E Fable
Once there was a service dog who brought forth much distress upon his handler. The gravity was far more grievous than the service dog who threaded his way between tables of a restaurant behind his handler’s wheelchair and exited with a baked potato in his mouth. This dog was exhibiting serious prey drive. It sorely strained and did lunge to do a damage upon any bird or animal it came upon. The handler set upon a journey to rectify the situation. Arriving at the destination, the dog was delivered into a training arena. The Trainer Of Dogs awaited, nigh invisible, in his splendid suit of camo. Then was the dog accessorized with what he perceived as a shiny, fashionable collar. “I am quite the splendid fellow,” the dog mused to himself.” A chicken was then brought forth at the furthest periphery of the arena. And the chicken gazed upon the dog and said unto herself, “This dog, in his fashionable collar, will be the end of me, this very day!” And the dog commenced to stalk the chicken, reflecting to himself, “This day waxes with yet greater fortune!” And of a sudden, the dog was levitated as he made toward the chicken to do it a great harm. Upon landing, his perplexed pate shuddered but shortly he did again bound forth towards the chicken. Anon, he became levitated anew. Henceforth, he no longer gazed upon the chicken to do it a damage, as each thought of doing thus brought upon him another torment. ”The moral of this story is two fold,” contemplated the dog. “ First, this fashionable collar I wear may not be of a fashion that best suits me. Second, yon chicken hath formidable power.” Upon seeing the dog’s ascension, the chicken fluffed her feathers. Ere long, the dog looked no more upon the chicken. And the chicken stepped stoutly toward the dog, who thus retreated with a whimper. “The moral of the story is two fold,” reflected the chicken. “First, the fashionable collar the dog wears suits him not. He should be sporting a bold, red collar to accent his leash. Second, I am a chicken who hath formidable power.” The pleased handler then did lead the slinking dog from the arena. The chicken returned thus to her menage to cluck ad infinitum of her victory. And it came to pass, one evening, a fox stepped forth from the night. The chicken fluffed her feathers and stepped stoutly toward the fox to deal him a painful levitation. And the fox snapped off her head and carried her into the darkness.
The true moral of this tale is twofold. First, to accentuate their remote devices this spring, all the guys will be accoutered in de rigueur Mossy Oak Obsession® fashion for the field camo. (1). Second, it is always best to be the one in charge of the remote.
After reading this fable, the controversy around shock collars will continue. An enthusiast supporting the e collar will say the problem of prey drive is being addressed. The dog no longer has even a casual interest in the chicken. The handler is pleased. This method obviously works. “But I would have done it differently,” each e collar trainer would offer. Opponents of shock collars will be strident and shrill, designating the whimper and slinking parts of the fable as blatant abuse. Lovers of chickens will read no further than the chicken’s demise. I get that. This is how I react when the dog is gratuitously murdered in a movie to display just how many miles beyond evil the villain is. Without fail, I turn off the TV with misty eyes.
Is there any progress or hope that may bring the opposing camps together? Let’s look at field dog training. The gun dog world is known for the use of electronic collars. Is there such a thing as positive training for hunting dogs? There is, indeed, such a movement. An interview with trainer Thomas Aaron offers hope. (2).
Dogster: Did you catch a lot of heat from old-school style trainers who insist that force has to be used to train hunting dogs? How do you respond to those who refuse to learn newer, kinder methods of training?
Thomas Aaron: Actually, no. When we first started really testing our system, we were members of NAVHDA (North American Versatile Hunting Dog Association). While I can’t say that we converted anyone to our way of thinking back in those days, we actually received a great deal of praise from the traditional trainers because our younger dogs were performing close to on par with their older ones. In fact, we still get referrals from some of those folks!
We also are very inviting to traditional trainers in our workshops. Both Linda and I come from an aversive-training background (me with dogs, her with horses), and we are able to relate compassionately with traditional trainers.
Are you seeing more and more hunting dog trainers catch up with the science that says training with aversives creates unwanted consequences and that positive reinforcement training is effective, clear, and fair to the student, in this case, a dog?
Not particularly. But what we are seeing is very encouraging. Many positive trainers are coming to us and wanting to attend our workshops so they can take it back to their own communities.
Objection, Your Honor!!! The interviewer is leading the witness! The P+ (positive reinforcement) prejudice is so very obviously not helpful. It appears the interviewer has loaded all her preconceived answers into her questions. This raised my hackles and I am a mostly positive trainer! Thomas Aaron’s pair of short responses, ”Actually, no,” and “Not particularly,” succinctly dismiss her partisan questions. His two further explanations are a powerful indication that the two factions may share a few things in common. One of the biggest goals of all trainers is to get results. Aaron received praise for performance. This is how change will truly happen. Positive trainers have to show results in the field if the methods they champion are to gain converts. That more positive trainers are attending his workshops bodes well.
There is one thing I believe many positive trainers either ignore or are somehow not aware of. And that is, many shock collar trainers do use positive reinforcement. One example, I looked in the book Tri Tronics Retriever Training©, that was published in 1993, way back in the last century. Puppies are taught their basic commands and to go to a kennel with hot dogs. There is a lot of good non aversive advice. Almost everyone does not want to hurt their dog- we can all agree on that much. But it is apparent both sides will drop all that they are doing to snarl at something that may not exist quite as each side imagines. We positive trainers use diluted methods of the “balanced” crowd and they make use of positive training. Field training will be a great area to gain some positive traction. In the meanwhile, there is one thing both clans of field dog trainers will surely concur upon, 100%. This spring’s camo chic season will find both camps sporting the de rigueur Mossy Oak Obsession® line of fashion for the field camo. Should you happen upon another smartly attired field trainer of the other brand, compliment him on his fine fashion choice. He surely cannot disagree and a conversation can begin.
And another fable. Feel free to add your own moral(s).
The Dog and the Shadow (4).
It happened that a Dog had got a piece of meat and was
carrying it home in his mouth to eat it in peace. Now on his way
home he had to cross a plank lying across a running brook. As he
crossed, he looked down and saw his own shadow reflected in the
water beneath. Thinking it was another dog with another piece of
meat, he made up his mind to have that also. So he made a snap at
the shadow in the water, but as he opened his mouth the piece of
meat fell out, dropped into the water and was never seen more.
Beware lest you lose the substance by grasping at the shadow.
(1). What Is The Best Camo On The Market?
(2). It IS Possible to a Train Hunting Dog Without Using a Shock Collar
(3). AesopFables.com - The Dog and the Shadow - General Fable collection