Ears down, fearful, scared. Don’t turn your happy puppies into abused ones…

Positive Dog Training Rocks- Alpha Domination Sucks!

Here it is in a nutshell. Positive Training Will Do Wonders for your dog. While Domination and the Destructive Alpha Roll Can Ruin Them.

Hey! Pay attention! Bad dog! Just the sound of those commands can get a person’s hackles up. Think about an innocent dog who doesn’t know any better.

Hello and welcome! The next few minutes of woof-woof-worthy reading has two entertaining sides. The first side is about adopting positive dog training methods. These will inspire happier dog/owner relationships. The second side mentions some pretty lousy dog behaviors going on out there. If your dog is in this group, just love her and relax. Help is on the way.

Beware, more dominant or aggressive methods using intimidation or physical force are out there. Don’t fail your canine with these approaches. Dogs bring joy. It is our responsibility as owners to return the favor.

 POSITIVE DOG TRAINING TECHNIQUES

Using higher quality, positive, training techniques is so important. It will reward you and your dog for years to come.

Using dominant measures like the alpha roll should be completely avoided. You risk losing the love and trust of your dog. Studies show dogs who dominated are more likely to turn into aggressive dogs.

I have seen this with two of my dogs. One was a little Pomeranian. I used the alpha dog model. I am the boss. You will bow to me. I will alpha roll you to show you who is boss. I will scruff your neck like a momma dog does to punish you. I will roll you if you do not listen and do what I say. I am the supreme alpha- you will not challenge me.

It was a total disaster. My dog became aggressive. She nipped at me, would not listen, challenged me. We turned things around by listening to someone other than the domination dodos. A friend said to try treat training. Give her a treat for the behavior I want. Wow, what a change. I went from thinking I had to give her up, to a best friend. She went to the office every day, worked with clients and was a total love… all with treat training. Rewarding for positive behavior.

My other dog, a standard poodle… oh my! Bright, beautiful, so happy and loving. I used a famous tv trainer for her training… Prong or choke collar, rolling, forcing to sit or to come… My sweet loving girl went hand shy and ran from me. I wanted her well trained. I tried hard. Even used treats, but forced her to behave. My heart broke. I enrolled in a class. Used what worked, ignored the rest. She and her sister were the stars of class.  She recovered from most of the rough training. Yet, 3 years later, she is still a bit hand shy. Don’t listen to the Alpha Dog trainers out there! Dogs are NOT trying to dominate us. They usually don’t have a clue what we want. We are not speaking their language. We are not being consistent. We need to reward good behavior. We need to give them opportunities to succeed and reward them every day.

Here are a few bark worthy training ideas your lovable pup would recommend:

1. The Eye Test – What does your dog see? Before you start training, look around. Remove temptations such as shoes, open food packages, etc. that are easily reached. Indoor as well as outdoor areas need checking.
2. Walk in Your Dog’s Shoes – What is your dog sensing, seeing, smelling? Noticing what he is reacting to will give you greater understanding. He relies on these senses for his emotional and behavioral state. This effective method is ‘sensory education’.
3. One Word Commands with Treats – Start small. Choose one, one-word command like ‘Sit’. You can use hand gestures and gentle physical help for guidance. Offering a pea sized, healthy treat each time the dog obeys is then given. Treat them even when you help them complete the task. You may choose to wean away from treats as time goes on. Remember, Treats are NOT a bad thing though.
4. Short and Sweet – Keep training sessions short and fun. This will help your pooch with focusing. And always reward them!
5. Body Language – Your dog is reading your emotions and actions.  Maintain a friendly and controlled state. This will help your dog come to trust you even more. Upset? Frustrated? Losing your temper? Your dog knows you’re upset, but doesn’t understand why. Happy? Excited? Feeling Good? Your dog loves this state. They’re watching and feeling you and how you show up. They often will mirror your state back to you.
6. Reward. Reward. Reward. – Dogs perform for rewards. Verbal rewards count, too. Do you love hearing positive feedback? So does your dog! More praise, even better!

 TALKIN’ TURKEY ABOUT DOG BEHAVIORS

As lucky dog owners, our precious pooches have as wide of variety of personalities as people. They have good days and bad and sometimes go off track.

When they do, they may seem like the dog of your dreams! Maybe this will help you understand what they are thinking.

– Excess Digging / Why? Boredom. Extra energy. Anxiety. Curiosity.
– Excess Chewing / Why? Boredom. Extra energy. Anxiety. Curiosity. Teething.
– Excess Begging / Why? Usually owner encouraged. Not enough training. Inconsistent training. Feed from table one day, then punish for begging the next day.
– Selective Hearing and Obeying / Why? Boredom. Not enough training.
– Leash Pulling / Why? Not enough training. Need more socialization. Excitement.
– Whining for Attention / Why? Boredom. Anxiety. Pain or Illness.
– Barking at the Door or Window / Why? Anxiety. Fear. Warning/Alerting. Excitement.
– Jumping / Why? Excitement. Greeting owner. Getting on face to face level. Attention Seeking.
– Biting / Why? Protection. Fear. Pain or illness. – Separation Anxiety / Why? Anxiety. Fear. Fear of being alone.
– Aggression / Why? FEAR. Improper training. Illness.

Look familiar? Often, dogs with little training, human interaction or proper socialization may act out. They are not bad dogs; they are dogs without proper training.  Without the necessary training, our dogs cannot be what they are not. That is, well behaved and TRAINED dogs! They need the gift of proper, positive training methods.

Regardless of where bad doggie behavior begins, training can help.

Positive training practices need to be at the top of your list. Training experiences should be gentle, frequent and consistent. Ignoring bad behavior will make both you and your dog’s life miserable.

The bottom line: Thumbs up for positive reinforcement training. Thumbs down for dominant training approaches.

ONE MORE THING ON ALPHA DOG DOMINATION TRAINING

The phrase ‘alpha dog domination’ training sounds like it is. Aggressive. It is a training approach that relies on using one or more forceful (dare we say cruel) tactics.

As I learned the hard way, alpha dog domination training will teach a dog something. The lessons learned and the methods used are super controversial.

Here are a few alpha or domination approaches to avoid:

1. Choke Chains –  Chain or slip collars are designed to tighten against the animal’s neck. This is to force submission when he pulls. This collar risks harm by tightening against the dog’s tracheal area.
2. Prong Collar – These collars are designed with chain links that interlock. Each link has at least two prongs attached designed to pinch the animal’s skin when tightened. This type of collar instills more pinching pressure on the actual skin than it does choke the neck. Either way, it is a heavy handed and cruel tool.
3. Shock Collar – These collars are designed to inflict different levels of pain and physical discomfort.  They use electric currents to shock the dog when they do an unwanted behavior.
4. Alpha Roll – This aggressive training approach is a discredited training method. Your dog gets flipped onto its back. It is then held down, often by the throat. This is to show your dog YOU are the boss. It is to teach the dog they cannot dominate you. You are the alpha or head of the pack.The Alpha Dog Dominators of the world want us to believe this… Dogs are trying to take over the world and dominate us. So we must dominate them first… Strike first, dominate, make them submissive. This is so wrong. So very wrong. Dogs want our love, companionship, an ear scratch, belly rubs…. and maybe a ball thrown too. Add in food, water and shelter and they are happy!
5. Flooding – This horrid training technique forces the dog into scenarios which are frightening for the dog. The assumption is that this method forces the dog to get used to the scenario and get over its fear. More often than not, the dog will just shut down. The likelihood of the dog losing trust in its owner also increases. Are you afraid of spiders or mice? Sit in a box with thousands of them. Afraid of heights? Have someone take you to a high ledge, bridge or roof. Would it work for you to overcome a fear? Of course not! It doesn’t help your dog either. It scares them just like it would you.

Aggressive training does not support a great relationship between you and your fur baby. This training may backfire and place you and others in a dangerous position around your dog.

Are you are a new dog owner or a seasoned trainer? Rely on positive training techniques that raise confidence in your dog. This will instill a cheerful willingness to obey your commands. A well trained and loving dog and companion is the ultimate goal.

So here’s to doing all we can to have happy and well trained dogs! Dogs who will love us as we love them.