Deconstruction (part 1) - Critical thinking

Last time I wrote about making plans.  It occurs to me, after, or before, you make plans, or set sail on a ship, you must figure out the method you will use to accomplish your goals.  Will you use traditional Post and Beam; modern construction framing, or go all out and make a concrete; sail, steam or catamaran?

There are numerous ways to train dogs in the world today.  A lot of them are basically the same, some are as different as night and day.  I've talked about some of it before; others have talked about it.  There is a lot of weasel wording in dog training.  First and formost people need to be aware that there is, as I've said in the past and I will keep saying until enough people stand up and demand their rights as consumers, THERE ARE NO REGULATIONS IN DOG TRAINING.  Anyone can hang up a shingle and say "I'm a dog trainer; I've been training dogs for XX years; I'm an expert; I know dog behaviour; I know dog body language; I understand dog psychology...."  There are only a few areas in dog training that are currently regulated.  That small list includes Veterinary Behaviorists who work on very special cases and are usually referred to by more reputable dog trainers (Trainers who admit that they are out of their league or comfort level when dealing with a case and understand the dog needs more assistance).

We should talk about the biggest myths out there openly, and plainly.  To understand the root cause of them, and to establish them as outright myths.  There is a lack of critical thinking in Dog Training, which leads to blind acceptance of methods that are either unneeded, outdated, and/or just dangerous.

I've heard well educated people say "Science has their theories, but I know xxx works, I've done it myself!"  The fact is that Science Theories are well ordered, usually very simple concepts that have been proven over, and over, and over until all the extraneous non-useful, false or unverifiable information is rejected.  We cannot accept the Theory of Gravity, Germ Theory, Quantum Theory, Evolutionary Theory and reject Learning Theory because it is discomforting to the way we think.  Learning Theory, is a theory, because it has been proven over and over again on numerous animals (kingdom Animalia).  

If someone is using a technique to change an animals behaviour and deny they are using Learning Theory, or that they have developed a technique outside the boundaries of these Theories, they are either unaware of the Theory or purposefully promoting falsehoods.  The question then becomes of us, as dog owners in general, do we want someone who has either no understanding of the science behind their techniques or is lying to you.  Would you trust a doctor with this level of education or duplicity?  As a species, probably through society, we have a tendency, if someone calls themselves an expert or professional, to take them at their word and not question anything they say!  (how many times have you watched your money walk away because an expert said you needed something, but you were not sure and found out later you didn't need what they were pushing?)

A good dog trainer will happily take questions; and if they can't answer them right away, they will probably be more than happy to find out the answer!  Why?  Because just as much as you, they want to know the truth.  If they give an answer that doesn't seem well thought out, utterly ridiculous, or makes you uneasy - question them more.  If the answer is not immediate and makes logical sense without a lot more thought involved to parse the language, it is likely that they are not in understanding of the Science behind their technology.

Your relationship with your dog is Critical; your dog deserves you to be critical in your thinking.  Critical thinking is the first step to deconstructing and then understanding false claims and undeserved methods.

More to come.

Suggested viewing : https://www.youtube.com/user/QualiaSoup

Something Blue... (hold your breath?)

Some people get grumpy when you point out that dog trainers aren't on the same skill level as surgeons when you're comparing regulations and training when you're doing comparisons.  Fine; I can understand that.  How about Plumbers, or Carpenters.  You do need some training and some practice to use those skills.  Grandpas used to build their own houses/barns/sheds/garages etc.  Where they always safe?  Sometimes yes, sometimes no.  Plumbing you know isn't safe when it leaks all over the place, so it's a bit easier to deal with (unless the pipes are already buried behind the walls or under the concrete floor!).

Both Plumbers and Carpenters are regulated nearly everywhere.  Either self regulated in their own industries, or regulated by law.  Why?  Because they can cause a lot of damage (or death!) if they do something wrong.  So what does this have to do with Dog Training?

Anyone can hang out a shingle and call themselves a Dog Trainer and do nearly ANYTHING to a dog.  Even people video taped and put on the internet, having a following from  TV, showing things that would be considered assault or worse if it were done to an adult human or worse, a child.  This might be partly the laws fault, but I don't think it is entirely.  We, as a society, have a different view of dogs than we do of humans; sometimes even other animals.

Those that use abusive, coercive, intimidating or violent means of training dogs are starting to realize the backlash to their techniques.  Slowly we realize as a society that these techniques are not only antiquated, but they aren't needed.  Having a undergraduate science background I realize these techniques CAN get things accomplished, but they also have very serious side effects that are hardly ever mentioned that can put a dog in severe jeopardy.  I can get my car moving if I put pure alcohol in the gas tank, but it's not wise.

Why do we allow techniques can make dogs more fearful, shut them completely down (Stockholm syndrome) and/or make them dependent on the devices in order to comply or cause aggression that wasn't there before, or worse yet, hide the "aggressive" signals what warn people the dog is uncomfortable and about to bite!  What type of life would you have if you had to wear something around your neck that caused you (at the very least discomfort - at worse, pain) every day of your life if you did something someone else considered wrong.  And what happens if you don't respond to those techniques?  You're labelled as "un-trainable" and your owners are given to believe that you are a dog that is incapable of learning and beyond hope.  Where does that leave you?  If you're owners are lucky or dedicated, they find someone that is willing to help and overcome the damage that has already been done; if you're not, you take a trip to the vet.... (80% of dogs euthanized dogs in CFHS shelters are euthanized for "physical and behaviour unhealth" - aka. to sick or bad/unwanted [probably normal for dog] behaviour).

Is it all a matter of Consumer Rights?  It's certainly a good start.  What "whisperers", "dominance", "alpha-dog/pack leader" and the new "energy" trainers generally use is, to be blunt, violence to try to stop behaviours.  If a dog sits when it's supposed to down -Zap, Yank, Yell, Hit, Poke etc.  When the dog finally sits, those things stop (some of these trainers may) give the dog a treat at this point and claim they are positive trainers.

For the time being, if trainers are honest as to what they're using and what side effects are possible, then I think the public will choose to follow more and more progressive training methods.  You can't slap together a house without using code; you shouldn't be train unless you understand what the effects of the training your using are.  For over 100 years science has given us the answers for training, it's time we started listening to science and ethics.  The last of the force trainers will fight and struggle all the way into this century, but sooner or later, they will have to come.  When they do, we'll welcome them happily to a better way of training.

http://cfhs.ca/athome/shelter_animal_statistics