I haven’t got very much further with the Monks of Skete book, partly because I began to feel uneasy with it when paging through the photos – they clearly still use quite a lot of force in their training methods. I’ll keep at it and comment here when I’m done. In the meantime I’ve had this info sent to me on a newish book that seems to align more with my ethos on dogs and training: In Defence of Dogs by Prof John Bradshaw. I’ve ordered it at work, so will share more when I’ve read it. It’s exciting to see more and more literature coming out that reflects more of the understanding we’ve gained over the past few years that moves us away from using force and punishment in training.
Tonight was the last class for the Tuesday group. I really enjoy seeing how each pup has developed over the 5 weeks, and how their relationship with their guardian has improved. At the end of an exquisitely beautiful day (supposedly winter!), after a yummy lunch at Black Marlin near Simonstown, it was good to see ‘my’ pups and their humans enjoying their time in class.
Why dog trainers will have to change their ways
Professor John Bradshaw is leading a revolution in the study of canine behaviour. ‘Dogs don’t want to control people, they want to control their own lives,’ he says.
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The first idea to bite the dust is so huge and entrenched that some owners will struggle to adjust. We have had it drummed into us by trainers such as Cesar Millan that because dogs are descended from wolves (their DNA is almost identical), they behave like wolves and can be understood as “pack” animals. The received thinking has been that dogs seek to “dominate” and that our task is to assert ourselves as pack leaders – alpha males and females – and not allow dogs to get the upper paw.
Read the whole story: http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2011/jul/17/dog-training-john-bradshaw-animal-behaviour
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