Some months ago, I started to research the subject of dog training so that I could develop an effective training régime for Mickey and Millie. I read a number of books on dog training, dog behaviour and dog psychology and augmented this by watching populist TV programmes, notably Victoria Stilwell’s “It’s me or the dog” and Cesar Milan’s “Dog Whisperer” series. I even explored the option of undertaking training to qualify as a dog trainer or behaviourist.
I quickly discovered that there is a feud running between those experts who contend that dogs, descended from wolves, are pack animals and therefore require a human that must act within the dog’s perception as pack leader and those who point to more recent research to argue that a dog is very far removed from the wolf, cannot view a human as pack leader and is motivated exclusively by food provision. (I fear I have oversimplified the arguments on both sides but this summary must suffice for now.) This feud completely splits the dog training community and is present from the populist through to the serious academic.
In reality, the core methods used by both camps have many similarities, so for the moment, I have deemed it helpful to dump the theories and concentrate on the points of agreement and the shared methods. I have observed dogs for many years but do not profess to have any qualifications in the field of dog behaviour or even any special insight. However to me, certain elements seems obvious:
- Dogs have a very special relationship with humans which has evolved over many thousands of years; thus it is a long time since the ancestors of the domestic dog (canis familiaris) roamed in packs. According to recent studies, stray and feral dogs do not form into co-operating packs when left without humans. Thus the pack concept doesn’t really work for me as such. What I do believe in is a family concept. A dog will become part of a family which may consist of humans, other dogs, cats and other pets. It is only the environmental factors into which a young puppy is introduced that determines whether the cat and other pets are regarded as family or prey.
- I do not believe that dogs regard humans as pack leaders as a wolf might regard its senior pack member. Thus training which is predicated on mimicking behaviours of a wolf pack leader will not work per se but may still be effective for other reasons. What dogs do require is human leadership. This differs from the concept of acting as a wolf pack leader. Here we are not mimicking a wolf but providing all the characteristics of a good leader of people by giving clear instructions and displaying consistency, confidence, calmness and fairness. Bearing in mind that a dog will read our body language as much if not more than listening to our voice, this has to be applied to all aspects of our behaviour including our stance, actions and visual commands. In short, we have to earn their respect as leader before we can expect them to do as we ask. This shines a whole new light on training as it is us, the dog owners, who are on trial throughout the process. It is when such leadership is missing in a dog’s life that he becomes disorientated and starts to make up his own rules leading to inevitable “behavioural issues’.
- The way in which we interact with our dog will determine his behaviour. For example, if we act in an excited manner, our dog will become highly excited; whereas if we are completely calm, our dog should remain calm. Of course, this is not always the case, but if our dog rushes to greet us in an over-excited manner, we can still train him to remain calm by consistently ignoring him until he has calmed down; eventually he will get the message and approach in a calm way.
OK, enough of the lecture! Suffice to say that Rosemary and I have tried to project a suitable leadership style to Mickey and Millie, concentrating on being calm and consistent with them. Strangely, they don’t seem to care about pack theory and dominance and all those issues that the theorists get so tied up about. But they do want to be led and they look to me for food, walks and games all of which I supply on my own terms. That then is the basis of my training and through this approach Mickey has come a very long way in the nine months he has been with us. He now greets us calmly and is generally calm around the house. He is still liable to become over-excited when he is out but even here he has improved greatly. Millie, who only came to live with us two months ago, has still a long way to go but she is showing clear signs of progress in her training.
The one area where progress has seemed slow to non-existent is in their pulling on the lead when out on a walk. Both dogs walk to heel at their obedience class, round the garden and in the house. But as soon as they decide that this is a walk and not an exercise, nothing will stop them. I’ve tried a Halti, a Canny Collar, a ‘jingling bell’ and various other ‘magic cures’ and training aids but they either did not work or were only effective whilst they were being used and did not bring about a basic change in behaviour. Back on the collar and lead, both dogs ‘pulled for England’ again.
In desperation I retuned to the training manuals and books and eventually discovered a book by a trainer called Dima Yeremenko. Dima was brought up in the Ukraine and achieved spectacular results in his home country before moving to London at the break-up of the Soviet Union. He now runs a training school in North London, which has achieved a very good reputation in dog training circles. His premise is simple – ‘handfeeding‘. Instead of feeding your dog from his bowl, you train him at each mealtime by rewarding him for positive behaviours with small quantities of his food, fed from your hand. Dima suggests a programme of exercises and tricks to teach your dog for the duration of the régime, which can be as little as two to three weeks (although he suggests that this may need to be reinforced by occasional returns to the régime). His programme involves a whole range of exercises and tricks for your dog to perform. My requirement was much more simple – walking to heel.
I feed Mickey and Millie on kibble – about one third of their daily amount in the morning and two thirds in the evening. I decided on a limited initial trial, replacing their morning meal with a handfeeding régime but feeding them their evening meal as normal. My theory was that I could extend the handfeeding régime to their evening meals if I felt it would be more effective.
They day before I was due to start the new régime I experimented by using handfuls of food to attract their attention and to move them to the right and to the left, then round in a circle, as described in Dima’s book. Then the next day I took Mickey for a short road walk, rewarding him for walking to heel, waiting and sitting when instructed. On my return I did the same with Millie. I repeated this for three days with distinct success. On day four, I took both dogs together. Initially it seemed as though I had returned to ‘square one’ but I extended the walk and by the time I returned home they were walking well together without pulling on their leads, although needing frequent reminders about walking to heel.
After two weeks, they are walking each day with fewer reminders to heel and our walks have extended to include favourite old haunts with all their added distractions, such as the ‘Gallops’ where the local racehorses train and even fields with cattle and sheep – all without pulling. It has become the joy to walk them that I had previously only dreamed about. We are not completely there yet but well on the way and the morning “breakfast walk” has become an everyday feature that I may well continue as the dogs love it.
Never mind all the theories, in the end it was an entirely practical approach that worked. Thank you Dima,
