I was watching the new reality show Americas Greatest Dog staring "celebrity dog trainer" Victoria Stilwell as a "judge". I heard some of the worst dog training advice ever to leave a professional trainers mouth! Her exact words were "It is better that your dog not do a command than be forced to do it". This is insane advice on so many levels.
First, lets consider what this teaches the dog...if my owner gives a command I only have to do it if I want to. This goes against everything dog training is about. What the majority of today's trainers do not realize is that there are two parts to training. 1) The learning phase - this portion of training allows the dog to learn new concepts. This portion of training should be positive and fun at all times. 2) The proofing phase - During this phase of training we add distractions to the environment and begin to gently correct the dog when he has done something wrong. This is the only way to develop a dog that is reliable in all situations. This is how we teach a dog to make the right decision when a command is given. Allowing a dog to disobey a command is the same as teaching the dog that it is ok not to listen.
It disappoints me to see "celebrity" trainers giving such nonsensical advice. Novice dog owners tune into these shows hoping to learn something about dogs and how to develop the relationship they have with their own dog.
Come on CBS. Find some qualified trainers with real world experience. Writing a book is one thing, actually training a dog is a whole other!
Mic Foster
www.greatdogtrainer.com
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