|
Helping your dog become the best
friend he can be

Our
Mission
"If
there's anything I learned from you guys
it's the importance of being the perfect family for your dog,
not just finding the perfect dog for your family."
- Janine McCarthy
What you will NOT find at Diamonds in the Ruff:
-
No forcing
- No
jerking, no shoving, no pinching
- No
chains, no shocks
- No
dominance, no intimidation
- No
do it or else
- No
show 'em who's boss or catch 'em in the act
|
Train
Positively.
Learn
how to build cooperation instead of resistance.
Become a trainer who chooses thoughtfulness over anger, and put your
energy into focusing on solutions over reactions.
You
can create a reliable, willing and compliant training partner who loves
working with you using reward based training.
This
doesn't mean that if your dog does something that you don't want, that
you won't interrupt and redirect him. What it does mean is that your
primary focus will be teaching your dog what you want him to
do, first and foremost. Your job is not to lie in wait watching for
behavior to stamp out, but to proactively shape the well-behaved dog
you want him to become.
"To me, as a
behavioral biologist, the most useful and wonderful
aspect of reinforcement training is the window that
the training opens into the animal's mind." -
Karen Pryor
Dog
training is all about forming a cooperative relationship with your dog.
Willing, eager, compliant, smart, mannerly.
Listens and follows directions! A dog who is polite, easy to live with
and fun to take everywhere with you.
Our
goal is to teach your dog how to listen and follow directions from the
whole family using reward-based methods that do not rely on physical
strength or intimidation.
Our
primary goal at Diamonds in the Ruff is to give you the tools to build
communication and a satisfying relationship
built on mutual respect and trust between you and your dog through kind
and gentle training. We will show you how
to understand your dog, how to teach your dog to understand you,
and how to fit training into your busy schedule. Above all, training
should be FUN and build confidence!

"To be in anyway affiliated with the Pet Professional
Guild all
members must adhere to a strict code of conduct. Pet Guild members,
affiliates & sponsors understand Force-Free to mean, no shock,
no pain, no fear, no physical force, no physical molding, no
compulsion based methods are employed to train or care for a pet."
"First,
do no harm"
What
kind of relationship do you want with your dog?
Subservient and obedient?
You can make your dog do what you say - or else - where commands are
issued as ultimatums or warnings. Do it, now, or risk an unpleasant
consequence. Your dog will appear "calm and submissive" because
he is afraid to do anything else. If force training is the kind of training
you are looking for, you won't find it at Diamonds in the Ruff. But
if you want to build a great relationship with your dog through fun,
positive training, we hope you'll come train with us!
"No
force, just fun!"
- Angelica Steinker, Courteous Canine
Diamonds in the Ruff uses
compassionate and non-violent methods.
We
do not "dominate" dogs into "submission"
- The myth of "being alpha like wolves" is based on
false studies of captive, unrelated adolescent wolves back in the 1940's.
Wolves don't operate via "leadership" but by mating pairs
- parents who raise their young until they are mature enough to move
on and start their own families. Just like humans. You are your dog's
parental figure. Loving, fair and providing consistent boundaries -
a teacher, not a ruler.
"We know
that the best parents are those who are unconditionally loving and who
do have boundaries, but who do not hit their children or cause pain
or anxiety as a means of discipline. Since we now know that dogs organize
themselves socially very similarly to human families, it would seem
pretty sensible that we would adopt similar strategies in terms of providing
love and caring without condition, using management and training to
show the dogs how we want them to live with us, and always refraining
from anything that involves hitting or causing fear, pain, or anxiety
.... It's all about finding the most humane ways that really work to
solve problems and create mutually satisfying relationships!" -
Rise Van Fleet
These
are not "show 'em who's boss" or "catch 'em in the act"
classes. Nothing that we teach will harm your dog or the relationship
you have with your dog. Our methods are based on the scientific principles
of learning theory, using operant techniques that are both effective
and humane.
Dr
Rachel Casey, Senior Lecturer in Companion Animal Behaviour and Welfare
at Bristol University, said: “The blanket assumption that every dog
is motivated by some innate desire to control people and other dogs
is frankly ridiculous. It hugely underestimates the complex communicative
and learning abilities of dogs. It also leads to the use of coercive
training techniques, which compromise welfare, and actually cause problem
behaviours.
"Training
that is brain based, not pain based."
........- Suezanne
Law, Sympawtico Dog Training

Photo
of "Fez" courtesy of LeeAnn
Heringer
Catch
'em doing something good!
We
are training our dogs every instant that we are with them, but we seldom
use this knowledge to our advantage. Without realizing it, you and visitors
to your home may be teaching your dog to jump on you and run away when
called. The environment also trains our dogs - an unattended cookie
rewards the dog for counter surfing, a gate left open and free access
to the neighbor's yard rewards the dog for escape. Practicing
any behavior, wanted or unwanted, makes that behavior stronger.
The
basics of learning theory:
Behavior
is driven by its consequences.
Reinforced behavior becomes stronger - unreinforced behavior weakens
|
If a behavior is strong, there is something fueling it.
We often don't stop to consider what is rewarding the behavior.
For example, dog jumps on the owner, owner yells and pushes the dog
off. Dog jumps up again. Why? The dog wanted attention. The owner was
ignoring the dog, so the dog makes contact. The owner 'rewards' the
dog by talking to it and touching it - yelling and pushing, but it's
still attention! The behavior is repeated and soon becomes a habit.
By withholding the reward (attention), turning away, and ONLY talking
to and touching the dog when it has four on the floor, the behavior
of jumping is soon replaced by four on the floor behavior - because
THAT is the behavior that is working for the dog. Identify what is driving
the unwanted behavior and take away the fuel, the unwanted behavior
will run out of gas. Substitute a sit for attention and you have installed
a better way for the dog to get what it wants, by doing what you want!

Puppy class student lures her pup into
a down.
We
use motivation and reward.
You will use treats, toys, and all of the fun things in life to get your
dog to want to listen and work for you. These are rewards,
not bribes, and you won't have to use treats forever. Eventually, you
can reward randomly and praise often, and the dog will still respond to
the cue. Your rewards will be real life rewards.
The
stages of training
- Ian Dunbar, PhD:
- Teach
The Dog What We Want Him To Do
- Teach
The Dog To Want To Do What We Want Him To Do
- Enforce
Compliance Without Fear Or Force
- Refine
Performance Precision And Pizzazz
- Protect
Performance Reliability And Precision
|
|
HERE IN THIS HOUSE ...
Here in
this house...
I will never
know the loneliness I hear in the barks of the other dogs 'out
there'.
I can sleep soundly, assured that when I wake my world will not
have changed.
I will never know hunger, or the fear of not knowing if I'll eat.
I will not shiver in the cold, or grow weary from the heat.
I will feel the sun's heat, and the rain's coolness, and be allowed
to smell all that can reach my nose.
My fur will shine, and never be dirty or matted.
Here in
this house...
There will be an effort to communicate with me on my level.
I will be talked to and, even if I don't understand, I can enjoy
the warmth of the words.
I will be given a name so that I may know who I am among many.
My name will be used in joy, and I will love the sound of it!
Here in
this house...
I will never
be a substitute for anything I am not.
I will never be used to improve peoples' images of themselves.
I will be loved because I am who I am, not someone's idea of who
I should be.
I will never suffer for someone's anger, impatience, or stupidity.
I will be taught all the things I need to know to be loved by
all.
If I do not learn my lessons well, they will look to my teacher
for blame.
Here in
this house...
I can trust
arms that hold, hands that touch... knowing that, no matter what
they do, they do it for the good of me.
If I am ill, I will be doctored. If scared, I will be calmed.
If sad, I will be cheered.
No matter what I look like, I will be considered beautiful and
known to be of value.
I will never be cast out because I am too old, too ill, too unruly,
or not cute enough.
My life is a responsibility, and not an afterthought.
I will learn that humans can almost, sometimes, be as kind and
as fair as dogs.
Here in this house...
I will belong.
I will be home.
|

"I always ask myself if I would allow a method to be done
to myself if it were not being explained to me. I also ask if
I would be willing to do this to a small child or my grandmother.
If
the answer is "no" to any of those, then I should not
be doing it to a dog."
-
Jessica Janowski
www.puppyplease.com
"I Don't Whisper, I Translate!"
|
|

"Today's
enlightened dog owner seeks a relationship with her canine companion
based on mutual love, respect and cooperation, not coercion and
intimidation.
Good training no longer blames owners for their dogs' foibles,
but instead focuses on understanding how dogs think and learn,
working through behavior challenges with methods that are based
on the scientific principles of behavior and learning rather than
myth and old wives' tales.
Welcome to the new era of dog training, where humans and dogs
are partners in life and learning, rather than masters and slaves."
- Pat Miller
What
is Progressive Reinforcement Training?
|
Great
articles:
Check out this great
article by Kathy Sdao called "Organic
Training"
You
Tube video of Ian Dunbar on Dog-friendly dog training - and the
abuse of "dominance" training.
Physical
confrontation or shaping behavior? Use
brain not braun. (A great video on overcoming problems with nail
trimming.) The
dangers of physical confrontation - in the end, it's the dog that
loses.
The
wolf pack - the problem
with dominance theory
A video
from Wolf Park in Indiana shows that submissive behavior is OFFERED
not forced.
More
about dominance theory - early wolf studies seriously flawed.
Wolf
Pack/Dominance Myth - A great article by Joan Orr with links to
clarifications on views about dominance hierarchy in wolf studies.
Comment on van Kerkhove’s “Wolf-Pack
Theory” John C. Wright, Applied Animal Behaviorist Mercer University
Dominance: The "Dirty"
Word by Lore I. Haug, DVM, MS, DACVB, CPDT, CABC
The Dominance Controversy
and Cesar Milan - Dr. Sophia Yin, DVM
Using
'Dominance' to Explain Behavior is Old Hat - Science Daily, May
25, 2009
Questions
About Aversive Training - Tim Hyland, University of Pennsylvania
The
problem with punishment.
Excellent article
by Dr. Ian Dunbar - human in fur suit? wolf in dog's clothing? "Why
Can't a Dog Be More Like a Dog?"
The power of positive training - with
sharks!
Would
you like to apply the training philosophy you've learned with your puppy
to the raising of your children? Check
out this excellent online parenting group!
Clicker
Training Has Made Me a Better Parent - by Morgan Spector
Interesting article:
Ethics
for Animal Trainers by Mary Burch, Ph.D & Jon Bailey, Ph.D
How
positive training affects how we approach all facets of life:
A Transformation
Devoutly to be Wished:
What we are beginning to discover from the clicker training revolution,
by Karen Pryor. (Reprinted from the Latham Letter, Spring 2000)
|