Let’s jump in a time machine and go wayyyy back to 9 years ago.
I just started out as a dog trainer. Cesar Millan was very very popular. His “Dog Whisperer” show was airing on National Geographic, was featured on Oprah a number of times, and had published a couple of best selling books. I watched every episode with fascination and read every book in detail. While I did not agree with everything he said or did, I wanted to emulate some of his work.
Six months later I participated in an NTV segment for Heavenly Creatures with a number of my dogs. I struck up a conversation with Tony Marie Wiseman and she was fascinated with the work I was doing, with my dogs and in particular with my maremma, Tanner. As we talked, she exclaimed how magic it was to hear the stories. Ivan, one of Heavenly Creatures volunteers, overheard what was being said and offhandedly commented “Yep, Ken is Newfoundland’s Dog Whisperer”. Tony Marie caught that and immediately asked if it was ok to use that title during our interview. Newfoundland’s Dog Whisperer was born and the name stuck.
This affiliation has served me well over the years. It is a name that resonates with the general public…it definitely catches their attention. Unfortunately, the name also brings with it negative connotations from detracters who equate me with Cesar Millan, his teachings and techniques. Usually these people have either never read anything that I have written, nor heard me talk, nor attended any of my classes. It is too bad but such things are common in life. Some of the criticisms leveled at me over the years…
“He is way too heavy handed..”
“He uses old school negative reinforcement training”
“His training is based on dominance theory”
“He is all about alpha rolls, yank and crack…”
“He ruins dogs"
And the list goes on.
For anybody who has ever read my blogs, participated in a one on one or attended my classes…you know these statements are utter baloney. I am totally against any of this methodology and am proud to say that my training is rooted in positive reinforcement theory. I use classical and operant conditioning as well as applied behavior analysis to help my clients achieve desired results. My instruction relies heavily on counterconditioning and systematic desensitization exercises and as such use much evidenced based training to support my practices.
Fact is, I do not agree with much of what Cesar Millan says. I find his thoughts and teachings to be filled with psychobabble and feel he misses the boat on many issues. I have to admit that in the beginning, I was guilty of spouting some of the same things that Cesar Millan has talked about. It was similar to what I had been taught as a student and was an easy way to express problems in behaviors to clients. I always had trouble though with dominace theory and the connotations it brings about.
Over the years, my training has grown and matured. I am honored to be a part of many lives and to have helped thousands of dogs and their owners through their issues. I am constantly looking for new and better ways to deal with issues and help owners have a happy and healthy relationship with their dog.
One thing that has remained a constant in my teaching has been the fact that PROPER COMMUNICATION IS KEY!. I cannot stress this enough. When proper communication occurs between an owner and their dog, the sky is the limit and the bond that forms, beautiful.
There was a thread on my For the Love of Dogs group last night. The owner of a dog was having trouble with her dog bolting through the door, running down the street and not coming back. She was asking for tips and help. One of my clients from years past responded to the thread and it made me smile to read it.
Debbie Butt Doyle owns a small dog named Chance. Debbie watched me work a number of dogs very early in my career at a Pet Expo. Debbie owns and breeds chinchillas as well as other small animals. She also has a couple of grand children. It makes for a hectic household. She wanted Chance to act and be like those dogs she was watching. She wanted a dog that she could trust around her grand children and around her small animals. Debbie went through level one, two and three obedience with me and worked hard with Chance. As a result, she got the dog she wanted. Chance is a little guy but has the confidence, and personality of a dog that you can bring anywhere. It was amazing to witness this growth and development happen.
Debbie’s daughter Laura, was one of the first to respond to the thread:
"We live on a very busy street and of course keeping the doors closed with the kids is not always an option...we took Chance to Topsailstar and did all 3 levels. We now have our front door open all the time in the summer and Chance knows he can't go out unless told.. shoot the door can be wide open and he will come get us to put him out to pee...What Topsailstar and Ken did for us is beyond what words can explain...!!!"
This brought on Debbie’s response:
"(The training was) The best thing I ever did !!!! I thought they (everybody who told her it could be done) were on glue LOL My dog would never be able to do that I took it as a challenge and took every exercise, lesson and bit of advice to heart.The bond Me and my family have with this little dog is amazing. I can open a car door on Water St. , in peak traffic and know that dog will not move until he is instructed to do so . He'll jump down when told he can, and heel/sit looking up to see what he should do next. I had to have him like this as I was so afraid he rush out on the street.
Once we learned each others language a bond developed that's unbreakable. It's up to you to go as far as you need with your dog. I wanted a true family member , a child that listened…”
Chance hanging out with one of the chinchillas and one of the grand children
This right here is what my training, my philosophy and my teachings are all about. Opening up the lines of communication with your dog, developing that trust and that bond so that your dog knows exactly what is expected, can learn and grow. It is nice to see that even six years ago, I was communicating these ideals effectively to my clients.
Too often we get caught up in blaming the dog for the problem. “My dog is too dominant”, “My dog is too spoiled”, “My dog is too stubborn”. Most times, these adjectives are inaccurate and do a disservice to your dog. Most times the issues resulting from statements such as these are caused by improper and poor communication between owner and dog. When owners are able to address the communication gap, it is surprsing how quickly the issues tend to disappear.