Animal Learning Is Not Breed-Specific
August 27, 2013
“The truth is that pit bulls are, above anything else, dogs. The truth is that all dogs (and all animals, for that matter) learn the same way. The truth is that we can effectively train dogs, of all breeds, without hurting or scaring them. The truth is that all dogs learn via consequences and associations. And the truth is that (given the right motivation), these consequences and associations needn’t be painful or frightening. And if they needn’t be, they shouldn’t be.“
This is an excerpt from a great article by Kelly Shutt Cottrell that’s over on StubbyDog.org today. It does a fantastic job explaining her (and our) approach to training, and why we choose to train the way we do. Kelly Shutt Cottrell is not the “Kelly” of Puggles & Pitties, we just happen to have similar ideas and opinions about dog training. Check out her article now!
Relevance of Breed in Selecting a Dog
October 2, 2012
The National Canine Research Council has just released the results of a study by Janis Bradley. In this study, Bradley “…examines whether breed is a useful indicator of the suitability of a companion dog. She investigates ‘whether the practice of attempting to to predict a dog’s behavior based on its breed or assumed breed is likely to yield useful results.'”
From the Dog Training Internship Academy website:
Janis Bradley is an expert dog trainer, educator, speaker, and program designer. She was a founding faculty member at The San Francisco SPCA Academy for Dog Trainers, where she spent a decade as an instructor and program developer, working with colleagues to prepare more than 400 students for careers as dog professionals. Before this, Janis enjoyed a distinguished twenty-year career in academia, frequently lecturing at education conferences on subjects like critical thinking and experiential learning.
Janis has written about a range of subjects from education to dog aggression, and is the author of Dogs Bite, But Balloons and Slippers Are More Dangerous, an authoritative and entertaining examination of the fallacies and media frenzy that surround dog bites. In addition to being a must-read for professionals in the training and animal shelter world, the book is an oft-cited source of information and statistics for journalists.
You can download Bradley’s book for free, HERE.
Puggles & Pitties 