I asked her to meet me over coffee at Starbucks in Newtown,
so she could straighten me out. She did, and I had one of the
most enjoyable conversations I've shared in days.
The married mother of adult kids, Berger is a professional
trainer who thinks I let down dogs and their owners when I
wrote about a training philosophy she finds worrisome. That
philosophy is that Sparky will vie with you for dominance.
Humans who think an animal is about to overthrow their reign
tend to be too stern and aggressive, Berger says. It's as though
they have license to be abusive.
"Hurts my heart," she told me.
Your dog should be subordinate, not submissive. If you can
get yours to avert its eyes, lower its tail and slink away,
you should be ashamed of yourself, she said.
Berger teaches privately and in classes at Indian Walk Veterinary
Center in Newtown Township that ANYTIME you employ physical
or verbal corrections - punishment - you run the risk of eliciting
a fearful or aggressive response. That means you could be creating
problems.
Training your dog through positive reinforcement - goodies
in exchange for good behavior - is more effective, and it rewards
you, too, she said. Being kind just feels better.
Melinda Berger is certified through the Certification Council for
Pet Dog Trainers and a professional member of the Association
of Pet Dog Trainers and the International Association of Animal
Behavior Counselors.
She says the concept of dominance in dogs is overused and
misunderstood. It's based on wolf studies from the 1940s that
are now believed to be flawed.
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While dogs are descended from wolves, Berger said, you can
no more understand Fido by studying a wolf than you can understand
Uncle Ed's behavior - my apologies here to creationists and
Ed - by studying chimpanzees.
"The good news is that your dog is naturally set up to
accept you as his or her leader and actually thrives in that
environment," Berger said.
Don't make a fuss over your animal's mistakes. The key to
a "Dream Dog" - the name for Berger's training outfit
- is making him "a believer." He must believe you
control all the good stuff and that you'll gladly share it
if he'll just be a dear.
Share really good stuff. No cheap snacks or distracted ear
scratching. Your dog will tell you what motivates her - maybe
favorite food bits, praise, belly rubs or games.
Berger's best advice, in the meantime, is to create a no-fail
environment. For goodness sake, she said, put the trashcan
out of the dog's reach. He's a natural scavenger. Who could
blame him for tipping the can to sift through deli wrappers
and empty food containers? Not her.
She also suggests reading, "Don't Shoot The Dog," by
trainer Karen Pryor. Or, if you'd like, give her a call at
215-906-9229. Through education, she hopes to teach the merit
of positive reinforcement over old-school correction. I guess
you could say here's where she's hoping to teach us humans
new tricks.
Kate Fratti, whose opinion column appears on Monday, Wednesday
and Friday, thought competing diet and child-rearing philosophies
were confusing enough. Now this!
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