Andy Moyle
Forum Replies Created
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Thanks Allie. Yeah I would not advise blowing the ear for a dog older than about 15 weeks for the same reason you gave of snapping at the air.
Use of the raised platform gives the puppy a target to return to on his retrieve, and for casting, remote sits, etc which I help the team build into more complex chains. We spend at least a week luring the puppy onto it and rewarding him before we ever start retrieving from it. In order to play tug-o-war with a puppy you’ve got to be pretty low to the ground to start, and the addition of the raised platform pretty much eliminates stooping toward the puppy as a behavioral antecedent. Although I definitely think I should be more clear about that in my written instructions.
One thing you did make me notice was that I accidentally used the word “surprise” twice in the description of the exercise. It’s supposed to say, “The ticklish sensation will surprise the pup causing him to open his mouth.” Thanks for pointing that out. I agree with you that the way it’s written makes it sound like a startler or interrupter. It’s supposed to be a gentle blow like you’re starting kindling, not like you’re blowing out a birthday cake.
As far as teaching “Out” by offering another toy or piece of food, I don’t think it’s productive of the emotional response I want to see out of an obedience or field dog when I ask them to “Give.” I want the dog capping his drive so I can provide him with an outlet back to prey channeled through social. I’m not saying it can’t be done the way you describe, but keeping in mind that this is from my curriculum for puppies at about 7-9 weeks, I do want the earliest imprints of “Give” to be along these lines rather than what you describe. Each technique has different goals, it’s not that one is more correct than the other, they just have different end states in mind.
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Homework for FSDT 5.0 Lesson “<b style=”background-color: var(–bb-content-background-color); font-family: inherit; font-size: inherit; color: var(–bb-body-text-color);”>Business Ethics for Professional Dog Trainers”
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Comparing the IACP’s with the APDT’s professional codes of ethics, the first thing I am struck by is how loquacious the APDT’s code is. I am a fan of the KISS principle in systems design, so IACP has a point going for it in my book. Simple codes of ethics based on logical principles are much easier to remember and thus adhere to than complex ad hoc ones. Several points in the APDT’s code seemed unnecessarily redundant, such as sections:
“1.2 Shall comply with applicable laws regarding the reporting of animal bites and suspected abuse or neglect.”
and
“3.3 Shall maintain adequate knowledge of, and adhere to, applicable laws, ethics, and professional standards.”
etc.
One thing that I did appreciate about the APDT’s code was section:
“4.2 Shall maintain adequate professional liability insurance coverage.”
to which IACP’s code does not have a comparable provision. Professional liability coverage is essential to ensuring that a dog trainer can operate effectively and in such a way that does not place himself, the dogs, his students, or the general public at unaccountable risk.
Something that I found unfortunate about both the IACP and APDT’s codes of conduct is that neither required their members to maintain an objective standard of competency in the craft.
If I were to design a professional code of conduct for a dog training organization such as FSDT, here are 10 rules I believe the members should abide by:
1. All certified members must actively maintain an openness to new training concepts and methods and will constantly seek to improve themselves and their skills.
2. No certified member may misrepresent their own status within the organization or the relation of the organization to the services they provide.
3. Certified members must assist in the education, training, and professional development of new members to raise the standards in the dog training craft.
4. Certified members will always strive to raise the standard of dog ownership in any informational materials about dogs that they publish.
5. Certified members must conduct themselves professionally in speech, appearance, and in deed, recognizing that their behavior reflects on the public perception of the organization, other certified members, and the craft of dog training.
6. Certified members will always remember that the needs of the student, client, and/or student-dog come first, and will strive to resolve any behavior problems for which they are contracted to help, or will refer to a competent professional if they do not possess the skills or knowledge to resolve the problem.
7. Certified members will, to the best of their ability, research and understand the breed traits, biddability, and idiosyncrasies of every student-dog for which they are contracted for training, and will formulate a training plan which incorporates these details as they relate to the needs of the dog’s owner.
8. Certified members should be willing to visibly demonstrate any and all training techniques for which they have been contracted to instruct.
9. Certified members will always promote and instruct humane methods of dog training.
10. Certified members will always have as their goal a safe, fulfilled, obedient, and eager-to-work student-dog.
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Gently blowing in the ear takes the puppy’s mind off the game and elicits an open mouth, the handler removes the retrieve item, the handler praises the puppy for forfeiting the item (switching the puppy back to social), and the handler presents the item again (using Premack’s principle as an outlet to drive for rewarding the switch from prey to social).
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Social drive, you might know it as pack drive.
Teaching an older dog to “Give” I’ll start with a wooden or metal dowel placed behind the canine teeth which is easy to remove sideways from the dog’s muzzle.
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Definitely, in the context of this discussion, it means different conditioned emotional responses.
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The addition of the Best Business practices is a great idea, I especially appreciate the one about giving credit where credit is due
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I like how you incorporated the principles from Mr. D’Abruzzo’s lecture seamlessly into your suggested code of conduct