Courtneck

[xavierandrea]

Courtneck, I'm just nosey..... 8) How did you become so knowledgeable (sp) with dog behavior? Your profile says computer technican? What books do you recommend if any? Because when I grow up I wanna be just like you.. :lol: :lol:

[courtnek]

I spent a summer on a farm with a breeder who was friends with my dad. he bred Goldens, and I wanted a dog. my dad said the only wayI cold get one would be to work with this man, and learn how to raise and train them first. this guy bred Goldens for show, for pets and for the Seeing Eye, and that aspect fascinated me.....how do you train a dog to ignore his natural instincts and sit completely still when a squirrel runs by?
How do you teach a dog "intelligent disobedience"? the ability to completely ignore an owners command because compliance would endanger the owner? How the heck do you teach a mostly color-blind animal when the light has turned green?

I worked, extremely hard. I learned everything he (and the lady from the seeing eye who came and stayed a week) could teach. I didnt know it at the time, but he was one of the first (we're talking 30 years ago) trainers to believe in reward instead of punishment. he would not release a dog to a family (except the Seeing Eye) for three months, and in that time the dog was trained in all forms of basic obedience. by him (and by me the summer I was there)Seeing Eye training starts at 8 weeks, and he'd have doing basic obedience as well. it was done on a rewards basis. the sharpest command we were allowed to say was BAD DOG!! followed by a training session and a reward. if he ever found an employee raising a hand to an animal they were fired instantly, and told that upfront.
(he rode his horses bareback. didnt like saddles).

anyway, I got my dog, and learned some very valuable lessons. after college I started helping people train their dogs (unpaid) when they had
become problem children. Michael always said that if you treat a dog like a member of a pack, expecting obedience and rewarding for it, you'll never go wrong. I also read a book called "Why Does My Dog....? trying to figure out some obscure behavior my dog was showing....

then in College I wrote a thesis on wolf family/pack life. I have always loved wolves and read all the Jack London books about wolves and wolf dogs and dogs that turned wild. stuff fascinated me. eventually I had to start making money, so I took a job at a computer company and there I still am.But if I ever get enough money together, I willget myself certified and work to be a trainer and behaviorist, cuz thats where my heart still lies.

8)
8)

[xavierandrea]

Very interesting. Thank you very much for your reply. :)