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.

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