Work Within a Dog's Weltanshauung

Wouldn't Dr. Phil tell you to relate to your Significant Other "in his/her terms"? How successful are you disciplining a 5-year old with concepts only an eighteen year old can understand? So then, doesn't it make sense to train your dog in their own terms? How does the Dog Whisperer on TV do it? The fundamental difference between you and him is...well, he's got a talent agent!

Back in the 1970's I ran laboratory rats for many long hours through a simple, short T-maze. My goal at the time was to teach the critters a simple discrimination task for a food reward. My mentor was a well-respected behavioral psychologist/ethologist. I think he let me do my thing as an undergraduate because of my understanding of worldview or Weltanshauung. You see, I didn't impose my human worldview on my rats. The critters quickly learned my tasks because I communicated to them in their "ratspeak".

Dogs, along with their cousins, the wolf, the fox, and the coyote (Family Canidae from which we derive the canine "tribe"), have a strict "social dynamic" both within and outside their pack. Professional handlers understand and use the dog Weltanshauung to communicate WITH their animals. Dog training works best when it "makes sense" to the dog; it works within the dog's worldview. This concept is just as relevant in dealing with a human 5-year old as it is with your teenage offspring or your Significant Other!

Canidae roam, explore, hunt, and play in the wild. They form dominant and submissive relationships within their pack. Dogs have been bred to happily serve humankind. Seek out authoritative training sources that incorporate these concepts in their techniques. Regardless of the training regime, I want to communicate my expectations to my dog in a context she understands. I need to provide her the opportunity to respond to me in an easy way so that I can immediately praise her efforts. There are several categories of dog collar on the market; two of which help toward this end. The buckle and harness serve to carry identification tags and to assist in daily routine handling; I use either the Martingale or Choke collars exclusively for training. Since a training collar only assists me in communicating training commands; once the training is completed I typically revert back to the buckle collar. My dog WANTS to walk with me. My goal in training to heel, though mindful of local leash laws, is for my dog to respond to my commands regardless of what dog apparel it wears.

The training collar is used to teach the animal how I expect it to behave while walking WITH me. Though I prefer the choke, the Martingale collar is easier to use. Ask a knowledgeable pet store representative to show you the proper ways to use both devices. The goal of the heel command, for example, is that the animal walks WITH me AT my pace AND my discretion. When I choose to move forward, a crisp "Heel, Lady" brings the animal cheerfully to my side regardless of the presence of a collar or leash. While walking, my dog's head is located adjacent to my left knee and can see my legs and feet as I move. The dog has time to respond to any change in my movement. If I suddenly stop, the animal stops and sits down by my left side. During the training phase, a brief tug on the leash to gain attention translates into an instantaneous tightening of the collar. It is SUPPOSE to be a MOMENTARY signal to alert the dog to a correction; never a prolonged tug that causes the animal to gasp for air. As soon as the dog attends to my command, I release the leash (collar pressure) and reinforce the dog's response with verbal praise. It is important to quickly apply then release the pressure on the leash; it is a signal, not punishment.

My goal, in applying simple commands and rewarding proper responses is to move away from direct physical control toward indirect, verbal (or hand signal) handling. I want you to consider that the more indirectly you handle your dog, the greater the freedom your dog has to demonstrate their love and devotion to you. This is what I mean by training within the dog's "Weltanshauung".