Training Dogs: Methods, Careers, Policies

Caveman and Domesticated Dog Millions of years ago cavemen brought wolf cubs into their dens as companions, thus beginning the life of the domesticated dog. They were used for purposes like hunting, droving, pulling sleds, and killing vermin. How were they trained to do these tasks? There were no dog obedience classes, no manuals, and no videotapes to teach your dog. The most likely scenario is a trial-and-error based training provided by the handlers. Americans have done little to document dog training in the past. Most dogs were not valued as the beloved pets they are today, which leads us to believe there was no need for the formal dog training that is so popular today. As time went on there were instances when people started to become more interested in higher levels of training. Beginning in the 1800s dog trainers were implementing procedures similar to Skinner's method of operant conditioning. Then we skip ahead to WWI where we started using dogs to assist service men in...

When you think of training a dog, you might just think of simple obedience such as potty training and basic commands. In this blog we will be discussing advanced training that correlates with specific animal careers. Those careers being service dogs, military dogs, search and rescue dogs, and police dogs. While all of these dogs require advanced training, the means of training differ. For example, search and rescue dogs are not trained to perform the exact same tasks as a seeing eye dog. There are innumerable ways to train dogs and every handler thinks their method is the best. This tends to minimize the integrity of research-based practices. Wouldn't it be great if there was a national, ethical standard for training working animals? ZETEO TECH/ U.S. ARMY Differing opinions are traditional in conversation about what is humane for pet partners. This is especially true in policies/policy making regarding these animals. Recently, the Department of Transportation (DOT) decided th...