Paws n Motion - Recommended Reading - What Color is Your Dog?

Silverman stresses two main themes in this book. First, train based on the dog's personality and second, get to know your dog and build trust before starting any training. The thing I liked most about this book is that it's written by a self-professed pioneer of the positive training movement, who still manages to have a balanced and realistic view of dog training that includes (gasp) physical corrections for certain types of dogs! Here is a reputable, seasoned trainer who uses treat training stating that using treats as rewards are not appropriate for all dogs and can, in fact, make the training difficult because some dogs get more overly-excited by a treat. He also advocates for the use of "choke" chains for some types of dogs-those with very hyperactive personalities. While I agree with Silverman's training philosophy, I was disappointed with his dismissive synopsis of the use of the pinch (or prong) collar. He essentially claims that you should not use the prong collar if at all possible and implies that owners who use these collars are somehow inept or possibly even irresponsible. I couldn't disagree more with this assessment. The prong collar can actually be a more humane option than a choke chain because it requires much less force to achieve an effective correction. This is better for both the dog and person. In addition, because it requires a smaller correction, there's less potentially intimidating or predictive body language involved, also making the training experience better and more productive for the dog. I also dislike his brief synopsis of using the chain collar on pages 74-75. The chain used in the photographs is much too long for the dog so it's not an honest representation of what this should actually look like on a dog-to this point, there's no direction on proper fit of the collar at all. The conversation about the correction coming from underneath the neck is confusing and it would be better for him to simply talk about the snap and release function of the choke chain, that if the chain isn't releasing quickly, the correction loses its effectiveness. Silverman still tends to lean towards using food treats to reward the dogs more than I would, but at least he makes the concession that this approach isn't appropriate for all dogs.

He did a pretty good job of instructing trainers and owners on specific mannerisms and corrections for specific dogs-again, his corrections didn't really span a very wide chasm, but it was better than simply saying an owner should ignore the behavior and not attempt to correct it. I could see this book coming in handy for anyone seriously thinking about purchasing training services from a training professional. It gives the layperson a good background to be able to ask pointed questions of any prospective trainer to find out if they're method-based or not. If you read this book and agree with the general philosophy, contact an open-minded and balanced professional trainer to help you through the specifics.

A few excerpts from the book:

"The chain collar-or choke chain, as many people call it-is a great tool in training when it is used the right way. Given how effective a tool the chain collar can be, I am amazed that so many people have issues with its use�There are many misconceptions about these collars. Some people will not use this tool because it is commonly called a choke chain. I just read a claim that the chain collar 'cuts off air to your dog for a brief instant.' If you are abusive to your dog and hold him off the ground, yes, a chain collar will cut off his air supply. It's important to understand, though, that an inhumane person who would hold the dog off the ground would find a way to abuse his dog with or without a chain collar." (pp 69 - 70).

"Because all dogs have different personalities, certain aspects of certain techniques are going to work better for certain dogs than they do for others. The mistake lies in thinking that one technique will work on every dog." (p 79)

"I think the majority of owners who have bought into the concept of "no correction" training suffer from a misconception about the word correction, so let me give you my definition. Let's say I am talking, and you are teaching me a phrase; I begin to repeat it to you. You interrupt me to tell me that I mispronounced a word. I start the phrase over and this time pronounce the word correctly. What just happened was that you simply corrected me, and I repeated the phrase and got the word right on the second try." (pp 81-82)

"After speaking with many of them [people who support "no correction" training], I have found that they simply do not understand what a correction is. Some of them also believe that you should never say the word no to your dog, because they define that as a 'correction,' something that is negative. Unfortunately, the people who use this type of training are living in a dream world. No successful animal trainer I have ever met in all my years of training has bought this method." (p 81)