You couldn’t convince me to remove Risa’s prong collar when I first started working with her.
Many of the top trainers I follow have recently been discussing how they handle spreading the word about positive training. For many of them, their way of disseminating this information has changed greatly. While I am certainly not nearly as accomplished or as amazing as they are, even this training peon has noticed a change in her ways. As of late, it has been directly influenced by these trainers (Denise Fenzi, Julie Daniels, and Sarah Stremming to name a few). I had begun to lean in this way before but I’ve made it a focus and a goal these days.
When I adopted Risa, I knew very little of dog training (despite my belief that I knew a lot). By shear luck, I ended up taking classes with a positive reinforcement-based trainer. When I attended those classes, I was forbidden to use certain types of equipment (mainly choke chains, prong collars, or e-collars). I had been using a prong collar to walk Risa very early on in our time together. Without the collar, she pulled and raced after prey animals. I enjoyed walks with her much more when she wore the collar. While she never had it on in classes, I still used it at home. I wasn’t going to give it up. Cookies weren’t enough to train this dog! I needed the prong.
At one point, I remember trying to walk her without the prong (I was starting to change my views on training) but it was a disaster. She pulled and pulled and it was not an enjoyable walk. I distinctly remember lamenting that she hadn’t learned anything about walking nicely. If only I had realized that no collar (or other device) would train a dog! It was up to me to do so. I’d been using it as a crutch. Still, I slowly began to want to stop using the prong collar to walk my dog. To my recollection, my instructor never specifically told me to stop using it. The stuff I was learning in class made me rethink my training overall. Not just in the classroom. I eventually ditched it for good.
Fast forward several years and I found myself finally teaching dog training classes on my own! I had agreed to teach a class in canine freestyle at the local obedience training club. I was now completely gung-ho about positive reinforcement-based training and thought choke chains and prongs were horrible devices that had no place in training dogs. Unlike my previous trainer’s classes where she had control over the tools her students were permitted to use, I did not. The training club allowed (and sometimes advocated) the use of this aversive equipment. I had absolutely no say in the matter. I wanted to teach this class so I made the decision to simply overlook it. I would teach as I intended despite the training collars dogs may or may not be wearing.
Since I couldn’t specifically address equipment, I didn’t. I demonstrated the techniques with Risa who often made errors. When she did, I made no big deal of it and we just tried again. As I instructed my students, I focused on what they and their dogs did right. By the end of the 8 week course, I noticed that, of the students using corrections, the quantity of leash pops used by my students had dropped significantly. I had never addressed corrections directly. Simply by my instruction and demonstration with my own dog, the students made changes.
Calm and relaxed in a busy environment. Trained only with cookies!
These days, I am working specifically with that aim. I will not address equipment or your training method unless specifically asked. Even then, I don’t tell people I think their collar choice is “evil.” In fact, I had a student arrive in class once wearing a prong collar. Where I currently teach does not advocate such tools and the person seemed a little off put that she couldn’t use it to control her rambunctious young dog in class. I told her that, while I was not a fan, if she needed it to feel more comfortable that she could use it. During class, I did what I could to help her work with her excitable youngster and he made improvement. I remember talking with her at some point about other options for controlling him because she brought it up. I spent some time discussing harnesses and showed her several types. The next classes I had her in, she did not have a prong collar on her dog. Had I inadvertently (or deliberately) vilified her for using a prong collar, perhaps she wouldn’t have returned for more instruction from me. And maybe she wouldn’t have considered other options for controlling her dog during the training process.
I walk my dog at a very busy park pretty much every day. In the warmer months, there are tons of people and their dogs out enjoying the sunshine as well. Kyu is still very much in training but he’s making progress every day. I always have treats with me while we’re out. Sometimes, I pass by other professional dog trainers working with clients and using methods I don’t personally advocate. I don’t say anything but I do reward my dog for the amazing things he does as we walk past them. Loudly. And with obvious cookies.
There was a day earlier this year where I passed a couple with an excited young dog while walking Kyu. Kyu is also very excited about other dogs so I’ve been working on that. As we walked by, Kyu ignored the dog and I praised him and delivered treats. The woman said loudly to her compatriot as we walked on, “Maybe we should have brought treats!” Yes. Maybe you should have. It’s subtle, sure. But I personally like this method better. It’s completely borrowed from Sarah Stremming: “Shut up and show off.” No reason to preach; simply demonstrate how well it works.
Why is this more effective than preaching? Consider how many times your opinion has been changed by someone else who simply pointed out everything you were doing wrong. Someone who listed off a series of reasons why your thinking was illogical. I bet you got defensive. I bet you shut them out. Take a look at the recent political discussions as an example if you must. No one changes their mind in an argument. Even in a discussion, it may not happen. However, if you can demonstrate why things work without judgement, you’ll find far more converts.
