Dogs taught the holistic way
This is such a great approach to training. I love the way this trainer thinks. Yes, dogs are perfect at doing what they do — being dogs! It’s up to us to learn to communicate with them. And it doesn’t do any good to put human emotions or interpretations on their behavior. Dogs have canine emotions. How simple and easy to understand is that? We have to learn to know how the dog feels and thinks. What a good way to think about training.
I used to have horses when I was a kid. I remember how surprised I was when a horse licked my hand the first time. My dad explained to me that sweat made my hand taste salty and horses loved salt. Made sense. It was horse behavior. The horse wasn’t showing love for me, not in that particular instance. So, why do we insist on interpreting everything a dog does as some kind of human behavior? Dogs do dog things, even when they’re interacting with humans. It doesn’t mean they’re not involved with us or they don’t feel things for us, but they have dog motivations and dog feelings. If we can learn and remember that we’ll have a better relationship with our dogs.
From the Billings Gazette.
Dogs taught the holistic way
By BECKY SHAY
Of The Gazette Staff
LAUREL - You can’t force a dog to learn. But you can teach a dog by using its form of communication and reinforcing good behavior.
That is part of the holistic foundation that dog trainer Andrea Dugan is teaching in Laurel this weekend. Dugan is from New York and provides seminars across America and Canada through her business, K-9 Connections.
“Every dog is perfect being a dog,” Dugan said. “Even if they are performing what we consider is bad behaviors, it is because we have allowed them to do that.
‘Canine emotions’
“We’re the ones who label them with human emotions. I don’t believe they have human emotions, they have canine emotions.”
Jamie Ohman and her dog, Risa, were among about 15 dog owners and their animals participating in the two-day training being held in the Jaycees Hall at Riverside Park. There is a cross section of dogs that range from a wiry miniature pincher to a large and still-growing Newfoundland puppy.
Ohman lovingly called Risa a mutt that is of mixed breeds.
Waiting for a treat
During one exercise, when Risa was supposed to be sitting and looking at Ohman, she was more interested in sniffing the wall and checking out the other dogs and humans in the group. Ohman would speak to Risa and the dog would sit and stare at Ohman and patiently wait for a rewarding treat.
“I love when she looks at me,” Ohman said. “I like that. That is her default behavior.”
Helene Tiefenthaler, who owns Krittercare’s Paws-a-Tively Canine, organized the workshop.
Tiefenthaler brought Dugan to Laurel for the professional purpose of being able to share the positive style of training that doesn’t rely on forceful jerks of collars or harsh tones of voice. Tiefenthaler teaches some similar methods in her individual and small-group classes.
“It’s to get the information out to more people there is a better way to work with our dogs,” she said.
She also has the personal reason of being able to spend a few days training with her dog, Kayenne.
“You get to have fun with your dogs,” she said.
Part of that fun comes from relating to the dog on its terms, Dugan said. That means owners won’t get desired behavior if they try to put human emotions or expectations on canines.
“I have the responsibility to provide dogs the necessary skills to live with me,” Dugan said. “It’s also my job to try to understand their communications system and then to communicate in a way they understand.”
Dogs learn by trial and error: They try something and if it works for them, they keep doing it. That learning method is rooted in their genes, as dogs seek safety, food and water and other dogs to go around with, Dugan said.
“The trial and error has to do with survival,” she said.
Dogs also have to figure things out for themselves, Dugan said. It is up to their human companions to give them the opportunity to learn and information about how to learn through their body language. Once the dog performs the sought-after behavior, “they get reinforced with a jackpot of treats,” Dugan said.
To show how individualized training must be, Dugan asked the owners of a Belgian malinois and a flat-coated retriever to bring their dogs forward. The flat-coat was high-energy with lots of personality and friendly curiosity. The malinois had “issues” and stood with its owner, ears back showing it was nervous, Dugan said.
It is owners’ jobs to not allow unwanted behavior, Dugan said. As the owners worked with them, the malinois got relaxed and the flat-coat got focused. Both settled at their owners’ feet and received treats.
“I think having a dog in my life is a gift, it’s a symbiotic relationship,” Dugan said. “No matter what they’re doing, it’s always what they are supposed to be doing because they’re a dog.”
Contact Becky Shay at bshay@billingsgazette.com or 657-1231.
