Clicker Training

There are very few places my dogs are allowed off leash: in my fenced backyard and at my parent's place on Lake Anna. That's just about it — two places. Call me a worry-wart. Call me a rule-follower. Call me whatever you want, but I'm not comfortable taking the chance that they'll take off after a deer, get lost, get hit by a car, or find an unfriendly dog and get into a fight. All of those possibilities have dire consequences — any one of those consequences could be the end of my dog. That's not a chance I'm willing to take, no matter how "liberating" it would be for my dog.

The picture on the left was taken when we went camping with the dogs. Notice the long leashes — both dogs are safely contained at our campsite on 30 foot cotton leashes. They can wander, but they can't go far. And they can't get into any serious trouble.

Some of my clients have fearful dogs, aggressive dogs, and unfriendly dogs. Some are unfriendly to people, while others are unfriendly toward other dogs (no matter how pleasant and friendly the other dog or other person is). I'm always shocked when they tell me they let their dog off-leash, knowing that their dog could cause damage to another person or dog, and knowing their dog doesn't have a good recall. That's asking for trouble.

The common thought that all these people have is a dangerous one: "We go to very remote areas of the park, trail, etc. where no one is." No one except every other person with a dog who either won't come when called or who isn't friendly to other people or other dogs. So now, not only are they doing something inherently dangerous to begin with, but they're increasing the chances that they're going to come upon another dog just like theirs – one who won't come when called, or worse, who will get into a fight with their dog.

It's just not worth it. What if your dog runs off? What if he starts a fight with another dog? Or is attacked by another dog? Or bites a person? Or gets hit by a car? Or gets quilled by a porcupine? (That really happened to a friend of mine who has great recall on his dogs, but he didn't see the porcupine until it was too late…).

So there really isn't a safe way to let your dog off leash unless you're in a fenced area. The consequences are simply too deadly. And it only takes one time for your dog to lose it's life. Just not worth it to me.

Everyone who reads this blog knows I'm not a fan of Whisperers, force-based training, flooding, and punishment. No surprise then, when I say this: there aren't "methods" of dog training. Some people, including me, will often refer to "methods," but it's all really just science.

The whisperer you see on tv uses science: it's called positive punishment, negative reinforcement, and flooding. All of those are fraught with unpleasant consequences. It may work occasionally, but more often than not, what looks like success is really learned helplessness. The dog is shutting down, not learning how to behave. It looks really impressive, however, to those who are watching – the barky dog no longer vocalizes! It's a miracle! No it's not – it's unfortunate. The dog isn't trained, it's simply shut down. There's a big difference between shut down and trained. They may look similar, but there's a world of difference.

Stick with the safer science – positive reinforcement. It's so much easier to teach your dog what you'd like it to do (by reinforcing the behavior you like) than it is to teach the dog all the things you don't want him to do. It's quicker and more enjoyable. After all, you got a dog for the companionship, right? Not to dominate and control. Create a cooperative relationship with your dog, not a adversarial one — find a positive reinforcement trainer!

We'll be getting our next service pup in training in a few weeks. I'm often asked why I do it and how I can bear to let the dogs go after raising and loving them for a year and a half. Watch this video to see why…

(Nemo is the young dog with me in the video. Our very first service dog, Rocky, went to the older gentleman in the wheelchair.)