Dog Training Using Fences - Advantages and Disadvantages

Dog training equipment is usually employed to help dog and owner to live together in a happy environment. There are many types of equipment available each with its own set of advantages and disadvantages. Owners will have to decide either on their own or through the advice of professionals on what type of equipment will work best for the specific animal.

The electronic fence uses a wire that runs along the area containing the dog.  The wire is usually attached to an existing fence which projects a radio signal, an electronic receiver is placed on the collar of the dog and if he tries to go outside the boundaries of the fence the dog receives a small static shock which makes him withdraw from the boundary area.

The fence is a great way of training the animal to stay away from certain areas of the yard or to keep the dog from straying onto other people’s property.  There are also variations to the fencing option, such as a ‘split rail’ fence which provides a strong base to which fabric must be added inside the fence in order to keep the dog confined, There is also ‘chain link' which is one of the most common types of dog fence: it is a series of small diamond shaped heavy gauge wire segments.  This option is usually used at professional kennels.

Other options include the snow fence, farm fence, hybrid fencing and hidden or invisible fencing. There are many advantages to using these fencing options because you can allow your pet the ability to roam free without having to worry about them running into oncoming traffic or the neighbor’s yard.  It is also better than having to tie the animal when you are not home, or keeping them enclosed in a room.  The fence allows for larger boundaries, but the cost can be an added factor that ranges according to the type of fence - however, less expensive options can cost less than $200.

Although there are advantages to using this method of dog training, more accurately termed dog conditioning and containment,there are also some consequences involved. The first is that depending on its height and construction, the fence may be a one way constrictor system, meaning that although the dog cannot go out, intruders, kids or other animals can possibly get inside the barrier. Another disadvantage is that the dog has to be trained to identify the proximity of the transmitter and the shock which can be very time consuming. Many people argue that these electric dog fences are inhumane.

The invisible dog fence also has its own disadvantages.  Neighbors or other passers-by may not realize that the dog is contained and call animal control due to fear.  Also many times the collar that works with the fence may cause sores or burns on the animal - these can become infected which can ultimately harm the animal if not recognized early. Another thing to consider is that this option may not work on all dogs, some may choose to simply ignore the shock associated with it and run out of the boundary to chase animals or passers-by, they may also run into oncoming traffic and get hurt.

Dog Training - What is Wrong with the Dominance Theory?

There has been a great deal of controversy of late about the concept of dominance in dog training.  As a brief history, the old methods of dog training employed coercion, as in forcing the dog to perform the action required by physically pushing him around.  Sometimes this involved negative conditioning, using physical punishments to correct unwanted behavior.  The use of check chains or choke chains was pretty prevalent.  Nobody thought about motivation, giving the animal a good reason to do what you want, rather than training through fear.  As long as the dog learned to "do it", who cared about the psychology or the relationship between owner and dog?

In the bad old days, we communicated with dogs in the same way as English people try to converse with "foreigners" by shouting at them.  The theory being that everyone intrinsically understands English as long as you push it home hard enough.

So there was a huge step forward towards the end of the 20th century when dog behaviorism was studied and it was realised that dogs, being descended from wild wolves, behaved in the same way as wolves and understood us if we behaved more like wolves too.  So far so good. 

It was observed that a couple of wolves, male and female, are the Alphas in the pack.  They breed all the puppies in the pack and the rest of the wolves are subservient to them and do their bidding.  It's like a benign dictatorship.  From this it was extrapolated that some dogs are just natural Alphas and want to rule the home and dictate terms to the owner. 

The worst side of this theory is that if a dog exhibits resistance to doing what the owner wants when he is trying to train the dog (translation of resistance: confusion) then he is a dominant dog.  He will try to rule the roost, sometimes by violent means, unless the owner disabuses him of this notion and shows him who is really the boss.

The problem with this is that there have been cases where a dog who really needed to be given clearer guidance and training in what was required of him ended up being put to sleep and condemned as a "dominant" animal.  This is the dominance theory taken to an extreme in dog training.

In more recent years, further studies have been performed, some of which contradict the theory that the wolf pack is the model for the domesticated dog.  They assert that wild dog packs are much more relevant, and they behave rather differently to wolves.  Operant conditioning has come into fashion which is all about positive reinforcement, and it has been realised that very few dogs actually want to be the top dog in the pack.  They want to be shown firm guidance and are quite happy for you to be the leader of the pack and set the parameters.  So it's no longer all about dominance and submission, and hopefully this means less dogs will be written off as unworthy of pet life.

Dog Training Games

Dog training games are perfect for teaching your pet how to be receptive towards learning new things.  Games usually provide structure and help owners to communicate better with their dogs.  There are many advantages to using the games method in dog training, as studies have shown that dogs respond more positively to training when the lessons are used within games that are fun and innovative. Another advantage of using a game is that it is also a form of exercise, thus keeping the animal healthy and active.

Fetch

Many dogs are natural fetchers and owners can use balls, sticks, or even stuffed toys to play this game.  The basic idea of the game involves throwing the ball and the dog fetches the item and brings it back to the owner and the process is repeated.  There can be variations to this game - owners just need to find creative ways of making it interesting.  Dogs can also be rewarded with treats each time they fetch the item, exchanging the ball for a food treat.

Hide and Seek

This game teaches your dog the ‘wait' and 'seek' commands and enables use of the animal's sense of smell.  It also provides mental stimulation: owners have the option to hide toys or they can choose to hide themselves.  Start easy then make it more difficult to find the desired item.  You can also use the ‘stay’ command with this game, using the command to keep the animal in place while you hide.

Tug of War

The tug of war is a very popular game played between dogs and their owners.  The key feature is that the person takes control of the game!  First choose a toy that will be used as the tug rope whenever this game is played and continue to use that specific item.  Start by picking up the toy and enabling the dog to do the same.  Give the animal a cue to let them know the game has started and another to tell him when to drop the item: you can also give them treats for holding one end of the toy while you hold the other.  This game is good for dog training as it develops the dog's confidence and physical strength.

Frisbee

This is similar to ‘fetch’ except that it is played with a Frisbee.  Start by throwing it close by and allowing the dog to retrieve it then as time progresses throw the Frisbee further and further away until he learns how to catch it.  This game is not advisable for old dogs as it is intense and requires a lot of agility and strength.

Clean up your Toys
Get a reasonable number of toys and scatter them on the floor, then  get a large box which the dog will use to put the items in, get the dog to pick up the items one at a time and place them in your hand, or into the box.  Reward each gift from the dog with a treat.

Tunneling

This is a good form of mental exercise that also improves the dog’s agility.  Set up fabric tunnels in the yard and find ways to coax the animal into going through them. You can also participate by running alongside the tunnel or waiting for the animal at the end of the tunnel where he can be rewarded with a tasty treat.

Dog Training Schools

Many people think that dog training is only used in special situations for guard dogs or service animals.  However this activity has become very popular over the years because of its effectiveness in teaching household dogs how to behave in ways which are more desirable in the world of humans.  Dog training teaches the animal to obey simple commands such as sit, down, and heel. Sometimes a handler is used to help with the training but many times the owner can teach these simple commands.

Dog training schools are used to teach dogs a number of things from basic obedience training and "potty training" to more advanced options for dogs that are used in law enforcement or other services. For the latter there are specialized schools available. It is best to find a dog training school or method that uses non-aggressive, reward-based means to motivate the animals, making them more receptive towards your training methods.

One of the options available at the larger dog training schools is residential training which teaches the animal how to walk on a leash without distraction, how to behave around visitors, how to sit and remain quiet whist the owner is otherwise occupied and how to respond to other commands that can be specifically tailored to the owner’s liking.  A good residential training system would typically involve approximately four steps:

Dog training: this is where the dog is trained based on the course content, it is perfect for dogs that are easily distracted and need proper socialization.  It is also ideal for owners who do not have control over their dogs and wish to have the animal trained while they are away.

Owner training is employed after the dog has been trained in obedience.  The owners will then be taught to use the commands and response techniques which have been taught to the dog.  Questionnaires are used to find out information about the dogs history as well as specific behavioral issues.

Home training.  The good dog training facility would provide owners with something like a three week home training plan and a complete aftercare service for customers who chose the ‘complete package’ option.

In any dog training school worth its salt there should be individual training based on the breed of the animal.  Unsurprizingly, the most popular breeds for training tend to be German shepherds, Boxers, Golden retrievers, Japanese Akita and Labradors.  All these breeds are eager to train and keen to learn: they have strong instincts which should be kept in check and trained towards more positive outlets than chewing, barking or excessive guarding. 

Options would also typically include regular boarding, boarding plus and boarding with training. Regular boarding is suitable for dogs that have a low to medium activity level and the service should offer an exercise area, cosy kennels, 24 hours per day attention and at least a 20 minute walk each day.

Boarding plus should offer a lot of human interaction and dogs should be given one hour of scheduled activities each day.  Ideally, it ought to offer all the services of the regular boarding as well as an hour long road walk, 30 minute walks in a local park, three group play sessions and 20 minute ‘free run’ sessions daily. The boarding with training option teaches the animal new obedience skills.  Trainers should work with the dogs on behaviour management and specific areas of obedience.  It goes without saying that any institution advertising such services would have professional trainers, carers and behaviorists available 7 days a week and 24 hours per day, and that the level of training would be customized to suit the specific requirements of the dog.