My purpose in writing this article is to examine the influence of the entertainment industry on the dog training profession as well as to raise the standard of what a trained dog actually is. I am referring to your basic house pet with which I have concentrated and devoted my entire career. When you observe a dog in a park walking by his masters (or if you prefer owners) side seemingly very attentive, obedient and well mannered with all kinds of distractions, you can count on it that this dog did not learn such compliance watching Animal Planet on television. As informative as the show might be, it is still entertainment at its core. Many will argue that some learn better when you can make the educational process fun. This may be true for some, but the proof is in the pudding as they say.
Television has had a significant influenced on formation of our culture’s intellectual and social preoccupations. What people think about politics, religion, journalism and education has been influenced by television and what people think about dogs is no exception. Thirty years ago the entertainment industry gave us the image of dogs like Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. Today we have the image of Koojo. We have become a country bent on pursuing entertainment at any cost and I am afraid that we are beginning to see the adverse affects everywhere. The dog training profession is following down the same path. The amusement mentality has made its way into various modes of education, including dog training. Don’t misunderstand me, amusement in itself is not evil but it is not a replacement for education either. At one time, dog training was considered a discipline. Today discipline is too often associated with perseverance, perspiration and strictness. All of which are diametrically opposed to our bend to have fun. Fun has its place, but should it be woven into every aspect of our lives? I know this is a sobering introduction but I ask you to stick with me because I am going somewhere with this.
Webster’s Dictionary defines training as “to form by instruction, discipline, drill, etc; educate narrowly, to teach as to be fitted, qualified, proficient. To form habits or impart proficiency by subjecting oneself to instruction, drilling and exercise.” Boy, where’s the fun in that? It doesn’t sound to entertaining to me. After training dogs for nearly ten years and working with thousands of people it hasn’t been until just recently that I have ever had any one ask me to teach their dogs some kind of trick. The vast majority of the calls I receive are from frustrated dog owners that are experiencing one problem or another. Problems like housebreaking, jumping up, nipping, pulling on a leash, not coming when called along with a host of many other problems.
Trick and treat training is training too. Teaching a dog to go to the frig to get you a drink is training. Training a dog to perform a specific task is certainly training. And, perhaps more difficult than obedience or manners training. My question is, does training a dog to do tricks actually constitute having a trained dog? Only you can answer that question. A child can go to high school and learn to be a star football player too. But does it mean that he also received an education. The two are mutually exclusive.
In a previous article I spoke about the educational theory practiced in our schools today known as “Holistic learning and Outcome Based Education”. In the end analysis, the main objective of these theories is not the acquisition of knowledge, but does the child feel good about himself and what he is doing. Without elaborating on this theory, I will say that it was developed by highly motivated people that excel in intellectual surroundings and the theory seems to be very effective with highly motivated children. The problem with such a theory is that most children are not highly motivated. So as a result we have seen the test scores and overall performance drop. I could sight a number of books that dissect such teaching methodologies like Charles Sykes book “Dumbing Down of Our Kids” to Neil Postman’s book “Amusing Ourselves to Death”. So what does all this have to do with dog training? I glad you asked, let me explain.
Whether you are sending your kid off to school or your dog off to training class, you need to know what your specific goals and objectives are before you get started. You need to know that whatever methodologies are being employed are going to produce results in a reasonable amount of time. How much homework is required? Does the homework really have any bearing on the final product, a trained dog. So what is a trained dog? The answer to this question will vary from person to person depending upon their individual objectives. However, I will say that that for a house pet that there are some basic skills that he should know. I don’t think anyone would argue that a dog should understand that the bathroom is outside and not on the living room carpet. That an 80-pound Lab understands that jumping up on grandma could be injurious to her health. How about the poodle that likes to chew on young children. I think you get the message. Good manners don’t come with age, they are cultivated through training.
You can’t talk about training without at least mentioning the word “commands”. “I’ve tried to teach my dog the heel command but he thinks that heel means to pull me down the street”. I thought my dog to sit for a treat, and he will do it as long as there aren’t any distractions. There is a nationally known trainer in Las Vegas named Fred Hassen. If I’m not mistaken, the name of his training school is, “Sit means Sit”. Although I have never met this man, I think that he has a profound insight into what dog training is all about. Sit means sit may be a terse statement but it speaks volumes. Achievement is not a matter of whether the dog feels good about himself or how the owner is feeling, sit means sit. How can anyone argue with that? So what is a trained dog? A dog that has good manners, is not dangerous to friends, family or strangers, and is obedient to whatever commands you have taught the dog regardless of the distractions. By some trainers standards this statement has just lower the bar. For others it may expose a need for reevaluating the methods and furthering their education. Some dogs admittedly need more work than others. It is easy to train a highly motivated dog, it’s another thing to train a stubborn dog.
I am commonly asked if dogs resemble their owners. My response is that dogs reflect their owner. So a trained dog should be able to comply with whatever request his owner has taught him. I know that this is just one dog trainer’s opinion (convictions) and they are certainly open to debate. Some will say that these guidelines are too rigid while others will argue that they are too slack. If you find yourself frustrated with your dog’s behavior, maybe additional training is in order. Entertainment is not a substitute for education.
We as dog trainers and pet behavior specialists have a responsibility to the consuming public to help people solve their dog’s behavior problems and obedience problems. If we have fun along the way, great, but the fun ought to be a bi-product not the prime product. I realize that this statement is not calculated to win friends and influence people. I am challenging the very fabric of our society. It is very possible that the more uncomfortable you are with the content of this article, the more influenced you have unknowingly become by the onslaught of the television industry.
One of the most rewarding experiences for anyone involved in education is to see a past graduate succeeding in life and knowing that they played a part in that success.
Email this article to a friend:
