Why do I consider myself being an animal trainer, not just a dog trainer?
I always loved animals and it didn’t matter if it was a dog, a cat, a squirrel or a tiger. I loved seeing animals even in a moving car through the window. If there was a deer outside I would scream out of excitement: “look, look – it’s a deer!” Dogs are the species I simply spent the most time with and I know the most of. However, I was fortunate enough to work with horses, cats, wolves and zebras. I also gained experience, either from observation or direct work with a bearded dragon, foxes, porcupines, ravens and a few other species. I learnt a lot from all of those encounters.
In 2017 I was blown away on WOOF! conference in Nottingham, UK. Steve Martin was the last presenter on the first day. Many of us grabbed a drink and we were served food in the lecture room. Everybody seemed happy and joyful after a whole day of learning. And Steve showed us videos of zoo animals that he worked with. We saw hyenas, lions and giraffes happily offering their body parts for a blood draw. We saw otters going out of their enclosure to pick up wood and sticks and get them back to their enclosure. Absolutely no force needed and the animal was free!
So the question that arrived from all that, was: if they can do that with wild animals, why can’t we do that with dogs? I previously thought that when you want to teach your puppy to be picked up, you just pick him up and if he is wiggling, you wait for him to calm down before you put him down. But would you do that with a tiger? Would you do that with a fox or with an otter? Zoo animal trainers managed to get their animals to offer their own body part for a blood draw – something that even some humans avoid. Those animals weren’t forced to do so, they came voluntarily. Shouldn't we do that with our dogs too?
Principles of behaviour are the same across the species. If trainers managed to train an otter to go back to their enclosure without the use of a leash and force, we definitely can train our dog to choose to come back home or to us. It’s about making this choice more compelling for the animal. Make it worthwhile for the animal to choose to be with you or to be in your arms. It is a process, animal needs to learn that it is a good thing. You cannot just tell her that. But with a little patience, you can see behaviours that you never imagined seeing in your companion.
Be a superhero for your animal, she will love you for it!
