Does anyone watch Dog Whisperer?

[bckrazy]

“just aren’t wired right”. Well there it is, had to come up at some point, these are the final words of so many positive trainers who have given up before me. No dog “just ain’t wired right”, every single dog in existence wants to, and can, return to balance.

I truly believe that some dogs are inherently unstable dogs who cannot be helped... just like some people, some animals of any species, can never be "normal". Particularly because we, who control the breeding rights of our dogs, selectively breed for bizarre and dangerous traits (aloofness, silent attacks, DA/HA). I do feel that supressing/"leadership" is likely the only way to "rehabilitate" some dogs. Dogs who are not motivated by people or food or praise or interaction at all, which is indeed unusual and bad wiring for a dog, might be motivated by fear/"respect" of a leader. But to me those dogs are in the minority.

I study feral and wild dogs, and I know for a fact that in every pack there is one leader (+alpha female) and that leader does not hesitate show that he is at the top, and the followers accept it, it's in their instincts to, just as domestic dogs are, who share over 99% of the same genes as the wolf - that's something that you just can't deny. Wolves were domesticated to be adjusted to humans 15,000 years ago, and renamed the "domestic dog", that's just fact. Not only do I study the wolf, but I compare and contrast their behaviors with domestic dogs, domestic dog packs and feral packs, the similarities are endless, the only differences tend to be that most domestic dogs are just ill-equipped for survival, and of course, are fully adjusted to humans.

I felt compelled to quote this again, as the topic of wolf behavior and dogs being the equivalent of wolves has been brought up over & over. Some one I respect A LOT directed me to this link, and I would love for you and anyone else that's interested to take a gander: http://darrennaish.blogspot.com/2006...estic-dog.html & this if you have a couple of hours: http://www.nonlineardogs.com/socialorganisation.html

Being a volunteer at a rescue shelter, I know that if a pit bull comes in from rescue, it has some issues, that’s a fact you can’t deny unfortunately.
On a somewhat random but relevant note, can I just remind you that I use positive reinforcement all the time (seriously) but I cannot use it when it is simply not possible to.

I have met countless rescued Pit Bulls who have never had a mean bone in their body towards any man or animal. Lovable, sensitive, goofy lugs. In my experience, Pit Bulls are a far more resilient and good-natured breed in general than most breeds, including Border Collies.

the fact that I’m male and your female I believe does have some, if not a lot of influence on our opinions about dogs and dog training.

I agree 100%!

I have noticed that men tend to feel empowered by using physical force and being a "leader"... in any situation, not just dog training. There are positive trainers who I adore who are men (Dr Ian Dunbar is one of my favorites of all times), but most of my encounters with "dominance" trainers have been men. It brings up a really nice quote from the second link I posted.

"Not only do the concepts of “dominance” and “submission” assume that the contents of a dog’s consciousness are similar to the contents of human consciousness, they are also unparsimonious and inelegant, and are entirely superfluous in explaining the behavior of the domestic dog. Respondent and operant conditioning are sufficient to explain the behavioral responses on the organizational level of the system called “dog”, and to explain the emergence and maintenance of a larger canine social system."

In many cases of dominance theory, I find that assumptions are made more than real, true, scientific observation. Dominance enthusiasts assume so much, when one can observe isolated dog "packs" all day long, and that does not change the fact that we will never think exactly like a dog or know what is going on in a dog's brain. We can only use what we have, to change they way that they react and behave, in a foreign world, ruled by a completely foreign species of animal.

With regards to the debate, it could go on forever (quite literally…so)-with the things we disagree on, I propose that we agree to disagree, and agree that what we each use works best for us individually.

You're right. I've said my piece... if not more. I did learn something, and I respect that you don't take "natural" training to extremes.

To be honest, you'd have to see me working with a dog first hand to see whether you truly agree with / understand what exactly I do.

I would love to see that. I'm sure it would be eye-opening! Feel free to keep posting here, don't be afraid of me. I'm usually quite well-behaved, believe it or not.