Helping your dog become the best
friend he can be
"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
- 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
What you will NOT find at Diamonds in the Ruff:
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!
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Our training philosophy is supported by the American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior and the American Animal Hospital Association. |
"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.
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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
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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 PennsylvaniaExcellent 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.DHow 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)
