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Teach Your Dog Desired Habitual Responses Using Voluntary Behavior!
Developing Desired Habits — What behaviors do you want and how do we present them to the dog so the response becomes habit?
We teach THE THIRD WAY, which stands in contrast to two other common methods of training.
* THE THIRD WAY is about motivating your dog to perform the desired behaviors on a voluntary basis. We do not make the dog do anything. Instead, we teach you to create situations in which your dog chooses to perform the desired behaviors. Rather than coerce or arouse your dog, we focus on giving your dog information and reinforcing your dog for being calm and focused, even in the presence of distractions. This results in better trained, more reliable dogs and better dog/owner relationships. THE THIRD WAY eliminates the problems caused by using suppression, arousal or luring to make a dog perform.
• A dog has to be doing the desired response in order for it to become voluntary
• They have to be performing that response and not be lured into it. This is why we do not use lure training. Lure training doesn't allow for habits to happen. Lure training teaches the dog to get into the habit of following the food; it doesn¹t get them into the habit of performing the behavior. It is not as effective as THE THIRD WAY.
* The Second Way: In this method, referred to as "positive reinforcement," trainers use food, toys, and excitement to obtain the dog's cooperation. Trainers bribe or lure their dogs with food or "rev" dogs up emotionally to make training fun and keep their attention. The drawbacks are that dogs can become overly aroused by food and that the excitement of the training situation isn't possible to maintain in everyday life, which makes it difficult for the dog to perform consistently. This results in frustrated humans and dogs mislabeled as "defiant" or "stubborn."
* The First Way: This traditional form of training teaches dogs basic skills through dominating and suppressing them (through the use of choke chains, discipline, and negative reinforcement) to the point where they are too intimidated to not comply. Most of the problems people have with dogs who were trained in this manner are actually the result of the training itself.
Myth vs. Facts About Dogs and Their Relationships With Humans
If you are experiencing behavior problems with your dog, it is likely because you're operating on long-standing myths and misconceptions about dog behavior. A few examples:
MYTH: Dog group behavior mimics wild wolf pack behavior.
FACT: Contrary to popular belief, dogs around the world do not (or only rarely) exhibit wolf pack behavior.
Most domestic dogs live alone or in very small groups. Pack behaviors are complicated and are based on much more than just hierarchies of social status. These behaviors are learned through social play and care-soliciting activities during the dog's formative juvenile period. And, your dog spends that period living with you and your human family — not with a wolf family.
MYTH: Your dog needs to perceive you as the "Alpha" or "Pack Leader" in order to be properly trained.
FACT: Dogs don't behave socially like wolves, nor are wolves socially anything like people. A trainer who pretends to be the alpha leader of a wolf pack by turning a dog over onto its back and getting down and growling at its throat is intimidating the dog, not teaching it. The dog perceives this as something entirely different. The dog knows you are a human and not an alpha wolf. The dog thinks you are behaving in a threatening and dangerous manner.
MYTH: Dogs are aggressive or capable of aggression.
FACT: Aggression is a problem, and owners are advised to do everything from beating their dogs to locking them in a crate until they don't want to be aggressive anymore. What's really happening when there is conflict between a dog and a person is that the dog is acting defensively rather than aggressively. From the dog's point of view, this is appropriate, natural, and necessary.
MYTH: A dog is choosing to be stubborn when she does not come when called away from a distraction.
FACT: Dogs don't know how to be stubborn and are incapable of abstract thought and reasoning; they do not have human thought and emotion. They are either confused, or the desired behavior (for example, coming when called) is not rewarding enough.
MYTH: Dogs want nothing more than to please their humans.
FACT: This is applying human thought and emotion to a dog. Dogs are only demonstrating their natural drive and the behaviors they are born with, such as retrieving, herding, playing, craving food and water, seeking social interactions with people and other animals, and responding to their sense of smell. They behave to please themselves, not to please us. Dogs respond to humans because humans give dogs what they want.
MYTH: Dogs know when they have done something wrong.
FACT: The only thing dogs know is whether or not they are safe or in danger in the presence of their humans. For example: A dog pees in the house. The human sees this and his/her emotional state and body language immediately changes to frustration or anger. The human appears threatening to the dog, grabs it, and rubs its nose in the pee. This could cause the dog either to work harder at peeing somewhere out of the human's sight or to not come when called because s/he is unsure whether it's safe or dangerous.
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Your Relationship with Your Dog
It is the basis of our training philosophy that dogs are perfect at being dogs, and they do not understand human thought and emotion. Yes, they're devoted and cute and fun and loyal, but they are also opportunists, investigators, scavengers, and master manipulators. They behave to please themselves, not to please humans.
Dogs are creatures of habit that live in the moment. They have a short life span and don't waste precious energy. They're very attuned to cause and effect, and they'll always react to defend themselves if they feel the need to. Each dog is unique, with unique drives and sensitivities and responses to feelings of safety and danger. A dog's mind is as simple as that.
Regardless of your dog's role in your relationship, he needs to learn a few basics, such as how to calm himself when he's overstimulated, to be cue-ready, to relinquish distractions, and to focus his attention on YOU. You are his guide, teacher, and sole source of companionship. In the world of a domestic dog, you are his only source for survival.
So, begin with realistic expectations of your dog. If you want her to respond reliably to your cues, such as coming when called, walking on a loose leash, or maintaining a sit/stay while other dogs pass, she must understand what is expected from her. And the key to teaching her can be summed up in one word: consistency.
Your dog's environment, as well as her physical and personality attributes, will change constantly as she grows, and it's important to consider these ever-changing factors when teaching a dog how to respond. Your dog's only guarantee, her only stable point on the earth, is YOU. And to function successfully in this role, you must be consistent, focused, and ready to spend a lot of time and energy working with your dog.
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