K9 Trainer Philosophy and Training Methods page 2

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"KOUKLA" (1998-2011)

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"TEQUILA" (2005-2011)

"KOAL" (Sept 1995-May 2008)

K9 Trainer Philosophy and Training Methods
(Continued)

From the moment he arrived home, his intensity became very evident – he paced non-stop and, when he got tired of pacing, he paced some more. He also panted non-stop and was clearly under continuous stress. He let us think that we could get away with crating him for the first three nights thereby giving us hope that he would be content in his crate. That’s how long it took for him to start bonding with us and begin considering himself part of the new pack. After that, he howled and barked and yipped non stop for four consecutive nights – that was, until we gave up, brought him into our bedroom, showed him ‘his’ doggy bed where he proceeded to curl up and happily sleep through the night. He’s been sleeping on that very same bed ever since!

That wasn’t all this dog did, though; he also made every effort possible to take me out for walks and once, even managed to drag me down when he went after another dog that happened to be nearby.

It quickly became evident that it would only be a matter of time before either I got hurt in my efforts to restrain him or, even worse, he would manage to get away and get into a serious dog fight. So, I proceeded to enroll us into a formal schutzhund training class through a reputable trainer. “All I want is a dog that I can work, build a bond with and not be dragged down the street on a regular walk!” … I heard myself tell the trainer. Just like I have heard clients say countless times since then!

Zorro’s appearance in our lives accelerated the end of my corporate consulting firm and the beginning of my interest in delving deeper into K9 training and a better understanding of our canine friends. Zorro had, in fact, become the lightning rod of my deep seeded interest in rescuing dogs – something I had not realized was in me until then. We developed a greater bond and learned to work with each other – as a team doing obedience exercises, learning how to track, doing sport protection and even more recently, jumping into the newer dog sport of Rally-Obedience.

By the time I was winding down my downtown Toronto corporate life, my wife and I decided to move to the ‘country’ and start dedicating some time to rescuing more of our K9 friends-in-need. Since our move to a rural property outside the village of Hillsburgh, in the Township of Erin, I have not only been working with clients to restore or explore the maximum their relationship with their dogs has to offer but have also spent time in rescue operations. Since our move in Sept. 2005, we have successfully rescued, rehabilitated and re-homed eleven dogs (7 Belgian Shepherds, one Cocker Spaniel, a Great Dane, an Australian Cattle Dog and one German Shepherd). For a review of our Rescued hall of Fame, please click here.

In the meanwhile, revenues from the K9 Training and Behavioural Consulting are primarily used to offset the costs of rescuing Belgian Shepherds (and occasionally other working dog breeds). Rescue operations can be costly in terms of veterinary care, retrieval travel costs as well as the time necessary to rehabilitate and re-train our K9 friends in preparation of what we hope is their new ‘forever’ home. Clients have expressed satisfaction knowing that the cost of their training and aggression management sessions goes to such a worthy cause. We are always on the lookout for good, working homes for our rehabilitated rescued dogs, so please keep checking our website for new arrivals and dogs that are ready to be adopted!

"PAWS FOR LITERACY" PROGRAMME
As if training and rescuing dogs were not enough, in January 2009 and after many months of preliminary and preparatory work, Spirit Ridge K9 Training & Rescue launched its community-based, non profit literacy programme. This endeavour brings together specially pre-selected and pre-screened dogs and handlers with school aged children in our community for the purpose of promoting literacy through pairing up the children with four legged reading buddies.

This programme has been a resounding success and has achieved many concurrent goals. Not only has it gotten children excited about reading but it has also given the dogs (some of which were previously 'throwaway' dogs that were rescued) a 'job' that they absolutely adore. Indeed a match made in heaven and a win-win situation all around! For more information about this programme and pictures, please follow this link.

Training Philosophy
There are many K9 trainers and just as many training techniques – ranging from the purely ‘positive’ (motivational) techniques to techniques that use 100% compulsion (known as the ‘yank and crank’ methods). As I continue to make a better spiritual and practical 'connection' with increasingly more dogs that experience 'problems' and are not well adjusted in their environments, I have come to realize two very important facts:

1. Not all dogs respond in the same way to training tips, techniques and tricks. Certain methods have a greater effect on some dogs than others. It is always important to be flexible and open minded when considering options for a client in need.

2. At the end of the day, as with most things in life, the best training technique is the one that uses the best of both worlds (purely positive and compulsion techniques) at the right time and at a level appropriately matched to the temperament of the dog and the circumstances involved. Furthermore, clients need to be comfortable with the suggested techniques – otherwise, they will not use them and the trainer/client relationship will deteriorate with the dog-in-need-of-training being the only party hurt in the end!

In training and rehabilitating dogs, I teach handlers to respect the essence of their K9 friends, explain the signals our dogs give us under the circumstances they appear and how to achieve the required behaviours. For example, I still cannot believe the number of times I hear even experienced handlers tell me they could not understand how a dog-on-dog aggression episode could occur when both dogs ‘were wagging their tails’! Many still only associate wagging tails with joyful, happy, and fun loving dogs. Truth be told, wagging tails can also indicate stress, excitement and a dog ready to attack. Properly 'reading' a dog involves a multitude of signals only one of which is the position and movement of the tail!

In my training sessions with clients I teach them that corrections, when and if necessary, need to be balanced with an appropriate level of praise for responding in the required way. Too often handlers continuously correct their dogs and in doing so make the dog “shut down” as trainers say – the moping, slinking effect that we often see. Relying on this type of training, while potentially successful in certain ways, will create a ‘nervous’ and ‘skittish’ dog. Handlers are taught to balance the negative effects of corrections with positive praise of equal or greater magnitude after their dogs successfully complete a required behaviour.

On the flipside, 100% purely positive and motivational training has its own drawbacks. While it generally creates happy-go-lucky dogs in most cases, these dogs have no clue on what the boundaries of acceptable behaviour are in the real world. A stimulus that is larger and more exciting than the rewards used by the handler will, in the majority of cases, distract the motivationally trained dog. I have frequently been called in to help great K9 agility or competitive trainers that rely 100% on motivational techniques with their dogs. Looking at these dogs do their routine on an agility field or competitive obedience ring is marvelous and impressive - but the minute they cross the threshold of their home's front door .... LOOK OUT! They are transformed into four legged 'monsters', chewing, barking, never resting, pushy and generally very 'rude'. This underscores the fact that you can have a fantastically trained dog that can still have behavioural problems.

Training our K9 friends is not the only part of the equation. Training the handlers (and the families involved) in how to behave in a leadership manner is also essential. Providing our K9 friends with firm leadership both at home and outdoors creates a respect that is essential for a well-behaved and happy, tail-wagging dog.

At Spirit Ridge K9 Training & Rescue, clients receive continuous advice and help throughout the various stages of their dogs’ lives. Moreover, the motto we use for the Rescue side of our operations - “from simple beginnings come great dogs …” - reflects our unwavering belief that a dog need not have an elaborate and expensive pedigree to be a great and loyal companion. These ‘throwaway’ rescued dogs often achieve goals that pedigree dogs only dream of – I see them all as potential ‘diamonds in the rough’ that, with a little work, can become great dogs.

I hope that the above background information and insight into my training philosophy will help potential clients and associates appreciate the essence of the work done at Spirit Ridge K9 Training and Rescue. Additional information may be requested (along with additional questions) and sent to this e-mail link.

Sincerely,

Jim Tsitanidis
K9 Trainer and Behavioural Consultant