Apr 02 2009
Reference Links: Collars, Positive Training
This seemed a topic worth a whole library, not just a floating-and-disappearing page. The following are links to articles interviewing positive trainiers, articles on collar use, and articles on health risks of the common chain collar. Thanks to Nan Arthur (listed below) for several of the links!
Positive Training:
“The Anti-Cesar Millan” Ian Dunbar, reported by the San Francisco Chronicle http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/10/15/CMGPHL9D1N1.DTL
The Bark, interview with Dr. Nicholas Dodman. http://www.thebark.com/content/interview-dr-nicholas-dodman
The importance of consistency in the training of dogs. G.E.Eskeland, R.H.Tillung, M.Bakken School of
Psychology, Animal Behaviour Programme, New College Campus, The Avenue, Southampton,
SO17 1BG, UK Dept of Animal & Aquacultural Sciences, IHA, University of Life Sciences,
Ås, Norway www.atferdssenter.no/IVBM_poster_tekstprintes word fil.pdf
Establishes that consistent, positive, low-punishment training produced the most reliable results and the fewest training problems through a survey of handler techniques. Kellie Snider, I’ll Teach You A Thing Or Two! The Unwanted Teachings Of Punishment Part 1 of a 2 part series 2005 http://www.behaviorlogic.com/id97.html and article archives at http://www.behaviorlogic.com/id100.html “Another problem with punishment is that it can temporarily or permanently stop other behaviors besides the ones you’re punishing. For a period of time after punishment, the learner stops performing the punished behavior. But the learner also stops doing much of anything else. He just turns off for a while. The world is kind of dangerous at the moment, so he keeps his behavior to a minimum to avoid coming into contact with unpleasantness. It’s hard to train when your learner doesn’t want to do anything. “The Problem With Punishment” http://diamondsintheruff.com/punishment.html includes a nice list of references and some basic wisdom. Collar Studies: Study Shows Collar Stress Can Heighten Glaucoma Risk, by Jessica Tremayne, DVM Magazine. http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Veterinary+news/Study-shows-collar-stress-can-heighten-glaucoma-ri/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/360534 Has implications for the effects of a jerked collar also. Nan Arthur http://www.wholedogtraining.com/articles.html Also “Break The Chain,” offering the following after the philosophical and psychological arguments against chain collars:Medical issues If the your relationship and the science behind using positive methods isn’t enough to convince your husband, consider the following medical issues often associated with using choke chains:
- Injured ocular blood vessels (broken blood vessels in the eyes)
- Tracheal and esophageal damage (these are permanent)
- Severely sprained necks
- Fainting
- Transient foreleg paralysis
- Laryngeal nerve paralysis
- Hind leg ataxia
– Break the chain… Ask a Trainer By Nan Arthur, CPDT As featured in the East County Gazette, Volume 6 Number 43 El Cajon, CA. 619-444-5774, Debbie Norman, Editor
From Laurel Warren of All-Phase K-9: “I was put off choke collars when my class had a session on how to put a pop-eyed dog’s eye back in after too sharp a correction.” It’s not listed in the medical effects above, but it is worth thinking about if you are training a pug or a chihuahua.
Misuse of Choke Chains
by Des Hawgood (des@hawgood.freeserve.co.uk)
Copyright © 2000
Institute for Animal Care Education
New Road, Framlingham
Woodbridge, Suffolk IP13 9AT http://www.uwsp.edu/psych/dog/LA/hawgood1.htm
A medical incident can be found here: http://www.vtvets.org/owners/faq/dogs_choke_chain.shtml
Pinch Collars:
Correct use of a pinch collar, recommending a head collar instead: http://www.cal.net/~pamgreen/pinch_collar.html Pam Green, “In Praise of the Pinch Collar.”
Another pinch collar site, which refers to the Silverman citation I cannot track but makes some good points: http://www.cobankopegi.com/prong.html
I have been completely unable to find the study claimed by Anne Marie Silverman in the 1980s on choke collars and pinch collars. Supposedly 50 dogs per collar type were followed through their lives and necropsied at death, turning up permanent damage in the chain-collar-trained dogs and very little in the prong-collared set. However, unlike many people who have tried, I’m not going to conclude just yet that it doesn’t exist. The points against were “It followed too many dogs for too long, and what sort of research is that?” and “What would that cost?” It would be easy enough to follow a set of 100 OtCH-intended or Schutzhund dogs for their lifetimes; in fact, that should be part of what having kennel clubs is all about. In the average decent-sized obedience club, finding 50 or 100 dogs of similar raising and training shouldn’t be difficult at all, and doesn’t cost the researcher much. 100 would be a necessary minimum to be certain that the differences in the prong and chain collar groups were statistically significant. If the study really hasn’t been done, and is not merely unfindable by our internet means, then it should be. Note to research vets: get on it! How hard can it be to find trainers of obedience dogs? I can’t shake a stick without whacking a few, and a good half of them are either sticking chains on the neck or using prong collars on their three-month puppies.
Meanwhile, with all of this good academic work around, I’m very sorry to search .edu domains for the words “chain collar” and find primarily continuing-education advertisements for dog training classes which require the things. For now, I’m still primarily a “cheese-lure, label, reward, repeat” trainer. (See Glendhenmere link in the sidebar.)
