New Age Of Dog Training
Dogs and all other animals generally function under the "what can I gain from this" or "how can I avoid this" principle. A pet owner's job is to make sense of what these objectives are from the dog's perspective. In essence, dog training is really about communication, yet most people don't know dogs have a sophisticated verbal and highly complex non-verbal language.
Dog language is understood from the perspective of behaviour. Each species use behaviour to exchange information; therefore, it shouldn't come as a surprise when science confirms dogs understand our physical and emotional states. As science discovers just how much dogs can exchange with us, it becomes our responsibility to make sure we understand them in turn.
In the Dog Behaviour Photos and Dog Behaviour Videos pages, you will see examples of the dog language. I urge people to learn dog language, which will facilitate training and better the human-dog relationship. Understanding dog behaviour is a fundamental step in reducing dog bites and severe attacks. At the Dogue Shop, we believe education should be mandatory for all pet owners.
Dog training is not about dominance; it's not about punishment; it's not about stuffing dogs with cookies or food. Dog training is about communicating an idea and reaching an agreement. My father used to say, "Dogs are like children, if you want them to do something, you better make sure you ask clearly." Dogs do, indeed understand human requests when asked clearly. As mentioned above, science-based dog training incorporates the latest information. The Dogue Shop teaches using all the learning theories and developmental processes that apply to our dogs. Behaviourism, cognitivism, social-cognitivism, imitation, and attachment are some examples.
New Age of Horse Training
As mentioned above, all animals, humans included, spend their lives trying to gain or avoid something; horses are not exempt from these principles. What is new is our perception, understanding, and training philosophies regarding horse training. In many instances, Horse training is still accomplished through negative reinforcement and positive punishment. As you may have read throughout these pages, we strongly believe in science-based training; therefore, we train horses using the latest scientific discoveries.
Horse training at the Dogue Shop is accomplished through communication, reinforcement, social learning, and rewards such as food, social contact, or allogrooming. We never force the animal to do something it doesn't want. Conversely, we focus our horse training approach on what the animal wants. If an animal is uncomfortable, we train the horse to relax and trust; if the horse is fearful, we focus on building his confidence via simple exercises; if the horse if foot reactive, we concentrate on peaceful touches and eventually foot offers through desensitization.
The Dogue Shop staff strongly believes horse training will experience the same shift dog training underwent in the 1990s and 2000s. Thus, we are happy to say, we train horses with positive, scientifically sound, methods.
If you wish to contact us, we'll be happy to answer your questions.
New Age of Wolf Training
Wolves are not dogs. Although this might seem like an obvious statement. wolves are often treated like dogs, while dogs are treated like wolves. It is a confusing time for canids; consequently, it is highly likely these animals will inappropriately be trained and cared for. Such inadequately raised and trained wolves will demonstrate undesirable behaviour and are often highly aggressive. Proper and satisfactory wolf training can only be achieved through science-based teaching techniques. In the photo (left) Gaby trains a coyote to target train.
Operant and classical conditioning through systematic desensitization and counter-conditioning yield desirable behaviours. Social-cognitive learning is also on the rise and adds new dimensions to training and behaviour modification. Wolves learn very quickly and undesirable behaviours can be created without the trainer know learning has occurred. It is unrealistic to push a wolf's back into a sit behaviour, nor is it recommended to place an electric shock collar on wild canids. Yet, some people try, to the peril of their lives, to treat wolves in such a manner.
Wolves should be trained based on the scientific learning theory, namely behaviourism. The theory states behaviours are affected by two possible outcomes: increased or decrease the likelihood a behaviour will occur again. Two added options motivate the outcome: avoid or gain. Operant conditioning could, therefore, be referred to as the learning quadrant. With an adequate training plan and knowledged, training wolves to display desirable behaviour is possible. That said, wild and domestic animals act very differently from one another; therefore, should be treated as such.
Dogs are amazing animals who have a long-standing relationship with humans, and with such a variety of breeds, why would anyone want to try and live with a wild, destructive, escape artist baffles me.