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Sekarotuiset ja rotukoirat ovat silmissäni aivan yhtä arvokkaita. Teen sen selväksi AINA, kun alan puhua roduntuntemuksesta tai siitä, miten tärkeää on tietää koiransa rotumixistä tarpeeksi. Koira kuin koira on silmissäni maailmankeikkeuden hienoin olento, täydellisin ja uskomattomin asia, jonka tiedän. Törmäsin taannoin ilmoitukseen, jossa etsittiin vinttikoira x voimakoira yhdistelmän nartulle lempeää ison rodun edustajaa sulhaseksi. Tarkoitus oli tehdä yksi pentue omaan ja tuttavien käyttöön. Koiralta oli tutkittu luustoa kiitettävästi, sen suhteen ei siis nokan koputtamista. Ilmoituksen alle ilmestyvien kommenttien kautta oli kuitenkin selvää, ettei aloittajalla ollut juuri minkäänlaista käsitystä siitä, millaisten viettien kanssa hän on tekemisissä ja kuinka tärkeää olisi suunnitella yhdistelmä sen perusteella, millaisia ominaisuuksia koiralla on sen luuston ulkopuolella; vinttikoira x voimakoira kun ei vieteiltään ole välttämättä millään tasolla kannattava yhdistelmä. Kun tähän sekoittaa mitä tahansa "lempeää" ja "isoa" välittämättä tämän yksilön vieteistä ja perimästä ollaan pahimmassa tapauksessa tekemisissä hyvin vaikeiden koirien kanssa. Vai miltä kuulostaisi vierasaggressiivinen, koira-aggressiivinen, itsenäinen, itsepäinen ja voimakkaan riistaviettinen, ohjaajakova ja välinpitämätön koira? No, sopivalta kenties johonkin tilanteeseen, mutta tuskinpa kovinkaan moneen.  Monet vinttikoirat ovat erinomaisia laumakoiria. Se ei kuitenkaan tarkoita, että risteyttämällä ne vaikkapa koira-aggressiiviseen rotuun automaattisesti parannetaan laumaominaisuuksia. Toki niinkin voi käydä, mutta mukana seuraa myös paljon sellaista, jota ei välttämättä kannata lähteä sekoittamaan voimakkaan reaktiivisuuden kanssa. Tunne, ymmärrä, tiedostaKun puhutaan rotumixeistä, joissa rodut ovat selvästi tiedossa, tai kun puhutaan tietyn rotuisista koirista rotutuntemus on ensiarvoisen tärkeää sekä jalostaessa että koiraa kouluttaessa. Vaikka oppiminen toimiikin teoriassa samoilla systeemeillä jokaisen kohdalla, tuloksia saavuttaakseen tulee ymmärtää, mikä ajaa koiraa toimimaan sille ominaisilla tavoilla. Jalostaessa tulee tiedostaa, että koira ei milloinkaan ole kahden vanhempansa keskiarvo, vaan sen käytöksen määrittää sen koko perimä. Mitä enemmän tästä perimästä on tiedossa, sitä helpompi koiran käytöstä on ennakoida ja selittää. Jos kouluttajalta puuttuu laaja rotutuntemus, häneltä puuttuu ymmärrys siitä, miten tietyntyyppiset koirat toimivat. Oli kyseessä sitten ammatikseen kouluttava tai oman koiransa kanssa toimiva ihminen, rotuntemus on yksi äärimmäisen tärkeä osa toimivan lähestymistavan etsimisessä. Minulla on vähän yli kahdenkymmenen vuoden aikana ollut koiria kolmesta FCI-ryhmästä (2,9,10) ja neljästä eri rodusta (villakoira eri kokomuunnoksineen, whippet, afgaaninvinttikoira, presa canario). Mitä voimakkaammat vietit, sitä tärkeämpää on ollut ymmärtää, mikä koiraa ajaa toimimaan sille luonnollisimmalla tavalla. Esimerkkinä edelliseen kappaleeseen; afgaaninvinttikoiran tapauksessa muihin koiriin tai ihmisiin kohdistuva voimakas aggressio olisi asia, joka vaatisi paneutumista, miettimistä ja suunnitelman sen poiskouluttamisesta tai lieventämisestä, sillä kumpikaan ominaisuus ei ole afgaaninvinttikoiralle luonnollinen. Käytöksen takana olisi joko ongelma hermorakenteessa (ominaisuudet olisivat synnynnäisiä), kipu (ominaisuudet alkoivat äkisti tai pahenivat pikkuhiljaa) tai esimerkiksi trauma (ominaisuuksien synnyn taustalla on joku ikävä tapahtuma). Presa canarion kohdalla vierasaggressio on kuitenkin monesti oletusarvo; ominaisuudet ovat koirassa ja heräävät sen lähestyessä aikuisuutta ihan siitä huolimatta, paljonko koiraa sosiaalisti, totutti vieraisiin ja kuljetti mukanaan (toki oikein toteutetulla sosiaalistamisella parantaa koiran mahdollisuuksia hillitä itsensä paremmin jatkossa). Sen kohdalla on tärkeää ymmärtää, että koulutuksen tarkoitus on opettaa koiraa rentoutumaan sekä hallitsemaan viettinsä. Ilman tietämystä rodun ominaisuuksista löytää itsensä helposti tilanteesta, jossa käsittelisi presa canarion vieraaseen kohdistamaa aggressiota afgaaniesimerkin tavoin ongelmakäytöksenä. Miksi niin ei sitten voi tehdä? Koska tällöin aggressiota ei ole osattu ennakoida eikä sitä ole osattu odottaa. Koiraa on kohdeltu kuin mitä tahansa seurakoiraa ja sen on oletettu ja odotettu kasvavan sosiaaliseksi ja avoimeksi. Yllättävä muutos voi pahimmillaan johtaa vakavaan vaaratilanteeseen, jossa muut koirat tai vieraat ihmiset ovat vaarassa loukkaantua. Tämän jälkeen koiran käytöstä pyrittäisiin kenties korjaamaan, jotta se saataisiin uudelleen sosiaaliseksi ja iloiseksi kaikkien kaveriksi, vaikkei siitä koskaan ollut tarkoitus eikä mahdollista kasvaa sellaista. Tästä päästäänkin sujuvasti tai vähemmän sujuvasti seuraavaan kappaleeseen, eli --> Ominaisuudet eivät ole ongelmiaKoiraa ottaessaan, oli koira millainen tahansa, tulisi olla mahdollisimman selvillä siitä, millaisilla ominaisuuksilla varustettua koiraa on kotiinsa päästämässä. Tästä syystä en itse suosittele esimerkiksi rescuekoiraa tai välttämättä edes supermixiä ensimmäiseksi koiraksi, ellei tavalla tai toisella voida varmistua siitä, ettei ensikoiraansa odottava saa sikaa säkissä. Toisaalta, edes koiran taustan tiedostaminen tai sen kuuluminen tiettyyn rotuun ei riitä, jollei olemassaolevaa tietoa halua selvittää. Ikävän monesti törmään koiranomistajiin, jotka ovat jättäneet esillä olevan ja helposti löydettävän tiedon hyödyntämättä syystä tai toisesta. Vinttikoirataustaisten tai podencotaustaisten koirien kanssa tulisi olla jonkinlainen käsitys siitä, millaisia nämä koirat ovat ja mitä niiden kanssa eläessään voi odottaa kohtaavansa. Jos koiran ominaisuudet tulevat yllätyksenä, ne voivat tuntua ongelmallisilta, vaikkeivät ole sellaisia. Esimerkiksi liikkuvan saaliin perään ampaiseminen, välinpitämättömyys, miellyttämishaluttomuus tai esineiden päälle tai niiden yli loikkiminen eivät ole ongelmakäytöstä; ne ovat tämänkaltaisille koirille normaalia viettikäyttäytymistä ja täysin ennakoitavissa - jos vain tajusi osata odottaa sitä. Toinen hyvä esimerkki helposti ongelmaksi koettavasta käytöksestä on aggression ilmentäminen. Aggressio nousee hankalaksi erityisesti silloin, kun sitä ei ole osattu odottaa. Jos käsissä on tiedettävästi tietynlaiseen käytökseen taipuvaisen rodun edustaja, MIKSI rotuominaisuudet niin usein muodostuvat ongelmaksi tai yllätykseksi?  Presa canario ei ole muiden kanssa toimeen tuleva koira. Riippuu toki linjasta, kykeneekö se ollenkaan, vähän tai ei lainkaan olemaan osa laumaa, mutta missään tapauksessa sosiaalisiksi ja toimiviksi laumakoiriksi canarioita ei voi kutsua. Sosiaalinen ja sopeutuva vaikka väkisinNykyinen yhteiskunta rakastaa ekstrovertteja. Avoimia, positiivisia, pärjääviä ja aktiivisia ihmisiä, jotka harrastavat, käyvät urheilemassa ja joilla on hyvä perhe tai vähintäänkin laaja ystäväpiiri, jota he tapaavat usein. Tämä sama ihanne vaivaa (ja valitsen sanan tarkoituksella, koska tästä todellakin on vaivaa monestakin syystä ja monellekin taholle) myös koiramaailmaa. Jokaisen koiran tulisi olla avoin, koirasosiaalinen ja ihmisohjautuva paras kaveri, jonka voi surutta ja helposti ottaa mukaan tilanteeseen kuin tilanteeseen. Koulutuksen tulisi olla tehty ja koiran valmis yksivuotiaana. Hihnakäytöksen tulee olla moitteetonta, luoksetulon takutonta ja varmaa ja perustottelevaisuus on hallittava perusteellisesti. Kaikki tästä poikkeava on huomion arvoista. Koiran tulee olla sosiaalinen ja iloinen, jokaisen koskettavissa ja joko eleetön tai myönteinen jopa vieraita lajikumppaneitaan kohtaan. Jälleen kerran, poikkeus on merkki epäonnistumisesta. Koirat, jotka kehittyvät hitaasti ja jotka eivät ominaisuuksiltaan sovellu muottiin täydellisyydestä vaikka valehdellaan sellaisiksi, jos ei muuten. Kuten isoveljeni kuitenkin härskisti toteaisi; on ihan turha tunkea kahdeksan tuuman paskaa kuuden tuuman putkeen - ei se vaan mahdu. Meillä on aivan valtava määrä koiria, joilla on aivan valtavasti ominaisuuksia, jotka eivät tee niistä supersosiaalisia ja iloisia jokapaikanhöyliä. Ne ovat siitä huolimatta oikeille ihmisille oikeassa ympäristössä erinomaisen mukavia seuralaisia. Ne vahtivat taloa ja henkeä, auttavat metsällä, etsivät kadonneita ja puolustavat karjaa laitumella. Ne varoittavat tunkeilijoista tai osoittavat suunnan. Jokaisesta rodusta ja jokaisesta koiratyypistä löytyy poikkeuksia. Nämä poikkeustapaukset tulisi kuitenkin tiedostaa sellaisiksi eikä niiden ominaisuuksia tule yleistää jokaista rodun edustajaa koskeviksi. Pahimmassa tapauksessa koiran rotuominaisuuksien vähättely johtaa hankaluuksiin, sillä kuten edellä mainittiin, niihin ei osata varautua ja niitä pidetään ongelmina, jotka on mahdollista kitkeä koulutuksella pois. Tunne itsesi ja valitse fiksustiKaikki koirat eivät sovi kaikille. Vaikka kuka sanoisi mitä, tietyt ominaisuudet eivät katoa koirasta kouluttamalla mihinkään. Se voidaan opettaa hallitsemaan viettinsä ja halunsa, mutta perimää ei voi pyyhiä pois. Sitä ei myöskään tarvitse pyyhiä eikä piilottaa. Minulla on itsenäisiä, itsepäisiä rotuja. Ne ottavat aikaa. Kun naapurin labradorinnoutaja kulki hihnassa moitteettomasti yksivuotiaana, minun samanikäinen afgaanini loikki minua vasten, repi vaatteita ja heittäytyi tielle makaamaan. Se oli aivan täysin pentu vielä kolmevuotiaanakin. Jossain kohtaa kolmen ja neljän ikävuoden välillä se kuitenkin äkkiä tasoittui, rauhoittui ja muisti kaiken, mitä sille on opetettu. Se vaati aikaa ja niin muutkin afgaanit usein tekevät. Niitä ei saa lapukoita, eikä se ole ongelma, jollei siitä tee ongelmaa. Tunne itsesi ja valitse koirasi sen perusteella, mihin olet valmis ja mitä haluat. Ole rohkeasti tukena kasvavalle koirallesi. Hyväksy se, että jos poikkeat normista ja ihanteesta sinut ja koirasi sekä koulutuksesi tullaan tuomitsemaan. Jaksa kuitenkin eteenpäin, sillä tietyt ominaisuudet vaativat enemmän aikaa ja tietyt ominaisuudet vaativat enemmän miettimistä. Sinä et ole epäonnistunut, jos koirasi ilmentää sille tyypillisiä ominaisuuksia. Älä silottele, vaan puhu asioista oikeilla nimillä. Osoita tietämyksesi mieluummin tuntemalla ne koirat, joiden kanssa teet työtä kuin pyrkimällä sitkeästi jokaisen mahdollisen koiran kanssa samanlaisiin tuloksiin samanlaisessa ajassa. Ja jos olet koira-alan ammattilainen; tutki ja selvitä kurssillasi olevien rotujen ominaisuudet. Älä oleta, että jokainen koira toimii samoilla keinoilla ja samassa ajassa kuin sinun koirasi, sillä rodulla on väliä ja roduntuntemuksella on väliä. Erotu eduksesi ja ole se ihminen, joka tasapäistämisen sijaan pyrkii löytämään keinot ja ajan myös sille koiralle, joka vaatii enemmän. Ennen kaikkea, älä milloinkaan yritä oikoa kovakouraisesti ja väkivallalla, sillä pitkäaikaiset ja pysyvät ratkaisut vaativat ymmärrystä ja tietotaitoa.  Ymmärrä ja hyväksy koira sellaisena kuin se on. Kaikkia koiria voi kouluttaa, mutta tasapäistäminen ja kaikkien asettaminen samalle viivalle on yleensä vain haitaksi.
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Pori KV, vuotemme kohokohta, on jälleen takana päin. Viime vuonna tapahtuma jäi vallitsevan koronatilanteen takia välistä, joten tänä vuonna EH tuntui suorastaan sertiltä - oli niin mahtavaa olla taas paikalla! Lauantaina olimme kehässä Kermakarkin kanssa, sunnuntaina seurasin näyttelyä turistina. Lumiprinsessan (Kermakarkin) dietti toimi kohtalaisesti, mutta neiti oli edelleen varsin tukeva kehään mennessään. Panin merkille, että monella muullakin vinttikoiralla oli "koronakiloja" (tietynlaista pehmeyttä piirteissä, jos nyt ei oikeasti niitä varsinaisia kiloja). Ymmärtäähän sen toisaalta; itse kukin on joutunut varmasti skippaamaan pari harrastusta ja kenties se superkunnon ylläpitäminen on tehnyt tilaa rennommalle ulkoilulle. Meidän tuomarimme oli Tanya Ahlman-Stockmari ja hänen arvostelunsa on varsin koiran näköinen. En allekirjoita kommenttia turkista, sillä se on täysin rodunomainen, mutta muutoin arvostelussa ei ole huomauttamista. Liikkeiden epätasapaino on harmittavasti meillä tällä hetkellä ongelmana. Vika on eittämättä minussa, sillä lenkillä koira liikkuu kivasti. Handlerin pitää siis harjoitella. Toki taustalla on myös pitkäaikainen jumi lantiossa, mutta sitä on nyt menestyksekkäästi hoidettu jo pari kertaa. Toivottavasti Harjavallan kehään mennessä lukko aukeaa lopullisesti. "Hyvänkokoinen narttu, jolla saisi olla tasapainoisempi yleisvaikutelma erityisesti liikkeessä. Hyvä kallo ja kuono-osan vankkuus. Riittävä eturinta. Tilava runko. Ei tänään parhaassa karvapeitteessä. Olkavarsi saisi olla viistompi. Hyvät, kookkaat käpälät. Liikkuu kapeasti takaa. Vallaton käytös. Avoin häntä. Ryhdikäs."  Kiva kuva by Ida Salonen
Kehistelyn jälkeen vietimme mukavan päivän kaverin teltassa seuraillen päivän muita kehiä ja jutellen niitä näitä. Prinsessa nautiskeli uuden ystävänsä huomiosta ja kampaamopalveluista samalla kun minä vaihdoin oman ystäväni kanssa kuulumisia ja kommentoin kehien kulkua. 
Tuleeko kaikkia voida koskea?Korona-aika on aiheuttanut monelle koiranpennulle arkuutta sosiaalisissa tilanteissa, eikä syyttä; on voinut olla vaikeaa saada koiralle tarpeeksi vieraita ihmis- ja koirakontakteja. Tämä näkyy erityisesti luonnostaan epäsosiaalisten rotujen keskuudessa.
Yleisen käsityksen vastaisesti on kuitenkin olemassa monia rotuja, jotka ihan tavallisinakin vuosina ja aivan tavallisesti sosiaalistettuina kasvavat kavahtamaan vieraan kosketusta tai vieraiden koirien seuraa. Silloin tällöin näyttelyissä törmää siihen, että tuomaria pakoon pinkonut koira onkin yllättäen ERInomainen. Olenpa todistanut sitäkin, miten handlerinsa jalkojen välistä pakoon survonut koira oli lopulta ROP. Joskus tuomari itse valitsee olla koskematta koiraan. Tällöin kyse ei ole koirien ominaisuuksista, ainakaan suoraan, vaan tuomarin omasta valinnasta. Kanariandoggikehän laidalla huomasin, että tuomari ei koskenut koiriin urosten kivesten tarkastamista lukuunottamatta. Handlerit näyttivät koirien hampaat ja tuomari kurkki koiran rakenteen pidempää. Osa koirista näytti siltä, etteivät ne todellakaan olisi sietäneetkään vieraita käsiä itseään lääppimässä, osa taas olisi selvästi ollut asian kanssa "ihan fine". Väitän, että yhtä lukuunottamatta tuomari olisi kuitenkin voinut koskea koiria, kunhan handleri olisi pitänyt koiran pään kurissa ja koiran kontaktissa. Näyttelyiden alkuperäinen tarkoitus oli varmistaa koirien rodunomaisuus. Nykyään vaadimme koirilta harrastusmielessä huomattavasti enemmän kuin mitä näyttelyissä on alun perin ollut tapana. Mainittuun näyttelyiden alkuperäiseen tarkoitukseen vedoten voisi siis perustella, että kaikkia rotuja ei tarvitse voida koskea. Kuitenkin, koiranäyttelyt nykyaikaisessa, modernissa muodossaan ovat harrastus, joka vaatii koiralta tietynlaista (joskus ehkä pakotettuakin) sosiaalisuutta. Sen tulee sietää ihmisvilinää, muiden koirien läsnäoloa ja sitä tuijottavia ja koskevia, vieraita ihmisiä. Itse olen hieman sen kannalla, että näyttelykoiraan tulisi voida koskea rodusta riippumatta, vaikkakin arvostan sitä, että tuomari pitää kosketuksen minimaalisena eikä laita käsiään tai kasvojaan tiedetysti pidättyväisten ja vieraisiin ynseästi suhtautuvien rotujen naamalle. Koiran tulisi kuitenkin kestää lyhytaikainen kosketus joutumatta paniikkiin tai menettämättä hermojaan ja syömättä ketään. Onhan se kuitenkin osallistumassa sosiaaliseen tapahtumaan, jossa toivomuksena on, että sek koiralla että omistajalla on mukavaa. Pidän rotujen omia erikoisnäyttelyitä erinomaisena asiana; tällaisissa katselmuksissa rotutuomari (eli rodun tunteva, mahdollisesti sitä harrastanut/kasvattanut tuomari) ymmärtää rodun ominaisuuksia ja osaa sanoa koirasta siihen koskemattakin enemmän kuin "tavan tuomarit". Kasvattajat saavat koiristaan arvion, jonka perusteella he voivat jatkojalostaa linjaansa. Miksi meidän tulisi erikseen hankkia esimerkiksi vahtikoirarotuiselle työkoiralle muotovalion arvo? Eikö asiantunteva arvio koiran ulkoisesta olemuksesta yhdistettynä terveystutkimuksiin riitä todistamaan koiran rakenteellista arvoa? Mitä te olette mieltä? Tuleeko näyttelyissä hyväksyä, että kaikki eivät ole koskettavissa, vai tuleeko äärimmäisten rotuominaisuuksien arviointi jättää erikoisnäyttelyihin, joissa rodun mahdollisesti epäsosiaalisetominaisuudet ovat tuttuja jokaiselle osallistujalle tuomareista handlereihin? Kuten monet, myös minä halusin nuorempana väellä ja väkisin tehdä kaikesta hankalaa. Tuli tärkeä olo, kun koki tekevänsä vaikeita juttuja ja omistavansa hankalia koiria. Kuitenkin, omistaessani oikeasti vaativia koiria nyt, voin naureskella nuorelle itselleni ja sille raivokkaalle tarmolle, jolla yritin selitellä itselleni poikiani haastavammaksi kuin mitä ne olivat. Kyllä, Kenraalimajuri oli ja on vieläkin haastava koira hermorakenteensa puolesta, mutta noin muuten ei ollenkaan. Haikalanen on aina ollut ihastuttavan rentouttava elämänkumppani. Varsinkin nuorilla koiraharrastajilla on tapana tehdä asioista välillä turhan hankalia. Syyllistyin tähän itsekin, joten voin näin vuosia myöhemmin myöntää sen ja myös todeta näkeväni sitä toisissa. Koiranomistaminen on kilpavarustelua ja haastavan koiran kasvattamisesta voi lisätä sulan mentaaliseen hattuunsa. Niinpä koiraharrastajilla on tapana glorifioida vaikeutta ja hankaluutta ja tehdä ongelmia sinne, missä niitä ei todellisuudessa ole. Tämä on osaltaan tottumattomuutta, osaltaan antaa luvan olla silloin tällöin väsynyt ja lannistunut. Meidän tulisi olla armeliaampia itsellemme ja ymmärtää, että helponkin koiran kanssa on välillä vähän raskasta. Joskus on lupa todeta, että se vähäkin on tänään liikaa ja istua koko päivä katsomassa telkkaria ja syömässä lohturuokaa, kunhan koiran perustarpeista huolehditaan ja lusmuilu ei tule tavaksi. Haastavuuden ihannointi johtaa helposti siihen, että hankitaan liian vaikeita koiria. Tämä voi osaltaan kannustaa käyttämään kyseenalaisia koulutusmetodeita, kun oma taitotaso ei yksinkertaisesti riitä. Helposti käy myös niin, ettei niistä mutkattomista arjen kavereista ja niiden kouluttamisesta tajua ottaa itselleen krediittiä, vaikka ehdottomasti pitäisi! Oli koira miten mutkaton tahansa, jokainen hyvin käyttäytyvä koira on kouluttaneelle syystäkin ilon, onnen ja ylpeyden aihe. Myös sillä helpolla koiralla voi olla tai sille voi kehittyä ongelma, ja se taas ei tarkoita automaattisesti sitä, että kouluttaja on surkimus. Takana voi olla vaikkapa trauma. Hyvin käyttäytyvästä koirasta saa ja siitä pitää olla ylpeä, oli sen rotu mikä tahansa. Vaivaton, helposti arjen rutiinit ja tavat oppiva koira tulisi nostaa arvostuksessa korkeammalle kuin missä se on nyt. Sen kanssa pääsee nopeasti nauttimaan siitä, mitä koiranomistaminen on parhaimmillaan!  Karem on aina ollut lupsakka, iloinen, touhukas ja ystävällinen otus, johon voi luottaa ja jonka kanssa voi nauttia koiranomistamisen parhaista puolista. Toki onhan se ollut onnettomuusaltis ja remmirähinäongelmankin kanssa painittiin parin koirahyökkäyksen jälkeen. Sujuvaa ja stressitöntäHaikalasen kanssa lenkkeily on sitä, mitä koiran kanssa ulkoileminen voi parhaimmillaan olla. Joskus Haikalanen voi pelästyä vastaantulevia, mutta jos tilanteet ennakoi ja pysyy itse rauhallisena, myös Haikalanen selviää ohituksesta nopeasti. Se ei vedä, muttei jumita. Se menee tasaista tahtia hihnanmitan edellä, kiskomatta, nuuhkii silloin tällöin ja tekee asiansa, muttei jää patsastelemaan. Sen kanssa voi uppoutua ihailemaan kevääseen heräävää luontoa tai tarkkailla pikkulintuja pajupusikossa. Sen kanssa voi pällistellä puroja ja hienoja kiviä ja maisemia, tai sen kanssa voi hölkätä rivakasti eteenpäin kunnonkohotusmielessä. Haikalanen ottaa kaikki ihmiset vastaan iloisesti. Se ei arkaile, ei ole vihainen, ei käyttäydy arvaamattomasti. Se ei tee itsestään numeroa vieraiden aikana, mutta tulee iloisena rapsuteltavaksi. Haikalanen on arjessa ihastuttavan mutkaton koira. Lumiprinsessa ja Sotaperuna ovat vaativia. Sotaperunan voimakas aggressio aiheuttaa erityisjärjestelyitä arkeen ja vaatii ahkeraa koulutusta ja treeniä pysyäkseen hallinnassa. Sillä on korkea energiataso ja se haluaa ja myös vaatii fyysistä ja psyykkistä haastamista. Lumiprinsessalla ei ole aggressiota, mutta se on aktiivinen ja touhukas koira, joka varsinkin nuorena tarvitsi roppakaupalla tekemistä ollakseen sisätiloissa ja lepohetkinä hallinnassa. Vaativan koiran kanssa pääsee haastamaan itsensä ja kehittyy kouluttajana. Monesti hyvä harrastuskoira on myös arjessa vaativampi kuin lupsakampi ja rennompi kaverinsa. Vaativan koiran kanssa voi arjestaan saada sujuvaa, mutta se ollatenkin VAATII vaivannäköä. Tästä syystä tulisikin aina kysyä itseltään, onko sille vaivannäölle aikaa? Onko siihen halua? Mukava, mutkaton rotu/koirayksilö antaa aivan yhtä paljon, mutta huomattavasti vähemmällä säätämisellä. Jos ei ole tahtoa eikä tarvetta nähdä vaivaa ja tehdä töitä, kannattaa koira valita se mielessä pitäen.  Ruhtinatar on myös ollut varsin ihastuttavan rento elinkumppani. Se on itsevarma, omanarvontuntoinen, tasapainoinen ja rauhallinen. Jokaiselle omansaVaikkei mikään koira ole vaivaton eikä helppo sellaiselle, joka ei koiran kanssa halua elää, vihkiytyneelle koiraihmiselle löytyy roppakaupalla suhteellisen helposti koulutettavia rotu/koiravaihtoehtoja. On paljolti myös asenteesta kiinni, minkä näkee ongelmana. Nuoren uroskoiran törttöilyt kuuluvat yksilöstä ja perimästä riippumatta usein asiaan. Ei niistä kannata vääntää ongelmaa. Ne ovat täysin tyypillisiä nuoren uroskoiran sähläyksiä, joihin kannattaa suhtautua nimenomaan sellaisina eikä vaipua ahdistuksen ja ankeuden suohon ja vakuutella itselleen oman koiransa haastavuutta. Ongelmia ei kannata tehdä sinne, missä niitä ei ole. Se lisää stressiä sekä omistajalla että koiralla. Tulisuuden ja särmän vaaliminen on tärkeää silloin, kun koiran tyypillisesti tulee tällaisia piirteitä syystä tai toisesta ilmentää. Tällaisten piirteiden ihannoiminen ja niiden hakeminen silloin, kun etsinnässä on lupsakka ja helppo arjen seuralainen, on täysin turhaa. Myös maltillisella energiatasolla varustettu koira voi olla luonteikas arjen kaveri ja myös sen kanssa voi vaeltaa kilometritolkulla toreilla ja tuntureilla. Siihen tarkoitukseen ei kannata väellä ja väkisin etsiä sitä koiraa, jolla energiaa on kahmalokaupalla, jolla on voimakkaat vietit ja joka rotutyypillisesti suhtautuu asioihin varauksella. Arjessa helpolla ja mutkattomalla koiralla on sielua parantava vaikutus. Sitä ei tulisi koskaan väheksyä. Haastavakin koira parantaa toki sielua sellaisella ihmisellä, jolla on tarjota sen vaatimuksille sopiva koti. Meidän kannattaakin kysyä itseltämme, mitä me haemme, ja valita seuraksemme koira, joka hakee samaa. The saying ”two is a pair, three is a pack” is used sometimes to describe the difference between owning one or two individual dogs and owning three or more dogs that already start to have certain pack behavior. Obviously all dogs interact together the same way, whether they live live alone or in a group, but pack behavior usually kicks in when there are more than two dogs. Pack behavior refers to behavioral patterns that are usually met in large groups of dogs. These patterns take act in situations like meeting others dogs, hunting, facing danger or alarming. It is said that a pack of dogs let loose, even if they are pet dogs, is more dangerous than a pair of dogs or just one dog. In Finland we have a saying ”joukossa tyhmyys tiivistyy”. It means you are never as stupid alone than you are in a group. Group members easily adopt behavior from others in the group, and this leads to certain behaviors becoming easily escalated. If one member of the pack is nervous, that feeling reflects to others more easily than it would if there would be just two dogs. Aggression escalates quickly, and so does the hunting behavior. It takes one of the pack to start hunting, and the rest will follow. This leads to problems if the dogs are loose and they decide instead of playing with a small dog they will now HUNT the small dog. Same happens if the pack escapes and ends up harassing lambs or other farm animals, or even people. Dogs that live in a pack form a hierarchy based on each individual and their character. No matter certain roles may change depending on the situation, it is interesting to see how each member of the pack will usually follow the role it was set to have and in many cases even chose itself. Genders have different roles in the pack, and age plays a bigger part in interactions. Balanced leaders will act firm and friendly, while those lower in the hierarchy often clown around and get away with such ridiculous behavior more easily than the ones leaders may seem as ”possible future challengers”. Alarming is one interesting feature I noticed changed significantly when I had a pack. Instead of one or two dogs each barking, a pack now seems to have different roles. When one dog alarms, others will instantly run to the one alarming and try to see the threat. The leader will then decide whether or not the threat is worth noticing. If so, it will take a dominant posture, hold it’s tail up and stare, approaching the threat if it can, while others keep alert, keep barking and follow the leader. If the leader at any point relaxes, others will eventually follow or their attitude will change from nervous and aggressive to curious, playful or indifferent. Lowest in hierarchy might even stay away from the situation, because it trusts the ”higher ups” will care for everything. When having a pack of dogs, it’s important to focus on leading the pack rather than trying to lead every individual dog. This means you need to know what causes certain behavior, and if you need to command the leading dog or leave that dog be and instead find the ”weak link” that feeds negative behavior of the whole pack. Correcting or controlling the alarming dog will not do anything, if the leading dog keeps on signaling we need to stay alert. On the contrary, if one dog is nervous about a situation, working with that individual dog will solve the whole problem while trying to calm the whole pack down each time it gets nervous makes no difference. In a pack one dog’s behavioral issue is EVERY DOG’S behavioral issue. Introducing a new family memberBringing a new dog to the pack can be frightening. What if the dogs don’t accept each other? Let’s say it here in the beginning; it is a possibility. However, you can work with issues, and in most cases that helps. In some other cases you might have to separate the dogs in one way, at least partially and at least sometimes, but even that is not the end of the world. Usually things go smoothly, and sooner or later your new dog will be part of the pack or form a good working pair with the first one.
Know your previous dog/dogs. If you have a nervous dog or an unsocial dog, introducing the newcomer in small steps is usually the best option. Ideal would be to meet the new dog a couple of times before it moves in. Collect all ”treasures” away. Very important objects might not be up for sharing just yet. After all, your dogs just met. Going for a walk together and introducing the dogs on a neutral ground works better than bringing the pup/the dog straight to the other one’s territory. A possibility to give the new dog a safe, calm place to sleep it’s first nights is also beneficial. If others are constantly trying to get to know it, it might stress both them and the new one (and vice versa, if the newcomer doesn’t leave the old dog alone). What if problems occur?Don’t let the old dog jump on the eyes of the newcomer, and don’t let the newcomer boss around the old dog. You are the authority making sure everyone feels safe and sound. Old fashioned ”leadership tricks” like rolling the dog on it’s back work only with soft dogs, and they are not based in any scientific or species related information. In the case of independent dogs and dominant dogs things like this can make the situation worse or the dog may even turn on you. The most important thing, however, is that nothing is taught this way. The effect is based on fear, not respect, and it works only with you and the dog, not to improve the situation between dogs. This is seen in many cases where people use rolling the dog on it’s back, for example, to correct it’s dominant behavior. The dog may then act OK with the human, but still bully in the pack. Nothing was taught, the problem and the source for the behavior still remains. One visible side effect was removed, that’s it. The right way to deal with possible friction between the dogs is to teach and encourage the right kind of pack behavior and to correct the dog behaving badly. How do you correct a dog like that? Well certainly not rolling it on it’s back. Physical corrections should always be used to either get the attention of the dog so you can command it to leave, stay or calm down, or to restrain the dog from harming or harassing another living being. Teaching the right kind of behavior is as important as stopping the unwanted behavior. The problem with ”The Leadership Theory” is that is doesn’t teach the dog anything, it focuses on stopping certain behavioral patterns. Smart dogs might get what you are trying to say, while nervous, aloof, dominant and temperamental dogs usually don’t. Positive reinforcement and working with the dog’s aggression and insecurities usually lead to a dog that can to certain point work and live in a pack, while some dogs never become pack animals. Keep your head cool. ”Be the boss of your dogs and all goes well!” is something you will hear if your dogs are not friends at once. While there is half the truth in that, be careful with how you acquire that position of authority, and remember; weak nerve structure will cause problems whether or not you are ”a boss”. Not all dogs are balanced, and aggressive dogs are aggressive dogs. It is dangerous to assume everything depends on how you raise the dog or socialize it. Always go for mentally balanced dogs, or then be prepared to work with those that have more complicated nerve structure.  Don't be too afraid to add another dog to your pack. Knowing your current dogs and your own resources is the key to success. Another thing to ease a troubled mind; most dogs are pack animals. They might not be super social, but most get along at least with the member of opposite gender. For the majority of dogs having another dog in the family is the funniest, most awesome thing they have ever had happening. After all, we are ONLY human. There are some things only other dogs get, ya know.
A little while ago I wrote about how you need to socialize your dog properly, pert of this being you need to make your dog tolerate children. Not be their best friend, not all dogs are, but for a working society where we can all live you need to make sure your dog can behave around children, no matter if they are ever going to come to the skin or not. It needs to be able to tolerate their presence without aggression or fear. Now, while we dog owners have responsibilities, parents also have them. Here are some things to remember when you teach your child to behave with a dog – and believe me, it needs to be taught. It does not come naturally. |
| If my hand looks like this after this small indicent he meant no harm with, he was just being inconsiderate, imagine how a small child's face would look. Trust the owner. If she or he says you can't let the child play with the dog ”because he gets so hyper” or ”she is a bit rough”, don't go ”oh, but it doesn't mind, my child's used to it!”. The owner knows the dog he/she shares the house with, and he/she knows whether or not the dog can play with a child safely. |  |
Same goes with everything from playing to petting to even going to have a look. If the owner declines, respect that and move on.
Correcting is not a bite
I mentioned earlier that the dogs correct each other. They do that with poking with their snout and snapping with their teeth. Mothers do this to pups. Friends do that with each other. Dogs of the same house do that. It's not a sign of being aggressive, it's simply interacting and telling something is not OK. Same goes with growling.
We have unfortunately grown to believe a growl or a snap is a sign of an aggressive dog. We teach out dogs to never growl and we see dogs correcting each other as ”mean”. We expect all dogs are the most docile labs or the most gentle beagles, but that is not true. We have a HUGE variety of breeds and breed mixes and a HUGE variety of temperaments. Some temperaments are more desired with house pets than others, but those temperaments wouldn't probably work with for example a hunting dog or a guard dog or a service dog. Even within just house pets we have many, many, many different dogs that prefer different things.
Some dogs, no matter what their purpose, breed, gender or age, are more prone to correct with a snout poke or a snap. From my own experience, older bitches are more likely to do this than males, but once again, this is just my own experience. Don't use it as a guide and think you can take your child to hug a strange older male because nokkaelaimet.weebly.com said it's OK.
When a snap or a poke happens, even if the skin is not broken (and usually it is not because the dog knows perfectly well how to use it's teeth) it is often labeled a bite and the dog is getting a stigma of being aggressive. REMEMBER; A BITE NEVER LEAVES THE SKIN UNBROKEN. When a bite happens, the dog is wishing to harm. It feels threatened enough to injure to get out of the situation. This is a VERY serious thing, the child often needs medical help after the incident, and we should NEVER let this happen. This is exactly why we should always supervise animals and children together.
If the child cries, but the skin is not broken (or the wound is hardly there) and the dog doesn't seem to be too ”stressed” what has happened is most likely a poke with a snout (and the kid got scared of the hasty movement) or a snap. If we happen to witness the situation, the dog has most likely presented a very wide variety of different calming and warning signals before that; stiff posture, licking of teeth, growling, looking other way eyes enlargened, panting... may they have been clear or not, may there have been many or not, those signals of the dog have been ignored and it moved on to the next phase of trying to solve the situation; physical correction. This is how dogs communicate with other dogs, and because of OUR OWN MISTAKE things have lead to the situation where the dog felt threatened or irritated or both enough to use physical force.
While there is a connection between the tendency to correct and the tendency to bite, most dogs that physically correct never meant to harm the child. They hold no grudge. They simply corrected it in a way their species work. To label this dog aggressive, to put it down or find a new home for it immediately shows our own misunderstanding of the situation and how badly we handled it before the incident. Instead of this labeling we should understand we let this happen, and we should not let it happen again. While in some cases, if the dog is super stressed around the kid in general, it would be best to not let the kid and the dog be together, usually these kind of things don't happen again if we make sure the child and the dog are interacting in a correct, safe way.
A snap or a snout poke is not a bite. Don't call it a bite, and don't see it as an aggressive move from the dog's side only. Something has happened that led to the situation, and most likely it was our mistake that allowed this unfortunate incident. If the situation doesn't result anything more serious than a crying kid with no visible physical harm or a slightly tense dog, move on. Make sure next time you handle things better. Specially if the dog is not your own dog, there are NUMEROUS things you can do to make sure in future your kid stays untouched and the dog doesn't feel threatened by it. You can start by figuring out if you let some of the forbidden things described in this post happen.
Dogs and kids can be terribly good friends and they can do lots of fun things (and get into lot of mischief) together, but this means both of them know how to behave around each other.
Socialize your dogs properly and teach your kids to respectfully treat a dog. This way a dog can really be your kid's best friend.
Dogs have been reported to have a very positive impact on the general health of us humans. They make us get up and go out, exercise and work, and they offer us love and affection. Many professionals also agree that they have a good impact on those who have difficulties expressing themselves in social situations, trust issues or mental health patients.
There are many studies proving dogs have positive impact on us. We all know they make us exercise, but they also have positive effects on mental health. Animal therapy is increasings it's popularity and dogs have been used to assist patients with PTSD, help inmates to learn responsibility and empathy, assist people with social difficulties and even encourage children to read.
While it is still unclear how much would be the ideal amount of interaction with a dog, many specialists admit that a therapy dog leaves a good mood behind. Sometimes the visit just lifts the general mood, but dogs also have a calming effect on people with stress, aggression issues and for example ADHD. The latter has been proved in many schools that have a dog visiting a class every now and then.
While it is still unclear how much would be the ideal amount of interaction with a dog, many specialists admit that a therapy dog leaves a good mood behind. Sometimes the visit just lifts the general mood, but dogs also have a calming effect on people with stress, aggression issues and for example ADHD. The latter has been proved in many schools that have a dog visiting a class every now and then.
Therapy animals and care dogs
A person in my family has certified therapy animals and she regularly visits people with her dogs and ferrets. I asked her a couple of questions about her job and their visits, and also how the dog seems to take the visits. She answered the following:
Most commonly we visit mental health patients, elders and physically disabled. There have not been so many children as patients, but they are often present when we visit our customers. Mostly the welcoming is happy and warm. People who ask us to visit are mostly people who can't have their own pets so our visit stands as a highlight from their normal routine day.
She mentions most people say the dogs make them feel special and loved and their calm behavior calms the customers down, too. The dogs seem to enjoy their task and they are let to move quite freely among the customers, meeting people at their own phase. When they come home from a visit the dogs are tired but content, and they don't show any signs of stress or anxiety. For them, therapy meetings mean getting lots of hugs and pets and treats.
It takes a certain kind of dog to work in these changing circumstances, meeting many kinds of people who can't always control their tone of voice, behavior or strength. The dog needs to be calm, collected, trained and well-behaved. Certified therapy dogs have a test they go through, where their behavior and their level of training are measured. It's not an easy task to go through. We also have a group called Kaverikoirat, working under our kennel club, that trains dogs for less severe cases, such as visiting schools, happenings and elder homes. Any dog that behaves nicely among people and other dogs and is social enough to enjoy the company of people can attend. These dogs don't have any special privileges considering places that don't allow dogs, but they are evaluated to make sure the visits always leave a smile on everyone's face.
The issue of "uncertified service animals"
Here, and in many countries around the world, the only kinds of service dogs are those that have a certificate. Certified service dogs are supposed to wear a vest and behave at any circumstance, always under control. If the dog is not certified, it isn't allowed in places where dogs are forbidden. Unlike in many countries where the service dog title is far easier to acquire (and unfortunately means many dogs called like that are actually not that well trained or fit for the task), here you can actually trust that authorities and professionals have both trained and evaluated every dog wearing a vest, and in no situation may these dogs behave aggressive or out of control.
It does, I admit, bug me when people talk about their dogs as ”uncertified service dogs” and explain their bad behavior with lines such as ”this is just a dog, it's not a robot” or ”service dogs are dogs, too, they have instincts”. Both statements are correct, but a dog used in any kind of service task, allowed to go in places ”normal” dogs can't go to, should be in control at all times, showing good behavior both at work and outside work. Saying ”this is a trained service dog” doesn't make any dog a trained service dog. I can call my ferret a trained service ferret, no matter the hybrid one would probably bite any strangers touching it. Those are just words, and without any certificate to proof the quality so to speak, the only real measurement is behaving well both inside and outside of duty.
Service animals should also be able to act without any ”help” from ”tools” such as E-collars, chokers and prong collars. To me, having a dog that can't behave when it doesn't wear a tool like one of these is not having a service dog. Teaching your dog to listen to you and not pull is the first of things to train to a dog, and any animal lacking the basic knowledge like this is a very questionable service animal.
Of course, there are different kinds of service animals, and emotional support dogs, as far as I have heard, are not required to show as advanced training as for example deaf dogs. It is, in any case, questionable to demand a passage for an animal that does not know how to behave, and as long as there is no test to proof the qualities of the dog, how can we make sure it is safe to be allowed in places normal dogs can't?
Another question is, does the dog NEED to be a certified service animal to make you feel better? No, it does not. A dog in general, whether or not it is perfectly trained, is proven to work towards your mental and physical health. They lower the stress levels, calm you down and make you feel unconditional, indivisible love.
Like said before, kindness is powerfull. Sometimes all you need is a loyal dog.
Socializing your puppy is probably the most important thing you can do. Many of new puppy owners will focus on simple tricks such as sit, stay, down when they get their puppy, and it is very true that it's easy to train a small puppy. The most important thing to focus in, however, is making the dog familiar with this surrounding world we live in and all the weird stuff it is supposed to tolerate without stress when it gets younger.
Breeders should do the basic sozialicing before the pups even leafe their mother's side. Getting the pups outside to smell fresh air (if the weather and temperature allows it) and getting them used to different surfaces is very important when raising a litter of pups. Meeting people before moving to one's own family is also important. If the family has other, vaccinated, familiar dogs living in the house, meeting and playing with them is also very beneficial to the pup.
The thing to remember by the new owner is that no matter how much the breeder does work with the pups, the main work is left to the new home. The timing is also crucial, since from 3 weeks old to 12 weeks old is the phase the pup is most open to new things. It is called the socialization stage, and meeting as many people as possible and going to as many safe places as possible is the most effective at this stage. After this the pup will become a little less open to new things and warming up slows down. It may also start to have surrealistic fears, which is perfectly normal but may make meeting new people and getting accustomed to new places less effective and more stressful. The fear stage will pass eventually, but if one skips the early socialization and waits until the fear stage is over one misses the most sensitive weeks of learning in the beginning. That may have later negative effects on how the dog sees the world.
The thing to remember by the new owner is that no matter how much the breeder does work with the pups, the main work is left to the new home. The timing is also crucial, since from 3 weeks old to 12 weeks old is the phase the pup is most open to new things. It is called the socialization stage, and meeting as many people as possible and going to as many safe places as possible is the most effective at this stage. After this the pup will become a little less open to new things and warming up slows down. It may also start to have surrealistic fears, which is perfectly normal but may make meeting new people and getting accustomed to new places less effective and more stressful. The fear stage will pass eventually, but if one skips the early socialization and waits until the fear stage is over one misses the most sensitive weeks of learning in the beginning. That may have later negative effects on how the dog sees the world.
How to develop social skills of your puppy
Pups don't get their perfect vaccinations until 12 weeks or after. This means the pup is not welcome to most dog happenings and you should also be wary with meeting strange dogs in general. However, meeting familiar, friendly dogs you know are vaccinated and taken care of is not only possible but also adviced. This way the pup learns how to behave with other dogs. It has learned basics of this in a litter box with it's mother and siblings and possible other dogs of the breeder's family, but developing these skills with new safe friends is always beneficial.
Be sure that the dogs the pup meets are friendly. The time of getting to tolerate unfriendly dogs is not at this point. The pup needs to meet balanced dogs, so they can show balanced way of behaving.
Meeting new people is crucial too. Some breeds are more aloof than others, some pups are friendly from the start. Mixing shyness with aloofness is very common. A shy dog shows excessive amount of calming signals and stress when it meets new people. Aloof pup just simply ignores the new people or monitors them from afar at first. Wary dogs don't want to come near new persons in the beginning and may show signs of, well, being wary when they approach them, but this passes eventually as the pup learns these people are of no threat.
No matter there is a clear difference between being aloof and wary and being shy and having bad nerves, it is a fact that wary, aloof breeds are more prone to become nervous, shy and unsocial if they lack sozialication. This is why one needs to put some extra work in sozialication if one takes in some of these breeds or dogs.
Taking the pup to experience different types of surfaces or at least making sure it gets to know them at home will pay back later when the pup needs to walk calmly in concrete, grass, steel, asfalt, stone, sand. One can also train the pups ability to ignore moving surfaces by building small unstable platforms that are safe for the pup to investigate. Some pups go on these platforms themselves, some might need encouraging, but a small pup is easy to train if it's nerves are good. If they are not, it takes more time and effort to train the dog and one needs to be careful not to pressure the pup too much. This can also happen with strong, brave pups, but they can take more than their nervous counterparts.
The last thing to think is if there is a mall or some sort of a market place filled with people you can take your pup to. Make sure you have good leash and harness/collar, and make sure not to leave your pup too alone. Don't protect it too much, either. Carrying it around in your lap the whole time doesn't really teach it to face this environment by itself. Getting to see these loud, crowded places is essential for example hobby, working and show dogs who are supposed to be able to relax in these environments when they are older. It is beneficial for the others, too.
Tolerating variety
Dogs are slaves of the routine, and if adult certain color people of certain sex are the most they meet, they can act stressed and wary, even scared among other kinds of people. Dogs don't understand our social norms and what is considered polite and what is not. They will bark at disabled people, people that talk differently, people that are of different color they are used to, kids, elders, if they are not taken to meet them and be properly socialized.
One common mistake to do when raising a pup is bad socialization. Many people don't understand just how much it may take to make your dog experience new places and people and other dogs without fear and stress. This doesn't mean going to the market once or playing with neighbor's kids. This means meeting as many different people in as many different places as one just possibly can without putting too much stress on the puppy. After all, we live in a very odd world in the eyes of the dog. Many of the things we expect from our dogs is against their nature, and therefore we must train and help them to understand what we expect of them.
| For some reason it is a trend within young people these days to ”hate kids”. These young people take in dogs and may be heard stating their dog ”doesn't like kids because I don't xD She isn't used to kids.” That is a poor excuse. As poor as that of parents, who are fearful of dogs, raising their kids to fear dogs, too. As an owner you have certain responsibilities and one is making your dog understand these small, weird human looking creatures that may walk in all fours or make odd noises are not to be seen as a threat. It is not optional, it is a must in today's society, whether or not one likes or dislikes children. If you don't have kids in your family or your friends don't have kids, make sure to take your pup near playgrounds, schools and other places where you are allowed to go with dogs and you are most likely to meet children. Tell those children how to meet your puppy, and let your puppy experience them. |  |
Also remember that tolerating is not the same thing as liking. Your dog doesn't need to like kids any more than you do, but neither of you can go snapping at kids just because they are kids. You can teach your dog to take space and go away when it is bored and tired of children, and as an owner you must then make sure the children, in return, let your dog be alone.
Mr. Hyperactivity and Ms. Dominance love children and they are very eager to play with them, poke them, sniff them and lick them. Mrs. Aloofness could care less, Mr. Arthritis doesn't really prefer kids either. Both of the latter know how to take their own space when they get tired. Mr. Arthritis may sometimes forget that, since his is a nervous, stressed character, and in that case I as his owner have to tell him to leave, go somewhere to lay and calm down. Stress is a poor excuse that he would go around snapping at children. That is not to be tolerated and I need to make sure he is of no threat.
In return, if you are a parent, teach your children to leave strange dogs alone and respect dog's own space.
The most unnatural situation for dogs and kids alike is when the dog is tied for example in front of a shop, it is alone, and unfamiliar kids go to pet it. In this situation the dog, even the one that knows how to give space, doesn't have any means to escape. Things can escalate, and therefore teach your children to stay away from strange dogs and always ask permission to near them.
Also don't tie your dogs in front of shops alone.
Mr. Hyperactivity and Ms. Dominance love children and they are very eager to play with them, poke them, sniff them and lick them. Mrs. Aloofness could care less, Mr. Arthritis doesn't really prefer kids either. Both of the latter know how to take their own space when they get tired. Mr. Arthritis may sometimes forget that, since his is a nervous, stressed character, and in that case I as his owner have to tell him to leave, go somewhere to lay and calm down. Stress is a poor excuse that he would go around snapping at children. That is not to be tolerated and I need to make sure he is of no threat.
In return, if you are a parent, teach your children to leave strange dogs alone and respect dog's own space.
The most unnatural situation for dogs and kids alike is when the dog is tied for example in front of a shop, it is alone, and unfamiliar kids go to pet it. In this situation the dog, even the one that knows how to give space, doesn't have any means to escape. Things can escalate, and therefore teach your children to stay away from strange dogs and always ask permission to near them.
Also don't tie your dogs in front of shops alone.
Positive training methods have been widely adopted by many trainers around the world in the past years. This is partly because pets have gained a more important role in families and the demand of humane training methods is growing, but also because newest studies show positive methods have a striking effect on how fast and how eager the dog, or the human for that matter, is to learn.
Let's play a mind game. Imagine a leash around your neck, held by a massive creature that's as high as your house, speaking in odd tongue. There is no way for you to understand what the creature is saying, but it clearly wants something from you.
That's how it is for your dog. It is living in a world made for that big odd creature and the creature is expecting behavior that isn't always natural for the dog. Therefore the creature must teach the dog to behave like it wants it to behave.
I have talked about the process of learning earlier, and about how fear blocks learning. Therefore we don't go more into that, but talk about why positive methods are simply better and why certain tools and methods widely used in training based on negative reinforcement are not beneficial nor do they teach anything.
That's how it is for your dog. It is living in a world made for that big odd creature and the creature is expecting behavior that isn't always natural for the dog. Therefore the creature must teach the dog to behave like it wants it to behave.
I have talked about the process of learning earlier, and about how fear blocks learning. Therefore we don't go more into that, but talk about why positive methods are simply better and why certain tools and methods widely used in training based on negative reinforcement are not beneficial nor do they teach anything.
Learning doesn't happen on it's own
Just a quick example once more to show you the problem with training by negative reinforcement only.
The most common negative reinforcement we all have probably come across and even used is teaching the dog not to pull on the leash by pulling the leash.
Even writing that is contradictory.
How do you make the dog walk nicely by pulling and tugging on the leash? Why does the method ”work”? Well, the basic idea is pulling on the leash leads to nasty tugging and it learns to avoid pulling because it feels bad. It doesn't learn to walk nicely on the leash. Instead of learning to walk good because it knows it is expected to walk calmly on the leash, it only learns to avoid certain behavior, in this case pulling. This means for example that teaching it to work with you in canicross later can be terribly hard, because pulling has been a negative thing in the past. And if you teach the dog it is OK to pull in canicross, it may start to pull during normal walks, too, because it learns pulling, that has once led to nasty things, doesn't lead to them anymore.
Only that it does.
”Wait a minute. Why can I pull sometimes, and sometimes I can't?”
The idea of modern positive training is to train the dog to do the right thing, and this means the dog has to understand what is expected. It can't learn a behavior if it is not taught the behavior. Because of this methods like above are not encouraged, because they don't teach the dog any new way of behaving, they only simply try to make it avoid certain action. Obviously this method leads to a similar behavior with positive methods; the dog doesn't pull. It just doesn't really learn anything new either, and the negative stigma of pulling can interfere with possible future hobbies.
I admit I have taught my older dogs to walk on the leash by tugging the leash. This is exactly why I know it is a bad method. Teaching them to work with me in canicross was hard, because pulling had a terribly negative image in their head. I had to teach them to walk nicely with me again, with positive methods, only so that I could encourage them to pull while we do canicross. I had skipped training them to walk nicely on leash, I had only taught them that pulling leads to nasty tugging.
With my girls I used stopping when they pulled. I called them beside me or gently tugged the leash to get their attention, and we continued while they had returned to my side. This way they learned that fun stops when they pull, but also that fun continues when they walk nicely. They got treats for getting back to me, and they were far more eager to return to my side when I stopped than my boys had been in the past.
I admit I still did tug on the leash several times because the wrong way is imprinted in my brain. I did it no matter I knew it was wrong. Teaching myself to be more positive has been as hard as correcting the twisted behavior I caused with negative training in the past, because unfortunately many of the negative methods lead to results. They just do it in a way that is not beneficial for any later learning process nor to our relationship with the dog.
It takes time
It took you months to potty train and it takes us the total of several YEARS to learn the basics of what a human being must learn to function in this society. Just remember that when you start teaching the dog something and expect it to master it in a week.
Many times people justify their usage or harmful tools by saying they lead to fast results. That is right, but only partially; dogs learn to avoid things pretty quickly. It is a trait any animal, even us, have. We try to save ourselves from nasty and painful things, and electric shocks or pinches on our throat or squishing our trachea are all to be considered not so pleasant things to feel. However, they also learn to connect the nasty thing with the tool and many dogs that have been forced to use E-collar or choke chains or prong collars need to wear the tool every time when they are to be under 100% control. Otherwise they would not act trustworthy. This alone proves that they have not exactly learned to behave in certain way, they have only learned that while wearing the tool they need to avoid certain behavior, because then the tool does not hurt them.
They have learned no new behavior. They have not been trained. And if they are trained, then the usage of those tools is completely in vain. They are not needed. What is needed is time, because learning takes time. We can't justify unpleasant feelings or pain or danger with our own will to have the dog behave correctly fast.
Learning to learn
Teaching the dog to continuoisly avoid things to save it from unpleasant things leads to apathy.
Learning is based on offering new behavior and being praised about the right one. This is exactly the same with people and with dogs. In school we praise the children from doing the right thing, managing to find the result to a problem, not scold them from making a mistake that leads to a wrong answer.
Think about it; would you rather try to learn what the building-tall creature wants you to do when it gave you rewards, or when it punishes you if you accidentally offer the wrong behavior? Wouldn't the latter lead to sitting completely still, because while not getting rewarded, at least you don't get punished from doing wrong either? That is what happens with dogs. Dogs that are trained with punishment are not good at learning, because learning is a skill that gets the better the more you work on it. Dogs, as well as people, can learn to learn. While many people use both punsihment from the wrong and praise from the right action, the fear of punishment can interfere with the learning even if the right kind of behavior means rewards.
When the fear is let out, we as trainers are still in need of motivation for our student. Something to kickstart the will to learn now that it is made safe and offering new behavior only leads to positive outcome.
Some dogs are harder to motivate than others. The key is to find what motivates the individual the best. While fear blocks learning, reward encourages it. For us people the salary we get from our work motivates us to work. If we do things for free, the reward is not material but emotional. Either way, we work and in general we do things to benefit from it. Once more, dogs are exactly the same. While we are motivated by the change of buying a new car or a nice new pair of Phantom Of The Opera shoes (I'd do wonders to get one of those), dogs are usually easier and most are happy with a treat or a toy.
Some individuals, like many afghans, might need you to work harder to find their non-existent motivation. It is pretty safe to say, however, that every dog is motivated by something.
A success story
In the end I'd like to share with you a success story that hopefully helps to understand the power of positive training as well as shows that all negative things mentioned above caused by punishment really are true.
I have talked with this one young trainer I met in a web community we both belong to. She has been struggling in the past to find a proper trainer to help training her young, strong, energetic dog, and during her journey she came across many different styles of training.
”We told her our situation that [the dog] barks, lunges at every single moving thing, and that we cant take her to walks anymore, so she said I have to 'dominate' [the dog] and to show her her place.. we were never allowed toy rewards, just treats. The trainer suggested many people to use choke chains. She even said that they're better than prongs. So, whenever [the dog] tugged on leash, she said to pull her hard back with the chain and use strict tone.”
The person told me that they were told to use excessive force, and the trainer they went to even made the dog yelp by tugging her leash so hard. She said it felt bad to see, but since this person was said to be a professional trainer, they continued training their dog with the given instructions.
”This method damaged [the dog] heel so bad she saw ''heel'' command as a very negative thing, meaning whenever she doesn't do what humans want, she gets a hard pull on her neck.”
This is sadly a very common outcome with punishment. Dogs that have been trained with violence and force tend to act very tense and submissive when they perform, due to the negative impact the punishing has on the command. They don't work out from eager to be rewarded, but out from fear, and this often leads to stiff and untrustworthy performance.
”Since then we found the new trainer. The first times we only had individual sessions, as [the dog] couldn't focus at all around people and dogs. She (the trainer) immediatly saw our situation and what made [the dog] nerveous. She needed time to get used to the new training place, and even when we first met, [the dog] barked and snapped at the trainer, seeing her as a threat. So, she gave us many useful tips. Our previous trainer didn't even teach how to hold a treat in hand properly.
The trainer knew we had to fix our damaged heel command. We had to completely train [the dog] from the start, the new command being ''fus''. I was so happy now, because soon we stopped using the choke collar and only had positive training with treats and lots of play.” - ”We went to her many times and she gave us constant homework we had to do at home. Now that we used treats and toys and no choke collar, [the dog] didn't ignore me as she did before. We had more walks and she was looking at me more than before, because correct behavior meant big reward coming. She was happy to work with me since I didn't cause her any pain.
We have worked with positive training to the point I don't have to hold the leash anymore when we're walking. She has great recall, we can even pass people and bikes calmly without her snapping or barking because there was no tension on the leash. She is now free of the pulling and pain, which before seemed almost impossible, really. I didnt know that only such simple things can make her this happy to work with me and respond quickly.
Now, after a year since we went to the positive trainer, we can work in group sessions with many other people and dogs.
And really, all we needed was patience, time and effort.”
Inspirational, don't you think?
Do you have any positive success stories? Share yours in comments and pass the kindness on!
Mr. Hyperactivity likes happy and positive things. Be like him.
There are several reasons on why hitting your dog is not only unnecessary but also just plain dumb. Even so, many people admit doing so. In most cases it is used as a punishment for some action already passed, like launching on the leash or disobeying a command. Sometimes people explain hitting is necessary if the dog acts uncontrolled, to show ”who's the boss”.
First of all, let's clear out something. When I talk about hitting, I am not meaning gentle taps on the nose or little slaps on the neck. Small things like this don't hurt nor do they scare the dog (unless it's one of those you can't touch without causing stress. In those cases, even gentle tappings cause negative effects, so they are to be avoided). When I talk about hitting, I talk about using extensive physical force to correct the dog or stop a behavior WITH that force, or punishing the dog from disobeying WITH force. Whenever we use physical force as a main source of punishment, not as a reminder of looking at the handler (”Hey, I am here!”- kind of gentle taps) or holding the dog in place (grabbing a hold when the dog jumps against, for example), we are weakening our position as a trustworthy companion.
Excessive submission is not ”being sorry and asking forgiveness so mommy/daddy is not mad”, it is fear. Unfortunately very many people, even after being explained that, still insist their dog is ”knowing it did wrong”, not being fearful.
Submission after being punished with physical force is not shame. It is fear, and everyone who has studied dogs and their behavior agrees. Whenever dogs correct each other with teeth, they do it WHEN the other dog is acting up, not AFTERWARDS. If dogs correct, if one can say so, afterwards, they are usually tense dogs and nervous dogs that get worked up and remain in aggressive, nervous state. Later, that nervousness erupts as aggressive behavior. We as human beings that have given ourself the right to own a dog should be above primitive stress reactions such as blindly punishing an animal from an action that has already passed. It trains the dog nothing but to fear us. They may work out of fear, true, but stop calling it training. It is violence.
Submissive behavior after being hit often includes extensive tail wagging, lowered posture and ears against the head, possible licking of face or dog's own lips and ”being friendly”. Dogs use these gestures to lower the aggression of the other part and to show they are not a threat. It has nothing to do with being sorry about misbehaving, and therefore hitting is not training. If the dog behaves afterwards, it is not because of training but because of remembering it got attacked by it's owner earlier. In many cases the dog is also getting a completely wrong message; it gets punished when it does the right thing and gets back to it's owner's reach. There is hardly any sense in that.
Not so fun fact is, only dogs that are prone to search human advice and have a will to please submit after being hit. Hard headed dogs that have no will to please often attack back or start to act aggressive and tense themselves. Many people using physical force claim their dogs ”need” that or that their dogs ”can take it”. They take it because they want to work with their owner and they are submissive enough not to fight back. Try that attitude with a strong breed, like a livestock guardian, and you'll lose an arm.
Train your dogs. Violence is a bad option when trying to build a relationship.
Excessive submission is not ”being sorry and asking forgiveness so mommy/daddy is not mad”, it is fear. Unfortunately very many people, even after being explained that, still insist their dog is ”knowing it did wrong”, not being fearful.
Submission after being punished with physical force is not shame. It is fear, and everyone who has studied dogs and their behavior agrees. Whenever dogs correct each other with teeth, they do it WHEN the other dog is acting up, not AFTERWARDS. If dogs correct, if one can say so, afterwards, they are usually tense dogs and nervous dogs that get worked up and remain in aggressive, nervous state. Later, that nervousness erupts as aggressive behavior. We as human beings that have given ourself the right to own a dog should be above primitive stress reactions such as blindly punishing an animal from an action that has already passed. It trains the dog nothing but to fear us. They may work out of fear, true, but stop calling it training. It is violence.
Submissive behavior after being hit often includes extensive tail wagging, lowered posture and ears against the head, possible licking of face or dog's own lips and ”being friendly”. Dogs use these gestures to lower the aggression of the other part and to show they are not a threat. It has nothing to do with being sorry about misbehaving, and therefore hitting is not training. If the dog behaves afterwards, it is not because of training but because of remembering it got attacked by it's owner earlier. In many cases the dog is also getting a completely wrong message; it gets punished when it does the right thing and gets back to it's owner's reach. There is hardly any sense in that.
Not so fun fact is, only dogs that are prone to search human advice and have a will to please submit after being hit. Hard headed dogs that have no will to please often attack back or start to act aggressive and tense themselves. Many people using physical force claim their dogs ”need” that or that their dogs ”can take it”. They take it because they want to work with their owner and they are submissive enough not to fight back. Try that attitude with a strong breed, like a livestock guardian, and you'll lose an arm.
Train your dogs. Violence is a bad option when trying to build a relationship.
E-collars, short for electric collars, and prong and choke collars are widely used by dog owners and trainers in many countries. Most significantly they are used in America. In some parts of the world they are forbidden and considered animal abuse, their use being restricted by the animal welfare laws. What are these tools, why are they used, what do they cause and most importantly, why every trainer and owner should keep as far of them as they can?
What are these tools?
E-collars are collars that are supposed to shock the dog when it performs an undesired action or does not perform the desired action. They are sometimes used for punishment, but more frequently these days as a sort of a way to tell the dog whatever it is doing or not doing is not desired and it should change it's ways. They are based on negative feedback and negative reinforcement, causing an unpleasant sensation to either stop the action or punish from it. By my experience most people use them with a remote, trying to maintain their control of the dog when the dog is off leash.
A prong collars is a collar that has blunt edge "spikes" inside the collar tightening around the dog's neck and causing an unpleasant sensation when it pulls or when the collar is pulled by a human. They are mostly used to maintain control of the dog when it otherwise does not respond.
The key word in both descriptions is control. Amusingly, these tools that are used to control the dog don't actually teach the dog anything nor do they provide any real control, as control is achieved through training and does not depend on which tools the dog is wearing in that particular moment. True, many trainers and owners use them along with training, in which case it is to be considered the trainer or owner does not have the needed abilities to otherwise control their dog and hence has to rely in discomfort as some sort of reinforcement of one's authority.
There are many tools in dog world that are supposed to help controlling the dog in case it is big and because of some reason does not listen. Having worked with a dominant, aloof dog that has a strong will to fight my authority, I refuse to think a grown up adult needs tools based on pain or discomfort to get the wanted results. Usually there are several options to maintain physical control during the time of training. It's based on one's own ethics whether or not they have will or time to work with those tools. As it is with any learning, getting rid of an unwanted behavior or teaching a new way to act takes time. Using pain and discomfort works with some dogs (not with all, which is also one reason to avoid such tools) and it provides fast results, but there are ways to control the dog (no-pull harnesses, muzzles, long leads...) during the training without having to rely on extremes. Also, keeping oneself away from tools that restrict the dog with pain also forces one to actually TRAIN the dog and CHANGE the behavior through learning, not only through restricting. It is sadly very common that trainers who use questionable tools don't train the dog enough to work without those tools. As soon as they are removed, the dog gets back to it's old habits, indicating it hasn't actually learned anything but to avoid certain actions when it's wearing a certain collar.
A prong collars is a collar that has blunt edge "spikes" inside the collar tightening around the dog's neck and causing an unpleasant sensation when it pulls or when the collar is pulled by a human. They are mostly used to maintain control of the dog when it otherwise does not respond.
The key word in both descriptions is control. Amusingly, these tools that are used to control the dog don't actually teach the dog anything nor do they provide any real control, as control is achieved through training and does not depend on which tools the dog is wearing in that particular moment. True, many trainers and owners use them along with training, in which case it is to be considered the trainer or owner does not have the needed abilities to otherwise control their dog and hence has to rely in discomfort as some sort of reinforcement of one's authority.
There are many tools in dog world that are supposed to help controlling the dog in case it is big and because of some reason does not listen. Having worked with a dominant, aloof dog that has a strong will to fight my authority, I refuse to think a grown up adult needs tools based on pain or discomfort to get the wanted results. Usually there are several options to maintain physical control during the time of training. It's based on one's own ethics whether or not they have will or time to work with those tools. As it is with any learning, getting rid of an unwanted behavior or teaching a new way to act takes time. Using pain and discomfort works with some dogs (not with all, which is also one reason to avoid such tools) and it provides fast results, but there are ways to control the dog (no-pull harnesses, muzzles, long leads...) during the training without having to rely on extremes. Also, keeping oneself away from tools that restrict the dog with pain also forces one to actually TRAIN the dog and CHANGE the behavior through learning, not only through restricting. It is sadly very common that trainers who use questionable tools don't train the dog enough to work without those tools. As soon as they are removed, the dog gets back to it's old habits, indicating it hasn't actually learned anything but to avoid certain actions when it's wearing a certain collar.
Why to avoid them?
Many people who use E-collars and prong collars explain they use positive reinforcement only when they train the dog. They separate the behavior of the dog, such as walking properly on leash, listening to commands off-leash and behaving in public, and tricks such as give paw, sit, stay. The problem here is that this kind on thinking assumes the so called "good behavior" is something the dog already knows and chooses not to perform. It is not taught how to behave, it is just punished from the false behavior, usually something that is very natural to it. The madness of this concept is best explained with a following matter; would you have learned to read if you had been punished from laying on your bed? The good behavior is to be taught the same way as any trick is, and if one already knows positive reinforcement is scientifically proved to be the best way to teach, why would one use an E-collar or prong collar? Why not when teaching tricks, if with teaching behavior? After all, in both situations we talk about the process of learning.
In a study back in 2014 the researchers reported an increase of behavior connected with stress when using E-collars in training. The dogs in a group training with E-collars were showing significant signs of being stressed and tense, whilst in the other groups such behavior was reported far less frequently. Same kind of results were found in yet another study back in 2003, where groups of working dogs were trained with and without the shock collar. In the first study there was an increase in cortisol (the "stress hormone") levels reported as well, though this was not confirmed to be significant later on when studying a larger group. There are other articles, then again, indicating there might be cellular and hormonal changes due to the usage of shock collars, and that being shocked repeatedly may weaken the vertebra on the neck as well as cause damage on the throat.
Prong collars and choke collars can cause severe damage on the dog when it launches. Even if they are "used correctly" there is a possibility these tools may cause severe pain and actual damage, thus the need of using them should be questioned. It is a known fact the effect of these tools is based on the fact they feel uncomfortable on the neck. They are supposed to, because they are supposed to restrict the dog from performing an undesired action, such as pulling on the leash. If the dog, however, does, even the correctly placed collar will tighten up and that may cause damage to throat or vertebra. This possibility is the greater the bigger and more stubborn the dog is. Obviously there are trainers saying prong collars and choke collars can be used perfectly safe, but how is that possible when the effect of the tool is based on the same exact reason they should be banned - they cause unnatural pinch and/or strangle the dog? Out of these two, choke collars cause more damage than correctly used prong collars, but even correctly used prong collars may lead to problems if the dog manages to pull so hard the blunt spikes break the skin or pinch too hard. It is also a tool that WILL hurt the dog if not used in the exact way it is supposed to be used.
In a study back in 2014 the researchers reported an increase of behavior connected with stress when using E-collars in training. The dogs in a group training with E-collars were showing significant signs of being stressed and tense, whilst in the other groups such behavior was reported far less frequently. Same kind of results were found in yet another study back in 2003, where groups of working dogs were trained with and without the shock collar. In the first study there was an increase in cortisol (the "stress hormone") levels reported as well, though this was not confirmed to be significant later on when studying a larger group. There are other articles, then again, indicating there might be cellular and hormonal changes due to the usage of shock collars, and that being shocked repeatedly may weaken the vertebra on the neck as well as cause damage on the throat.
Prong collars and choke collars can cause severe damage on the dog when it launches. Even if they are "used correctly" there is a possibility these tools may cause severe pain and actual damage, thus the need of using them should be questioned. It is a known fact the effect of these tools is based on the fact they feel uncomfortable on the neck. They are supposed to, because they are supposed to restrict the dog from performing an undesired action, such as pulling on the leash. If the dog, however, does, even the correctly placed collar will tighten up and that may cause damage to throat or vertebra. This possibility is the greater the bigger and more stubborn the dog is. Obviously there are trainers saying prong collars and choke collars can be used perfectly safe, but how is that possible when the effect of the tool is based on the same exact reason they should be banned - they cause unnatural pinch and/or strangle the dog? Out of these two, choke collars cause more damage than correctly used prong collars, but even correctly used prong collars may lead to problems if the dog manages to pull so hard the blunt spikes break the skin or pinch too hard. It is also a tool that WILL hurt the dog if not used in the exact way it is supposed to be used.
fast results or ethic training?
There is no fast lane to success. Learning is a process that takes time. Even if the dog can learn to avoid discomfort and pain faster that it learns to work for it's food in desired ways, it is possible to train the dog both fast and humanely. This requires skill and determination, and as any learning, repeats and time. Using pain or discomfort because of the lack of skill is a poor excuse for any trainer. Wanting to achieve fast results with minimal effort is also a poor excuse. A dog needs time, and if one does not have time, one does not get a dog. Laziness should not be considered as a justification to use controversial training methods.
There are some ways to avoid the need of making hard decisions, too. Not so long ago I was told by an owner of a hunting breed that the E-collar has saved the dog's life many times, stopping it from running on the road. This leads me asking why the dog is kept off leash in such dangerous area? Hunting breeds are known to be challenging considering recall, so one should always make sure the place you let your dog off leash is as safe as possible. One should also work on the recall as much as one just can, so the dog is less likely to wander off.
Scenery above is a good example of using a controversial tool because of the lack of skill, and in this case, a lack of knowledge as well.
It is said we should "agree to disagree", but considering using harmful methods in training I refuse to do so. There have been enough studies and scientific proof showing teaching the dog by using positive reinforcement is the most effective way of training, that we can safely say using controversial training methods and tools is not needed. The fact some trainers still use them because of the lack of skill and understanding is not to be taken as justification. Also, these tools working on some dogs is not a proof they are to be considered good ways to train. We have so many other options, more humane and as effective, that there should not be any need to risk your dog.
There are some ways to avoid the need of making hard decisions, too. Not so long ago I was told by an owner of a hunting breed that the E-collar has saved the dog's life many times, stopping it from running on the road. This leads me asking why the dog is kept off leash in such dangerous area? Hunting breeds are known to be challenging considering recall, so one should always make sure the place you let your dog off leash is as safe as possible. One should also work on the recall as much as one just can, so the dog is less likely to wander off.
Scenery above is a good example of using a controversial tool because of the lack of skill, and in this case, a lack of knowledge as well.
It is said we should "agree to disagree", but considering using harmful methods in training I refuse to do so. There have been enough studies and scientific proof showing teaching the dog by using positive reinforcement is the most effective way of training, that we can safely say using controversial training methods and tools is not needed. The fact some trainers still use them because of the lack of skill and understanding is not to be taken as justification. Also, these tools working on some dogs is not a proof they are to be considered good ways to train. We have so many other options, more humane and as effective, that there should not be any need to risk your dog.
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