Animal behaviour expert Karen Wild explains the best way to train dogs
Dogs have always been part of the human home and often, workplaces!
Training them was purpose-led. Why would we need a dog to help us, what are they here for, and why is a poodle called a poodle? (Clue: it’s related the job they used to be bred for). Everyone is familiar with a shepherd’s whistle, even though One Man and His Dog isn’t seen on mainstream TV much nowadays," writes animal behaviour expert Karen Wild.
Dog training clubs used to focus on canine competition, which is still a niche hobby with specialist equipment. This has expanded to more leisure, fun and pet dog training too. Lots of dogs love to try out agility, flyball, hoopers, rally, obedience… most, if not all of these will have some specific tools for the job. The humble pet dog will still have plenty of equipment on the owner shopping list. Food and toy wages for training, activity toys of all kinds, clickers, whistles, long leads, short leads, retractable leads, collars, harnesses and of course, rucksacks to carry it all.
Do we need to even bother to train our dogs? And how should we do this? Defra’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs states: “All dogs should be trained to behave well, ideally from a very young age. Only use positive reward based training.”
We are all responsible for refusing to use harsh, potentially painful or frightening training methods. You may come across very unpleasant methods, shock collars and choke chains still, but they aren’t necessary when there are plenty of ways to teach your dog that are clearer and kinder. The ‘crank and yank’ brigade should be long gone. Research from as far back as 2006: “Choke/check chains and prong collars can result in laryngeal, oesophageal, thyroidal, and tracheal damage.” Slip leads are no different, if used to yank a dog around its neck. That’s why those pieces of equipment are best left in the past.
It’s also no good - although less damaging - to get positive training methods wrong, and I have heard ‘stuff your dog with treats’ comments as a critique.
Anyone who simply does that, doesn’t know what they are doing and aren’t an educated trainer. No trainer should harm their dog, whether that’s through yanking them on lead (which is also illegal as it can injure them) or overfeeding
them.
Trainers worldwide now follow gentle but effective positive training methods, so we pet owners can follow their lead. Appropriate equipment and proper expertise are what makes the tools of the trade useful, effective, humane, and safe.