Little dog Come
My friend called today with a dog training problem. His sweet, happy, boxer loves to run. She gets loose and she won’t come. He wants to know how to hard train her to come no matter what. I told him I’d teach him how to hard train or soft train and he could pick his method. These two methods are also in the horse world, both methods are used by backyard owners to top riders.
Hard training involves force and pain. The good side is you may achieve quick results. The badside is this can crush the spirit, and ruin want - to attitude and drive. Soft training involves conditioned - response. You set up a place where you can get yes answers. For the horse it may be a round pen. For the dog, it may be a leash. I was raised in a military family with hard training. I learned how to crush spirits in horses and dogs and men. Then someone taught me how to train soft.
I own 2 intelligent, strong willed, tough, sweet, soft Catahoula Leopard dogs. They are used in the south to gather cows and work hogs. The man I got my dogs from told me only teach your dogs two things go and come. To teach come use a shock collar. I have not needed the shock collar yet. This guy has owned Catahoulas 20 - 30 years, he knows Catahoulas. If ever there was a shock collar breed of dog- this is it.
My Catahoulas stay close to me when I ride. They were bred to wander. After a winter off my doggies had a drifting problem as they went hog wild. My first thought is get the shock collar- since this is how I was raised. But then I thought about conditioned response. When the horse does not obey, go back a step in training. If I went back a step in training with my dog I would go back to the leash, back to obedience school; back to come on the leash. This I did. My problem fixed. It took time.
Andy trains dogs for the military. He only uses a shock collar if its the last gasp effort before the death camber for the dog. He told me my intillegent high energy dogs needed a job. Build them an agility course. This has got to be an excellent answer for exerciseing the body and mind of a German Shephard on a military base in Germany, or a dog in a limited environment like the city. I could run my dogs more, I get my 4- wheeler or pick - up and they race ahead, wind in their face- happy in their heart - for this breed loves to run. Meeting the needs of the breed, exercise can problem solve. But it takes time.
The shock collar is fast and easy. What is your goal? Come no matter what? I have lost more dogs in Central Idaho than anywhere I have ever lived. If my dog is not with me he is dead. He better come no matter what. My dogs sorta kinda listen and obey. If I put more time in them they would be better. Or I could get the shock collar. I could get a leash. They are always 100% ok on leash. Off lead obdience without the shock collar takes time. You get to choose.
When the horse is corrected or trained with pain he stiffens up, he gasps, he may loose the light in his eye over time. Top preformance is lost. John Lyons recommends instead of correct- direct the energy whenever you can in training. I try to apply this and I see a free, loose, not stiff horse and a happy dog. My dogs loves his job. He works hard with a waggin tail. Back in my shock collar days, I lost that joy. I’m always looking for a softer way to train.
My dog had 2 weeks of training in him. We had a problem to solve. Could he find the sheriff on an 8 hour old partly flagged trail? Our first corner was not marked. Other turns werent’ marked. The trail would take a half hour to walk, with no mistakes. We were there in 15 minutes. Dogs with happy hearts can do more. I love soft training. The head of the SAR team was agahast! You have to work a half hour trail, and you must put a shock collar on that dog for a least a year; for after all he is a hound. Thats not what I wanted in my training journey. We never went back. I made a choice.
Ps. We teach disobedience when we ask for a yes answer and do not follow through. If you call the dog, he must come. My dog just ran out the gate and he is running like a banshie- I am not going to call him because I am 99% shure he will not come. Or case B Jeb is in my fenced yard and I call him to come in the house and he refuses. I step on the porch and he comes. He knows the next step is I go to him, and he comes. He knows I followup. I have to teach this concept to my husband. Do not ask the horse, Can I catch you, and then not follow up, or you teach the horse he can win, or run away. I dont want my horse to realise that he can win. I do not want to teach resist- I want to teach obedience.