Building Drive by 'being' a Bad Dog Trainer - Page 1

Is there any merit to this statement?

Personally....dog trainers opinions are as numerous as Charlie Sheen's "goddesses". At the end of the day, every dog is a personality...has a character....and has a threshold. The only thing a "bad" dog trainer doesn't have...is a contingency plan, when plan A fails. ALL "good" dog trainers have some aces up their sleeve, for when things don't work for a specific K9.

Scenario #1 (in video): where trainer was saying "get it" & "give" (where dog is complying) only shows me, that the dog has trigger words that he's conditioned to respond to. Hell....my dog has them...if I say "whoa" instead of "wait", his little brain will get scrambled.

Scenario #2 (in video): where trainer is agitating the dog, and the dog displays a "coveting" of the tug, shows me that the dog has some play drive. When the trainer says, "it's mine...it's mine", I see the dog's agitation meter sky-rocket. No biggy as far as I'm concerned.

But, in both scenes I caught the trainer making contact with the dog's face...moreso in scenario #2, than in scenario #1. I've learned, it's all about what you want out of a dog, what their task is, and how to capitalize on their "motivators". Most mainstream (dare I say commercial dog trainers), train to make good pets. That's what the market wants. "Dog people" who understand the limits you can take a dog to, can handle naughtiness/drive. In fact, we should embrace it a bit. It's that that we want. 

NOTE: I'm certainly not discounting obedience in my post above. Obedience needs to be established, before escalating this kind of scenario.

I think there is merrit to it.  The key things are lack of clarity for the dog and inconsistency.  Sometimes a "bad" trainers dog gets away with keeping the toy, or a dirty bite in bite sports, enough self rewarding behavior to reinforce said behavior. 

Bad dog training? I don't know. It looks like a good example of playing a competitive game with the dog to build drive. Some types of games are cooperative ,such as retrieve and throw. Competitive games such as tug work best is the handler wins sometimes and is in the "mine" position for a bit. This builds the drive. Not bad dog training really. ;^>

I guessed the video demonstrate an example of how a "bad dog traineer" inevidently created more "play/ prey drive" by pulling and tugging when in fact he/ she wanted the dog to release for the toy.  The dog hasn't learnt the release/ out command and hence one sees is a well misbehaved dog :0

I can also say the same for those people/ children who are scared of dogs.  They are natural "helpers" to bring about prey in dogs.

Yes, I think this could be why GSD's and young kids both need to be trained. This is exactly how some kids who aren't trainers react, I've seen it with mine. Interesting. 

I see a very poor dog trainer
Steve1

Hi steve1,
I submitted the video because I thought it was funny and secondly it does make a simple but yet valid point.  I wasn't criticising her training style or method.  The dog invariably fought for the tug instead of releasing it because the handler pulled at it at the same time commanding it to reliease.  It was just an example how bad training can create difficult communication with the dog, in this case perhaps an inconsistent command and pulling at the object for a release.  And so you see that the dog's drive went up.

Well the above is just one example.  Another would-be bad dog trainer can also diminish drive.  I was watching a couple in the park this week trying to play with their mastiff pup.  They were tossing the tennis ball to one another and the poor puppy got bored and stood right in the middle of them and refused to budge when called.  For one or two instances when the couple lost the catch,  they ran faster than the running pup so that they can carry on tossing to each other!!!   Duh!!!

I would have gone over to give them some tips :) but because my GSD is not the friendliest and knowing their mastiff pup had no recall and was off leash, I had to walk the other way, shook my head and sighed, poor puppy :(

So steve1, am I missing something in the video?  Why is she a poor dog trainer?

Smackka baby   lol

posidon
If you have ever attended a seminar, have you seen the Guy working the dog with an audience act the way this person did screaming and shouting to get her point of view across to the people watching,
Probably that may be the way in the country that person trains in, But for me Quiet and  Calmly is so much better for getting your point of view across
 A few days ago we were working with a Guy tracking young Gina, Brother Philip had her on a short line right behind her, she was tracking foot to foot treats, reason to make sure she went slow and picked up all without stopping and going back a step, she came to the article and did not go down right off only a few seconds so my brother gave a check on the line at her head.
However although it was not a hard check the Guy said NO; you just nick the leash Tap' Tap' no more and downwards so you nick the leash down and forwards, Everything he said is done gently the dog can feel it, no need to give a hard check any time,
Same with commands, One command only never twice, the dog must learn that one command but everything quiet and gentle
I know who i will go to if i have a problem and it would not be the person in the video
What she should have done was to do it with a dog she did not know then you would see
Steve1

steve1, I am not recommending this lady as a trainer neither am I saying she is good or bad.   I believe she is a clicker trainer judging from where the video is made.  Her animated act  is just demonstrating a point using her well trained border collie.  And I guess the video is made quite informal amongst her students (I doubt it is a seminar).