Pet Training & Behavior Topics
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Welcome to Diana Guerrero's Ark Animals Training & Therapy. This section is dedicated to pets, companion animals, and topics related to their care and training. This Ark Animals article discusses pet myths. You should always seek professional help for pet problems.
Pet Myths & Old Wives Tales
Myths related to pet care and training are one of the most frustrating
things for a pet professional to encounter. They are hard to get
rid of! Here are a few with some comments. Have a favorite? Drop
me a line so we can include it later.
"You can't train an old dog a new trick." Of course
you can! Most dogs have trained their owners to do exactly what
they want! You have to untrain bad habits before you can retrain
the new ones!
"Purebred dogs are better pets." or "Dogs with
papers (AKC, UKC, etc.,) are worth more." This is nonsense.
It is often better (and easier) to get a mixed breed dog. Today new designer dogs included breeding two pure-bred for a cross breed. The best
breeders will screen you out if you do not meet the grade. Papers
only refer to a membership in a club, not to quality. In fact, there
is no quality control or regulation from those clubs.
"You can't start training a dog until it is six months old." This statement is responsible for most of the problems facing the
dog owner today. Start school early, when your pet comes home, to
avoid all the problems & household damage!
"Train a dog to use papers first" and "Show
them their mistakes by shoving their noise in it." This
is like taking a child you are trying to potty train and shoving
a diaper in it's face every time they have an accident. Wrong! Train
what you want, be clear, & take proper steps. Teach the desired
behavior first otherwise you have to untrain and retrain.
"You need a choke chain or a pinch collar to train." Untrue. Both collars are archaic devices that are often misused by pet owners and they
inflict pain. The worst part is, that besides doing harm to the
dog, they create a negative association to training and the owner.
Most owners do not have the skill to use most training tools correctly.
Regular collars or the humane head halters are the best.
"Training sessions need to be 15 minutes or more & you repeat,
repeat, repeat!" Long training sessions that repeat things
are boring, unrealistic, & monotonous for the dog and owner! There
are faster, easier, & better ways to train.
"Aggressive dogs need to be handled with a firm hand." Usually
aggression creates more aggression. The number one rule about any
type of aggression is to get professional help for it.
"He is just a pup, it's okay." NO. IT ISN'T! This
is one of the worst rumors around. Train what you want and start
young (8 weeks).
"The leash is used to control the dog." No. Sorry
to tell you this, but the leash is a safety restraint device. When
the dog is fifty feet away from you, and off leash, you realize
this.
"Only one person can train the dog." This isn't true.
It is only critical to be consistent. The whole family should know
how to train.
"Once trained, the dog is done with school." This
is definitely not true! They need to have their minds kept active
to keep out of trouble. If you participate in dog training at home
and never go outside, to the park, or busy areas with dogs or people,
the dog will never learn to pay attention or follow your bidding
in high distraction!
If you are experiencing this behavior problem help is just a phone call away! Hire Animal Expert
About the columnist: Since 1978 Diana L. Guerrero has worked professionally with both wild and domestic animals. Guerrero has been affiliated with, and certified by, a variety of animal programs in the USA and Europe. Based in California, she writes, consults, and speaks. Information on her animal career programs, training courses, and her books {What Animals Can Teach Us about Spirituality (SkyLight Paths, 2003), Blessing of the Animals (Sterling, 2007), Help! My Pet is Driving Me Crazy (Guerrero Ink, 2007), Animal Disaster Preparedness for Pet Owners & Pet Professionals (Guerrero Ink, 2007)} can be found in this web site and in the shop. Questions for Guerrero should be submitted via the blog comments or membership forum.