It’s simple why I am opposed to electronic collars:

1. Shock collars cause dogs pain. If you don’t believe this, try one on yourself as several people have done and written about. Causing a dog to go through this is cruel and so  training with shock collars is also cruel.
2. When a dog experiences pain, he may become afraid, confused, angry, or aggressive. I’ve probably forgotten a few other reactions that could occur.
3. None of these emotions are conducive to learning.

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I was pleased to discover a new book on clicker training. Actually it’s an ebook, which to my eyes is even better because you can download it instantly after purchase and be reading it within a few minutes, no matter where you live, it can have links embedded in the text, and it’s way more ecological. Clickertraining: the 4 Secrets of Becoming a Supertrainer is by Morten Egtvedt & Cecilie Koeste, a couple with a lot of experience in clicker training dogs. (Clicking on the image or on the title above takes you to their website.)

At 213 pages, it will take you more than a few minutes to read it, but that’s with wide margins and big print. (You can read it on your computer, or print it out. I soon realized it was such a useful book to refer to that I would want it on my bookshelf, so I printed it out and put it in a 3-4ing binder, where I could take a few pages out at a time.) In the beginning, Morten and Cecilie do tell you, ” We can’t deliver miracles –just  pass on the principles of effective dog training. You have to be prepared to devote time and energy…”  That’s true of anything worthwhile, but I’ll add that once you master the basic principles of clicker training dogs, you have a very useful tool for the rest of your life. Read the rest of this entry

I imagine that most people get angry at our dogs sometimes, or upset over something they have done. I get annoyed at LarryDog when he barks and barks at the dog next door, or a bit upset when Lola destroys another plant from our garden. (We stopped growing carrots after she dug up and ate the whole crop, but that’s another story.)

When you are angry or upset, you should take a time out for yourself from the dog, whether you are training at the moment or not, till you can collect yourself. This needn’t be a physical time out – I often find that just turning away from my dog for a moment while I take a deep breath or two is sufficient. Try this sometime yourself. Read the rest of this entry

If you are interested in working with a dog trainer, how do you evaluate the trainers in your area? Last week I wrote about how to find names of dog trainers, but what do you do once you have some people to contact?

Here are five topics to discuss. Depending on the particular situation, you can do early interviewing over the phone, but you definitely need to spend time in person with anyone before choosing them. Read the rest of this entry