Why oh why as soon as some has a "problem" with their dog are they told to contact a behaviourist?

I have just had a chat with someone with a dog the same age as my youngest bitch. He has all sorts of problems, jumping up, whining when left alone, not returning in certain places, eating horse poo etc etc. So what happens - they contact a behaviourist.

I ask if they are still going to classes. Answer - no - went for a while when he was small but don't go any more. I know for a fact that their breeder requested they continue with training classes for at least two years which they agreed to.

Training a dog takes time, effort and persistence and does not happen by taking your dog to a course of half a dozen puppy classes and never doing anything again.

Many of the things that dogs need to learn cannot be taught thoroughly until the dog is mature enough to take it in so why won't dog owners make the effort of taking their dogs to classes and doing their "homework" ??????????

Christine

Well said. There seems to be a sort of finality to some peoples training. He sat once so he can sit, he came back once so he has a recall. They dont sem to understand that these things need re inforcing every day for a long time. It is an indication of their committment that they attend six weeks of classes and then have a 'trained' dog.Thats the end of that and when the dog starts to show signs of not being trained they blame the dog and get him to a shrink!Training, like learning, is life long
Diane

Hey, it's the generation of 'quick fixes'. No one wants to work out problems anymore; they want them quickly solved so that they can get on with life. And, let's face it, going to training classes is work. Easier to give the problem to someone else and say 'figure it out and make it better.'

It's been going that way for a long time. When our grandparents were young adults they worked through their relationship problems, learning to deal with each other and to compromise. Then came the age of therapy and the 'me' generation. Now people run to the therapist or marriage counselor and expect it to be made all better or simply visit a divorce attorney and 'move on'. No more struggles to deal with what life has dealt. Sorry.... I just got back fom taking a friend to pick up a border collie puppy from a rescue center and I'm pretty fed up with the 'fix it quick or toss it away' generation. So many damn people don't bother considering that their actions have consequences any more.

I think people in general are losing the art of understanding their animals - I met a woman recently who was convinced that her dog rolled in horse poo because he was getting back at her (imagine how you would feel towards your dog if you took your dogs rolling PERSONALLY!!!) Another who had a rescue dog who was convinced that his classic separation anxiety was because he was furious rather than terrified of being left alone.

If a behaviourist can point out the REASON behind the offending behaviours, then at least the owner will be some way towards understanding and dealing with his/her dog a bit more sympathetically and effectively, and perhaps understand why certain methods of training work???

I think the prevalence of behaviourists is just a sign of the times - peoples misunderstandings and also the change in society's habits meaning that dogs have a different upbringing in the home - take the dog-walker/sitter trend for example (you own a dog but never walk it!!!!???) longer working hours, restricted walking places etc etc.

As long as the world of behaviourists is regulated I think they have a place, but training in conjunction too!

Rachel :)

My point is that people would not require so many 'behaviorists' (or therapists as some are called) if they bothered to actually put the effort into training their dogs on a regular basis. I don't know of any dog (or person) that has not benefitted in some manner from attending a training class, if only in socialization or time spent on a one-to-one basis between dog and owner.

I agree with you that people are losing the art of understanding their animals because they fail to recognize that the dog is an animal and not a furry four-legged human capable of attaching blame and planning retribution. My question would be whether a behaviorist could actually convince a person who humanizes their animal's behavior that the animal was not reacting out of spite, but rather conditioning, whether human or nature-induced. A good many of the problems are caused because the owners are sympathetic in their approach, rather than acting as the pack-leader and appropriately giving the dog the rules and standards by which it can be found pleasing (or remaining within the pack).

Disclaimer: Meant solely for discussion purposes and is not intended to be taken personally.

Disclaimer: Meant solely for discussion purposes and is not intended to be taken personally.

The Lawyer in you is coming out again Sierra :D

Fiona

Perseverance certainly pays off, I have just noticed (over the last few days) my 6 month puppy is no longer flinging herself at everyone who walks in the door. We have had to walk in and totally ignore her over several weeks, and now it is a pleasure to walk in and to have her quietly sit until we make contact with her. I have to say she did revert to being a kangaroo last night when my son got home from work in a very christmassy and excitable mood!;)

ROFL.... no, just don't want anyone to take it personally as has happened on other threads and because Christmas is a stressful period for a lot of people, myself included, and we can tend to be thinner-skinned. **winking**

Actually, if you think about it there is a little of the behaviourist in all of us if we train dogs! It amounts to watching them and working out ways of getting the best out of them! :)

Best wishes to you all, John

But at least we are watching and working with them not watching them and saying "I do/don't want him/her to do that" and not doing a thing to encourage/prevent it, as seems to be the prevalent attitude nowadays.

More than a few dog owners have said to me upon asking what the good citizen scheme is about "my dog would never do that". What they should be saying is "I can't be bothered to work with my dog until he can do that".

Christine

I d agree that a lot of owners don't want to put the work in; we had a gorgeous fox terrier pup in our pup class, and a few months later I met the owner and pup out on a walk. She said she never let the dog off the lead because it would'nt come back. It was such a shame as she had been given all the necessary help and information she could possibly have needed, but she just didn't seem capable of understanding that she needed to train, train and keep training.

Hi , I agree that dogs need training and socialisation classes etc but the reason we are seeing a behaviourist/independent trainer is because we have two adopted under socialised westies who were unable to handle classes until some work was done with them initially in order that we can one day progress to training classes that we would love to attend and be able to hear as well as see what is going on without totally freaking out our two lovable adorable highly sensitive and initially terrified but extremely noisy westies who thought that if they barked that loud they might just grow to be as big as everyone else perhaps!!!! They sound like lions!!!!

Wendy

Hope your Westies are doing OK Wendy, you are doing the right thing IMHO with yours and your behaviourist is excellent!

lindsay

Wendy out of curiosity, did you not get any on going support from Westie Rescue?

Lindsay,again out of curiosity do the APBT have their own forum? :-)

Leigh

HI Leigh

The APDT do have their own forum, it is a closed one (is that the right term?) for members or subscribers.

HTH
Lindsay

Thanx Lindsay. Thought it might be ;-) Leigh

Hi Leigh, no we didn't that is why we looked here for help and other members gave us some good dirrections and people to contact. Unfortuneatly as you know it has not worked out the way we planned or hoped and we are still very sad. thanks Wendy your board has been a great help.

For what it's worth, I think that you did the right thing. Try not to be sad.You did your best for the dogs, under difficult circumstances, but your kids have to come first. Leigh