Some (Not All) Dog Trainers and Behaviourists are Wrong

[Guinness3378 10]

After reading these posts not one person has mentioned about the different breeds of dogs, every breed acts different to training techniques, you can't apply some types of training to some breeds as well. To blanket train all the breeds the same is in my opinion wrong, although the simple commands (sit, paw, etc, etc) can work most others don't.

 

As Humans we are always trying to change the dogs behaviour to suit us and instead we should change ourselves to suit our dogs, reading their body language and sounds, understanding how our dogs react to certain situations, not treating them like pets or a status symbol

 

Example: we smile showing our teeth! To a dog that this is like showing your teeth is like showing your weapons and can be a sign of aggression to a dog!

 

I am experienced with two different breeds of dogs GSD's and Sibes, although they can look and act the same they are so different in behaviour and traits it beggars believe.

 

A GSD are well known for being obedient, intelligent and easily trained and are used world wide by Police and Armed Forces in various roles, they are loyal as most dogs but they only see one person as there master/owner, can be protective over members of family or other pack dogs with strangers.

 

A Siberian Husky on the other hand are thought to be untrainable and stubborn by most dog trainers and behaviourists, which is totally untrue and this again is due to them trying to use "Blanket Dog Training", people don't understand the different behaviours and traits of specific breeds and this is were the problem lies!

 

Here are some of the traits that most people don't know about a Siberian Husky and the reasons why I think that "Blanket Dog Training" is wrong in my eyes;

 

Not a one-man dog- Any human will do- this may be seen as a lack of loyalty

 

Extremely High Prey Drive - Most dogs have a prey drive but not like a Sibe, they will chase down anything that moves from a fly, leaf, birds, squirrels, cats or even sheep and cows!

Sibes should never be around any small animals that can fit in a Sibes mouth, ie hamsters, rabbits or cats, they will instantly kill them!

 

Strong will to run - Sibes were breed to pull sledges over long distances, giving this they love to run and pull, need lots of exercise (so not suitable for elderly people or couch potatoes)

 

Poor Recall - They have poor recall which mainly comes from their prey drive which means they should never be trusted off a lead in a insecure area, once they see something to chase they will keep running after it, most times straight into a road or farmers land leading to the dog being run over or shot by a farmer! If they run to far they get confused and run back to were they think they have come from which sometimes is the wrong way and keep running until they are physically exhausted, they could of run for 10's of miles into a different county or town so end up in pound or rescue which don't get checked by the owner leading to the dog being PTS or rehomed if very lucky.

 

Never be used to guard - Sibes although can appear wolf like and aggressive looking they are never to be used to deter or guard anything, Sibes will greet anyone who comes through the door with affection from the off, so there is more chance of them happily meeting the burglar, show them were the good stuff is and then running off with the burglar!

 

Hate being on their own - Sibes hate being alone! after all they are a pack originated breed, they prefer to be around other canines although they will accept to be a only canine in a family pack if you are lucky! They can suffer severe separation anxiety when they are left alone and become miserable leading to constant howling and wining, destructive behaviour or messing,This is one of the main reasons Sibes get rehomed or given to rescues!

 

Like to Jump and dig! - They are the escape artist of the dog world, they can clear a 6ft fence from a sit position, some have cleared higher fences as well, they like to use objects in garden to stand on to get a better view as well, they are efficient diggers and can burrow under fences too or help you plant in the garden (Although once you turn you back your freshly planted plants will be dug up!!)

 

Like I said all dog breeds have different traits and behaviours, some similar but in ways but I think people should research the breeds more before listening or accepting advice from Dog Trainers/Behaviourists as the advice might be wrong for that particular breed and may cause other problems or issues....

 

I believe that positive re-enforcement and praise is the best type of training and any fear or threat training should be banned, I have never used this sort or the shock, choke or prong collars as they are brutal and can damage the dogs neck and wind pipe!!

 

I'm probably going to get slattered by all the dog trainers on here but there are to many using ancient techniques still and need to get some retraining, this is after I have met a number of them!

[willman 10]

Any dog trainer/behaviourist who thinks "one size fits all" shouldn't be a dog trainer.

I once homechecked for a Sibe,the family already had a young one.

When i arrived the dog was tethered in the back garden with a huge dog bone for his meal,it was -2 degrees.

 

That was the perfect environment for such a dog. The only thing we had to reiterate was no small furry animals,and increase the fence height(which they had planned anyway). I still smile when i imagine how many rescues/homecheckers/trainers would have gone ballastic over the conditions.

 

Fear training should never be used for any dog,neither should plain bribery/affection. One day the dog will decide he doesn't like it or want it.

[vwkittie 10]

I agree totally. With regards to recall, I often here the whole 'just make yourself exciting to your dog and it will come back' rubbish.

 

WRONG. To a dog with a high prey drive, NOTHING is more important than the rabbit/squirrel/whatever once it's locked on.

[Guest]

I agree with what your saying and having had different types of dog over the years i can say not only do different breed's need different training but each has there own personality so even though i have 4 of the same breed now they all need different stimuli

to get them interested enough to learn.

 

i don't really understand this bit though as we as humans have always shaped dog behavior to suit our needs, and don't know why i would not want to treat my dogs as pets as that's what they are.

 

As Humans we are always trying to change the dogs behavior to suit us and instead we should change ourselves to suit our dogs, reading their body language and sounds, understanding how our dogs react to certain situations, not treating them like pets or a status symbol.

[H_Hounds 10]

I agree that all breeds have different traits and stimuli because humans bred those into them! However, I'm not sure to which comments you are referring and don't see why you don't just comment on those threads. It's hard to discuss your topic when you just mention you've been reading "these posts".

 

I do disagree with one thing you have said. I don't believe that dogs think we are showing our weapons when we smile with our teeth. Whenever I smile at my dogs with my teeth showing and don nothing else, they come over wagging their tails. When I smile to clients dogs showing my teeth, they also wag their tails and I've never experienced a dog show any sign of fear to a smile. Other things in a salon environment yes, but never a smile.

[Elizabeth13 10]

I agree that all breeds have different traits and stimuli because humans bred those into them! However, I'm not sure to which comments you are referring and don't see why you don't just comment on those threads. It's hard to discuss your topic when you just mention you've been reading "these posts".

 

I do disagree with one thing you have said. I don't believe that dogs think we are showing our weapons when we smile with our teeth. Whenever I smile at my dogs with my teeth showing and don nothing else, they come over wagging their tails. When I smile to clients dogs showing my teeth, they also wag their tails and I've never experienced a dog show any sign of fear to a smile. Other things in a salon environment yes, but never a smile.

 

Agree. I believe it's more to do with energy rather than the teeth themselves.

It's all about body language, and that's taken from a few ques and not just one single que.

 

---------- Post added 06-12-2013 at 21:40 ----------

 

 

Here are some of the traits that most people don't know about a Siberian Husky and the reasons why I think that "Blanket Dog Training" is wrong in my eyes;

 

You have told me nothing new here; these are all traits I already know, and so does my family and partner (so a wide and varied amount of people).

I would like to add here that none of us have ever owned a husky, or even considered one because it's not a breed to suit us.

I think, to an extent, there probably is nothing wrong with 'blanket' training. When teaching a dog to sit, regardless of the breed, we usually use the same techniques, do we not?

Edited December 6, 2013 by Elizabeth13

[angel22 10]

I have to agree with Elizabeth. You say 'traits that most people don't know about a Siberian Husky'. But all you did was list all the common personality traits in Huskies! I've never owned one before but I already knew everything you said.

 

I think to a certain extent 'blanket training' does work. But obviously all dogs have different personalities and different traits and some may need more training in certain areas than others. But I don't think it can be defined by breed. You could have 3 dogs all of the same breed but all with totally different personalities. So you may have to work harder or try different techniques with all 3. Blanket training will work in most cases, it's just that you may need to work harder at it with some dogs depending on the dogs individual personalitiy.

 

I think the only time when blanket training really won't work are cases where the dog has some kind of deep rooted issue.

Edited December 6, 2013 by angel22

[H_Hounds 10]

I totally agree with your post angel22.

[medusa 16]

There couldn't be much more of a difference in temperament (IMO) than between a GSD and a Husky that could still be called 'dog'.

 

An awful lot of the 'blanket training methods' wouldn't work with my GSD because she's so completely tuned into me that anything that gets between me and her is a threat and she panics the moment that I start to walk away from her. When she's in the company of other dogs they may get near me and that is so much more of a threat than anything else that she is unable to take anything else in until that threat level is reduced.

 

I couldn't lose her if I tried and I wouldn't fancy anybody else's chance of dognapping her without them coming to serious harm as soon as she realises that she is not being allowed to return to me. She surprised us a couple of months ago when we left her for the weekend with a good friend (who Molly likes) with her new extension to the 'GSD straight line rules' that she operates. She has always ignored other people, not wanted them in her space, refused to go elsewhere with them etc etc, and has always refused to eat for anybody other than me, but this weekend she also refused to drink for her dogsitter and refused to allow her dogsitter into our bedroom to sleep at night (but at the same time wouldn't go to where her dogsitter was sleeping) so lay in her bed and howled all night instead.

 

To anybody other than a GSD owner these things may seem completely absurd, but I sincerely hope that Molly dies before I do because I just know that she would be one of the dogs that lie waiting for their owners to return, even when they have not done so for months. She won't even do what my OH asks unless I tell her she can do it and she would starve before believing that it's OK to eat without me being there.

 

Molly has lots of GSD quirks all in one dog, so if you happen to get a husky/scenthound/sighthound/terrier with lots of their breed characteristics in one dog then they are likely to have some pretty fundamental differences in temperament to Molly, so it would be a very naive dog trainer who tried to use exactly the same tricks on all of the dogs irrelevant of their natures.

[fridayfeelin 10]

I agree totally. With regards to recall, I often here the whole 'just make yourself exciting to your dog and it will come back' rubbish.

 

WRONG. To a dog with a high prey drive, NOTHING is more important than the rabbit/squirrel/whatever once it's locked on.

 

My secret for getting my dog to never go further than my eyes in the woods is to play hide and seek from an early age, might sound a tad cruel (says some of my friends who have unruly dogs) but it worked for me!. My dog rarely goes out of eye shot and if she ever was to, i'd hide behind a tree and she'd panic till she found me. Makes them keep their eyes on you 247.

 

My dog will stop mid run if I shout her name. She realises it's easier and she'll be rewarded, to do what I say than not listen.

 

I believe from my own experience of having a pup who is now nearly 3yrs old, that the more time you invest in training them, the quicker they learn. You can't expect miracles but once they 'get' you are pleased, they want to please you more and more.