Quotes & Sayings About Training Dogs

Repetitive, forceful corrections had taught this gentle dog that at a specific spot the handler would always yank the lead. Thus, each time the Newf arrived at that point, she'd freeze for a beat and close her eyes in anticipation of the impending blow. This caused her to lag, which led to another correction, which resulted in more lagging, another correction, ad infinitum.
It was a classic example of canine learned helplessness, whereby a dog learns to accept abuse as a natural, inevitable consequence of living with humans. Repeated corrections had only frightened and confused the animal, and she was trying to protect herself in the only way she knew how. — Joel M. McMains

They were as different as honesty and truth, but it takes experience to see the dissimilarities. Rocky was friendly, outgoing and boisterous; Charger was sullen, withdrawn and paranoid. Rocky liked people; Charger didn't. Rocky could trust; Charger didn't know the meaning of the word. — Joel M. McMains

To me dogs are not the students, not the ones that need training. To me a dog is a teacher of life, who teaches us the principles of the most important moral values; honesty, integrity, loyalty, trust, respect and love. — Cesar Millan

I am spilling fire on every side. But I do not trust the 500 billion flames which I am training like dogs. — Paul Eluard

Owners sometimes think their dogs have already suffered so much that they couldn't possibly inflict any more criticism. Yet it's that very firm, effective training that would make those dogs happier and more secure. — Jon Katz

An open mind and helpful hands can do much to change a dog's future. — Mary Debono

All my dogs have been scamps and thieves and troublemakers and I've adored them all. — Helen Hayes

All training is negotiation, whether you're training dogs or spouses. — Ian Dunbar

In dog culture, when someone calls you, you should absolutely not come if that results in the ending of something you like or initiation of something you don't like. — Jean Donaldson

Dogs (like rats) are multitalented but they are also not very smart the way humans are. A recent book, devoted to the intelligence of dogs, is 250+ pages long (Stanley Coren, The Intelligence of Dogs: A Guide to the Thoughts, Emotions, and Inner Lives of Our Canine Companions, 1994). Interestingly, despite careful qualifications by Coren regarding definitions, the ranking of breeds by intelligence literally made newspaper headlines. We are obviously fascinated by the notion that dogs - or at least certain breeds of dog - might, just might, be really, really smart. It all makes as much sense as evaluating humans on our ability to sniff for bombs or echo-locate. — Jean Donaldson

The doors opened, and the first zombies appeared. Men and women, their eyes glassy and their muscles slack, stumbled out through the open doors. Miller had seen a documentary feed about hemorrhagic fevers as part of his training on Ceres Station. Their movements were the same: listless, driven, autonomic. Like rabid dogs whose minds had already been given over to their disease. — James S.A. Corey

I'm on good form. I'm an older guy. I feel healthy, I've been training, I'm looking after myself, I get up early. I look after the dogs. I'm happy. — Robbie Williams

I agree with Agassiz that dogs possess something very like conscience. — Charles Darwin

Fired Up, Frantic, and Freaked Out Training Crazy Dogs from Over-the-Top to Under Control Laura VanArendonk Baugh CPDT-KA KPACTP Copyright 2013 Laura VanArendonk Baugh Cover design by Laura VanArendonk Baugh and Alena Van Arendonk Author portrait by Elemental Photography Technical editing by Casey Lomonaco Interior photos pages 25, 67, 77 by Alena Van Arendonk — Laura VanArendonk Baugh

I'd rather have a kid come up to me and tell me that he loves dinosaurs or he loves airplanes or he likes training dogs or I like Shakespeare. I mean, just something. — Temple Grandin

It's like training dogs. You want the dog to obey you, but you can't have real respect for a dog that always obeys you. You want a dog that occasionally goes over the wall or bites the postman without your permission; you want to be reminded that you command a subdued yet wild animal, not a crawler. A man should be strong enough to kill you with his bare hands. — Tibor Fischer

untrained dogs and they will urinate over them. Purchase a crate or cage that is big enough for your pup to lie down, turn around, and stand up in. Create a food and potty schedule. It should include: Meal Potty Time Play Time Training Time Sleep in Crate Repeat from A Every Four Hours No matter what, don't leave your poor pup in the crate all the time. At the same time, though, the crate should give it time to relax and nap between potty and play sessions. Walk the dog about 15-30 minutes after every meal. Always praise the dog for going outside. Never ever use hitting or yelling if the dog has an accident in the house. Now, as far as behavior training, you will need to follow a schedule to make sure neither you nor the pup gets too tired or frustrated. That's what we are going to talk about next. — Cynthia Lynden

Dogs who are in an ongoing training program "Learn to Learn" and begin to catch on faster and make better deductions. — Lelah Sullivan

So a dog's value came from the training AND the breeding. And by breeding, Edgar supposed he meant both the bloodlines - the particular dogs in their ancestry - and all the information in the file cabinets. Because the files, with their photographs, measurements, notes, charts, cross-references, and scores, told the STORY of the dog - what a MEANT as his father put it. — David Wroblewski

Jane lives by this philosophy: Life, especially that of dogs, is too short for harsh training and too long to be without learning. — Jane Young

A year-long study by the University of Pennsylvania, ending in 2009 and published in the journal Applied Animal Behavior Science (Elsevier), showed that aggressive dogs who were trained with aggressive, confrontational, or aversive training techniques, such as being stared at, growled at, rolled onto their backs, or hit, continued their aggressive ways. Non-aversive training methods, such as exercise or rewards, were very successful in reducing or eliminating aggressive responses. — Edward Custo

The dogs brought it all back to, you know, to the human side. — Luis Carlos Montalvan

Movement is vital. Whether it's running, cross training, hiking with the dogs, or walking the streets of New York, I am constantly active. — Theo Rossi

A lot of people think I am the one to turn to for dog behavior issues. I'm not. All you have to do is meet Tucker; you'll know that I'm not an expert at training dogs. — Bruce Cameron

Training is a loop, a two-way communication in which an event at one end of the loop changes events at the other, exactly like a cybernetic feedback system; yet many psychologists treat their work as something they do to a subject, not with the subject. — Karen Pryor

The only food he has ever stolen has been down on a coffee table. He claims that he genuinely believed it to be a table meant for dogs. — Jean Little

If uncertain, it's best to pass by a possibly good dog than risk injury. — Joel M. McMains

Dogs are not people dressed up in fur coats, and to deny them their nature is to do them great harm. — Jeanne Schinto

I well knew the rules to follow with our training Dogs: Speak when you're spoken to. Keep out of the way. Obey all orders. Get killed on your own time. — Tamora Pierce

Do not feed that beggar. Hamlet, lie down." The dog ignored her.
"Down," Viktor ordered, his deep voice stern. The dog whined and then lay down. The prince looked at her. "You need to be more forceful."
"I suppose my forcefulness will improve once my voice changes. Sopranos get no respect. — Patricia Grasso

The best dog training was based on the reward system. You did not punish a dog for doing wrong, you rewarded the dog for doing right. The dog did something you wanted, you reinforced the behavior with a reward - pet'm, tell'm they're a good dog, let'm play with a toy. The standard reward for a K-9 working dog was a hard plastic ball with a hole drilled through it where Leland liked to smear a little peanut butter. — Robert Crais

Dogs like to obey. It gives them security. — James Herriot

While observing some people with their dogs, it is often a question of who is training whom. It is not uncommon to see an owner with their arms extended, holding on for dear life, while their dog runs wild. Unfortunately, I was becoming one of those owners. — Elizabeth Parker

Every year thousands of dogs are abandoned to shelters because of behavior problems. And these are things that can be corrected with just basic training. Dogs are being killed because of lack of training, and that's what the Canine Good Citizen program is all about. (Mary Burch, AKC) — Martin Kihn

Where are the dogs?" I asked.
"At training," he said. "I have a friend who's an expert dog trainer, and he's giving them some stealth lessons. He used to work for a local K-9 unit."
I didn't think it was in the Chihuahua genetic code to ever be stealthy. — Richelle Mead

And not only did he learn by experience, but instincts long dead became alive again. The domesticated generations fell from him. In vague ways he remembered back to the youth of the breed, to the time the wild dogs ranged in packs through the primeval forest and killed their meat as they ran it down. — Jack London

So what is the fallout for dogs of the Lassie myth? As soon as you bestow intelligence and morality, you bestow the responsibility that goes along with them. In other words, if the dog knows it's wrong to destroy furniture yet deliberately and maliciously does it, remembers the wrong he did and feels guilt, it feels like he merits a punishment2, doesn't it? That's just what dogs have been getting - a lot of punishment. We set them up for all kinds of punishment by overestimating their ability to think. Interestingly, it's the "cold" behaviorist model that ends up giving dogs a much better crack at meeting the demands we make of them. The myth gives problems to dogs they cannot solve and then punishes them for failing. And the saddest thing is that the main association most dogs have with that punishment is the presence of their owner. This puts a pretty twisted spin on loooving dogs 'cause they're so smart, doesn't it? — Jean Donaldson