Training & Raising =
Behavior
Too many people think that 'training' will solve all of their
problems or
that 'training' is all that is required to alleviate unwanted
behavior. However, what most of these people fail to understand, is
that the 'raising' aspect of a pup or dog is an integral facet of
the training process and the resultant behavior or lack thereof. You
may even say that it contributes to both, the overall personality of
the dog and the intelligence level of the dog. How many times have
you witnessed a 'trained' dog, whether it be an obedience,
Schutzhund, or law enforcement K-9 work wonderfully 'during' an
exercise or 'under' a command; yet when the dog is released - wild
like a
wolf.
Sure, they are related to the wolf, and yes they exhibit all of
their (the wolf's) traits; yet they are literally 'out of control' -
'on the prowl', and even aggressive, pushy/dominant, and at times
even dangerous! Or to take this facet one step further, how many
times have you seen a Schutzhund dog, which should possess a
well-balanced temperament, be led around or off the field on the
lead with the owner/handler saying "don't touch or pet him, he will
bite", or "he is dangerous, - he doesn't like people!"? Is this
control? Is this having manners? Is this personality? Is this
temperament? And how stable is this dog ?
There are many ways, schools and methodologies to raising pups. If
you find something and it works for you, then great! But it is
necessary to remember that not all people want the same thing out of
a dog, not all dogs can work the same as other dogs, and not all
dogs live in the same environment (i.e. home, kennel, backyard,
etc.). Most importantly, NOT ALL OF THE PEOPLE OUT THERE WITH DOGS
THAT WE MUST ENCOUNTER AS TRAINERS ARE PROFESSIONAL DOG PEOPLE!!!
Many of these people could care less about a well-trained dog! It is
this aspect that we must be aware of and learn to address in our
role as trainers. Again! - Not all people are really into dogs or
training!
Having raised and trained pups for nearly 30 years, I have
found that it is
extremely crucial to start the training as soon as possible after
the
acquisition of the pup. It is best to spend at least 30-40 quality
hours a week
with the pup - hanging out with it, working around the yard and
letting it
spend time with you, playing, etc. The training at this age should
be gentle and
informal at the outset, then increasing to a more formal training
regiment
as needed. Training should be done in informal, very short
increments. Young puppies have a very short attention span. During
this training, 'manners' are taught - to be gentle,
chewing on the appropriate articles/toys, etc, the concept of 'good'
versus
'bad' is learned, the 'come' is taught, etc. During this quality
raising
time, the same things can also be learned! Teaching 'no' when
appropriate,
'come' when called, 'attention' to you, and a myriad of other
things. Sounds
the same? IT IS! It's a constant. Constant, consistent training is
imperative. It is at this point when the training and the raising
merge into one complete organic living modality. The bonding
tightens, the interaction between the person and the puppy occurs,
and the
merging of the person with the pup morphs into a unit, a team. This
is when
the connection occurs between the two of you. From this point on,
the real
formal training can begin.
What happens in most cases, is
that the pup is
left to its' own devices, - chewing, peeing, pooping, biting,
barking,
destroying the house, yard, and people around them. This happens
23-24 hours
a day. So what does the pup learn to do?
You guessed it!
People think that the poor pup
is too young to start its
training. Wrong! Again, the concept of training is thought of in a
very one sided dimension. The overall picture is not looked at. The
'raising' is not even thought of or considered. What one then
encounters is an older puppy that is wild as hell, that must be
controlled and mellowed, doesn't know anything, and has no focusing
ability
whatsoever! He/she is a real nightmare and a 'problem' dog. I have
noticed
that some dogs seem to take on a kind of 'false dominance' due to
this
wildness! These dogs are not generally dominant; but quickly learn
to rule
the human! A Problem! One must somehow detrain the dog from all of
these
behaviors before it can be trained, or use whatever it has (which is
a mess)
and work with these things or in spite of these things. A lot of
important
time, energy, and open-mindedness on the part of the pup is lost by
waiting
and not utilizing the pup's young energy, drive, and enthusiasm from
the
start! This brings us to another aspect of trying to understand and
define
these young pups (or older pups and even dogs). I find that many
times when
I try to talk about a dog or define certain behavioral or
temperamental
qualities or characteristics that I use a combination of terms to
describe
the dog or even use terms that have a myriad of levels to them. It
is here
where terms and definitions comes into play.
Fact! - words have multiple
meanings! Yet which meaning is correct? The context defines the use
and the
term(s). Experience lends the eloquence to the expression of these
terms and
the various specific meanings that we use in defining these
behaviors and
temperaments.
Does 'high energy' equal 'high drive'? What about 'hyper-active'
dogs? Are
they still high drive? Is the dog so intense that he loses focusing
ability,
or does his intensity 'focus' his energy and drive? Does the dog
then
channel his energy and drive in a positive manner, or does he fall
apart and
lose it? Take one dog and get 10 'dog people/trainers' together and
see how
the various people describe the same dog. In many cases, there will
be a
general consensus among those 10 individuals. But look beyond that
consensus, and there will be various aspects that will be defined in
a
variety of ways depending on the individual - their likes,
interests,
experiences, opinions, and even biases.
Again, it depends on what kind of dog you are looking for - family
pet and
protector, total no-nonsense protection dog, the sport dog, law
enforcement
K-9, SWAT K-9, or an all out attack dog used in securing military
installations. We all want different things! Again, we must take the
specific breed that we are working with into consideration regarding
the
breed standard (work-wise and character/temperament-wise). Within
the
specific breed, the individual pup/dog must also be understood both,
in
terms of temperament and work ethic. There are multiple dimensions
that must
be taken into consideration when raising, training, working, and
evaluating
an individual dog. The raising and training of the dog should create
a
stable, well-balanced dog, which may then lead to the temperament of
the
dog. From the many things that I have read by top-notch trainers in
addition
to my many discussions with the same caliber of people, temperament
is
hereditary. I tend to agree. Yet, I firmly believe that the
nurturing
factor is an important facet in the overall development and
resultant
temperament of the dog. This also contributes to what I call the
'personality' of the dog. Some dogs seem to be cold and nothing
there. Some
dogs exude an animated quality and also a love (for lack of a better
word)
for their owner/handler; not just executing commands correctly! This
'anime'
comes only through the patient raising, training, and 'education' of
the
pup/dog. At this point, we may then add the 'intelligence' factor to
the
overall dynamic or dimensionality of the dog. One possible example
is the
dog that knows what a ball or Kong is. Fine! So it chases it and
gets it!
Another dog 'knows' the words and items - have 10 items in a pile or
strewn
across the yard and ask/tell the dog to go get 'the ball', 'the
Kong', 'the
tug', 'the sack', the stick', 'sleeve', etc. and the dog does it!
He/she
'knows' the item! See the difference? Take this simple scenario and
make it
more 'real' as in the case of working K-9's. How many times have
they solved
a problem on their own, or surprised the handler with his
intelligence? This
intelligence factor goes well beyond mere training and habit/pattern(s).
It
is the synergistic dynamic that occurs when all of these factors and
many
more are integrated within the individual dog. This integration
factor is
extremely crucial. That is 'intelligence'!
Finally, we come to the 'Total
Dog' - the dog that is superb in any environment, under any
condition,
consistent from one day to another, and intelligent!
Contact
Thomas
Sauerhöfer
ThomasSauerhoefer@gmx.de
or call 1- (530) 749 - 8861
"contact
person in Los Angeles area"
Michael White
phone: 310-540-2796
email: mwhite5@msn.com
