June 6, 2008

(Pet Pulse Photo by Victoria Lim)

SAN FRANCISCO, Calif. -- Yanking leashes, yelling, and throwing objects -- all tools that trainers can use to get dogs to behave. But a world-renown expert on dog training hopes instead, you’ll use a treat to teach your canine to behave.

Jean Donaldson is the director of the Academy for Dog Trainers. With a puppy in her lap, Donaldson showed how positive reinforcement can teach even the youngest dogs to obey.

“It’s absolutely possible to change animal behavior with punishment. There’s no question that works. But there’s also no question that positive reinforcement works,” Donaldson said. “Would you like to train hurting the dog or without hurting the dog?”

There’s no doubt where Donaldson lands. She’s written several books about the topic including The Culture Clash, and MINE! A Guide to Resource Guarding in Dogs which both won national awards from the Dog Writers Association. Her latest book, FIGHT! A Guide to Dog-Dog Aggression came out a few months ago, in October.

Her six-week academy for dog trainers has attracted participants from around the globe. At a recent session, students each practiced techniques they learned in a classroom-setting with a dog in the San Francisco SPCA which is waiting for adoption.

Without a leash or raised voices, the dogs followed commands such as sitting, heeling, laying-down, walking along side of the trainer, and didn’t eat treats left on the ground next to them until the trainer gave the go-ahead.

Donaldson said in the 1980s, early on the positive reinforcement movement, this style of training received backlash and resistance.

“Dogs are so time intensive and they can be frustrating. People have the urge to take it out on something. It’s no longer legal to take it out on your spouse. It’s no longer legal to take it out on your kids. But, so far it’s still legal to get heavy-handed with dogs,” Donaldson said.

Now, she sees many trainers crossing over to positive reinforcement methods.
Jake Gross from the Nofolk, Va., Animal Care Center said he believes this method can foster “harmonious living between people and dogs.”

“It’s not that using aversive or punishment methods can’t work,” Gross said. “Where I’m from we deal with dogs on chains, dog fighting, things like that."

“Positive reinforcement is by far the way to go to have lasting changes in behavior.”
Donaldson warns against the long-standing methods of yelling, swatting or shaking dogs to correct behavior because of long-term adverse affects.

“(A dog) may learn human hands are sometimes not so good,” she said. “And you can end up with a dog that’s more aggressive because he’s not comfortable with humans, human hands, leashes -- he becomes suspicious.”

The goal of the Academy class is to not just teach trainers, but teach them how to teach pet owners so they can continue to spread the positive word of positive reinforcement.

For more information about Donaldson, the Academy, and positive reinforcement training visit, snipurl.com/sfspca.

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