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DOG-ORIENTED — WHAT DOES IT REALLY MEAN? Much is said about training and training methods for dogs. Often it feels that only training is important, at the expense of everything else. Of course training is part of a dog's life, but it should only be a small part of it. If all of the dog's life is training, and the dog only has company on the training pitch or during training, something is terribly wrong. With so much focus on training it is little wonder that in Finland, as elsewhere in the world, there are many dogs with problems. Of course there are many dogs that cope well with all the demands placed on them, but for most dogs the centricity on training is too much and they react in a "problematic" way. "Dog oriented" is not a training method; it is a way of living with one's dog in such a way that both dog and owner feel well. When normal life with a dog is based on a good relationship and mutual trust, everything flows from that - including training. The dog oriented approach works with any dog - the more difficult the problem, the better it works. The only goal of the dog-oriented approach is the dog's overall well-being. Only a dog that feels good can have a happy and balanced life. WHAT MAKES IT WORK Research supports the dog oriented approach The dog-oriented approach is based on research, but also on experience. Each has its own place and each has its own value. Although a dog's brain and memory function essentially the same way as in humans, it does not make a dog human in any shape or form. A dog is an omnivorous carnivore and should be respected as such. When a dog's species-specific needs are met and it has a safe life based on a sound relationship and trust, the dog will have the possibility to live a well-balanced life. The dog oriented approach is not for fixing the dog The dog-oriented way of life is not based on blaming the dog. A dog is quite incapable of trying to tease us; there is always a reason for its behaviour. The dog oriented approach always looks for the cause. Once the cause is removed, so is the unwanted behaviour. So when an unwanted behaviour develops, we start by changing the environment, our behaviour, or the circumstances - not the dog. From prohibition to reward The dog-oriented approach teaches us to predict situations before they occur. Doing this prevents us from falling into situations whereby we have to command the dog or forbid it from doing something. Saying no is not part of dog -oriented living. It teaches the dog nothing. If the dog did learn from it, the owner would not have to repeat the same thing over and over. Often, saying no actually can turn into a reward - the dog gets attention for the wrong behaviour and attention is a reward in itself, often the best reward. It is one of the surest ways of teaching the dog unwanted behaviour. No punishment Dog-oriented living does not use punishment, subjection, force or fear. Only through reward does a dog learn and is trust preserved. Every action carried out through bad experience or under threat crushes the relationship, and this is true of dogs as well as people. Dog-oriented living is founded on a trusting relationship between the dog and its owner. The dog trusts its owner without reservation and wants to do what is expected of it. There is a big difference between a dog doing something because it is forced to and doing it because it wants to. Dog-oriented living aims to let the dog do things because it wants to. When a relationship and trust are in order, and we are able to reward the desired behaviour, the result is exactly what we hoped for. Teaching and training The dog-oriented separates teaching from training into different categories. Teaching works through communication. We are able to teach a dog many things without training and solely through communication. This is what dogs do. We communicate our pleasure and satisfaction through our body language and tone of voice. The difference between training and teaching is that teaching is not planned in advance and does not require repetitions. Every instance of teaching happens on the spot in a particular circumstance. On the other hand, when we want to train a dog in a dog-oriented way, we plan the training in advance and we only do as many repetitions as a dog feels comfortable with. We also end every session on a positive note. We keep our training sessions short, and we use the breaks in between to strengthen what has been learned. We only use reward, meaning that we reward a correct action and ignore the mistakes. Training sessions should be built up such that the dog always succeeds. If this doesn't happen, it is worth considering what went wrong and making the necessary changes. Try the dog oriented approach with your dog and you will be amazed! You can start by trying some of the things listed below. Remember, don't do anything to your dog that you wouldn't want anyone to do to you. A dog feels pain just as people do. Force and threats destroy relationships and trust. Reward the good - ignore the bad A dog learns through reward A dog does not learn through punishment and prohibition We often teach a dog bad habits through our own behaviour Forget the NO word Learn to predict, reward correct behaviour Saying no causes frustration and stress Saying no can become a reward in itself Saying no makes us aggressive Never force your dog Desensitise your dog through good experiences If you force your dog once, you may always have to force it Always speak in a pleasant voice The relationship will improve The dog will both hear and want to hear you better Don't fiddle with your dog unnecessarily Learn to read and respect your dog's calming signals (Turid Rugaas, calming signals) What is fun for you may not always be fun for your dog! Your dog is an omnivorous carnivore Allow your dog to fulfil its species specific needs, such as sniffing, digging and chewing. Try this and you will be the owner of a happy and well-balanced dog! And when your dog is happy, so are you. Raili Halme Dog-oriented Dog Instructor and Behaviourist International lecturer and teacher Full member and Mentor, PDTE (Pet Dog Trainers of Europe) Full member, Animal Trainers of Finland Owner of Rakkaat Haukut and Dog-Oriented Institute (Doi Oy) [email protected] Tel. +358 50 504 2109 / +34 661 665 274
