Legendary Trainer Thinks Dog Training Might be in Trouble

Dale, Steve - My Pet World

September 2, 2009
Dr. Ian Dunbar fears dog training may be going down the tubes.

Dunbar, arguably the most influential dog trainer of the past four decades, shifted the standard from punishment-based techniques to positive lure reward training, motivating through food and toys. Dunbar first appeared on the scene when most dogs weren't even trained at all. It was Dunbar who supported the notion that good canine citizens need early socialization. In 1981, he developed the first puppy classes likely ever offered, and marketed the idea. Dunbar wrote several books and founded the Association of Pet Dog Trainers.

There's no argument that Dunbar's influence has been profound. But as he rolls past 60 and toward typical retirement age, instead of bursting with pride, resting on his numerous accomplishments and handing the leash over to others, he's worried about who will be taking that leash.

"If we don't change what's happening in dog training, I'll look back on nearly 40 years as a waste," he says. "That's why I'm out talking. That's why we began the website (www.dogstardaily.com)."

If there's a single nemesis to counter Dunbar's gentle and fun approach, it's Cesar Millan, the self-proclaimed "Dog Whisperer." Clearly, Dunbar has a loyal following among professional dog trainers and savvy dog owners. Still, Dunbar just isn't the household name Millan is.

In an interview earlier this year, Millan conceded that he's only one person with one point of view. True enough, but Millan has big business behind him, websites (including one that's membership based), best-selling books and a line of products, not to mention that TV show. It's no wonder some trainers follow Millan as their leader of the pack, accepting his idea that training by being dominant forces dogs into a calm, submissive state.

It's one thing to sincerely believe a certain methodology to train dogs. It's another to purposely mess up dogs for economic gain. "Today, clients hire trainers to deal with behavior problems the trainers themselves created," says Dunbar. "There was no problem going into (the training classes), but causing problems means more business."

Dunbar's wife, Kelly Gorman Dunbar, also a trainer, disagrees. "I don't believe that people are actually trying to mess up dogs to get more business, though I suppose that does happen. Mostly it's trainers following bullying techniques who find themselves causing problems, or trainers who are just ignorant."

Gorman Dunbar agrees with her husband and others that dog training today, in some ways, is regressing. It may begin with Millan's assertion that we need to dominate our dogs.

"It's a bit ridiculous, isn't it?" says Gorman Dunbar. "Why would we have to dominate our best friend to (make the dog) comply? Years and years ago, I went to a traditional (dog) training academy (to train people to train dogs). I had a wonderful Rottweiler puppy (named Ivan) who I had bonded with closely for the first six months before we began the program. We were told dominate over our dogs, and it was compulsion training. In a few weeks, my former best friend was growling back at me. And the school's response, 'Well, then correct him really hard on a prong collar (a spiky collar with spikes pointing inward around the dog's neck).'"

What Gorman Dunbar soon realized is that Ivan was correcting her for hurting him, and the response she was instructed to offer was to correct back even harder. "It became a vicious circle," she says. "All Ivan learned was to dislike training and to not trust me. How does that make sense?"

"And I'm afraid that's what's happening all over the country today," Dunbar adds. Some of the theories espoused today by Millan and others are based on long disproven 1950s and '60s notions of training, and others are simply "made up."

"A lot of trainers are out there who can't train dogs but they can jerk them around and zap them (with electronic collars)," says Dunbar. "For some, it's appealing for us to feel we can dominate our dogs, but for most owners, in our guts we know this is know way to treat our best friends."

Dunbar says he began the www.dogstardaily website so the public could see videos of how to motivate dogs through positive reinforcement training; read what others (some of the most well known experts on behavior and training in the world) have to say on nearly 30 blogs; hear audio descriptions on training techniques; read articles, and have one-on-one contact with the Dunbars and their blogging colleagues -- all for free.

"Dog training shouldn't about intimidation; it should be fun again," says Dunbar. "I'm determined for dog training to make a quantum leap in the direction of motivation and fun by the end of the year."

(NEXT WEEK: Dunbar describes how came up with the idea of puppy classes, talks about appropriate punishment, and notes that too many people are treating their dogs as surrogate children. Full disclosure: Steve Dale is a blogger at www.dogstardaily.com -- for which he is not paid.)

(Steve Dale welcomes questions/comments from readers. Although he can't answer all of them individually, he'll answer those of general interest in his column. Write to Steve at Tribune Media Services, 2225 Kenmore Ave., Suite 114, Buffalo, NY 14207. Send e-mail to PETWORLD(at)STEVE DALE.TV. Include your name, city and state. Steve's website is www.stevedalepetworld.com; he also hosts the nationally syndicated "Steve Dale's Pet World" and "The Pet Minute." He's also a contributing editor to USA Weekend.

Original Story

Resource Guarding

Resource guarding is an issue with so many rescue dogs. Some may have had to fend off other dogs in their previous homes in order to get their fair share of food where others may just have never learned to "share" with humans. I've had my share of fosters with resource guarding issues (Arlo was one of the worst...the Min Pin in the picture) and I have "cured" each and every one of them.
My American Pit Bull Terrier came to me with resource guarding issues around bones/rawhides. I had already worked with him enough to know that he had great Bite Inhibition so I wasn't worried about working with him. Trying to establish "dominance" or become the "Pack Leader" by using force can get you hurt...especially in resource guarding cases. When you don't know if a dog has Bite Inhibition, be careful and go slowly.
When a dog guards his food bowl, leash him to something (couch, kitchen table, wall, etc) while he eats and put his food bowl at the end of his leash line. By doing this you can avoid getting bitten by him lunging at you while he is eating. Approach slowly and toss a little piece of cheese or freeze dried liver into his bowl (TOSS, don't not bend down and place it in the bowl). We want him to learn that a human approaching his food means something better is coming and not that we are going to take something away from him. I would do this throughout each meal for a day or two depending on how fast he progresses (longer if needed). Even if he growls at you while approaching, still toss the bits of cheese. We want him to build the association of human approaching = cheese raining down from the sky. Progress slowly with this. Most dogs learn quickly that when you approach, something better is coming so you can move on to the next step. The next step for me would be to reach down and place the cheese into his bowl several times each meal, walking away and re-approaching each time with the cheese. The next step after that would be to pick up his food bowl, put the cheese into it, then place back on the floor for him. Remember to have him leashed for each meal to keep yourself safe. Progress slowly and watch his signals (is his tail wagging and does he looked relaxed or are his ears back and he is growling?). If he's not ready for you to pick up his food bowl, then go back a step or two. It's about building trust so don't push him too far too fast. We want him to think that when we take something from them they always get it back and most of the time we have added something even better to what he already had.
I started this training with one of my dogs when he was 10 weeks old and I have seen him allow an infant to crawl up to him and take a Bully Stick right out of his mouth. Experience taught him that he will get the "high value" item right back so there is no need to panic. My APBT was six years old when I got him (less than a year ago) and he will now allow anyone to take anything from him without any growling at all. He also now knows that anything taken from him will be given back to him so there is no need to react...he just stares at me with his big goofy eyes and waits for me to return the item to him.
Resource Guarding can be scary especially when a dog is new to you. Proceed slowly, build trust and before you know it, he will be all wags when you approach him while he is eating anything.