Dog Training & Dog Trainers.
Reader Opinions...
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POST 1: Anonymous
From the "10 Commandments for a Responsible Pet Owner"
Don't be angry with me for long, and don't lock me up as punishment.
You have your work, your friends, your entertainment. I HAVE ONLY YOU.
Post 2: Anonymous
If you have a male and female human, and your male human
keeps chasing the milk man, the milk man is probably the baby's daddy
Post 3: Anonymous
hahaha, i like it. good point. you could follow up on the
buying a kid for a puppy joke with not kicking the human out in the
wilderness when the puppy gets tired of him.
Post 4: Anonymous
"A good way to test a human for temperment, is to takes it's
money or ..."
I suggest you correct the spelling of "temperment" ("temperament") and
"it's" ("its") - yes really, the possessive form of "it" is "its" -
just like his and hers are not "hi's" nor "her's"
Post 5: Illiterate Webmaster
Thank you poster #4 :-)
Post 6: Anonymous
in my opionin
keep the human outside of the house, once they are in they think they
are the boss and sit at the table and teach you commands like sit and
stay.
Post 7: Peter D.
* You should have your human fixed, even if it's a purebred human.
There are too many humans, and our big cities are over populated with them
to the point where we are unable to feed and shelter all of them.
REPLY: HANG ON! IS THIS NOT AGAINST YOUR OWN POLICY?? YOU STATE ALL
DOGS SHOULD BE FIXED UNTIL ALL UNWANTED DOGS FIND A HOME. DO YOU REALLY
KNOW WHAT YOU'RE FIGHTING FOR HERE? YOU SEEM RATHER CONFUSED.
* If your human talks to much, we suggest using a shock collar.
REPLY: I TEND TO AGREE HERE. CRUEL TREATMENT DOESN'T MAKE A HAPPY
PUPPY. THERE ARE OTHER, MORE HUMAN WAYS TO COMBAT EXCESSIVE BARKING.
* If you must breed your human, even though we do not believe there are
any good reasons for breeding humans, at least do genetic screening to
help insure your human is a healthy one that conforms to breed
standards.
REPLY: NOT BEING A BREEDER, IT'S HARD TO COMMENT. HOWEVER, I BELIEVE
RESPECTED BREEDERS HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN THE BREED.
* Some humans are very hyper and will pull on their leash constantly,
for these extreme cases, we recommend a choker collar.
REPLY: I DO NOT KNOW ANY RESPECTABLE TRAINER STILL RECOMMENDING
CHOKE-CHAINS. THIS IS AN ANTIQUATED VIEW.
* If your human is aggressive and frequently starts fights, please put
a muzzle on it when you take it out in public.
REPLY: IF YOUR DOG IS PROPERLY SOCIALISED AS A PUPPY, THIS SHOULD NOT
BE A PROBLEM. MAYBE THAT'S A REASON FOR BUYING FROM A REPUTABLE BREEDER?
IF YOU'VE ADOPTED A DOG THAT STARTS FIGHTS, HOW ABOUT GIVING
SUGGESTIONS AS TO HOW TO SOCIALISE THEM? THAT WOULD HELP MORE THAN CRITICISM.
* You should feed your human something better than purina human chow.
REPLY: NOTE SURE WHAT YOU'RE GETTING AT HERE. ARE YOU SAYING WE SHOULD
FEED THEM HUMAN FOOD? DOGS HAVE SIGNIFICANTLY LESS TASTE BUDS THAN
HUMANS. THEY RECOGNISE FOOD MORE BY CONSISTANCY AND ALSO HAVE SPECIAL
DIETARY REQUIREMENTS. A PROPER, BALANCED DIET LEADS TO A HEALTHIER,
LONG-LIVING DOG.
* If your human is sick, you should not put it down just because you
can't afford the cost of surgery. You should re-arrange your budget or
mortgage your dog house.
REPLY: SUGGEST RESPONSIBLE OWNERS TAKE OUT PET INSURANCE FOR SUCH
UNEXPECTED ILLNESSES OR ACCIDENT. THE RSPCA WEBSITE IS ONLY ONE OF MANY THAT
CAN OFFER SUCH COVER. http://www.rspca.org.au
* Don't buy a human for your puppy just to teach it responsibility.
REPLY: DON'T EXPECT A CHILD TO TAKE RESPONSIBLY FOR THE PET, THAT'S
TRUE. TAKE RESPONSIBILITY YOURSELF AND HOPE YOUR CHILD TAKES OVER. IF NOT,
YOU'RE IT! HAVING HAD DOGS IN MY CHILDHOOD MAKES ME LOVE DOGS TODAY. I
MAY NOT HAVE FED THEM OR WALKED THEM AS A KID, BUT I NOW HAVE AN
UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT'S REQUIRED, AND WOULD DO ANYTHING FOR MY DOG TODAY.
* You should always carry "money" treats to reward your human. Humans
love money and will do almost anything for money treats.
REPLY: TREATS ARE THE MOST HUMANE WAY OF TRAINING A PUPPY. WHAT DO YOU
USE? HARSHNESS?
* If your human attacks a dog, it should be put to sleep.
REPLY: AGAIN, SOCIALISATION IS THE KEY HERE. WELL SOCIALISED DOGS DO
NOT ATTACK.
* If you already own a male & a female human, you should be carefull
about getting a third human. Two males will often fight very aggressively
for the attention of the female, and two females will often do the same
over a male human.
REPLY: AGAIN, PROPER SOCIALISATION. DOGS ALSO HAVE RAW INSTINCT, SO
DE-SEXING SHOULD BE A CONSIDERATION IN THIS SITUATION. THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE
GUNNING FOR HERE ANYWAY, ISN'T IT? MAYBE YOU'RE STILL CONFUSED.
* A good way to test a human for temperament, is to takes its money or
food away from it to see if it reacts aggressively.
REPLY: SO TESTING A DOGS TEMPERAMENT IS WRONG, WHY? I MISS YOUR POINT.
* Some humans have a bad habit of peeing in the water bowl, if your
human continuously goes to the bathroom in the house, we suggest you chain
it outside.
REPLY: IF YOUR DOG GOES TO THE BATHROOM IN THE HOUSE AFTER EARLY PUPPY
STAGE, THEN YOU ARE DOING SOMETHING WRONG, NOT YOUR DOG. CHAINING THEM
UP WON'T HELP, SO THERE IS SOME (MINOR) TRUTH TO YOUR ARGUMENT HERE.
GOOD LUCK IN YOU'RE PLIGHT TO FIND UNWANTED DOGS A HOME. THAT I AGREE
WITH.
Post 8: Webmaster
Peter D., Because I appreciate the fact that you took so much of your time to post your opinions to some of the comments in our opinions section, I felt compelled to leave you some sort of response to clear up your confusion about the dog training tips page. The page was not written with the intention of being some sort of training guide, it's intention was to simply make people think about the way many people view and treat dogs. For example, we don't really believe people should use choke chains. One of the ideas that comment is intended to spark, is that if something should not be done to a human, then maybe it should not be done to a dog.
This article was also intended to be funny in a way. The reason for this is that online, people tend to pass along off-the-wall or funny things to their friends and family. This is called "viral marketing" among webmasters and can often result in a webpage getting 10,000 - 100,000 visitors (and more) a day, just from people passing a page on to their friends.
As a side note, this website is only about a month old and continues to grow in traffic. We currently get over 3,500 visitors a day. 95% of those visitors find us in a search engine by using a search term or phrase that includes the words "buy or sell" in conjunction with "puppy or dog". That means that 95% of our visitors are looking for somewhere they can buy a dog, or somewhere that sells dogs (same thing, I know). I did some statistical analysis on the "stats" for this site and found that 85% of our visitors follow one of the links to an adoption or rescue agency. This means that this site is catching the attention of over 2,000 people a day that are looking to buy a dog, and causing them to at least consider and look into adopting one instead.
That's what we really care about, making a difference.
Thanks again for taking the time to leave your polite and respectful comments, best wishes.
Post 9: Peter D.
Webmaster
Thank you for your reply. For the record, I too found you by looking
for Dog Rescue Websites. I came here from a link posted on
www.thevetshed.com.
It wasn't, however, until after I posted my opinions I realised you
were US based, whereas I live in Australia.
I currently own a pure-bred puppy, and will defend my right to choose
and buy a pure-bred. Notwithstanding the bond since formed between my
boy and myself, if I had my time over again, I would still choose a
pure-bred dog of the same breed.
My pup's only young at the moment, but once he's older and
well-trained, I plan to get him a playmate. We go to an off-leash dog park daily.
He is highly social and simply loves playing with other dogs. He also
suffers from separation anxiety, so any time alone becomes unpleasant for
him.
My plan has always been to consult a rescue agency for my second dog. I
have since seen many rescued dogs at the park each day and they are all
beautiful, loving and playful. This only emphasises my desire to rescue
a death-row dog in about 12 months time.
I hope you are able to make a difference when it comes to giving
loving, yet unwanted, dogs a new home. I just don't believe running down
others is the best way to convey your message. Your argument should stand
on its own merits alone; otherwise you simply confuse the issue at hand.
That aside, I wish you the best of luck with this and your future
endeavours.
Kind regards, Peter
Post 10: Webmaster
Hi again Peter. Just thought I would take a moment to "set the record straight" in regards to your comment about running down others to convey my message.
I do not bring up the subject of dog adoption to the people I encounter in my day to day life, actually, I hardly ever talk about the subject and I certainly don't "run down others" to convey my message like a religous zealot. I am a webmaster, my other half mentioned that I should make a website that would be found by people looking to buy a dog, and then instead of providing information about where people could buy a dog, provide information about where they could adopt one. We are big animal lovers and we are big on adoption and rescue dogs and we don't believe in breeding animals for money.
I decided to spend a little of my time and talent to see if I could make a difference and "help the homeless" dogs.
The mission of this site is to help the dogs, and I have found it very interesting to see the amount of criticism this site gets.
Post 11: Anonymous
After reading some of the other comments I am concerned that
those who chose to comment have for the most part over looked that the
list of "tips" was intended to be irony and not to be taken so
seriously. It is interesting to look at training from the canine perspective
but honestly, I belive most dog owner like myself (I am proud to own my
one-year-old Golden Retriever Sadie)love their animals and do the best
they can to train them so that they and thier owners are happy and
healthy. Dogs must learn to live in a human world but I think their species
specific behavior should be respected and humans should adapt as much
as possible to their canine friends (since we are the ones with most of
the options). Dogs are wonderful conpanions and I just hope I can be a
good friend to my dog.
Post 12: Webmaster
Post number 11 makes an excellent point. I believe the fact that the irony has been lost on so many, illustrates the point that the overall opinions of society regarding the ways dogs should be treated... needs some improvement.
Post 13: Anonymous
It's a good idea to try and socialize your human. Although
they will often engage in embarassing behavior such as shaking hands,
remember that this is normal human behavior and the best thing to do is
to distract them.
Post 14: Anonymous
If you get tired of your human, or you accidently allow it to
breed, simply place it and its offspring on the side of a busy highway.
Convince yourself that some sympathetic sap will happen along, pick
them all up and give them a loving home.
Post 15: Anonymous
I think that a dog is like a child.
They should be treated with the most love and respect that you have to
offer. if you don't feel that you can give this love to an animal you
shouldn't choose to have one. It breaks my heart to see a dog chained
outside when my dog lives inside and gets as much love and attention as
my three month old baby. He is like my baby too. Animals should be
bought to love not to abuse!
Post 16: Anonymous
MY OPINION ON THIS TOPIC IS SIMPLE TREAT YOUR DOG AS A MEMBER
OF YOUR FAMILY. TREAT YOUR ANIMALS LIKE YOU WOULD TREAT YOUR CHILDREN
WITH GUIDANCE AND LOVE. I PERSONALLY DO NOT AGREE WITH THE USE OF BARK
COLLARS, CHOKER CHAINS OR OTHER DEVICES TO TRAIN YOUR ANIMAL . I HAVE
SEEN PERSONALLY WHAT DAMAGE THESE DEVICES CAN DO TO THE ANIMAL. WE ARE
ALL CREATURES OF GOD AND SHOULD BE TREATED WITH RESPECT AND LOVE.
THATS MY OPINION. THANK YOU.
Post 17: Anonymous
It amazes me that so few people were able to read the above
and just simply laugh. It's supposed to be funny, folks. Yes, it's
also supposed to make you think, but, really folks, it's tongue-in-cheek.
The only part of it that bugs me is the inclusion about "at least do
genetic screening to help insure your human is a healthy one that
conforms to breed standards." Genetic screening has nothing to do with breed
standards. It does have everything to do with making sure your dogs
don't pass on bad hips, blindness, deafness, etc. I think we can all
agree that that's a positive goal. Humans often do genetic screening
themselves if there is a posibility in their family of passing on a
genetically transmitted disease to their offspring.
Some of the comments engendered by that piece of satire worry me
though. Folks, no, choke collars should NOT be routinely used, but, they do
have their place. Would it be better NOT to use a choke collar and
have an aggressive dog put down? It's a training device, an extreme one
to be sure, but sometimes necessary.
Bark collars? Do you use them on every dog? No. But, if you have an
incessant barker and you're getting tickets other day, isn't it better
for the dog to get a spray of a harmless substance in its face when it
barks incessantly? Or is it better to rid of it, have it debarked, or
put it down? (I agree that the "zap" collars should not be used.)
I can't tell you how many people I encounter who say their dog is like
their child and that same dog is either ill mannered or ill tempered
because their "mommy and daddy" didn't know how to take their proper
place in the pack and do what needed to be done to instill proper training.
(Of course, the children of some of these people aren't much better,
but I digress.)
Just the other day I had a dog jumping up on me and its owner was
standing there saying, "It's okay, he doesn't bite." I wasn't concerned
about it biting at the time, I was concerned about the fact that it was
jumping all over me and its owner thought that that was okay because it
wasn't being what he considered "aggressive." Then, when I kneed the
dog in the chest to get it off me, the owner freaked out about me
"hitting" his dog. Go figure.
Dogs are dogs. They should NOT be treated like little humans unless
you want to have a badly socialized, badly behaved animal. YOU chose to
have this animal in your life, YOU need to take on the new role, not
it. You have taken on the role as "leader of the pack" and you need to
do so in a way that your dog can understand.
An example: Puppy is chewing on your shoe. Do you scold puppy, tell
it it's bad and let it know you're angry with it? Ignore it for the
next hour because it had been "bad"? No, you act like the pack leader and
let the puppy know with a sharp NO that the shoe is not his and then
IMMEDIATELY put one of its chew toys in his mouth and praise it. End of
issue.
Dogs don't hold grudges. They don't punish for an hour an infraction
that lasted a second. In fact, they don't punish for an hour an
infraction that lasted for a week. They correct and go on.
How about the puppy that runs when you call it? Do you punish it for
not listening when you finally catch it? What does that teach? That
teaches the puppy that it should NOT come to you, because when it does
it's going to be punished! Not exactly the way to get puppy to come when
called!
How about when puppy piddles in the house? Do you rub his nose in it?
Swat him with a newspaper? Do you scold him and take him outside? Or,
do you quietly clean up the mess and watch him more carefully? Bonus
points to those of you who picked the last one. The first three will
get puppy to hide from you when he's got to piddle because piddling makes
you mad. The failure here was NOT the puppy's, it was yours. You
didn't get the pup out often enough, you weren't watching it well enough to
prevent the accident. If you'd been watching you could have grabbed up
the puppy, rushed it outside where it would have piddled and you could
have praised it. Thereby teaching it that piddling is something you
like when he does it outside. So, because it likes being praised, it'll
start letting you know when it has to piddle so you can come watch and
be happy.
But, this is generally not how we train our children, not to mention
the fact that the skills we teach them are different. The human mind
works differently from the canine mind. Don't treat your dogs like your
little children, treat your dogs like dogs and YOU modify YOUR behavior
to act in a way they understand.
There are so many dogs put down every year because of aggression,
because they're ill-mannered and ill behaved or because they don't manage to
master going potty outside. None of these things are failures of the
dogs. They are failures of the owners.
Usually the owners got a cute little puppy and wanted to treat it like
their little child. They let the little puppy nibble on their fingers
because it really doesn't hurt and it's sooo cute, just like they'd let
the baby gum on their knuckle. But, the puppy doesn't understand human
rules, you have to train it as a dog and in that example YOU just
trained it that it's okay to bite people. YOU have to change, you have to
look at what you're teaching it from the dog's point of view. You say,
NO bite! and put a suitable substitute in the pup's mouth -- such as a
rubber bone -- and then make a little fuss, YES! Chew your bone! Good
dog!
My dogs are some of the most important things in my life and my family,
but they are not my little children. They are my dogs. I think
they're much happier being dogs, they already know how to do that, they just
had to learn the rules of their new pack.
Post 18: Anonymous
I personally found humor in this site. I did not take it
literally, but looked at it from the perspective that people will do some
crazy things to animals in the attempt to control them and make them
mind. I recently took in a pit bull puppy from a neighbor who kept it in a
crate in a closet all day so his landlord wouldn't find out he had the
dog. I can see every bone in the dogs body and he desperately seeks
love and affection. He has not really been socialized and needs guidance.
In the 6 days I have had him I have fed him well and am watching him
fill out already and have been able to teach him many new things with
coaxing, a stern voice and praise when he has done well. He came with a
choke collar, we went to the store and bought a regular collar, he came
neglected and abused, I give him love. All dogs deserve love and just
becuase this puppy has had a rough start and may not be well trained at
the moment doesn't mean that he is to be discarded or treated as
anything less than another living creature. He has suffered a broken leg, lack
of food and water and love in the first 5 or 6 months of his life, but
I can promise you that the rest of his life will make up for it in any
way possible.
I applaud any person who will take time out of their own busy human
life to promote adoption of mistreated and discarded animals, two thumbs
way up to the webmaster! I thank you for that from the bottom of my
heart. I have been an animal lover my whole life and have given a home to
many a discarded animal over the years, dogs, cats, even a duck. There
is nothing special about my home or me, just the love I have for God's
creatures.
I also have 4 cats, one was rescued from an apartment complex parking
lot where he was thrown out with his sister in the winter because the
owners didn't keep their mom in the house when she was in heat and were
unprepared for kittens. The sister now lives with a friend of the family
and 2 of my other cats are a result of bad timing on my part of not
getting the cats rescued from the complex spayed and neutered in time and
I myself ended up with an unexpected litter of kittens. I have 2 of the
babies, a friend has another and another friend took 2 of them and all
are given the love they deserve regardless of the fact they were an
unexpected addition to my household at the time of their birth. My fourth
cat was found living under my back porch a few months ago in the snow
crying her little heart out. She is now fat, healthy and free to play
with as many walnuts as she wants to steal from the bowl on my table, her
favorite past time. I love all animals and am so glad that there are
rescue and adoption places out there who will give them a chance to live
despite the time and money that it may cost to treat them while they
wait for a new home. I visit the sites of some of those animal rescue
shelters and read the stories and cry my eyes out, if I could I would take
them all!! God gave Adam the responsibility over animals from the very
beginning. Adam had the job of naming all the animals and I am pretty
sure that his responsibility didn't stop there, he was also to care for
them as well.
Post 19: Webmaster
Thank you for the compliments in post 18. For the record, my respect for all life forms is admittedly extreme. Even though I would not have it any other way, "conciousness" can be a real burden and sometimes it seems life would be more simple if I did not care. I am so extreme in my respect for life that even though roaches and spiders give me the "willies", when I find them (or any other animal) in my home, I catch them in a cup and carry them outside and gently place them in the grass away from the house. Most of the spiders in the part of the country I live in seem to be black widows, I treat them just like any bug I find in the house... I carry them outside and place them in the grass.
Post 20: Linda
I, also, was surprised at the number of people who didn't
just laugh!
My big Yellow Lab/Akita, BOO, came in while I was chuckling, and read
the posting. He thought it funny and clever, and didn't take umbrage to
choke collars or other devices mentioned that have been used in the
past by those inept dog owners who try to order "control" and "power over
the dog" when they should love and listen to their dog.
I even thought that Purina human chow was funny, although we all know
that many top brands use questionable ingrediants for the "meat" in
their foods. Maybe that makes it all the more funny (Tongue in cheek) Boo
said, "Rowlf! If they're like me, they'll eat anything!" (Have to tie
down the garbage lids on this boy-but no shock collars for him! If he
wants it that bad, and can get it, I'm missing a cue
Thank you for the good stuff
Linda from Colorado
PS(I also take Black Widows and other creatures outside.)
Post 21: Anonymous
Thank you webmaster for all of your care and concern and
effort to help rescued animals. I found your "flip side opinions" very
funny, and also sad at the same time. It never ceases to amaze me (and
SERIOUSLY) anger me how some people can treat another living creature. The
ignorance is quite stunning, to be honest. I have had animals since I
was 6 months old and my father brought home a 6 week old german
shepherd. We grew up together, and nothing prepared me for her death at 12
years old. It was like losing a sister. Obviously I am an animal lover, and
I have been rescuing, well I guess since I was old enough to
understand (8 or 9 years old). Although I love purebred dogs and cats and
horses, I have never purchased one. One day I would very much like to
purchase a german shepherd, but there are so many animals that need homes and
rescuing and rehabilitating, that I just can't. I watch neighbors breed
and sell, and I try to educate them, to no avail. Yes there should
always be purebred dogs, but breeding and selling as so many people do
today, just for the money, is wrong. Do you know how many breeders "use
up" their dogs for money, neglect them, and when they are no longer
useful for money making, dump them? I suggest you do an online search of ANY
breed rescue, call or email them and ask them. I know because I have,
and they are full of dumped purebreds. So are the shelters. Ever wonder
why? Greed, pure and simple. And man's arrogant selfishness, and lack
of humanity. You see, the thing that is supposed to seperate us from
the animals is that we are able to reason, and therefore to then not do
the ignorant and cruel things that are considered "barbarian". But
apparently much of the human race lacks that ability, and thinks only of
their own desires. Did you know it is estimated that 10-12 million dogs
and cats are euthanized in this country every year? And that a very high
percentage (70% or more) are actually adoptable? I applaud you
webmaster for your posting, although I doubt you expected !
such a c
ontroversial response, huh?! The more we talk about it though, the
closer we can come to a solution. Part of that solution most definitely is
adopting and rescuing and being willing to put in the time and effort
for these poor animals who through no fault of their own were
unfortunate enough to be born to "inhumane" and selfish people. Funny how the
spelling of "human" and "humane" is so similar, and yet there is often
where the similarity ends.