I went to a local dog training club recently with a relative and noticed a line of water sprayers on the trainer's desk. My relative's dog was getting stressed so I started blocking him from the source of anxiety. The trainer came over and told me that blocking wouldn't work and handed me a water spray! She told me to say 'no' and spray the dog's face. The dog was already stressed!
I looked around the room and saw a couple of other handlers using sprays. Whenever their dog barked they would say 'no' and spray. It was probably used as an interrupt rather that a punisher, but I just don't like the idea.
I know a lot of training clubs use them but can they work and what is the logic behind using them?
Tony Cruse, by email
I'd be very shocked to see a trainer do this in a class situation! Although I know people who use sprayers on their dogs, it's not an avenue I want to go down. My dog would never forgive me!
ReplyDeleteI also have issues with instructors using pebbles in a can in class situations. It scares the other dogs around as well as the one of which you are trying to interrupt the behaviour.
I have been to classes run by 2 different people, and they both instructed owners to spray barking dogs. Presumably this only teaches dogs not to bark when their owner is sitting next to them with a spray? I would think a bark-activated collar was better as a last resort, since it is not associated with the owner. I found that I could often anticipate when my dogs were likely to bark in class, and instructed them to 'watch" me as an alternative behaviour.
ReplyDeleteOne of the instructers mentioned above was APDT-approved, and the other was APBC-approved...
ReplyDeleteI think this is a horrible and outdated method.Trainers should be bought up to date and should not be training with these unecessary techniques. I would not submit my dogs in any cicumstances to this type of training. I would reccommend that you do not attend any more, as you already have better instincts and training than the people that run this class!
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