(no subject)
i am a young puppy/dog parent who is currently in a
dog training apprenticeship for fun. it is showing me
a new kind of discipline that shows me to observe more,
be patient more, and also teaching me to really see
dogs for what they are. they aren't as emotionally
driven as humans are, something that is entirely refreshing
since my career is based on emotions-- political, poetic,
and performative. i have learned a lot as an observer and
in trying to attend more classes when i have the financial
privilege so that my dog remains well-socialized, challenged,
supported, and healthy.
one day as i was out with my family plus my dog, i noticed
a dude using a prong collar on his pitbull puppy. he yanked
the leash/chain and the puppy alerted by his "correction"
yelped and screeched in pain. the puppy only continued to
whimper.
it hurt my spirit. i quickly said to him in my calmest,
yet not so calm voice-- "is that really that necessary?
what's your problem?" of course the man proceeded
to cuss and say rude things. his dog proceeded to whine
and cower in fear.
let me be very clear. i think choke and prong collars
are weak patriarchal, white, heteronormative, ways to
take dominance over a dog, any dog. you heard right.
would you like spikes going into your jugular and esophagus?
how about you take that choke/prong collar and press it
up against your own neck or throat. now move 1/8th of an
inch. how pleasant is that for you?
the use of this contraption on rottweilers, pit bulls,
bulldogs, doberman pinschers. even if you don't "use it
as harshly or pull hard" you are still using techniques
that are inhumane and uncritical on your beloved pets.
i understand people of color and low income folks
have very little resources for health care or critical
education, so dog awareness and training is not at the top
of the list. this is why i think it's important to circulate the
politically empowering information when we do have it.
if you cannot learn to walk a dog/ask it do something
or be obedient or kind in public/in your home
properly without harming or coercing it, than i suggest
you seek resources that could be of help to you. my own
dog can jump through hoops, weave through
legs, find my cell phone, not eat food dropped on the
floor by accident, have a sit stay for over 4 minutes,
all without me scaring her or harming her whatsoever.
this is because s/he trusts me and the people in her life and knows
that when we ask something it usually means a good reward
in exchange for her good work-- piece of dried turkey,
chicken, stinky cheese, etc.
additionally, at dog parks i am starting to get ill
listening to people talking about how wonderful
cesar millan is. as much as i wanna be down
with a latino man doing his thing and being connected
with animals, i have to say he is painfully vague and
uses adversives or old school dominance/control to
scare the shit outta the dogs he works with. face it, his
methods are outdated and have been known as
"medieval training." this only perpetuates aggression
from dogs and does very little to be of support, safety,
and growth for the dogs or their owners.
as i know most of you work for social change and
community empowerment, for liberation, and as a result
are skeptical of mainstream media, i see dog training
and it's representations in the media as no different.
we know that something adopted as great entertainment
and with good ratings is not something to trust when it
comes to coverage regarding war, military, our food and nutrition,
where our clothes are being made, where our tax dollars go, etc.
we must remain hungry for information about what is healthiest,
most empowering, most uplifting for our communities and
this includes our pets.
please see this list of helpful resources organized by
my dog trainer eleasha gall, who has over 20 years of experience
in clicker training/positive reinforcement dog training.
her rottweiler gunnar, is the sweetest and most obedient
dog imaginable. he can attest to how powerful, efficient,
and effective this training method works.
also please read the article below!
sit.stay.play! resources
*to bold & to solidarity
k.
------------
A Message from The San Francisco SPCA
Talk Softly and Carry a Carrot or a Big Stick?
By Jean Donaldson, Director of The SF/SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
Dog training is a divided profession. We are not like plumbers, orthodontists or termite exterminators who, if you put six in a room, will pretty much agree on how to do their jobs. Dog training camps are more like Republicans and Democrats, all agreeing that the job needs to be done but wildly differing on how to do it.
The big watershed in dog training is whether or not to include pain and fear as means of motivation. In the last twenty years the pendulum swing has been toward methods that use minimal pain, fear or intimidation - or none at all.
The force-free movement has been partly driven by improved communication from the top. Applied behaviorists, those with advanced degrees in behavior, and veterinary behaviorists, veterinarians who have completed residencies specializing in behavior problems are in greater abundance than in previous decades, and there is much more collaboration between these fields and trainers on the front lines. These two professions are quite unified on the point that the use of physical confrontation and pain is unnecessary, often detrimental and, importantly, unsafe.
The big watershed in dog training is whether or not to include pain and fear as a means of motivation.
On a more grassroots level, trainers have found more benign and sophisticated tools by boning up on applied behavior science themselves. Seminal books like marine mammal trainer Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog made the case that training and behavior modification can be achieved without any force whatsoever.
But dog training is currently an unregulated profession: there are no laws governing practices. Prosecutions under general anti-cruelty statutes are occasionally successful but greatly hampered by the absence of legal standards pertaining specifically to training practices. Provided it's in the name of training, someone with no formal education or certification can strangle your dog quite literally to death and conceivably get off scot-free.
It's not a complete wilderness: three sets of dog training guidelines exist, one in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Mission Statement, one published by the Delta Society and one by the American Humane Association (AHA). All state that less invasive (i.e. without pain or force) techniques must be competently tried and exhausted before more invasive techniques attempted. Such guidelines are not yet mandatory but they're a start.
DOG TRAINERS, EXPERTS CONCUR:
Cesar Millan's philosophy is not ours.
• SF/SPCA Dog Training Philosophy
• American Humane Association
• Andrew Luescher, DVM, Veterinary Behaviorist, Animal Behavior Clinic, Purdue University
• Review of "Cesar's Way" from Pat Miller of The Bark Magazine
• New York Times "Pack of Lies"
• Esquire Magazine "Misguided Expert of the Year"
• Newsday.com
And so the current professional climate is one laden with some remaining fierce debate. There's an ever-expanding group of trainers that train force-free (ad. literature will be some variation on the theme of "dog-friendly" or "pain-free"), trainers that still train primarily with force (ad literature: "no-nonsense" or "common sense") and trainers that employ liberal use of both force and rewards (ad literature: "balanced" or "eclectic"). From a consumer's standpoint, the choice in methods is wide. You can hire a professional to train your dog pretty much any way that suits your fancy and it's all legal.
The force-free movement gains momentum every year and a sure sign of this is that many trainers in the other camps resort to murkier and murkier euphemisms to disguise their more violent practices and retain their market share. Stressed dogs aren't "shut down," they're "calm." It's not strangling, it's "leading." As a committed devotee of the "dog-friendly" camp, I am therefore, along with my colleagues here at The San Francisco SPCA, somewhat agog at the stunning success of "The Dog Whisperer". This is pretty ferocious stuff by anybody's standards. The National Geographic Channel even runs a disclaimer banner at the bottom of the screen admonishing people to "not try this at home," a warning notably absent on home improvement shows or "Nanny 911". Many have suggested that the cloaking of corporal punishments and hazing in mystical language, promise of instant results, high octane telegenicity of Cesar Millan and lucky connections with Los Angeles celebrity clients are sufficient explanation for the Dog Whisperer phenomenon. The one with the best buzz words wins. But I don't know.
Janis Bradley, my colleague here at The SPCA, sagely points out that the positive reinforcement trend has become a big enough juggernaut to warrant a backlash and Milan represents exactly that. Like the frazzled Los Angelinos in the film "Crash" (which, notably, took Best Picture honors at The Academy Awards last year), people are fed up with having to be politically correct in a chronically frustrating and disconnected world. Couldn't we just "get real" and stop being kind and tolerant all the time?
And here we positive-reinforcement oriented dog trainers are now telling everyone they have to be nice and politically correct to the dog? Well, yes.
Jean Donaldson's article was first published in The Woofer Times, September 2006
dog training apprenticeship for fun. it is showing me
a new kind of discipline that shows me to observe more,
be patient more, and also teaching me to really see
dogs for what they are. they aren't as emotionally
driven as humans are, something that is entirely refreshing
since my career is based on emotions-- political, poetic,
and performative. i have learned a lot as an observer and
in trying to attend more classes when i have the financial
privilege so that my dog remains well-socialized, challenged,
supported, and healthy.
one day as i was out with my family plus my dog, i noticed
a dude using a prong collar on his pitbull puppy. he yanked
the leash/chain and the puppy alerted by his "correction"
yelped and screeched in pain. the puppy only continued to
whimper.
it hurt my spirit. i quickly said to him in my calmest,
yet not so calm voice-- "is that really that necessary?
what's your problem?" of course the man proceeded
to cuss and say rude things. his dog proceeded to whine
and cower in fear.
let me be very clear. i think choke and prong collars
are weak patriarchal, white, heteronormative, ways to
take dominance over a dog, any dog. you heard right.
would you like spikes going into your jugular and esophagus?
how about you take that choke/prong collar and press it
up against your own neck or throat. now move 1/8th of an
inch. how pleasant is that for you?
the use of this contraption on rottweilers, pit bulls,
bulldogs, doberman pinschers. even if you don't "use it
as harshly or pull hard" you are still using techniques
that are inhumane and uncritical on your beloved pets.
i understand people of color and low income folks
have very little resources for health care or critical
education, so dog awareness and training is not at the top
of the list. this is why i think it's important to circulate the
politically empowering information when we do have it.
if you cannot learn to walk a dog/ask it do something
or be obedient or kind in public/in your home
properly without harming or coercing it, than i suggest
you seek resources that could be of help to you. my own
dog can jump through hoops, weave through
legs, find my cell phone, not eat food dropped on the
floor by accident, have a sit stay for over 4 minutes,
all without me scaring her or harming her whatsoever.
this is because s/he trusts me and the people in her life and knows
that when we ask something it usually means a good reward
in exchange for her good work-- piece of dried turkey,
chicken, stinky cheese, etc.
additionally, at dog parks i am starting to get ill
listening to people talking about how wonderful
cesar millan is. as much as i wanna be down
with a latino man doing his thing and being connected
with animals, i have to say he is painfully vague and
uses adversives or old school dominance/control to
scare the shit outta the dogs he works with. face it, his
methods are outdated and have been known as
"medieval training." this only perpetuates aggression
from dogs and does very little to be of support, safety,
and growth for the dogs or their owners.
as i know most of you work for social change and
community empowerment, for liberation, and as a result
are skeptical of mainstream media, i see dog training
and it's representations in the media as no different.
we know that something adopted as great entertainment
and with good ratings is not something to trust when it
comes to coverage regarding war, military, our food and nutrition,
where our clothes are being made, where our tax dollars go, etc.
we must remain hungry for information about what is healthiest,
most empowering, most uplifting for our communities and
this includes our pets.
please see this list of helpful resources organized by
my dog trainer eleasha gall, who has over 20 years of experience
in clicker training/positive reinforcement dog training.
her rottweiler gunnar, is the sweetest and most obedient
dog imaginable. he can attest to how powerful, efficient,
and effective this training method works.
also please read the article below!
sit.stay.play! resources
*to bold & to solidarity
k.
------------
A Message from The San Francisco SPCA
Talk Softly and Carry a Carrot or a Big Stick?
By Jean Donaldson, Director of The SF/SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers
Dog training is a divided profession. We are not like plumbers, orthodontists or termite exterminators who, if you put six in a room, will pretty much agree on how to do their jobs. Dog training camps are more like Republicans and Democrats, all agreeing that the job needs to be done but wildly differing on how to do it.
The big watershed in dog training is whether or not to include pain and fear as means of motivation. In the last twenty years the pendulum swing has been toward methods that use minimal pain, fear or intimidation - or none at all.
The force-free movement has been partly driven by improved communication from the top. Applied behaviorists, those with advanced degrees in behavior, and veterinary behaviorists, veterinarians who have completed residencies specializing in behavior problems are in greater abundance than in previous decades, and there is much more collaboration between these fields and trainers on the front lines. These two professions are quite unified on the point that the use of physical confrontation and pain is unnecessary, often detrimental and, importantly, unsafe.
The big watershed in dog training is whether or not to include pain and fear as a means of motivation.
On a more grassroots level, trainers have found more benign and sophisticated tools by boning up on applied behavior science themselves. Seminal books like marine mammal trainer Karen Pryor's Don't Shoot the Dog made the case that training and behavior modification can be achieved without any force whatsoever.
But dog training is currently an unregulated profession: there are no laws governing practices. Prosecutions under general anti-cruelty statutes are occasionally successful but greatly hampered by the absence of legal standards pertaining specifically to training practices. Provided it's in the name of training, someone with no formal education or certification can strangle your dog quite literally to death and conceivably get off scot-free.
It's not a complete wilderness: three sets of dog training guidelines exist, one in the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) Mission Statement, one published by the Delta Society and one by the American Humane Association (AHA). All state that less invasive (i.e. without pain or force) techniques must be competently tried and exhausted before more invasive techniques attempted. Such guidelines are not yet mandatory but they're a start.
DOG TRAINERS, EXPERTS CONCUR:
Cesar Millan's philosophy is not ours.
• SF/SPCA Dog Training Philosophy
• American Humane Association
• Andrew Luescher, DVM, Veterinary Behaviorist, Animal Behavior Clinic, Purdue University
• Review of "Cesar's Way" from Pat Miller of The Bark Magazine
• New York Times "Pack of Lies"
• Esquire Magazine "Misguided Expert of the Year"
• Newsday.com
And so the current professional climate is one laden with some remaining fierce debate. There's an ever-expanding group of trainers that train force-free (ad. literature will be some variation on the theme of "dog-friendly" or "pain-free"), trainers that still train primarily with force (ad literature: "no-nonsense" or "common sense") and trainers that employ liberal use of both force and rewards (ad literature: "balanced" or "eclectic"). From a consumer's standpoint, the choice in methods is wide. You can hire a professional to train your dog pretty much any way that suits your fancy and it's all legal.
The force-free movement gains momentum every year and a sure sign of this is that many trainers in the other camps resort to murkier and murkier euphemisms to disguise their more violent practices and retain their market share. Stressed dogs aren't "shut down," they're "calm." It's not strangling, it's "leading." As a committed devotee of the "dog-friendly" camp, I am therefore, along with my colleagues here at The San Francisco SPCA, somewhat agog at the stunning success of "The Dog Whisperer". This is pretty ferocious stuff by anybody's standards. The National Geographic Channel even runs a disclaimer banner at the bottom of the screen admonishing people to "not try this at home," a warning notably absent on home improvement shows or "Nanny 911". Many have suggested that the cloaking of corporal punishments and hazing in mystical language, promise of instant results, high octane telegenicity of Cesar Millan and lucky connections with Los Angeles celebrity clients are sufficient explanation for the Dog Whisperer phenomenon. The one with the best buzz words wins. But I don't know.
Janis Bradley, my colleague here at The SPCA, sagely points out that the positive reinforcement trend has become a big enough juggernaut to warrant a backlash and Milan represents exactly that. Like the frazzled Los Angelinos in the film "Crash" (which, notably, took Best Picture honors at The Academy Awards last year), people are fed up with having to be politically correct in a chronically frustrating and disconnected world. Couldn't we just "get real" and stop being kind and tolerant all the time?
And here we positive-reinforcement oriented dog trainers are now telling everyone they have to be nice and politically correct to the dog? Well, yes.
Jean Donaldson's article was first published in The Woofer Times, September 2006