Why We Need To ‘Unplug’ Dog Training
We have become blind and deaf when it comes to our four legged family members. How so, you may ask?
If you have a dog with behavioral issues, one of the first things you probably think about, apart from maybe seeking the advice of your veterinarian first, is contacting a dog trainer. If you have a puppy, one of the first things on your mind is likely also “I have to start right and I know that training is important.” Why and how do you know that? Because we have all been told by the pet industry for so many decades that we have to train our dogs - so that they can become well behaved.
If you google any dog trainer, you are very likely to come across services like ‘Behavior Modification’, ‘Puppy Training’, ‘Puppy Socialization’, ‘Leash Manners’, or “Off Leash Training’, etc. All these have become so permeated into our subconsciousness that we all understand what they mean and how important they are. Yes, there may be many different methodologies out there, but almost every person agrees that training is important.
Why do we all agree?
Because we have been fed this notion by the pet industry for decades. When you have been told something long enough, it becomes part of your truth - just like anything you have learned in school or in church, or what you have been told by your parents, teachers, nurses, doctors, etc. But just because it has become part of our belief systems, does it necessarily mean that it’s true? If you ask most dog trainers, the answer is yes of course.
But if you ask someone like a Licensed or Certified Family Dog Mediator®, for example, you will get a different answer. This is because Family Dog Mediators (FDMs) have gone through an extensive Applied Ethology course where we have learned about a dog’s 4 LEGS = Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self and how these support a dog’s behavior at any moment.
FDM’s know that our pet dogs are in real trouble - because we treat our dogs’ malfunction as training problems when in fact the REAL issue at hand is WELFARE problems:
Not understanding WHO the dog you’re living with really is and the complexity of behavior itself
Not understanding each individual breed specific needs - and not meeting these needs
Not understanding a dog’s WHY
Human misunderstandings of dog behavior and body language
Miscommunication
Dysfunction
Disconnect
Not understanding a dog’s L.E.G.S.® (Learning, Environment, Genetics, Self)
Human behavior and the choices we make FOR our dogs
Lack of choice and agency
Not helping our dogs feel safe - or misunderstanding how to
The list could go on….
Dog Training Methodologies
Dog Training in general is typically concerned with HOW to train an animal to perform certain obedience skills or tasks. Behavior Modification is concerned with HOW to modify a problematic behavior like aggression or reactivity. Dog Training is very much divided into two groups of trainers (those who use ONLY reward based training - and those who use either mainly punishment/correction or those who use what is called ‘balanced training’ (the use of BOTH correction and rewards.)
Those who have actually studied at a school to become professional dog trainers and who understand the science behind, and stay up-to-date on the latest research, know that the models of punishment and correction are outdated and inhumane and most veterinarians now support reward based/fear free training approaches, as these are most humane. What all these training methodologies have in common, however, is that all the focus is on HOW to train a dog to perform.
They focus on changing a dog’s behavior to fit our needs and goals. Think about that sentence for a moment.
What is wrong with that then?
It seems we have completely forgotten WHO our dog really is because we have been fed the ‘pet’ illusion for so long. We are also forgetting that WE have domesticated dogs and invited them to live with us in our homes. WE decide to get a puppy or adopt a dog from a shelter. Our dogs have NO choice, no agency, no free will in any of the decisions WE make for them. How arrogant are we to think we are superior to them? How arrogant and ignorant are we to think that we have the right to change their behavior?
How ignorant & arrogant are we to reduce our intelligent dogs to mere doormats, circus monkeys, robots…..call it what you will.
We expect our dogs to be perfect pets. To obey our commands. To be paraded around on a leash (often short leash, training collars to correct the ‘wrong’ behavior, etc.), to walk in a HEEL position right next to us so we can show off how cool we are walking with our dog…… often with NO consideration for the dog’s need to sniff.
I had a client some years ago who had 2 beautiful (one was reactive on leash) Doberman Pinschers. As we were working with the reactive female out on a walk, the client asked me, “Should she be allowed to sniff?” My God. If I had been sitting down on a chair, I would have fallen off. I looked at the client and she was sincerely asking this question because she had been told her dog should not be allowed to sniff!!
So much misinformation is passed down to clients who are simply looking for advice on what to do in a stressful situation. This information is passed on from friends, family, found on the internet, or comes from a trainer.
What the actual F_ _ _ is wrong with us???!
“But….” I can already hear the voices of Positive Reinforcement trainers in my ear, “Positive Reinforcement training is all about building stronger bonds and encouraging creativity, fun, free will and choice for the dog”…….YES! But it is still dog training and still concerned with changing a dog’s behavior, redirecting ‘bad’ behaviors, getting a dog to “watch me” or “look at that” (essentially to change a dog’s emotions about something).
The problem is that we are constantly working to change a dog’s behavior and emotions in an unnatural way. We are still seeing the dog as a trainable animal, completely ignoring or disregarding WHY the dog behaves or feels a certain way.
WE are still concerned with wanting to stop, change, redirect…..sometimes correct, control, punish….. a dog’s NORMAL and NATURAL behavior!!
Long live our EGO at the expense of our loyal best friends
This leads me to mention all the ill advised and harmful videos on social media, in tv shows, on YouTube, etc. of trainers feeding the absolute wrongful information to the general public and dog parents, who often believe anything they are told from a trainer.
Take a look on Instagram, TikTok, Facebook, YouTube, etc. and you cannot help but stumble across so many trainers parading dogs around on leashes talking about reactivity, barking….HOW to, HOW To, HOW to…..the record needs to be turned, friends! This is about HELPING dogs and their humans navigate life BETTER together.
It’s not about YOUR EGO, it’s not about looking COOL. It’s not about creating the coolest video with headlines flashing so fast you can’t even read them……It’s not about this method or that. It’s not about ‘Good behavior or Bad behavior/ Good dog/Bad dog. It’s not about YOU or ME…….for God’s sake, we need to lead by example and think about WHO we are in this business for!!
It’s time to UNPLUG Dog Training. It’s time to step outside the box.
It’s 2024. It’s a new dawn. It’s time. For change. It’s time to take a BREATH. Pull out the plug and see what happens. Just try it. Only when you UNPLUG all you know or have been told about dog training will you be able to SEE the being in front of you = Your BEST friend, your loyal companion, your dog. He needs YOU. He needs your presence. He needs your understanding. He needs you to HEAR his voice - perhaps for the first time. He needs your HELP - He needs MORE than training. He needs you to UNPLUG to CONNECT with him. He needs you to just BE.
It really is very simple. But you won’t see the truth until you UNPLUG all your limitations, preconceived ideas and notions, until you UNPLUG your EGO and reach in to find your soul. That’s where you CONNECT with your dog’s soul. That’s where REAL change happens. That’s where you will be able to objectively observe your own thoughts and actions.
That’s when you will finally SEE how YOUR behavior is the KEY to it all.
Your loyal best friend has YOUR back - do you have his?
If you want to learn more about HOW you can help your dog, how you can UNPLUG to connect, and HOW you can have the BEST relationship ever, enroll in our groundbreaking Live online group course ‘Dog Training Unplugged’.
Find out more at www.thedogtalker.com
Join the movement. Join the ‘Dog Training Unplugged Community’ on Facebook. Let’s change TOGETHER!