1 00:00:02,600 --> 00:00:05,200 Speaker 1: Hey, everyone, welcome to the Foundation's podcast. I'm your host 2 00:00:05,200 --> 00:00:08,000 Speaker 1: Tony Peterson. Today's episode is all about training styles and 3 00:00:08,000 --> 00:00:10,840 Speaker 1: how to decide what is right for you and your dog. 4 00:00:17,680 --> 00:00:19,360 Speaker 1: This one's going to be kind of a fun one. 5 00:00:19,480 --> 00:00:22,279 Speaker 1: It'll probably piss some people off, though. I don't know 6 00:00:22,280 --> 00:00:24,520 Speaker 1: how to talk about the difference in training styles and 7 00:00:24,560 --> 00:00:26,800 Speaker 1: not have that be the result, so I guess just 8 00:00:26,960 --> 00:00:29,280 Speaker 1: doesn't really matter. The thing is, there are a lot 9 00:00:29,280 --> 00:00:31,480 Speaker 1: of different ways to train a dog, and one might 10 00:00:31,520 --> 00:00:35,159 Speaker 1: really resonate with you, or more importantly, might really be 11 00:00:35,240 --> 00:00:39,120 Speaker 1: what's necessary for your specific dog. So buckle up because 12 00:00:39,120 --> 00:00:47,720 Speaker 1: that's what I'm going to talk about right now. One 13 00:00:47,720 --> 00:00:49,559 Speaker 1: of the weirdest things that has happened to me is 14 00:00:49,560 --> 00:00:52,080 Speaker 1: that I realized how much I like to coach sports teams. 15 00:00:53,080 --> 00:00:55,800 Speaker 1: I guess I should explain that better. I really enjoyed 16 00:00:55,800 --> 00:00:58,520 Speaker 1: coaching my daughters on their sports teams up until they 17 00:00:58,560 --> 00:01:01,240 Speaker 1: got a little too good for my skill level and 18 00:01:01,280 --> 00:01:04,160 Speaker 1: my travel schedule made it almost impossible to really commit 19 00:01:04,200 --> 00:01:07,399 Speaker 1: to the gig. But for several years there wasn't a 20 00:01:07,440 --> 00:01:10,399 Speaker 1: softball or basketball team they were on that I wasn't 21 00:01:10,440 --> 00:01:13,080 Speaker 1: at least an assistant coach. For It was a lot 22 00:01:13,120 --> 00:01:16,319 Speaker 1: of fun. It was also really eye opening because I 23 00:01:16,360 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 1: got to see how different parenting styles create different types 24 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:23,160 Speaker 1: of players. And anyone who knows anything about coaching knows 25 00:01:23,200 --> 00:01:25,319 Speaker 1: that the best thing you can get when you know 26 00:01:25,360 --> 00:01:29,679 Speaker 1: the kids are young and not very good is just 27 00:01:29,760 --> 00:01:34,320 Speaker 1: one that's coachable. They are all terrible athletes, with usually 28 00:01:34,360 --> 00:01:37,000 Speaker 1: almost no understanding of the game in general, or even 29 00:01:37,040 --> 00:01:39,520 Speaker 1: the rules, or about anything that has to do with 30 00:01:39,560 --> 00:01:42,440 Speaker 1: the sports that we enroll them into. But that's okay. 31 00:01:42,560 --> 00:01:46,119 Speaker 1: You can be a terrible, you know, athlete when you're eight. 32 00:01:46,760 --> 00:01:49,760 Speaker 1: It doesn't matter. What does matter is whether you have 33 00:01:49,840 --> 00:01:53,040 Speaker 1: the ability to take suggestions from your coach and then 34 00:01:53,080 --> 00:01:56,160 Speaker 1: actually kind of try to see them through. The kids 35 00:01:56,160 --> 00:01:59,360 Speaker 1: who did and who can tend to have parents who 36 00:01:59,440 --> 00:02:02,360 Speaker 1: enforce those behaviors in moments when they could go either way. 37 00:02:03,440 --> 00:02:06,600 Speaker 1: Now that might sound harsh, but hear me out. During 38 00:02:06,600 --> 00:02:09,520 Speaker 1: our last tournament of our Springs Sopall League, my daughter's 39 00:02:09,520 --> 00:02:12,079 Speaker 1: team made it to the championship game. This isn't really 40 00:02:12,120 --> 00:02:14,400 Speaker 1: a big deal to anyone, but it was to the girls. 41 00:02:15,080 --> 00:02:16,880 Speaker 1: It was a long weekend of playing games in the 42 00:02:16,880 --> 00:02:19,200 Speaker 1: summer heat, but it was also fun to get them 43 00:02:19,200 --> 00:02:22,440 Speaker 1: psyched up to try to win first place trophies. Except 44 00:02:22,440 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 1: that twenty minutes before the game started, one of our 45 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:27,040 Speaker 1: players and her mom walked up to us, and the 46 00:02:27,080 --> 00:02:30,480 Speaker 1: mom sheepishly said, she's not feeling it, so she's not 47 00:02:30,520 --> 00:02:33,840 Speaker 1: going to play. Now, keep in mind, this girl wasn't sick. 48 00:02:34,360 --> 00:02:36,240 Speaker 1: She didn't take a cleat to the throat in a 49 00:02:36,280 --> 00:02:40,080 Speaker 1: previous game, you know, nothing like that. She just decided 50 00:02:40,120 --> 00:02:41,960 Speaker 1: she didn't want to play in the last game with 51 00:02:42,080 --> 00:02:44,320 Speaker 1: her team that she agreed to play with because she 52 00:02:44,440 --> 00:02:47,200 Speaker 1: wasn't feeling it. I wish I could say that I 53 00:02:47,200 --> 00:02:50,000 Speaker 1: couldn't believe it, but I could believe it. She wasn't 54 00:02:50,000 --> 00:02:52,640 Speaker 1: really coachable to begin with, and her giving up on 55 00:02:52,680 --> 00:02:55,520 Speaker 1: the team didn't come as a huge surprise. Now, it's 56 00:02:55,560 --> 00:02:58,360 Speaker 1: easy for me to judge someone else's parenting style while 57 00:02:58,400 --> 00:03:01,240 Speaker 1: not having someone judge mine, at least outwardly on a 58 00:03:01,240 --> 00:03:04,200 Speaker 1: podcast that you know thousands of people listen to. But 59 00:03:04,280 --> 00:03:06,040 Speaker 1: there is a lesson in there for all of us 60 00:03:06,080 --> 00:03:10,840 Speaker 1: who train our dogs. Parenting styles, coaching styles, and dog 61 00:03:10,880 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: training styles all require the same kind of inputs and outputs. 62 00:03:15,120 --> 00:03:17,560 Speaker 1: Too soft and you'll get a kid or a canine 63 00:03:17,600 --> 00:03:20,919 Speaker 1: that'll walk all over you too hard and you'll get 64 00:03:20,919 --> 00:03:22,960 Speaker 1: a kid, or a canine that lives in fear, and 65 00:03:23,000 --> 00:03:25,440 Speaker 1: that's no bueno. So there has to be a balance 66 00:03:25,440 --> 00:03:28,280 Speaker 1: in there somewhere. And I recently went down a rabbit 67 00:03:28,320 --> 00:03:31,320 Speaker 1: hole on readed about this very thing. The topic was 68 00:03:31,440 --> 00:03:35,960 Speaker 1: force free training versus balanced. Now, if you're unfamiliar, force 69 00:03:36,040 --> 00:03:40,360 Speaker 1: free training is basically teaching a dog without using pain, intimidation, threats, force, 70 00:03:40,720 --> 00:03:44,440 Speaker 1: or coercion. It is an attempt to be positive or 71 00:03:44,520 --> 00:03:49,840 Speaker 1: neutral at all times. Balance training utilizes not only reward 72 00:03:49,920 --> 00:03:53,040 Speaker 1: based techniques like treats and praise and some playtime, but 73 00:03:53,120 --> 00:03:57,920 Speaker 1: also aversive techniques or corrections think leash pops, pron callers 74 00:03:58,000 --> 00:04:01,840 Speaker 1: or E callers. Here you can break things down further 75 00:04:02,000 --> 00:04:04,680 Speaker 1: to positive reinforcement like giving your puppet treat when it 76 00:04:04,760 --> 00:04:08,480 Speaker 1: lays down on command, or negative reinforcement like using an 77 00:04:08,520 --> 00:04:10,920 Speaker 1: e caller to correct a dog that jumps up on someone. 78 00:04:11,560 --> 00:04:14,240 Speaker 1: Got positive punishment too, you know, giving your dog a 79 00:04:14,280 --> 00:04:16,240 Speaker 1: leash pop when it pulls too hard when you're teaching 80 00:04:16,279 --> 00:04:18,200 Speaker 1: it to walk out your side, and then you have 81 00:04:18,279 --> 00:04:21,040 Speaker 1: negative punishment like ignoring your dog when it nuzzles up 82 00:04:21,040 --> 00:04:22,800 Speaker 1: to you and tries to make you pet it because 83 00:04:22,839 --> 00:04:25,599 Speaker 1: then it's in control. There are a lot of ways 84 00:04:25,600 --> 00:04:27,920 Speaker 1: to skin the old cat here, I guess. But let's 85 00:04:27,960 --> 00:04:30,560 Speaker 1: back up a second to the force free training technique. 86 00:04:30,960 --> 00:04:33,359 Speaker 1: This is a popular one, and as you can imagine 87 00:04:33,400 --> 00:04:36,240 Speaker 1: with the fur baby movement out there, it's only getting 88 00:04:36,240 --> 00:04:39,479 Speaker 1: more popular in the broader population, even if it hasn't 89 00:04:39,520 --> 00:04:41,520 Speaker 1: really caught on a whole lot with working dogs and 90 00:04:41,560 --> 00:04:45,440 Speaker 1: sporting dogs for reasons i'll get into. When I started 91 00:04:45,440 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 1: looking into force free trainers and what they do, the 92 00:04:48,120 --> 00:04:50,880 Speaker 1: first video that popped up explaining the whole thing showed 93 00:04:50,880 --> 00:04:53,160 Speaker 1: a woman sitting on a couch who said that an 94 00:04:53,200 --> 00:04:55,800 Speaker 1: easy way to understand this style is to think of 95 00:04:55,839 --> 00:04:59,880 Speaker 1: training a puppy to sit. Balance training involves pushing the 96 00:05:00,040 --> 00:05:02,000 Speaker 1: rump of that puppy to the ground while giving it 97 00:05:02,040 --> 00:05:05,360 Speaker 1: the sick command. She said, they don't force the dog 98 00:05:05,440 --> 00:05:08,279 Speaker 1: to do anything, And I thought, well, how the hell 99 00:05:08,320 --> 00:05:10,520 Speaker 1: do you get a puppy to sit then, or how 100 00:05:10,520 --> 00:05:12,200 Speaker 1: do you train it to sit if you're waiting for 101 00:05:12,279 --> 00:05:15,000 Speaker 1: a dog to choose to sit for you, especially when 102 00:05:15,000 --> 00:05:17,479 Speaker 1: that dog is an eight week old puppy. She never 103 00:05:17,560 --> 00:05:20,960 Speaker 1: explained it. Now I also thought, I don't know how 104 00:05:20,960 --> 00:05:23,240 Speaker 1: many dogs are going to take offense to you pushing 105 00:05:23,240 --> 00:05:25,599 Speaker 1: their rump down and then immediately giving them a treat. 106 00:05:25,920 --> 00:05:28,640 Speaker 1: But maybe I'm just a balanced trainer at heart. Now, 107 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:30,640 Speaker 1: I don't want to sound like I'm totally dismissing the 108 00:05:30,640 --> 00:05:33,400 Speaker 1: force free idea, because I'm not. It's a great idea, 109 00:05:33,920 --> 00:05:36,159 Speaker 1: it's just not something that is all that easy to 110 00:05:36,200 --> 00:05:39,159 Speaker 1: actually implement in the real world with real dogs, especially 111 00:05:39,200 --> 00:05:41,960 Speaker 1: dogs are going to have a job. It's an idea 112 00:05:42,000 --> 00:05:45,400 Speaker 1: that promises respect for the animal looks amazing on paper, 113 00:05:45,680 --> 00:05:48,279 Speaker 1: and I'm sure with the right person who has enough time, 114 00:05:48,640 --> 00:05:52,679 Speaker 1: can be super effective. I also think it's probably totally 115 00:05:52,720 --> 00:05:55,679 Speaker 1: bullshit that anyone who is training dogs totally force free 116 00:05:56,279 --> 00:05:59,600 Speaker 1: and achieving really good results in a reasonable timeline is 117 00:05:59,720 --> 00:06:02,279 Speaker 1: actually telling you the truth. But I guess that also 118 00:06:02,360 --> 00:06:04,600 Speaker 1: depends on what the dog is being trained to do, 119 00:06:04,680 --> 00:06:07,680 Speaker 1: so I'm probably wrong there. I like the idea of 120 00:06:07,800 --> 00:06:11,200 Speaker 1: positive reinforcement a lot, as most of us probably do. 121 00:06:11,920 --> 00:06:13,640 Speaker 1: I just don't know if a dog that is being 122 00:06:13,680 --> 00:06:15,680 Speaker 1: asked to go into the wild places I go and 123 00:06:15,760 --> 00:06:18,640 Speaker 1: encounter the wild things I do, you know, including traffic 124 00:06:18,680 --> 00:06:21,159 Speaker 1: and barberare fences and all the other shit that you 125 00:06:21,160 --> 00:06:23,680 Speaker 1: know might hurt them can really be prepared for that 126 00:06:23,720 --> 00:06:28,040 Speaker 1: world without any type of correction in training whatsoever. I 127 00:06:28,080 --> 00:06:30,840 Speaker 1: also know that the balance training thing can get out 128 00:06:30,839 --> 00:06:33,760 Speaker 1: of hand too. One of the first articles I wrote 129 00:06:33,760 --> 00:06:36,599 Speaker 1: for meat Eaters several years ago was about whether e 130 00:06:36,640 --> 00:06:40,600 Speaker 1: callers are necessary for all bird dogs. I've written a 131 00:06:40,640 --> 00:06:43,120 Speaker 1: lot of stuff that has pissed off a lot of people, 132 00:06:43,480 --> 00:06:46,640 Speaker 1: but that one was definitely in my top ten. Boy 133 00:06:46,720 --> 00:06:49,719 Speaker 1: did they come after me. It was interesting because I 134 00:06:49,720 --> 00:06:52,440 Speaker 1: didn't say that e callers shouldn't be used. I just 135 00:06:52,440 --> 00:06:54,839 Speaker 1: said that they should be used correctly, and that not 136 00:06:54,960 --> 00:06:57,479 Speaker 1: every bird dog out there needs an e caller to 137 00:06:57,560 --> 00:07:00,640 Speaker 1: be great, you know, to be a well behind dog 138 00:07:00,680 --> 00:07:03,640 Speaker 1: that knows the rules. In the sporting dog world, though, 139 00:07:03,680 --> 00:07:05,840 Speaker 1: there is an acceptance of e callers that is damn 140 00:07:05,839 --> 00:07:08,640 Speaker 1: near ubiquitous, and you're definitely in the minority if you 141 00:07:08,640 --> 00:07:11,440 Speaker 1: don't use them. And I don't use them on my dogs, 142 00:07:11,440 --> 00:07:13,920 Speaker 1: although I have in the past. I just realized that 143 00:07:14,040 --> 00:07:16,000 Speaker 1: I don't really need to, and I didn't want to 144 00:07:16,000 --> 00:07:17,800 Speaker 1: crutch that could run out of batteries when I was 145 00:07:17,800 --> 00:07:20,440 Speaker 1: in the field, so I went for dogs that might 146 00:07:20,480 --> 00:07:24,160 Speaker 1: not need an e caller or training. I like dogs 147 00:07:24,160 --> 00:07:26,160 Speaker 1: with tons of hunting drive that should also be really 148 00:07:26,200 --> 00:07:28,600 Speaker 1: soft to handle, which is generally what I look for. 149 00:07:29,760 --> 00:07:31,840 Speaker 1: And I also have a lot of time to train them, 150 00:07:32,080 --> 00:07:33,920 Speaker 1: and it's somewhat part of my job to do that. 151 00:07:34,640 --> 00:07:37,400 Speaker 1: I don't need super fast results, like a bird dog 152 00:07:37,440 --> 00:07:40,080 Speaker 1: trainer who's going to see you know, fifty or sixty 153 00:07:40,120 --> 00:07:42,440 Speaker 1: dogs in a year and has to get predictable results 154 00:07:42,520 --> 00:07:45,360 Speaker 1: in a specific time window, and who then is going 155 00:07:45,400 --> 00:07:47,840 Speaker 1: to hand a dog off to someone who isn't super 156 00:07:47,840 --> 00:07:51,480 Speaker 1: comfortable training dogs in the first place. So this stuff 157 00:07:51,520 --> 00:07:54,120 Speaker 1: is muddy, and one thing that doesn't do us any 158 00:07:54,160 --> 00:07:57,240 Speaker 1: favors is to glom onto or you know, identify too 159 00:07:57,320 --> 00:08:01,200 Speaker 1: tightly with something that won't allow us to be reasonable. 160 00:08:12,320 --> 00:08:15,160 Speaker 1: Think about it this way. What if you're an adherent 161 00:08:15,240 --> 00:08:18,040 Speaker 1: to totally force free training and you get a sweet 162 00:08:18,040 --> 00:08:20,920 Speaker 1: little female lab who only wants to please you. You 163 00:08:20,960 --> 00:08:23,880 Speaker 1: can treat train use positive reinforcement, and if you raise 164 00:08:23,920 --> 00:08:26,600 Speaker 1: your voice slightly, your dog will heal up immediately and 165 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:29,239 Speaker 1: look you in the eyes to apologize. In that case, 166 00:08:29,360 --> 00:08:31,600 Speaker 1: you might feel like force free is not only the 167 00:08:31,640 --> 00:08:34,320 Speaker 1: easiest way to get the best results. It's the only 168 00:08:34,400 --> 00:08:37,880 Speaker 1: responsible type of training anyone could do. Then you get 169 00:08:37,880 --> 00:08:41,000 Speaker 1: your second dog, maybe even from the same breeder, but 170 00:08:41,040 --> 00:08:43,560 Speaker 1: this one has a little bit more horsepower and you 171 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:47,120 Speaker 1: have a lot more work to do. You know, maybe 172 00:08:47,120 --> 00:08:49,079 Speaker 1: a couple of youngsters at home that keep you from 173 00:08:49,120 --> 00:08:53,400 Speaker 1: training as much. Will that training style work here? Maybe, 174 00:08:53,679 --> 00:08:57,560 Speaker 1: but probably not, because this stuff is highly situational and 175 00:08:57,600 --> 00:09:00,520 Speaker 1: it goes a lot of different ways. You might train 176 00:09:00,559 --> 00:09:02,440 Speaker 1: a dog with a prong caller or an e coller 177 00:09:02,440 --> 00:09:04,360 Speaker 1: that just needs a heavier hand due to a really 178 00:09:04,400 --> 00:09:07,120 Speaker 1: independent spirit and a willingness to test you at every 179 00:09:07,200 --> 00:09:10,080 Speaker 1: chance it can. Maybe you have a Chessie or some 180 00:09:10,120 --> 00:09:13,640 Speaker 1: other breed just known for being its own dog. Force 181 00:09:13,720 --> 00:09:17,160 Speaker 1: free in that situation might be a total disaster for 182 00:09:17,280 --> 00:09:21,560 Speaker 1: you and for the dog. So you correct appropriately and 183 00:09:21,600 --> 00:09:24,480 Speaker 1: the dog learns to listen, even if it wants mostly 184 00:09:24,520 --> 00:09:28,000 Speaker 1: to do its own thing. That's great. But then your 185 00:09:28,040 --> 00:09:30,840 Speaker 1: next dog isn't a Chessie, it's a softer breed like, 186 00:09:31,000 --> 00:09:34,320 Speaker 1: I don't know, a Golden Retriever or something. A correction 187 00:09:34,440 --> 00:09:36,880 Speaker 1: with that dog on the e caller that's twenty percent 188 00:09:36,920 --> 00:09:39,360 Speaker 1: of what your CHESSI could handle might shut it down 189 00:09:39,400 --> 00:09:41,880 Speaker 1: completely and totally erode the trust you have with it. 190 00:09:42,559 --> 00:09:46,080 Speaker 1: So what is a dog owner to do? Well? You do, 191 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:49,040 Speaker 1: you boo. But I think there's sort of an escalatory 192 00:09:49,200 --> 00:09:52,640 Speaker 1: reality to training dogs like there is to raising kids. 193 00:09:53,080 --> 00:09:55,719 Speaker 1: You can't spank your kids anymore, which, if you talk 194 00:09:55,800 --> 00:09:57,520 Speaker 1: to a middle school teacher who has been in the 195 00:09:57,559 --> 00:10:01,320 Speaker 1: game a while, might not be helped us produce you know, 196 00:10:01,520 --> 00:10:03,760 Speaker 1: polite go getters who are going to be a net 197 00:10:03,800 --> 00:10:06,680 Speaker 1: benefit to society. They might have a few opinions on that. 198 00:10:07,640 --> 00:10:10,240 Speaker 1: Today's punishment might be more likely. You know, I'm going 199 00:10:10,320 --> 00:10:12,319 Speaker 1: to take your phone away or change the Wi Fi 200 00:10:12,440 --> 00:10:15,520 Speaker 1: password for a day or two. Who knows. But it 201 00:10:15,640 --> 00:10:19,040 Speaker 1: usually starts with a vague threat, then a more serious threat, 202 00:10:19,200 --> 00:10:22,360 Speaker 1: and then finally some type of action or I guess correction. 203 00:10:23,720 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 1: With dogs, it's generally a good idea to reward them 204 00:10:26,559 --> 00:10:29,760 Speaker 1: if that'll work. If not, you give them the chance 205 00:10:29,800 --> 00:10:32,480 Speaker 1: to make a better decision. I'll give you an example here. 206 00:10:33,000 --> 00:10:35,600 Speaker 1: I don't force fetch my dogs, which left a trainer 207 00:10:35,640 --> 00:10:39,560 Speaker 1: friend of mine astonished when I told him. He said, well, 208 00:10:39,640 --> 00:10:41,320 Speaker 1: how do you get him to retrieve the hand and 209 00:10:41,360 --> 00:10:44,480 Speaker 1: hold onto a bumper or anything else? I said, well, 210 00:10:44,559 --> 00:10:46,760 Speaker 1: my dogs love to retrieve more than anything in the world, 211 00:10:47,000 --> 00:10:49,080 Speaker 1: and we are training and they spit it early or 212 00:10:49,120 --> 00:10:51,880 Speaker 1: they don't follow through. When I know they know what 213 00:10:51,880 --> 00:10:54,800 Speaker 1: they are supposed to do, I stop the retrieving. I 214 00:10:54,840 --> 00:10:56,640 Speaker 1: take the bumper away at the end of the session. 215 00:10:57,120 --> 00:10:59,160 Speaker 1: It usually doesn't take long before they figure it out. 216 00:11:00,000 --> 00:11:01,760 Speaker 1: That might be a one minute break when they're young, 217 00:11:02,080 --> 00:11:04,120 Speaker 1: or if they are old and really know their stuff, 218 00:11:04,160 --> 00:11:06,880 Speaker 1: the session might end for the day. Either way, the 219 00:11:06,880 --> 00:11:09,480 Speaker 1: message is that you're in control of the retrieves and 220 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:11,920 Speaker 1: if you want more, you have to follow the rules 221 00:11:11,960 --> 00:11:16,440 Speaker 1: that have been established. The process involves stepping up the punishment, 222 00:11:16,600 --> 00:11:18,839 Speaker 1: but mostly giving them a chance to control whether they 223 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,680 Speaker 1: get the punishment at all or not. Most of dog 224 00:11:21,760 --> 00:11:23,920 Speaker 1: training is like that, and the best trainers who use 225 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:27,160 Speaker 1: e crawlers usually are pretty quick to say that it's 226 00:11:27,160 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 1: mostly just a reinforcement tool when they can issue a 227 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:34,080 Speaker 1: long distance reminder on what to do before they actually 228 00:11:34,240 --> 00:11:37,880 Speaker 1: escalate from tone or vibrate to a shock. But even 229 00:11:37,960 --> 00:11:40,720 Speaker 1: before this, you have to learn your dog and what 230 00:11:40,800 --> 00:11:43,600 Speaker 1: it needs. Just like how some kids show up to 231 00:11:43,600 --> 00:11:47,000 Speaker 1: play softball because they inherently want to and they understand 232 00:11:47,000 --> 00:11:49,959 Speaker 1: the dynamics of team sports, while others will just bail 233 00:11:50,040 --> 00:11:53,840 Speaker 1: on a whim. Dogs have different personalities. I owned a 234 00:11:53,880 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 1: golden retriever who I probably could have trained to drive 235 00:11:56,160 --> 00:12:00,280 Speaker 1: a car with just enough praise. She loved it, and 236 00:12:00,320 --> 00:12:03,080 Speaker 1: I got her to do all kinds of stuff just 237 00:12:03,080 --> 00:12:05,840 Speaker 1: from getting her excited and offering up some belly rubs. 238 00:12:06,440 --> 00:12:09,120 Speaker 1: That dog was easy to train because all she wanted 239 00:12:09,120 --> 00:12:11,080 Speaker 1: to do was be with me and make me happy. 240 00:12:12,040 --> 00:12:14,840 Speaker 1: Then you take my older lab, Luna. She was never 241 00:12:15,000 --> 00:12:17,679 Speaker 1: liked that. She never cared all that much about getting 242 00:12:17,720 --> 00:12:20,920 Speaker 1: love for me, and instead just wanted to always work. 243 00:12:21,480 --> 00:12:25,280 Speaker 1: Her reward was another retrieve or another drill of some sort, 244 00:12:25,520 --> 00:12:27,800 Speaker 1: and of course, if she could get it another hunt. 245 00:12:28,360 --> 00:12:30,600 Speaker 1: She couldn't get enough of that stuff. And while on 246 00:12:30,679 --> 00:12:34,040 Speaker 1: paper she should have thrived on praise being a female lab, 247 00:12:34,280 --> 00:12:36,840 Speaker 1: it didn't matter. She just wanted the next thing to 248 00:12:36,840 --> 00:12:38,640 Speaker 1: happen for her. That meant she could run down a 249 00:12:38,640 --> 00:12:41,800 Speaker 1: bumper or a rooster, or swim them down you know, 250 00:12:41,880 --> 00:12:45,320 Speaker 1: a bumper or a duck whatever. She also decided that 251 00:12:45,360 --> 00:12:47,600 Speaker 1: there were a few things in life worth getting punished over, 252 00:12:47,920 --> 00:12:51,240 Speaker 1: including chasing turkeys, which is something I think I couldn't 253 00:12:51,280 --> 00:12:53,160 Speaker 1: have beaten out of her with a crowbar if I 254 00:12:53,200 --> 00:12:56,640 Speaker 1: had wanted to. I didn't, and I don't use crowbars 255 00:12:56,679 --> 00:12:59,040 Speaker 1: to train dogs, So please don't reach out with death threats. 256 00:12:59,040 --> 00:13:02,000 Speaker 1: I'm being facetious here, But the lesson there is that 257 00:13:02,040 --> 00:13:04,280 Speaker 1: two female dogs of breeds that are generally thought of 258 00:13:04,320 --> 00:13:07,960 Speaker 1: as being people pleasers who could probably be trained to be, 259 00:13:08,280 --> 00:13:10,960 Speaker 1: you know, really really good with just treats and praise, 260 00:13:11,559 --> 00:13:15,520 Speaker 1: still require different training styles. If you know what to 261 00:13:15,559 --> 00:13:17,959 Speaker 1: look for, you can see how this might play out 262 00:13:17,960 --> 00:13:21,160 Speaker 1: when they are pretty young, so young, in fact, that 263 00:13:21,280 --> 00:13:23,240 Speaker 1: your breeder might be able to tell you which puppies 264 00:13:23,280 --> 00:13:26,280 Speaker 1: will be easy to train and which ones won't, or 265 00:13:26,320 --> 00:13:28,760 Speaker 1: at least which ones seem a little more stubborn or 266 00:13:28,800 --> 00:13:31,800 Speaker 1: hard handed or independent or whatever. And by the time 267 00:13:31,840 --> 00:13:33,840 Speaker 1: you get them home and spend a little time with them, 268 00:13:34,280 --> 00:13:36,680 Speaker 1: you can see what styles of training you might want 269 00:13:36,679 --> 00:13:39,920 Speaker 1: to lean into. I think that is the key here. 270 00:13:40,360 --> 00:13:42,040 Speaker 1: But there is one last point I want to make. 271 00:13:42,760 --> 00:13:44,640 Speaker 1: It's easy to give a dog a lot of freedom, 272 00:13:45,040 --> 00:13:47,400 Speaker 1: but that comes with some risk. I see this a 273 00:13:47,400 --> 00:13:49,600 Speaker 1: lot when I'm out for runs or working my dogs 274 00:13:49,640 --> 00:13:53,400 Speaker 1: in neighborhood parks. The amount of off leash dogs that 275 00:13:53,440 --> 00:13:57,080 Speaker 1: completely ignore their owners as bonkers, and while it's annoying 276 00:13:57,120 --> 00:13:58,960 Speaker 1: to me when I'm out on a run, it's also 277 00:13:59,040 --> 00:14:03,080 Speaker 1: really dangerous for them. Dog Dogs thrive on structure and 278 00:14:03,200 --> 00:14:06,880 Speaker 1: having jobs and knowing their role, and I firmly believe 279 00:14:06,880 --> 00:14:10,320 Speaker 1: this is partially due to being pack animals that you know, 280 00:14:10,720 --> 00:14:12,880 Speaker 1: and all the stuff that comes with that, but also 281 00:14:13,640 --> 00:14:16,400 Speaker 1: just due to their coevolution with us. They have had 282 00:14:16,440 --> 00:14:19,560 Speaker 1: to earn their keep for thousands of years, and it's 283 00:14:19,600 --> 00:14:22,040 Speaker 1: not a bad thing to ask them to keep doing that. 284 00:14:23,040 --> 00:14:26,800 Speaker 1: In fact, it's a good thing. They need it, you know, 285 00:14:26,840 --> 00:14:30,720 Speaker 1: And in the right structure they absolutely thrive. Just needs 286 00:14:30,800 --> 00:14:34,240 Speaker 1: to be fair and almost entirely positive. But that doesn't 287 00:14:34,280 --> 00:14:36,920 Speaker 1: mean there isn't room for a correction ever. I know 288 00:14:37,040 --> 00:14:40,280 Speaker 1: some folks disagree with this, but in our world, a 289 00:14:40,320 --> 00:14:42,920 Speaker 1: dog that doesn't really know the word no is a 290 00:14:42,920 --> 00:14:45,320 Speaker 1: dog that will eventually get a face full of porcupine 291 00:14:45,400 --> 00:14:48,080 Speaker 1: quills or might become a hood ornament for a garbage 292 00:14:48,120 --> 00:14:51,400 Speaker 1: truck in those instances, or a more common one where 293 00:14:51,400 --> 00:14:53,560 Speaker 1: a dog that is trusted to make good choices on 294 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:55,960 Speaker 1: its own runs up to a dog that would just 295 00:14:56,000 --> 00:14:59,120 Speaker 1: as soon kill other dogs as sniffets, but you know 296 00:14:59,200 --> 00:15:01,880 Speaker 1: they might end up injured, are dead if it doesn't 297 00:15:01,960 --> 00:15:07,560 Speaker 1: understand recall and the consequences of not listening again. You 298 00:15:07,600 --> 00:15:10,560 Speaker 1: can damn near get away with ninety nine percent positive training. 299 00:15:10,560 --> 00:15:12,720 Speaker 1: But if your dog doesn't truly understand that it needs 300 00:15:12,800 --> 00:15:15,400 Speaker 1: to stay when you ask it to, or to return 301 00:15:15,520 --> 00:15:18,920 Speaker 1: when you tell it to, or whatever, the likelihood of 302 00:15:18,920 --> 00:15:21,840 Speaker 1: something going wrong is real, and if it does, it'll 303 00:15:21,880 --> 00:15:23,480 Speaker 1: be a hell of a lot worse than a leash 304 00:15:23,600 --> 00:15:26,360 Speaker 1: pop or a light zap with the e caller. Now, 305 00:15:26,440 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 1: let me make this clear. I'm not advocating that you 306 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,360 Speaker 1: train one way or another because I don't know you 307 00:15:31,680 --> 00:15:35,280 Speaker 1: or your dog. You know you and you know your dog, 308 00:15:35,760 --> 00:15:38,320 Speaker 1: and being aware of different training styles and techniques and 309 00:15:38,320 --> 00:15:41,280 Speaker 1: philosophies can guide you to the right moves with your 310 00:15:41,360 --> 00:15:44,480 Speaker 1: dog so that not only will you have a well behaved, 311 00:15:44,480 --> 00:15:47,160 Speaker 1: for legged buddy, you'll be able to keep them safe 312 00:15:47,200 --> 00:15:50,840 Speaker 1: in a variety of dynamic environments. Take from that what 313 00:15:51,000 --> 00:15:53,880 Speaker 1: you will and stay safe out there if you're getting 314 00:15:53,880 --> 00:15:56,240 Speaker 1: after the docks or grouse or what cocker, sharp tails 315 00:15:56,320 --> 00:16:00,280 Speaker 1: or whatever, that's it. I'm Tony Peterson. This has been 316 00:16:00,280 --> 00:16:04,040 Speaker 1: the Foundation's podcast. As always, thank you so much for listening. 317 00:16:04,480 --> 00:16:07,200 Speaker 1: Thank you for all of your support all of us 318 00:16:07,240 --> 00:16:11,240 Speaker 1: here at meat Eater, We truly appreciate it. We're in 319 00:16:11,280 --> 00:16:13,880 Speaker 1: the heart of hunting season right now, so maybe you 320 00:16:14,080 --> 00:16:16,920 Speaker 1: need a I don't know, a new recipe to cook 321 00:16:17,000 --> 00:16:20,080 Speaker 1: up some roosters. Maybe you just want to kill some 322 00:16:20,160 --> 00:16:22,960 Speaker 1: time when you're driving to South Dakota or wherever to hunt. 323 00:16:23,960 --> 00:16:30,120 Speaker 1: We drop new podcasts, new films, and new articles every 324 00:16:30,240 --> 00:16:34,480 Speaker 1: day at the medeater dot com. So much information there, 325 00:16:35,200 --> 00:16:38,600 Speaker 1: so much to consume. Some of its entertainment, some of 326 00:16:38,640 --> 00:16:40,920 Speaker 1: its education, a lot of it's a mix of both, 327 00:16:41,200 --> 00:16:44,760 Speaker 1: but we covered tons of different topics. Adventure hunts, close 328 00:16:44,760 --> 00:16:47,360 Speaker 1: to home, public land hunts, you name it, go check 329 00:16:47,400 --> 00:17:03,760 Speaker 1: it out at the meadeater dot com.