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Building A Stronger Relationship With
Your Dog
Our Exclusive Interview With Jane Masterson
of Canis Sapiens Dog Training, CPDT
Jane
Masterson
CPDT |
Jane Masterson has been training and walking dogs for 6 years.
Inspired by Chris Bach's "The Third Way" method
and also by Ian Dunbar's work, she uses both of these methods
in her classes and private lessons at Canis Sapiens Dog Training.
Jane lives in Chicago with her husband, daughter, dog, 5 cats
and 2 birds.
PupLife.com: What is exciting and new in dog training?
Jane Masterson: Trainers used to focus on exercises that were
done in obedience competitions, such as sit, down, stay, heel,
and come. Now trainers still teach those behaviors but have
added things that make living with your dog much easier and
make your dog happier as well such as teaching your dog to:
calm down or settle down, greet people nicely instead of jumping,
walk quietly past other dogs, even how to walk on a loose
leash. This is different from heeling, because your dog is
not pulling you but is still able to sniff and enjoy the exciting
outside world without annoying you.
PupLife.com: What are the three most common reasons dog owners
come to you?
Jane Masterson: People often call about training because they
are at the end of their rope. Their dog has been doing something
for a long time that has been driving them crazy. Some examples
include:
A. lunging, barking and snapping at people and/or dogs
B. jumping, barking and not calming down when company comes
C. biting or snapping at people if they step near the dog's
chew toy or bowl
The problem seems to be getting worse instead of better and
often a major incident has prompted them to call.
The second category of people who call me had a dog like the
ones in the first example. Now they have a new dog and they
want to avoid having these kinds of problems with their new
dog.The third category of people just say to themselves, "I've
got a dog. I should learn how to train it."
PupLife.com: What three behaviors would you like to see every
dog owner teach their dog?
Jane Masterson: I like to watch each person/dog team develop
a more satisfying relationship. The dog does something you
want them to do and this earns the dog a reward that they
want. This way you both enjoy the training session and your
relationship with your dog becomes better.
I love the list of possible rewards from Pam Dennison's book
The
Complete Idiot's Guide to Positive Dog Training: "Your
dog might like to sniff; roll in smelly things; sniff; chase
toys; play tug; play with other dogs; sniff; go swimming;
go for a car ride; go for a walk; jog or run; play in an open
field; sniff; chase ducks, deer or geese; herd sheep; find
small rodents; be petted or massaged; sniff; do agility; cuddle
with you; sniff; get belly rubs; retrieve objects; eat food;
pee on bushes (hopefully yours and not the neighbor's); get
attention from you; be groomed (my dogs like to be groomed);
and last but not least, sniff."
PupLife.com: How did you get started in dog training?
Jane Masterson: I got a dog from a shelter and the traditional
training methods (choke collar) didn't work very well with
him so I started to search for other methods. At the same
time, while in graduate school, I started walking dogs for
some extra money, the exercise and some outdoor time. I started
training these dogs because I wanted to enjoy the time I was
spending outside instead of being dragged down the street.
PupLife.com: Why should I go to class/private lessons when there is so much information
available in books and on the internet?
Jane Masterson: Once you learn the basic techniques of dog training you can continue
to train your dog using books or internet sources but it is usually easier to
start learning under the watchful eye of a good dog trainer. Your body postures,
movements and timing are very important and it is much easier to get it right
if you have a coach. Also, you will learn how to avoid inadvertently reinforcing
a behavior you don't want a dog to do. You will also learn to get a dog to do
a behavior that you want by rewarding very small steps in the right direction.
You can build a three minute stay from a three second stay. This way the dog doesn't
lose interest and you don't get discouraged because you will be progressing toward
the desired behavior.
PupLife.com: How should one pick a dog trainer?
Jane Masterson: I think an easy way to get an idea of what
kind of training goes on in a dog training class is to ask
about what type of collars/head gear the dogs wear in class.If
most dogs in class are wearing choke collars (long chain),
prong collars (spikes), shock or e-collars then this trainer
is using corrections. "Corrections" are behaviors
done by the trainer (often a jerk on the leash) that irritate,
hurt or startle dogs so that they stop doing something or
so that they do something that you requested.
If dogs are wearing flat collars (buckle or snap) and dog
food is used with a reward marker (word or click from a dog
clicker) then this trainer is using positive reinforcement instead of corrections.
This is my method. I don't want to irritate, hurt or startle a dog if I can teach
that dog the same behaviors without using these corrections.When dogs wear gentle
leaders, it is tempting to just move their head away from whatever you want them
to avoid and never let them learn to move their head away without your input.
I do not think all dogs need gentle leaders.
After getting the information about the collars/head gear
used, I would ask for a brief explanation of one way this
trainer teaches a dog to (insert what behavior you would like
your dog to do instead of a problem behavior that your dog
is doing)
Is the trainer willing to take the time to talk to you about
their methods? Ask the trainer to give you a three minute
explanation and then don't interrupt while the trainer is
giving you this information. Do you understand the explanation?
You don't have to get all the details but do you understand
the general idea? Ask if they work on this behavior in class
or whether it is only done in private lessons.
Sit in on a class. Take a look at the collars/head gear. Are
the people and the dogs having a good time? Are most of the
dog/people teams getting help and making progress during the
class? How many of the dogs avoid the trainer or greet her
in a groveling way (body low and wiggling, rolling over and
showing their tummy). If a lot of the dogs in class do this,
this is a sign that corrections are being used.
Association for Pet Dog Trainers (www.apdt.com) has a
list of trainers and certified trainers in your area. Just
like not all doctors are good, not all certified trainers
are good and some uncertified trainers are great so don't
use letters behind the name as your only criterion for picking
your trainer.
PupLife.com: What new projects are you working on?
Jane Masterson: One of my long-term projects is trying to get people to think
about making their dog's walk and playgroup time more enjoyable for their dog
and to actually use them as tools to enhance their relationship with their dog.
Dogs love to explore different areas so I always encourage people to take a different
route every day. This can be accomplished as easily as going in a different direction
every day or getting in the car and driving a mile from your house to explore
a new neighborhood.
Let your dog sniff things on walks. The dogs I walk are allowed
to stop and sniff yet we still cover at least a mile in our
half hour walk. If your dog has never been allowed to sniff
on walks, they may spend their first walks that allowed unrestricted
sniffing, just sniffing. This will probably change after a
week or so. I am not impressed when I see someone walking
with their dog glued to their side in heel position, only
letting the dog take short breaks to relieve themselves. This
is a one-sided relationship. We humans have words like blind
and deaf but what is the commonly used term for an impaired
sense of smell? I don't think we even have a commonly used
term because our sense of smell is not as important to us,
but it is very important to dogs.
Your dog's walk is also a great time to work on your dog's
training. For five minutes of the half hour walk, work on
sit, down, stay, eye contact, or whatever your dog needs.
You will be amazed how much training can be accomplished with
a daily 5 minute session. If your dog is pulling you, eating
trash, barking, lunging, or jumping, sign up for a class that
can help you work on these problems. The walk should be enjoyable
for both of you!
What if you go to a doggie playgroup/park instead of walking
your dog? I still recommend walking different routes to the
park and doing a little training on the way home. Make sure
your dog is enjoying the time you spend at the dog park/playgroup.
Some dogs don't enjoy playing with other dogs and others stop
wanting to play with other dogs at about two years old. This
can be a problem because after two years of going to a dog
group, the humans have usually bonded strongly with the other
humans.
A nice alternative is a dog walking club. You meet your friends
and their dogs in a spot where the dogs can walk on 10-25
ft long lines and explore and the humans can socialize while
they walk. Pick different areas to explore and everyone will
have a good time.
To learn more about Jane Masterson, visit her web site at
www.canissapiens.com.
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