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!
Stop back soon, We always have new dogs
available!
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