I did say that I would try to keep up with this, but my old demons have caught up with me:
1. Who's reading this anyhow? Why should anyone care? (And yes, I know you're there, Mom, but you don't need to read a blog to know how I'm doing and what I'm up to.) I don't do anything that interesting, and writing about my dog is not going to gain me readers (everyone knows that no one loves your dog as much as you do- it's pretty much a given.)
2. On the off chance that I DO become successful and gain regular readers, I'm going to have to deal with malicious comments and personal attacks. I see this all the time on my favorite blogs I read- vicious, ignorant commenters. I wonder how writers can stand it without falling apart, and some even remove their comment section entirely. I don't know if I'm strong enough.
3. Sheer laziness. I'm lazy, I'm the first person to admit it. I didn't feel like driving five miles to a wireless hotspot to get on the internet. It seems wasteful, and I hate driving for frivolous things (liberal guilt about polluting the environment with my inefficient old putt-putt of a car. I want to put a sign on the back that says "I'M SORRY I CAN'T GO ANY FASTER" to apologize to anyone who gets stuck behind me.)
But now that I'm here, I might as well give an update.
I am COMPLETELY out of money. I have 150 dollars in my bank account, and ZERO cash stashed anywhere else. Still figuring out what to do about this. Fortunately I have a very loving (and enabling) family that lets me live with them rent-free, so I don't have to worry about being kicked out on the street or starving, but it demands a re-think of my choices in the past, and what to do next.
Sad news on the pet-owning front: Maggie (my family's Aussie) killed our elderly barn cat, Clementine. It's a miracle Clementine made it to old age (16 years) in the first place, being an outside-only cat in a place with many predators, but she was tough. It was really hard to see her go in such a hideous way. Maggie flushed her out of the barn where Clementine slept during the day (she was entirely nocturnal, and therefore had no dealings with Maggie before) and grabbed the cat by the neck and shook her violently, over and over. But this didn't give Clementine a quick death (that would have been better.) I think poor Clementine actually suffocated from being carried by the neck for that long. Maggie ran all around the yard and refused to break her hold on the cat, while we humans screamed and ran after. It was just horrible. Finally Clementine stopped struggling and Maggie tried to cache her kill for later (like wild predators do) by burying it with leaves and mud. I swooped in and gathered up the bloody, muddy cat, but it was too late.
I buried her in the yard, and dragged a log and some rocks over the site so dogs or other animals can't dig her up. Clementine looked she was just curled up to rest and it was so hard to leave her in that hole and shovel dirt over her open eyes.
One spot of hope in that circus of horror was Bruno's behavior during the incident. While he was definitely an accomplice in flushing the cat out of her hiding place, when I went ballistic yelling and screaming and kicking Maggie, he got the heck out of there- ran right to the house and demanded to be let in. I didn't know this until it was all over, and I said, "I need to look for Bruno, I lost him in the confusion." I feel bad for scaring him like that, but it shows that his prey drive can be overruled. His desire to kill the cat was less than his fear of a loud, scary situation, so I have hope that if a similar thing happens again (God forbid) I could stop him from killing. Hopefully I will not have to find out.
And if anyone is curious, Maggie is a purebred Australian Shepherd, and no, Aussies are NOT supposed to be a "cat killer" breed. (That dubious honor goes to German Shepherds and Siberian Huskies.) I don't know if she is a genetic anomaly, or if this behavior developed because she was not introduced to cats as a puppy, and she has been rewarded for killing other animals in the past (rats and an opossum.)
Showing posts with label prey drive. Show all posts
Showing posts with label prey drive. Show all posts
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, August 27, 2010
Clarifications on Shock Collar Training
Well, I thought I should write a little more about this, because I want people to know more about the controversy that is e-collar training.
Suffice to say, this is one of the most divisive subjects you can bring up about dog training, so here's my take:
E-Collars are a TOOL. They are not evil in of themselves. The stimulation it delivers can range from a mild tingly feeling (like when your leg falls asleep) to a "Yowza! that hurts!" sting (have you ever touched an electric fence meant to keep horses in? It's about like that). The remote allows the trainer to change the setting for what he/she thinks is right for his dog. But... It is VERY easy to use this tool in an abusive way. People who use them extensively are either VERY skilled, or they are abusing their dogs, and it can be a fine line in between.
My second objection is that they are completely unnecessary for basic obedience training. I can make a dog sit, lie down, and stay with no forceful or painful actions at all, so why even go there? If I use treats wrong, well, my dog just won't learn anything, and maybe get fat from all the treats, but if I use a shock collar wrong, he could become afraid of me, and that's the last thing I want. The directions that came with Bruno's collar made me mad. Basically, they asked you to find the level of stim that bothers your dog, but isn't torture (so he paws the collar, but doesn't whine or scream, for example). Then you shock him while forcing him to do the command (using a leash to pull him into a down, for example) and stop the shock as soon as he's in the position. THE PAIN STOPS IF HE OBEYS. That just seems...wrong. I'm sure that eventually the dog will figure this out and will obey you lightning-fast, but it's learning based on pain and fear. I know many trainers have excellent results using e-collars, but the dogs have to have a high pain tolerance, quick bounceback, and be tolerant of forceful handling. That obviously isn't every dog. Bruno shrieked at even the lowest level of stim.
So... There is ONE use for the e-collar that I feel is completely justified: stopping predatory chasing. It works, and there are few other ways to get the results. Traumatic memories are VERY hard to erase (it's called PTSD in severe, human cases...) which is why it works so well. I will admit that openly- Yes, I want to build a traumatic association in my dog. I want him to feel uneasy around prey animals and ignore or avoid them, instead of killing them. I think it's a fair trade-off. It saves the poor bunnies and kitties, saves my peace of mind, and might even save my dog's life, if it stops him from chasing a deer into the woods, attacking sheep and getting shot by an angry rancher, or darting across the road after a squirrel and getting squished by a car.
But I don't stop there... I still work diligently to build my dog's recall so that he will return to me BEFORE an incident starts, so I don't have to use the shock. I use positive-only training for this.
So far, it's working well. Bruno willingly submits to the collar, and is even eager to have it on (because he's built a positive association as well: e-collar=going for a walk). His recall is getting much better, thanks to the doggy crack I tend to carry around with me. (Yes, I know, it's a horrible, horrible product, that will rot his teeth, make him fart, etc. But it works, and only takes a little bit at a time.)
So I will not say that "E-Collars are for evil dog abusers!" or "E-Collars are wonderful, and people who hate them are pansies!" I have a specific use for one, and it works for me and my dog. I would strongly hesitate to use it for anything other than predatory aggression, though.
Suffice to say, this is one of the most divisive subjects you can bring up about dog training, so here's my take:
E-Collars are a TOOL. They are not evil in of themselves. The stimulation it delivers can range from a mild tingly feeling (like when your leg falls asleep) to a "Yowza! that hurts!" sting (have you ever touched an electric fence meant to keep horses in? It's about like that). The remote allows the trainer to change the setting for what he/she thinks is right for his dog. But... It is VERY easy to use this tool in an abusive way. People who use them extensively are either VERY skilled, or they are abusing their dogs, and it can be a fine line in between.
My second objection is that they are completely unnecessary for basic obedience training. I can make a dog sit, lie down, and stay with no forceful or painful actions at all, so why even go there? If I use treats wrong, well, my dog just won't learn anything, and maybe get fat from all the treats, but if I use a shock collar wrong, he could become afraid of me, and that's the last thing I want. The directions that came with Bruno's collar made me mad. Basically, they asked you to find the level of stim that bothers your dog, but isn't torture (so he paws the collar, but doesn't whine or scream, for example). Then you shock him while forcing him to do the command (using a leash to pull him into a down, for example) and stop the shock as soon as he's in the position. THE PAIN STOPS IF HE OBEYS. That just seems...wrong. I'm sure that eventually the dog will figure this out and will obey you lightning-fast, but it's learning based on pain and fear. I know many trainers have excellent results using e-collars, but the dogs have to have a high pain tolerance, quick bounceback, and be tolerant of forceful handling. That obviously isn't every dog. Bruno shrieked at even the lowest level of stim.
So... There is ONE use for the e-collar that I feel is completely justified: stopping predatory chasing. It works, and there are few other ways to get the results. Traumatic memories are VERY hard to erase (it's called PTSD in severe, human cases...) which is why it works so well. I will admit that openly- Yes, I want to build a traumatic association in my dog. I want him to feel uneasy around prey animals and ignore or avoid them, instead of killing them. I think it's a fair trade-off. It saves the poor bunnies and kitties, saves my peace of mind, and might even save my dog's life, if it stops him from chasing a deer into the woods, attacking sheep and getting shot by an angry rancher, or darting across the road after a squirrel and getting squished by a car.
But I don't stop there... I still work diligently to build my dog's recall so that he will return to me BEFORE an incident starts, so I don't have to use the shock. I use positive-only training for this.
So far, it's working well. Bruno willingly submits to the collar, and is even eager to have it on (because he's built a positive association as well: e-collar=going for a walk). His recall is getting much better, thanks to the doggy crack I tend to carry around with me. (Yes, I know, it's a horrible, horrible product, that will rot his teeth, make him fart, etc. But it works, and only takes a little bit at a time.)
So I will not say that "E-Collars are for evil dog abusers!" or "E-Collars are wonderful, and people who hate them are pansies!" I have a specific use for one, and it works for me and my dog. I would strongly hesitate to use it for anything other than predatory aggression, though.
Close Call
I should write about this while it's still fresh in my memory and before I make the same mistake again (hopefully NEVER!)
While hiking on Mt. Hood, Bruno got loose from me and chased a deer. He was only gone about 15 minutes, but it could have been forever. If he hadn't come back, he could have been lost in a huge, mostly roadless and trail-less, VERY rugged wildness. There was even a sign at the trailhead warning that the Sheriff's Dept. will NOT do technical rescues for stranded dogs- if your dog falls down a crevasse, it's your problem, not theirs.
So why did I let this happen? Stupidity. I chose NOT to put his remote collar on him that day, because I hadn't needed to correct him at all the previous day, and I wanted to save it's battery. For WHAT? This was exactly the kind of situation the collar prevents. I thought that since I had him trained not to chase cats, chickens, and squirrels, it would translate into "not chase anything."
Why? I KNOW that dogs are very poor at generalizing. Temple Grandin has said over and over in her books (several of which I've read and loved) that animals can't generalize, or can only do it in limited ways. That's why puppy socialization is SO important. Dogs don't know that ALL children are safe if they've only met a few, or ALL cats or ALL farm animals, even ALL types of flooring or weather. They need to experience as many things as possible while the critical period of socialization is still open. I'm quite sure Bruno's first owner totally missed the ball on that one, by the way.
So he spots a deer on the trail. In only a few seconds, I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head. "What is that? Can I chase it? It looks fun, but what if I get punished?" He turned back and looked at me, very briefly, as if to make up his mind. Then he's off like a shot, double-suspension gallop down a 45% slope in dense forest. The deer obviously did not trip the trained response in his brain that predatory chase=painful correction, that IS activated for cats and squirrels. It didn't fit.
I didn't have a compass, so I knew it would be utterly foolish to chase after him. What if I got lost too? I called and called and called, and then sat down and cried. All this work I've put into him, for nothing! I threw it away by not putting his e-collar on him, and so was unable to stop him and use this as a training experience, instead of a tragedy. I even prayed a little, and I don't consider myself a Christian these days.
Thankfully, he DID come to his senses and return to me, out-of-breath and overheated. I leashed him up and we continued the rest of the day on-leash, until I got back to camp and put his e-collar on.
I still don't exactly why I chose not to put it on him that day. Foggy lazy thinking. Makes no sense whatsoever. But I'm determined not to let it happen again.
Sidenote about e-collar training: I was harshly criticized by a few people on the dogster forums for using a remote shock collar, aka electronic collar, training collar, e-collar, etc. This is the collar I use. The ONLY time I use it is for stopping predatory chasing. NOT when he's just disobeying me- I deal with that in other ways, mostly positive. I am a fan of Temple Grandin, previously mentioned, and to her, the only ethical use of a shock collar is to stop predatory aggression. The short, sharp shock totally trips up their emotional track and short-circuits the prey drive. It has worked AMAZINGLY well on Bruno, I hardly ever have to correct him since I started it a couple months ago, and most of his behavior changed within a week of using it.
His prey drive was out of control. He would go NUTS strangling himself on his collar, screaming and barking to get to whatever it was, cat, squirrel, chicken, even large livestock like goats and horses. This was DANGEROUS behavior, and it was a choice of 1. Give him to someone with a VERY secure fence and no livestock nearby (unlikely to happen) 2. Euthanize him 3. Train him to have self-control, and the collar seemed the most effective way to do that.
He is NOT traumatized or shell-shocked into zombie-like behavior, as some people will assume with shock-collar training. He seems much calmer and more balanced on walks, now that he is not searching for animals to chase. His ears and tail say that he's calm and happy.
While hiking on Mt. Hood, Bruno got loose from me and chased a deer. He was only gone about 15 minutes, but it could have been forever. If he hadn't come back, he could have been lost in a huge, mostly roadless and trail-less, VERY rugged wildness. There was even a sign at the trailhead warning that the Sheriff's Dept. will NOT do technical rescues for stranded dogs- if your dog falls down a crevasse, it's your problem, not theirs.
So why did I let this happen? Stupidity. I chose NOT to put his remote collar on him that day, because I hadn't needed to correct him at all the previous day, and I wanted to save it's battery. For WHAT? This was exactly the kind of situation the collar prevents. I thought that since I had him trained not to chase cats, chickens, and squirrels, it would translate into "not chase anything."
Why? I KNOW that dogs are very poor at generalizing. Temple Grandin has said over and over in her books (several of which I've read and loved) that animals can't generalize, or can only do it in limited ways. That's why puppy socialization is SO important. Dogs don't know that ALL children are safe if they've only met a few, or ALL cats or ALL farm animals, even ALL types of flooring or weather. They need to experience as many things as possible while the critical period of socialization is still open. I'm quite sure Bruno's first owner totally missed the ball on that one, by the way.
So he spots a deer on the trail. In only a few seconds, I can practically hear the wheels turning in his head. "What is that? Can I chase it? It looks fun, but what if I get punished?" He turned back and looked at me, very briefly, as if to make up his mind. Then he's off like a shot, double-suspension gallop down a 45% slope in dense forest. The deer obviously did not trip the trained response in his brain that predatory chase=painful correction, that IS activated for cats and squirrels. It didn't fit.
I didn't have a compass, so I knew it would be utterly foolish to chase after him. What if I got lost too? I called and called and called, and then sat down and cried. All this work I've put into him, for nothing! I threw it away by not putting his e-collar on him, and so was unable to stop him and use this as a training experience, instead of a tragedy. I even prayed a little, and I don't consider myself a Christian these days.
Thankfully, he DID come to his senses and return to me, out-of-breath and overheated. I leashed him up and we continued the rest of the day on-leash, until I got back to camp and put his e-collar on.
I still don't exactly why I chose not to put it on him that day. Foggy lazy thinking. Makes no sense whatsoever. But I'm determined not to let it happen again.
Sidenote about e-collar training: I was harshly criticized by a few people on the dogster forums for using a remote shock collar, aka electronic collar, training collar, e-collar, etc. This is the collar I use. The ONLY time I use it is for stopping predatory chasing. NOT when he's just disobeying me- I deal with that in other ways, mostly positive. I am a fan of Temple Grandin, previously mentioned, and to her, the only ethical use of a shock collar is to stop predatory aggression. The short, sharp shock totally trips up their emotional track and short-circuits the prey drive. It has worked AMAZINGLY well on Bruno, I hardly ever have to correct him since I started it a couple months ago, and most of his behavior changed within a week of using it.
His prey drive was out of control. He would go NUTS strangling himself on his collar, screaming and barking to get to whatever it was, cat, squirrel, chicken, even large livestock like goats and horses. This was DANGEROUS behavior, and it was a choice of 1. Give him to someone with a VERY secure fence and no livestock nearby (unlikely to happen) 2. Euthanize him 3. Train him to have self-control, and the collar seemed the most effective way to do that.
He is NOT traumatized or shell-shocked into zombie-like behavior, as some people will assume with shock-collar training. He seems much calmer and more balanced on walks, now that he is not searching for animals to chase. His ears and tail say that he's calm and happy.
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