The weirdest and worst dog training 'advice' I've ever heard!
These days, there is more information than ever before about how to train your dog or fix problem behaviours - and it certainly doesn’t make it any easier for dog owners and pet parents to know what to do! Not only is the internet full of bizarre and often ineffective advice, but when it comes to professional trainers, there is just as much disagreement, and often some really ridiculous advice!
I’ve worked with a lot of clients who come to me after 2, 3 or more other trainers and find themselves no further forwards. The more advice they get, the harder it is to filter out the good from the bad - and it can end up really confusing and stressful for you and your dog! So this post is dedicated to some of the weirdest and worst suggestions I’ve ever heard - and of course the correct approach you should be taking instead:
“You should feed your dog whole wheat pasta to stop their aggression towards other dogs!”
This particular client had an insecure collie lab cross Tilly who was overly aggressive with other dogs that got into her personal space. She had previously been seen by another trainer who believed a change in her diet would make her calmer… by introducing whole wheat pasta? Not such a great suggestion. What her owner actually needed to focus on was building confidence and trust through leadership so Tilly didn’t feel she had to manage everything herself.
These days, it’s very common for dog owners to over stimulate, over socialise and excite their dogs, so unfortunately Tilly had learned to snap at over excited dogs to keep them away - in an uncontrolled and unbalanced way. It had absolutely nothing to do with her diet (and certainly not a lack of Italian culinary influences!) Tilly just needed to learn that she can move dogs off and move them away in a less aggressive way. By socialising her with respectful dogs in the community, and showing the owner how to overrule and advocate for Tilly when other dogs were being disrespectful, she learned to trust her owner to manage situations for her, be more tolerant of dogs, and send warnings in a more balanced way. Bellisimo!
2. Throw a water bomb in front of your dog/ squirt him in the face with a water spay when he is aggressive towards other dogs
I’ve heard this a couple of times - and it shouldn’t need saying that this is not only a little dumb, but highly impractical. Dog aggression doesn’t happen for no reason - and in many of the cases I work with, the dogs react out of fear and insecurity, and a belief that they need to keep other dogs away an ‘protect’ their group. Often this is amplified by the use of a harness, which pulls the dogs body up and out - the same body language dogs use when going into a fight!
My suggestion is to leave the water bombs and spray bottles at home - and focus on keeping your dog beside you. Behind you when on a lead, so they practice passing dogs with you stood in the way. Fearful dogs loose their reactivity incredibly quickly when you take away the responsibility and they are allowed to just relax at the back of the group - because they no longer feel like they are the one who has to manage the situation! Of course not all dogs are fearful, and reactivity and aggression can come from a host of different places - but with every single dog I work with, one of the best skills to learn is to keep your dog on the far side as they pass by. Give it a go!
3. Put your dog on a Harness to stop them pulling? (Nonsense!)
“But James” I hear you ask, “that’s not weird advice. I’ve had loads of people tell me this! It’s what the charity/vet recommended!”. Yes, it may seem odd to put harnesses in a list of weird dog training advice - but actually, no pull harnesses are as weird as kettles which cool down your water.
You see - a harness sits on a dogs shoulders and chest. The strongest part of their body. Thats the exact reason why huskies and sled dogs all use harnesses instead of collars - because it allows them to pull more easily from the strongest part of their body. It’s actually the same reason that many police forces and protection dogs use harnesses - not to stop them pulling, but to encourage them to pull harder so that they have more drive. Harnesses also send the dog into a more tense, confrontational state - which is why its one of the first things I check when working with lead aggressive dogs.
Harnesses do have some great uses - for example keeping your dog safe in the car, supporting a dog with spinal issues, or in conjunction with long lead work!
If you want your dog not to pull, the first thing you should be doing is using a lead that sits right at the very top of the head, right on the dogs jaw above the neck. This is what removes all of the strength, and allows you to communicate with Nose, Eyes, Ears, and everything else that a dog has on their head! Then you can focus on putting boundaries and disagreement in place - without being pulled off your feet like a Kite. If you have issues walking your dog, and you’ve just switched over to a harness - get in touch and we’ll show you how to walk them properly!
4. “Stick pieces of cheese to the wall on your route to distract your fearful dog from cars.”
SPOILER: It won’t work.
One of the most difficult challenges that some of my clients face is dogs who are fearful of the outside world - be that cars, people, or other situations. And one of the first things that you will discover if you have never worked with a fearful dog is that they have absolutely zero interest in your chicken! A recent client was advised by a trainer to ‘pre-walk’ her dog walking route and stick pieces of cheese and chicken to the wall and to trees to act as a distraction for her dog who is very fearful of cars. Understandably, after a couple of weeks, she gave up on this fruitless task.
When you are working with a fearful dog, the first thing you have to understand is that as they go into shut down, their senses close off. They lose any interest in food, partially deaf to anything you are saying , avoid eye contact, and get stuck in a panic/survival mode. If you try and offer a dog food at this point, all you will do is damage trust - because you are showing your dog that you have no idea how they are feeling.
My suggestion: This is not an easy behaviour to work through - and you’re going to need buckets of patience and persistence. Remember that the more a dog shuts down, the more you have to work on fundamental communication - the most basal of which is touch - and this is often the only thing you have left to work with. I work with my clients on using passive lead tension to block shut down, and show the dog that you want them to follow you - without sound, without scent, without visual stimulus. My nickname for it is “fishing with confidence”. Imagine you have to guide someone blindfolded with ear muffs on through a maze - its a similar challenge!
5. “Throw your keys at your dog.”
Just as there are far too many trainers who try to resolve very difficult behaviours with a tube of primula cheese, there are also many individuals who think that keys, rolled up newspaper and a firm boot are an appropriate way of showing disagreement. Anyone who knows me will know that my favourite word is “balance” - the idea that everything in life has a middle ground, and that happiness and success come from keeping yourself in the centre between extremes. the same is true for our dogs.
There are plenty of ways to be able to provide disagreement without being an asshole - and the most important thing that almost everyone forgets is that you need to provide your dog with an OUTCOME. Dog’s are immensely skilled at knowing how we feel, but that doesn’t mean they know what we want. So if you’re dog is doing something you disagree with - create the outcome you want. and stick to it! Keep ensuring it happens. Be clear, be fair, be consistent. So your dog knows what is required and how to get the praise and reward they deserve!
