Wise Canine Services

15/04/2022

By Sandy Modell Alexandria, VA - Puppyhood can be such a joy! Say the word puppy; you think of an adorable, cuddly ball of fur. Big eyes, face kisses, and

31/12/2021

I have heard so many guardians express that their dog has little or no confidence but they don’t know how to help. This blog is going to explain how you can build your dog’s confidence and why doing so, is so important.

28/08/2021

Reward the good, ignore the bad, is a common dog training phrase. But it’s somewhat of a misunderstanding of learning theory. Learning theory tells us that animals are more likely to repeat …

10/08/2021

"An estimated 2,438 dogs were reported as stolen last year, which is a 19 per cent increase from 2019 - and unfortunately only 22 per cent of stolen dogs were reunited with their owners"

07/08/2021

If you can't make them part of the Family then don't have one!!!😥🙏

07/08/2021

07/08/2021

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27/07/2021

Can someone help??

14/07/2021

🤨So, a dog has started with a behavioural problem like nuisance barking, or a dog is not responding to a ‘command’ and the general response is to fix and correct it right away.

🗣Dog training is sadly an unregulated industry. Anyone can call themselves a trainer or behaviourist and have no qualifications. There are many dog trainers with NO actual experience or qualifications other than ‘working with dogs for X number of years'.

📖I encourage you to do your own research before using training tools such as these. There are numerous, well-documented risks concerning your dogs emotional and physical welfare.

💪Trainers and owners have advocated for these training tools saying things like, ‘It’s on vibrate so it doesn’t actually hurt’, or ‘It’s on a very low setting’, ‘They are safe to use in experienced hands’. My favourite is, ‘Well it worked and fixed my dog!’. Here’s the question, did it actually work, or did it just suppress the behaviour? Dealing with a behaviour and suppressing one are two very different things.

🧬What if the dog's behaviour is from a medical condition like loss of hearing, loss of eyesight or pain-related medical conditions? Have you ruled that out before resorting to using an adversive?

😶The risk in using these types of training tools are increased fear, avoidance, dog shutting down/ learnt helplessness, increased anxiety, increased reactivity, aggression and potentially an unpredictable dog.

👍My aim for these types of posts are to educate and to maybe reach one, or even two people who are using these tools, or have already bought but are hesitant to use them. I’d ask you to reconsider. Don't take my word for it. Do your own research and ask yourself, would you want your dog to feel safe and do something because of reward-based training, or do you want a dog to do something out of fear or intimidation.

Punishment is effective, that’s why people do it. But just because you can doesn’t mean you should. The unwanted behaviour may be gone but at what cost to the dog?

References:
British Small Animal Veterinary Association. (2012). Position Statement on Aversive Training Methods (Electronic and Other Aversive Collars). Position Statement No. 31.

Overall, K.L. (2005). An open letter from Dr. Karen Overall regarding the use of shock collars.

Polsky, R. (2010). Can Aggression in Dogs Be Elicited Through the Use of Electronic Pet Containment Systems?

Journal of Applied Animal Welfare Science (3) 4 345-357
Friedman, S. (2010, March). What’s Wrong with This Picture? Effectiveness Is Not Enough. APDT Journal.

18/06/2021

Just a reminder that a dog house is sometimes hotter then outside!