An Education: Training Humans to be Better Dog-Owners

At college I was fortunate to have one of those amazing teachers that turns your mind and your life right around. I vividly recall him reminding his class of A-level English literature students: "Don't forget that the original meaning of eductation is to lead forth, not to be spoon-fed facts to pass exams!"

It's tough in a culture of target-driven, results-obsessed education to think and act upon this idea. Fortunately,  the Turid Rugaas' International Dog Training Education (IDTE) I am currently engaged with is a vivid reminder of how to take this approach - both in terms of being a student; and in terms of being a dog 'trainer'. Use that term, though, and Turid shakes her head and sighs. "I don't like that word, 'trainer'," she says. "Really?" I thought, initially. Now I understand why. 

When I explain to people what I am doing the word 'whisperer' and the idea that I will have complete command of a dog spring to most people's minds.  The Education is not about that. There's no gypsy mystique or a goal of total compliance. It's simple enough for anyone to learn and apply, if they choose to, and it's about giving dogs choices as often as we can; respecting them and treating them in an ethical manner. Turid's answer to so many of my dumb questions about techniques and equipment was simply: "So, would you do that to a person? No? Then why do it to a dog?"

Turid Rugaas is outspoken in her contempt for the misunderstanding and misapplication of canine behaviour in mainstream dog-training techniques. She views it as a phenomenon that reflects a human obsession with power and control and our compulsion to view animal behaviour through this lens. We might use the phrase 'dog-eat-dog' to describe a ruthless power struggle, but in fact this is how people choose to operate - not dogs!

Turid's book, 'Calming Signals' was my entry-level introduction to the foundation of her approach. We can never truly understand and communicate with dogs unless we make the effort to understand their language, instead of arrogantly foisting our commands upon them. How many times do owners impatiently interrupt a subtle greeting-dance, thus teaching their own dog that a friendly greeting to another dog will be punished with a tug on the neck and a harsh or nagging command. Conversely owners will sometimes try to force an interaction between two dogs, who would prefer not to interact, the equivalent of, "Hey, come over here and talk to this strange man you've never met before. Go on! He looks nice! Go on! Speak to him!"

Understanding how profoundly our mistakes affect the quality of life of our pets can be painful. We do our best, and there are plenty of self-professed experts shelling out advice and criticism, not to mention selling us horrible devices and products that sanitize unethical training shortcuts.  How are we to know any different? But we used to think nothing of wearing real fur, of forcing animals to fight for our entertainment, or shooting wild animals simply for fun. The world is changing its attitudes to such activities, and it's high time we learned more about the best way to treat the animals in our homes. 

The only time Turid Rugaas would insist on not giving a dog a choice, would be when obliging him to wear a harness instead of a collar. 

Why?

Well, that deserves a blog post all of its own.