The Trials of Positive Training

I have 4 dogs running around my home.  I have only trained two of them.  It's making life a tad difficult at the moment.

Kirby is next up for training.  Backing up, Frankie and Jake were both trained 'correctionally'.  Jake was trained by my previous coworkers from the bird dog training facility I used to work at.  Jake was a 'guy's dog and he was a Lab, so he had to be a bird dog apparently.  So while I went about my business, I'd bring my dog along to work and the guys would take him out when they had extra time between client's dogs.  He was trained harshly, almost boot camp style, as bird dogs usually are.  To teach him to 'heel', they would walk him and give him a sharp snap on the neck with a check chain if he ever went out of heel position. Jake learned to heel within 3 minutes of walking with those men. I am a dog person now, I wasn't really back then.  I didn't know any different.  Jake was my first dog. Don't judge me.

Frankie was also trained correctionally.  But this time, I took her through an actual obedience class so that I was in charge of how we progressed.  For this training, we also used a check chain.  I spent hours upon hours walking with her, giving her a gentle tug back if she stepped out of heel position, and one day she just 'got it'.  It was fascinating.

Since then, I have joined a fantastic group of dog lovers, all of whom seem to be positive training fans. I was intrigued. Correctional training could be defined as correcting a dog when they make a mistake or offer unwanted behavior.  It does not mean that it's harsh.  I am a big fan of correctional training because I have seen it's wonders.  I never once hurt Frankie during our training process, and we both very much enjoyed going to 'school' every week.  Getting out the check chain sent her into a flurry of excitement because it meant we were going to work.  Frankie loves to work.

Positive training is marking a good or wanted behavior with a word (I use Yes!) or a click with a clicker, then treating immediately following, and then ignoring and/or walking away from unwanted behavior.  With Kirby, I made the decision to take him through training the positive way.

A friend recently described the difference for the dog, and it made sense.  He said that correctional training molds the dog so that they do what they are asked to avoid being corrected.  Whereas positive training has the dog doing what they are asked because they want to, and because they understand what is expected of them.  It makes sense.  Would I rather work for food or be 'punished' for doing what I wasn't supposed to?  It only makes sense to make the jump to positive training.

Well, that's easier said than done.  Understand, correctional training comes very quickly and very naturally to me.  I've been a dog owner for the last 6+ years and my body's instinctual reaction to unwanted behavior is to stop it immediately, either by touching or using words.  If a dog jumps on me, I instinctually bring up my knee.  If a dog starts chewing on me, I press his lips into teeth so he chews on himself instead.  If a dog is pulling me on a walk, and pull them back into place.  If dogs are fighting and its getting out of control, I start yelling and grab one by the scruff and pull them off.  It's worked for our household.

Positive training requires that I reward the good and ignore the bad.  I like the idea of rewarding the good.  It makes us all feel good.  But it's extremely difficult for me to ignore the bad when I'm so used to automatically correcting the bad.  I shouldn't say bad.  'Unwanted' rather.  I get frustrated and my dog gets frustrated.  I have adopted using a marker word and I like it, its coming more quickly and more naturally to me.  I hate the clicker.  I loathe the clicker.  I have carrying the treat bag around.  All of my dogs know what it is and they are on me like vultures if they see it at my hip.  I can't train all of them at the same time, and its very difficult to work one with the other dogs around, so I have to put everybody else away.  But I am to get in multiple 1-3 minute sessions with Kirby and that requires me to constantly be putting me dogs in and out of their crates.  I dont like it.  The reason we have four dogs at home is because I like being surrounded by them.  I dont like putting them away from me.

Fortunately for me, and for my dogs, I have a multitude of new friends who are very familiar with positive training and have never done anything but. Friends who are more than happy to help.  I spoke with my friend Han for an hour yesterday and I have a play/training date with T this weekend.  T, from The House of Misfit Dogs, has a blind border collie, a deaf border collie, and is fostering a 3 legged cattle dog mix.  She is truely the queen of positive training and she's got these dogs doing some incredible tricks.  I hope to learn many new things in the upcoming months, especially now that the disc season is over for the year. 

But it's going to be a difficult, frustrating road for me.  I have no doubt.