• Misc

    What is positive punishment?

    I have been reading three different sheepdog training books at the same time.

    Sheepdogs Their Breeding, Maintenance and Training By R.B. Kelley (first published 1942)

    Training The Working Kelpie by A.D. (Tony) Parsons (1990)

    Positive Herding 101 by Barbara Buchmayer (2021)

    The first two books are getting pretty old (particularly the first) but they both have great information in them both from a historical training perspective and as a contrast to positive training. Not coming from a ‘modern’ positive training behaviour background (because I am older) I have found the Buchmayer book really useful. I admit I struggled through the first half as it is fairly academic, expanding and explaining behaviour in an academic manner. It is very formal and reads like a teaching lesson plan. When did life become so acronym driven? RAMs? Rules and Mechanics. There are so many lists I became a bit overwhelmed. Once it gets onto actual training it was much easier to relate the theory to practice. I did enjoy the relief of the Tony Parsons book which is written more in the manner of a chat with a knowledgeable, larrikin  Australian bushman. I was interested to see that Tony has just released a new book which I will buy and review once I read it. I think it is more about the history of Kelpies with less content on training than his previous books.

    Kelpie: The Definitive Guide to the Australian Working Dog Hardcover – 2 November 2021

    I am interested in the psychology and wellbeing of my dogs though and continue to search out new information. Current practice has changed a lot (mostly for the better) and most of the punishment based training of years gone by would no longer be acceptable. https://www.companionanimalpsychology.com/ is a great site and I recommend this article on positive punishment.

    A definition of positive punishment given in the article is

    ‘Punishment means something that reduces the likelihood of a behaviour happening again i.e. the behaviour goes down in frequency. And positive means that something is added.

    So positive punishment means adding something after the dog did a behaviour that makes the frequency of that behaviour go down’.

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  • Conformation

    Does conformation matter?

    Much is made about conformation, particularly for show dogs. We all admire sportsmen and women or dancers with perfect posture but does it really matter for good health? Our young dog Louis recently had shoulder surgery and I must admit whilst he is a beautiful looking dog (I am a bit biased) his posture is not great and we are working hard to improve it.

    Not a good sit!

    We have had a lot of dogs over the years. Some with what would be called good conformation and others not so good. They have all had long healthy lives, and I am not really sure what part conformation has played. We could say the same about people too, but if you have a choice, good conformation is desirable, both from an aesthetic point of view but also to allow dogs to realise their ultimate athletic ability with minimal injury or chronic conditions along the way. The following article from “Breeding Better Dogs‘  is a good introduction to desirable traits of structure and movement.

     

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  • Misc

    Dog Training Collars

    From the time you bring a pup home, it is usual to introduce it to a collar. From fashion accessory to essential training aid dogs all need a good quality collar. As a young stockman 50 years ago, I learnt to make leather working dog ‘drovers collars’, and I still use and make them today although most people probably now prefer synthetic collars.

    It is important that your dog gets used to the feeling of wearing a comfortable collar. If you use a different training collar, make sure you replace it with your dogs regular collar after the training session is completed.

    Standard Collar: A standard collar typically does up with a buckle or clip and is the best collar for regular every day use. They fit pups and dogs of all sizes and as long as they are properly adjusted they won’t choke. I am personally biased to leather but synthetic collars are cheap, and water proof. Standard collars do not offer much feedback when a dog is walking on a lead, so for very ‘enthusiastic dogs’ that pull badly an alternative training collar might be needed.

     

    Choke or Check Collar: Choker collars often the training collar of choice in previous times, but they are out of fashion currently as they are considered too harsh by many people.  Usually made of chain, these collars are made tighten anytime your dog pulls on the lead, but releasing as soon as they stop pulling. When used appropriately they are very effective, but dogs may well revert to pulling when their regular collar is put back on, so instilling general obedience, with regular positive reinforcement should be encouraged.

    Martingale Collar: A Martingale collar is a softer form of a choker collar, and so they are more widely used. These collars have a broader band like a regular collar, with a second loop on the collar that will tighten as a dog pulls. This loop allows the collar to tighten but  not as much as choke collar or slip lead. It should still be tight enough to get your dogs attention.

    Prong collars and shock collars are also used by some professional trainers but, I don’t endorse them. Generally positive reinforcement training methods will give better longer lasting results.

    Halti collars and dog harnesses are increasingly popular and we can discuss them in another post.

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