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Equipment For Dog Training
After thoroughly digesting the
psychology of dog training as outlined in the webpage preceding, the
prospective trainer is now ready to begin work in earnest. I am not
going to overburden the amateur with a lot of unnecessary instructions
or remarks that might bore him to the point of diluting his interest or
of dampening his enthusiasm. I will, however, stress the several points
of importance as they appear in the course of the lessons, and at the
same time explain the reasons why certain pieces of equipment are
needed.
A correct outfit of course is indispensable for training. A mechanic
cannot do a creditable job without proper tools: neither can a trainer
achieve satisfactory results unless he has the right equipment for his
dog. And by equipment I mean the correct type of collar, the right sort
of leash, and all the rest of the trainer's tools which, expertly
selected, may mean the difference between success and failure.
People often arrive at the training field armed with the strangest
outfits; and sometimes it requires all my powers of persuasion to
convince them that they are unsuitable. A harness, for instance, is
totally unfit, especially for the 2F, large dog which pulls on the
leash until he well nigh paralyzes his master's arm. True, a special
harness may be advised later for trailing, but for the beginner it is a
hindrance because it does not permit the handler to keep a green dog
under control. The collar is the only means by which perfect control
can be exerted. The thin chain, intended as a leash, also is incorrect
and even dangerous—many are the hands burned and cut from using such a
contrivance.
Another piece of equipment against which I warn is the plain choke
collar. In order to obtain results with a collar of this type, the
guide must pull on the choke to the point of strangling the dog until
he loses his breath. I have seen dogs with necks strained and seriously
injured from being trained with choke collars simply because of the
strength that can be exerted when the guide brings the dog up short
with a quick, hard jerk. But never have I observed the dog with the
tiniest red mark on his neck from wearing the ordinary training collar.
It is this training collar that I wish to explain fully. Almost every
conscientious trainer will recommend it, not only for the purpose of
saving the guide the arm strain caused by the dog's constant pulling,
but as a means of doing away with that worst of all punishers, the
whip. The training collar is a well-thought-out, cruelty preventing
device which at the same time assists in systematic training. Its
inside prongs, being blunt, cannot pierce the skin; in fact, no injury
to my knowledge has ever been caused by this type of collar.
Unfortunately, hearsay and superficial knowledge has led to
condemnation of the training collar on sight by many people unaware of
its real purpose or of its actual method of use. Those who would
endeavor to have these collars prohibited, I would like to convince of
their error. The point is that this collar I recommend is the most
definite help in the training of all dogs, refractory or otherwise; and
once trained, the dog is forever removed from drastic methods of abuse
like whipping which at times have been resorted to by the very people
who deplore the training collar.
Some years ago I was offered a good price to train a certain shepherd
dog to stop his attacks upon people. A shepherd man at heart, I
considered this breed the king of working dogs, but the moment I saw
this big fellow T knew the reason for the trouble. Due possibly to
constant petting and coddling, this dog was as spoiled an animal as
could be found. He considered everybody and everything fit subject for
attack. Yet when I suggested that the owner start the dog on a series
of obedience lessons in order first to get him under control, my advice
relative to the training collar met with strong resistance. To speak
plainly, I have never heard a more radical condemnation of the training
collar than that given by this man in direct disregard of my own
knowledge and experience.
A short time later I was called to the man's home where I found
everyone in a state of great excitement. Following attacks upon several
people, the dog had been shot by the police, and the owner asked me to
act as witness against a neighbor and against the police who had killed
the dog. This of course I refused to do. But, looking at the body of
the poor dog, as he lay there mutilated with eleven bullets, I asked
the owner this question: Who do you consider more inhuman? These men
who killed your dog in order to defend others, or you yourself, the man
who disregarded my advice when I told you how to make a real friend and
companion of your dog through proper training? Reluctantly
he admitted his mistake.
Another incident worth relating occurred several years ago. When he saw
the training collar my own dog Bodo had been wearing for seven years, a
man claimed that I was cruel to the dog. The collar aroused his ire,
and in ignorance of its true value, he asked me to wear it! Carefully I
explained to him how wrong it was to compare a human being with an
animal. I told him to consider that the skin of a dog, many times
tougher than the skin of man, can be tanned to make leather while the
skin of a human being cannot. Even would it be impossible for a man to
wear a plain leather collar without consequent abrasion of the skin.
Now just one more point on the subject of the training collar in the
hope of convincing the reader what this collar means to the dog; in the
hope also of proving that it is anything but cruel. We cannot
perhaps actually humanize a dog. We can, however, have successfully
trained, well educated dogs, without making machines of them. To be
thoroughly convinced of the truth of this statement, you have only to
attend one of my classes, where you will be quite welcome and
where you will see for yourself how admirably the dogs work wearing
training collars. Unfortunately, many join these classes only
after they have
gotten into trouble with an unmanageable dog, and sometimes they expect
correction too quickly. For such cases, especially where the dog's
fighting spirit has been allowed to develop, the training collar is a
necessity. It is always a pleasure when someone brings along a puppy for the purpose of asking
advice about preparation for training when the dog has reached the
proper age. Much trouble can be prevented, and considerable work saved,
if education is begun early. Naturally, however, it is not advisable to
use the training collar on puppies. This collar can be used for another
purpose also: by reversing it, it can take the place of a plain collar.
Due to its very limited choking effect, it cannot do as much harm as
the ordinary choke collar with its veritable strangling propensity.
Correct Equipment
1. The training
collar which, reversed, can be used as an ordinary
collar—note its limited choke.
2. Hand leash
whose three-foot length is suitable for any dog.
3. Retrieving
dumbbells for large and small dogs.
4. Chainette or
throwing chain.
5. Whistle.
6. Longe or long
leash, of flat material
Incorrect Equipment
7. The
harness, however attractive, is useless for training.
8. The
strangle collar which, though quite innocuous in appearance, is an
instrument of torture in the hands of the beginner because of its
unlimited choke.
9. The whip
leash should never be found in the hands of the dog lover.
10. The chain
leash—most impractical.
11. The long
leash, made of rounded clothesline, will invariably tangle.
Now that we know what a training collar is, and how best to use it, let
us consider next the leash. A good, leather leash which is necessary
for the purpose of keeping the dog under control before he is actually
leash-broken, should be strong enough to hold the dog according to his
size. Avoid the chain leash because of its cutting strain upon the
trainer's hands—even small dogs like fox terriers and dachshunds
possess an almost unbelievable pulling power. The whip leash, the kind
made in the form of a whip with a snap hook at the end, I condemn
unreservedly. You have only to use such a leash once as a whip, to find
that the dog eyes it with mixed feelings whenever he goes out of doors.
How is he to know whether he is invited out for fun and play or for a
whipping! This bit of faulty equipment can lay the foundation for
shyness, one of the most difficult things to conquer in all dog
training, so by all means let us abolish use of the whip leash right at
the start.
In addition to the short, leather leash, we will need the "longe" or
long leash, no more than about ten yards in length and of flat material
to prevent dangling. This equipment is not needed in the beginning, but
it will prove of real service in later lessons; in fact, it would
require too much space to explain the various uses of the long leash.
Suffice it to state here that its chief purpose is for bringing the dog
under control at a distance, for preventing him from chasing
automobiles, cats, horses, etc. Another necessity is the chainette or
throwing chain, a plain chain, closed at both ends and devoid of any
sharp edges. For necessary punishment or correction to be effective, we
must keep our hands off the dog; moreover, the article used to
administer punishment must not be visible. This of course is impossible
when a whip is used. While holding a whip in your hand, call a dog to
you. Fear of the whip will prompt him to approach you hesitatingly, his
tail between his legs. And he will not come all the way, but will
remain at some distance, out of reach.
The chainette produces an entirely different reaction, After it is
thrown, the dog will turn to you for protection and, if encouraged by
friendly words, he will approach you more quickly because he sees
nothing to arouse his suspicion. Do not allow him to
see you pick up the chainette. This whole procedure, even though of
corrective intent, creates in the dog, the sense of being controlled by
awakening him to the fact that we can reach him from any direction,
from any distance. And we can get him under control more quickly and
more effectively than by chasing him with the whip. To attempt going
after him sends him farther away. But hit him lightly just a few times
and he will straightway associate the rattling of the chainette with
the thing which struck him, and soon the mere shaking of the chainettc
or a bunch of keys, even, will be sufficient warning against attempted
or desired disobedience. He will come at once when called. In some
cases a whistle will be found essential to the trainer's equipment.
Oftentimes in the woods and on large estates, or even in very stormy
weather, the sound of a call or command is carried away by the wind. In
instances of this kind I advise a plain, sharp whistle, if possible
different in tone or volume from the usual police whistle which might
confuse the dog if heard on the street. The same must be said of the
so-called "silent whistles" now on the market: they possess the
disadvantage of being heard by every dog and for class training they
are of no use at all. To complete the equipment a dumbbell is needed
for retrieving. Many specialty clubs have standard sizes and weights
according to the size of the dog. The main thing is that it should not
be too heavy, and that it should have enough space between the ends so
that the dog can pick it up without difficulty. The material should be
of hard wood that will not splinter.
And now some suggestions to the
amateur guide or beginner. Not infrequently the dress or suit of the
guide is confusing. Do not, therefore, wear long skirts or coats
during training for they permit the dog only a limited vision, and
cause him to stay away from the guide or to follow possibly at too
great a distance. A perhaps unconscious fault of the fair sex engaged
in training work is the wearing of extremely high heels. Often have I
observed with six-inch heels, women scarcely able to balance themselves
on the ground, trying to keep a dog following after them. And the dog
... it looks as though he expects his guide to do a double somersault
at any moment, and he keeps at a safe distance. Actually, it's
impossible to get him close to the knee for, apparently sensing this
lack of sure footing in his guide, he feels himself in the path of a
fall! May I add that the training field is no place for a fashion show
and that this type of footwear should be eliminated throughout training
practise!
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