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I hate that I can't stop reading this thread.
I'm going to go ahead and type up a bit of a long story that will probably be ignored ( ), but which I think is pertinant to the discussion. A couple of weeks ago, I got a call about housesitting. The owner insisted I come over and meet the dogs before I committed, since they were high drive, competitive Shutzhund GSDs. My first thought was "I'm gonna turn and run when she hands me a choke chain attached to an aggressive dog". But, I needed the money, so I figured I'd go see.
The dogs were stunning. They were clearly pretty intense, but were not at all aggressive and were walked on flat collars. The owner told me to use treats if I wanted.
After we visited with the dogs and chatted for a while, I confessed that I'd been worried she was going to be an old-school, "German" trainer. It turns out her oldest male had actually been trained in Germany originally. She had been interested in him when he was young and showing promise, but he was far too expensive. A year or two later, his trainers called him "trash" because he was so shut down he wouldn't work, or even look at anybody anymore. This woman bought him cheap, brought him home and "fed him steak and hot dogs" for two years. When she brought him back to competition, she qualified him for Worlds.
I loved that story; I love knowing there are people out there who know you can do ANY kind of work with dogs by using positive methods. I love that her dogs were happy, comfortable, and pleasant in the house. If I ever own a dog with that type of drive, I would have no problems going to her for assistance.
You don't have to hit your dog to make them obey. I can call my prey-driven hunting breed off of rabbit and squirrel. All it would take is one little smack and a minute of yelling, and I would put her 'stays' against any other dogs; she can shut down and cower like a star. I sincerely doubt she would ever work for me again, but she wouldn't move. However, I'd rather she be the bold, happy, confident dog that she has shown me she is capable of being. If it means I stick her in a crate to contain her rather than putting her in a down stay, so be it. I like knowing that same willing dog is going to be there when I come back, rather than a shell of a dog.
I'm going to go ahead and type up a bit of a long story that will probably be ignored ( ), but which I think is pertinant to the discussion. A couple of weeks ago, I got a call about housesitting. The owner insisted I come over and meet the dogs before I committed, since they were high drive, competitive Shutzhund GSDs. My first thought was "I'm gonna turn and run when she hands me a choke chain attached to an aggressive dog". But, I needed the money, so I figured I'd go see.
The dogs were stunning. They were clearly pretty intense, but were not at all aggressive and were walked on flat collars. The owner told me to use treats if I wanted.
After we visited with the dogs and chatted for a while, I confessed that I'd been worried she was going to be an old-school, "German" trainer. It turns out her oldest male had actually been trained in Germany originally. She had been interested in him when he was young and showing promise, but he was far too expensive. A year or two later, his trainers called him "trash" because he was so shut down he wouldn't work, or even look at anybody anymore. This woman bought him cheap, brought him home and "fed him steak and hot dogs" for two years. When she brought him back to competition, she qualified him for Worlds.
I loved that story; I love knowing there are people out there who know you can do ANY kind of work with dogs by using positive methods. I love that her dogs were happy, comfortable, and pleasant in the house. If I ever own a dog with that type of drive, I would have no problems going to her for assistance.
You don't have to hit your dog to make them obey. I can call my prey-driven hunting breed off of rabbit and squirrel. All it would take is one little smack and a minute of yelling, and I would put her 'stays' against any other dogs; she can shut down and cower like a star. I sincerely doubt she would ever work for me again, but she wouldn't move. However, I'd rather she be the bold, happy, confident dog that she has shown me she is capable of being. If it means I stick her in a crate to contain her rather than putting her in a down stay, so be it. I like knowing that same willing dog is going to be there when I come back, rather than a shell of a dog.