that you personally and officially take on Remote Trainers. This stance currently affects all mindful dog owners, Breeders, Trainers, World championship competitors, Police departments and Law Enforcement agencies globally.

After almost three decades as a professional and competitive dog trainer, I have come to the conclusion that creating well trained dogs for any purpose can be reduced to two essential elements: an applied understanding of canine behaviour and learning theory, and access to the most appropriate tools to train in the most efficient and humane fashion possible.

As people who train and own dogs, there is a vast amount we need to know and understand. Furthermore, this core of knowledge is imperative for the well-being and benefit of our dogs and for ourselves, and it is important to possess a keen understanding of these concepts before we start training any dog.

We need to ‘Know How’ to:

• Handle Dogs
• Observe Dogs
• Interpret canine behaviour
• Communicate with dogs effectively
• Live with dogs
• Care for them
• Engage our dogs in mutually advantageous play
• Manage behaviours, both desirable and undesirable
• Understand the psychology of how dogs learn
• The practical application of our understanding

 

All this information is vital to the human-canine relationship, and therefore the bond of trust that we desire to create with our dogs. (a love of working with dogs is not enough, it needs to be coupled with a thirst for knowledge)These ‘Know How’s’ not only strengthen the bond we share with our canine friends, but also provides us the platform from which to teach them and help them learn what we consider successful and unsuccessful behaviour. Just like children, dogs need to be able to learn these behaviours, through experience, reinforcement and repetition.

It is widely believed by experienced trainers and canine behaviourists that positive reward based training creates around 50% of the learnt behavioural picture.  If we accept this statement as fact, then we also must accept that only using positive reward based training methodologies leaves us without the ability to affect the other 50% of the behavioural picture.

Let’s look at it from the human perspective, and consider the following questions that are created as a result of critical examination of this fact.

Why do our societal laws carry with them a penalty of some sort?

Why do we get fined or jailed when we break the law?

When is the last time you received a letter from the Police or Government thanking you for being a well behaved citizen?

The answer to the last question is never (or exceedingly unlikely); it is simply expected and one is required to use judicious discretion and apply shrewd judgement.  Generally our properly taught values and our life experiences are expected to empower us to make the correct decisions.  Having said this, it has been proven that dogs don’t have the same capabilities of reason and rational thought, and hence the community is simply expected to control their dogs or perhaps their dogs are expected to know what is acceptable or unacceptable behaviour.

How is this possible when people don’t know how to truly train or manage an animal you may well ask? Think back to your first few dogs you owned and then look forward. It is only the fact that you have been working with dogs diligently and consistently for such a great many years that you now capable of managing and training your dogs appropriately. That has taken years and years of work. In the 21^st century you don’t need to reinvent the wheel. It has all been done and all dog people should be able to benefit from this science based information.

I firmly believe that education of the dog owning public is the clear solution, and the freedom to be able to express our opinions and position of training techniques that are an enormous benefit to the dog community.

Educating the dog owning public is unassailably critical. Responsibility for this education must start with the person who allows an animal to leave his or her care.

Our breeders, our community, our vets and vet nurses, and politicians too need to begin to understand the most basic principles of canine behaviour when making practical, meaningful, responsible policy at any level. Sadly, the reality is that the vast majority of dog owners don’t have much access to lead them to the understanding of canine training or behaviour, yet these people own the votes that pass legislation (reasonable and unreasonable) based on the incumbent principle of penalising the owners for transgression…even though most voters also have next to no understanding of the mitigating circumstances that exist regarding the practicality of the laws they vote for or against.

This is the current state of affairs, a state of affairs that I believe to be a no win situation for all dog owners in both the long and short term.

So now the question begs asking…

What is Learning?

It has been said that ‘Teaching is the art of suggestion’. Put more rigorously, it could be more accurately stated that “Learning occurs when outcome and the expectation differ.”

The implication of having learnt something is that a change of behaviour is the direct result of something connected to a past experience.

My dictionary defines learning as:

1. To acquire knowledge or skill through study, instruction, or experience: to learn French; to learn to ski.

 

1. To become informed of or to become acquainted with;

 

1. To gain (a habit, mannerism, etc.) by experience, exposure to example, or the like; acquire eg: She learned patience from her father.

Motivation

Motivation is recognised as a key factor which influences a given behaviour will be performed, and the frequency of intensity of its performance. Therefore, motivation plays an integral part in the ‘Know How’ of training our dogs. It is important that we understand the following:

We must be well versed in the science of motivation as well as the science of learning.

• A motivating force can be either positive (eg: a food treat or reward); or negative (eg: a reprimand.)
• Motivation is like fuel in your vehicle – without it, the engine that drives all learning will not run.
• Motivation is used to describe the forces which operate within an animal to attain the desired result (target behaviour).
• The main point of understanding in all of this is that of the relationship between learning and motivation.
• These two principles are so deeply entwined and interdependent that it is fruitless to attempt to conceive one concept existing without the other. For the most part, learning does not occur without motivation. Even though a behaviour is learned, however, it may not be performed if the animal is not motivated to respond.
• In any training situation, it is important that we all consider the motivational state of the animal we are training, as well as any competing motivators, for example, having    a rabbit running across your dog’s path during a recall exercise.

 

This is simply to illustrate that motivation is critical in animal learning and where appropriate training aids are important in obtaining the desired response.

“Markers, such as clickers, are as essential a tool as Remote Trainers”.

My stand, along with a magnitude of canine behaviourists in the world, is that these instruments are excellent tools used correctly.

Currently in my state we are expected to have permission to use the Remote Collars from a vet in writing, however I humbly ask the question; please point out the expert vet that understands how to use the remote collar and demonstrate its application as a tool for quality learning and not as a punishment device as the instrument is perceived.

I personally am of the opinion and recommend that all people buying these instruments undergo formal training not only to learn how to use them correctly but to also understand animal learning, appropriate animal management and responsible dog ownership.

I am making a considered and deeply honest effort in this book to ask you to critically consider these most pressing and concerning issues, as they confront us in our capacity as truly committed long term dog lovers and trainers.

I have a sincere and enduring passion for all breeds and especially the GSD and Doberman, the breeds to which I have dedicated almost 30 years of my life to improving and developing. Moreover I believe that we, the dog owning public, must not ‘sit on our hands’ and allow ill-conceived and erroneous laws such as those directed at remote training devices and breed specific legislation go unchallenged. We the canine community must help our governments to see the reality about appropriate training devices which are an asset to the dog community in helping people manage their dogs and help decrease community risk assessment issues that may exist.

 

Kris Kotsopoulos – Von Forell Australia

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