Anyways Trainer Gina is great but she will deliver the occasional leash correction which I have mixed feelings about: I'm a believer in clicker training, classical conditioning, and positive-only training. Everything I've read tell me leash corrections are not the answer, however, with Chingu I have seen results with him and Gina. I also feel that when he does something like he did last night and really went after this dog that a simple 'time-out' or turning away isn't really the answer to letting him know his behavior is inappropriate. But on the other hand I do not want him to associate leash correction = strange dog.
It's all a balance. Trainer Gina gets much more in his face and pushes his buttons more. Such as last session when she handled his feet. She just kind of went for it and he had to accept it. Part of it is she has 30 minutes to show me what I can work towards all week. I'm in no rush to hold Chingu's paw, so I can take all the time I want just touching his paw, clicking, and treating before I even begin to handle him. I've also seen that with Trainer Gina because she goes in with confidence and this attitude of 'try and bite me with the muzzle it wont work so I don't care' he usually responds and wont do it. Or he'll throw the temper tantrum once and then accept the touch. This I think is good for him because always at the next session he wont bite for the kind of touching she did in the previous session only new touches. Also I actually think Chingu genuinely likes Gina despite her pushing his buttons and he's always happy to see her so as long as that continues and he's progressing I'm going to trust in her.
I also think that its important Chingu learns to handle loose or strange dogs or at least ignore them because already we've been approached by several off lead dogs and had a few very close calls. I'm all about giving him time and trying to counter-condition him, but due to the tons of people in our neighborhood who think its perfectly fine to allow their dog off lead I think its important to bring him up to speed sooner than later. I don't need Chingu to love other dogs or even like other dogs, I just need him to not attack with intent to kill and preferably ignore other dogs.
So anyways getting to the point. Trainer Gina brought out her awesomely trained German Shepherd who totally didn't respond to Chingu's several attempts to bite or intimidate. The thing is Chingu likes to sniff other dogs but if the other dog even thinks about sniffing him its on. He went after this dog 3 times and each time a leash correction was delivered. Now this is at the point where I'm thinking all this counter-conditioning work is going right out the window and I've just undone weeks of training. Well that is a risk with that but its not like the leash correction was delivered and then the dog left. Instead Chingu and the other dog were made to interact with each other so that Chingu saw if he allowed another dog to sniff his butt he would not die. In fact Trainer Gina made Chingu lay on top of the other dog and then had the other dog lay on top of Chingu and Chingu handled it remarkably well and then the two were able to lay down next to each other for several minutes without any problems.
I do just want to emphasize here: I do not advocate leash corrections and I don't think thats the best way to go. Trainer Gina is a trainer professional and I've seen enough results with Chingu that in this case I'm choosing to trust her but if I think for a moment its made him more reactive to dogs (which today on our walk he did just fine when seeing strange dogs) then it'll have to stop. I also will never personally deliver a leash correction because I think thats best left up to the professional and I prefer to work with hot dogs and clickers only. All dogs are different and some are very very sensitive and I think leash corrections can be very detrimental and I also think owners often deliver them in moments of frustration and anger which is totally the wrong way to handle them. I only share the part about the leash corrections because I think its important to share details of the entirety of his journey even if they only play a small role in his journey.
I still believe that his behavior changes have been brought about largely through counter-conditioning with a clicker and treats and the positive touching Gina taught us about in our first session and the touching she does with him in his sessions. But I'm very proud of the progress he's making and nervous/excited about his upcoming group classes.
3 comments:
Megan, I completely understand how you feel. When I first started working with Chipper, I had no idea what we were doing. We found a great trainer and he strongly suggested that we use a pinch collar with Chipper. We did and it made an instant difference. We focused mainly on clicker training, classical conditioning and desensitizing. But to stop the full on outbursts towards dogs, but more importantly, people, the pinch did the trick. We got rid of it as soon as possible and I would never recommend one to anyone. I hated it. But it worked and it saved Chipper's life since it stopped him from lashing out at people. I have very mixed feelings on corrections and I hope to never use them again. But it's what we did in the beginning to stop the extreme reactions.
Thanks Kathy, thats comforting to know. Part of me feels guilty for allowing it but when the problem is as serious as his I feel like sometimes extremes are required when the problem is extreme. The trainer also pointed out that once he learns he wont need the corrections. I've seen the progress so I know the corrections in his case are helping and he's hard headed so he has to learn but I hope he learns quick.
I know how you feel. I think it totally depends on the dog. With my dog leash corrections definitely made the problem worse, but I don't think that means it won't work with any dog. It did stop some of his outbursts, but it made the outbursts he did have worse. In my opinion, the most important part is that the scary thing (read: dog) is not scared away by your dog's reaction. Have either of you two heard of constructional aggression treatment (C.A.T.)? My behaviorist recommended it and I love the concept.
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