Hitting spanking slapping popping

I was always taught that being physical with horses is almost a must. Idk though, I have very limited experience in that area.

Samesies. Management/crisis mode is different than training.

As for the rest of it... I have a temper. I understand frustration. I mean, my god, I work at a daycare/boarding kennel. I have been, at times, frustrated, exhausted, in pain, and absolutely pushed past my threshold for sanity and rational behavior.

We all do things we regret out of anger/frustration, and I am no exception and I am certainly no saint. But I view physical punishment as either the extreme spectrum of management (or self defense), or simply a mistake on the handler's part.

I have gone through a steep learning curve regarding impulse control working in an environment where my buttons get pushed repeatedly by dogs that aren't mine and that I don't have the capacity to actually train. Losing my temper has never, ever given me any satisfaction in the end. Usually I just feel like a douche.

My motto is to be the smarter animal, and defuse conflict instead of escalate it. Or at least to try. I have never, ever come to regret being patient and understanding. Ever. I have, without exception, regretted letting my temper dictate my interactions with animals.

As for formal training, oh HELL no. It doesn't teach them anything except that you can and will cross that line with them, and to be scared of doing whatever it is they were doing when you whacked them. And I view using physical "cues" like popping and swatting as a total failure on my part as a trainer. If I can't get their attention without that, I have some seriously neglected foundation work.

Beyond humane treatment of animals, I've not seen hitting/popping/spanking/slapping/jerking promote much in the way of learning or improved behavior. Lack of behavior, sometimes, but that's about it. And call me cold, but that's also a major motivation of mine. I want effective training strategies, not just those that make me feel better or stroke my ego.

I was always taught that being physical with horses is almost a must. Idk though, I have very limited experience in that area.

Samesies. Management/crisis mode is different than training.

As for the rest of it... I have a temper. I understand frustration. I mean, my god, I work at a daycare/boarding kennel. I have been, at times, frustrated, exhausted, in pain, and absolutely pushed past my threshold for sanity and rational behavior.

We all do things we regret out of anger/frustration, and I am no exception and I am certainly no saint. But I view physical punishment as either the extreme spectrum of management (or self defense), or simply a mistake on the handler's part.

I have gone through a steep learning curve regarding impulse control working in an environment where my buttons get pushed repeatedly by dogs that aren't mine and that I don't have the capacity to actually train. Losing my temper has never, ever given me any satisfaction in the end. Usually I just feel like a douche.

My motto is to be the smarter animal, and defuse conflict instead of escalate it. Or at least to try. I have never, ever come to regret being patient and understanding. Ever. I have, without exception, regretted letting my temper dictate my interactions with animals.

As for formal training, oh HELL no. It doesn't teach them anything except that you can and will cross that line with them, and to be scared of doing whatever it is they were doing when you whacked them. And I view using physical "cues" like popping and swatting as a total failure on my part as a trainer. If I can't get their attention without that, I have some seriously neglected foundation work.

Beyond humane treatment of animals, I've not seen hitting/popping/spanking/slapping/jerking promote much in the way of learning or improved behavior. Lack of behavior, sometimes, but that's about it. And call me cold, but that's also a major motivation of mine. I want effective training strategies, not just those that make me feel better or stroke my ego.

...I've totally intimidated, stomped at, and yelled at my dogs out of frustration...I don't take pride in it and make no excuses.

I figure the glory is in the progress.

In those cases, I don't view it as training. I view it as "crisis management". Your dog trying to eat a kid =/= a training moment. You do whatever is necessary to keep everyone safe and alive, then go back and train later when the dog isn't overstimulated and nobody is in danger.

Great post. Lots of good posts on this thread.


Codswallop.
Try getting physical with a half ton animal who doesn’t want to do what you’re trying to make him do. Always fun to watch the end of the event and people trying to load the *tired* horse in to a trailer. Nope, you can’t force a half ton animal do do anything period. Clicker train ‘em in to a trailer though, and you’re good to go.

There was a Friesian we boarded that only liked people that hit her. Maybe she was a masochist?

There was a Friesian we boarded that only liked people that hit her. Maybe she was a masochist?

Did he ever arrive? I'm guessing he was too busy spinning in circles barking.

Yeah, I've totally intimidated, stomped at, and yelled at my dogs out of frustration in the past. I don't take pride in it and make no excuses.

I figure the glory is in the progress.

Samesies. Management/crisis mode is different than training.

As for the rest of it... I have a temper. I understand frustration. I mean, my god, I work at a daycare/boarding kennel. I have been, at times, frustrated, exhausted, in pain, and absolutely pushed past my threshold for sanity and rational behavior.

We all do things we regret out of anger/frustration, and I am no exception and I am certainly no saint. But I view physical punishment as either the extreme spectrum of management (or self defense), or simply a mistake on the handler's part.

I have gone through a steep learning curve regarding impulse control working in an environment where my buttons get pushed repeatedly by dogs that aren't mine and that I don't have the capacity to actually train. Losing my temper has never, ever given me any satisfaction in the end. Usually I just feel like a douche.

My motto is to be the smarter animal, and defuse conflict instead of escalate it. Or at least to try. I have never, ever come to regret being patient and understanding. Ever. I have, without exception, regretted letting my temper dictate my interactions with animals.

As for formal training, oh HELL no. It doesn't teach them anything except that you can and will cross that line with them, and to be scared of doing whatever it is they were doing when you whacked them. And I view using physical "cues" like popping and swatting as a total failure on my part as a trainer. If I can't get their attention without that, I have some seriously neglected foundation work.

Beyond humane treatment of animals, I've not seen hitting/popping/spanking/slapping/jerking promote much in the way of learning or improved behavior. Lack of behavior, sometimes, but that's about it. And call me cold, but that's also a major motivation of mine. I want effective training strategies, not just those that make me feel better or stroke my ego.

And I can tell you I totally relate to the frustrations of working at a dog daycare/boarding kennel.

Aaaahhhh!!! LOL. You know. Oh, you know.

We just vent by saying awful things. Like, "Jack was being so awful, he wouldn't stop harassing Murphy so I punched his brains in." And really what that means is "I used my shame on you tone of voice and put him a crate for 10 minutes." LOL

ETA: Today a dog jumped up and gripped me with her dews sooooo hard and raked them down my leg so bad it drew a little bit of blood. I yelled, "ROXY ARHGH @^%#$#&*V@&*#$*&#" and clenched my hands into fists and held them over my head so I wouldn't do something I regretted. -_- Oh daycare.

The dogs that won't stop barking non stop the ENTIRE day are the ones that make me want to claw my ears out. It takes everything I have to stay sane. Thay environment can really drive you crazy sometimes.

I absolutely lost it with a client's dog once, years ago, when I worked for a vet where we did boarding. I didn't hurt the dog, of course! But it was an Old English Sheepdog, that would bark incessantly when in a run. And I had to stand in the doorway of the room he was kenneled in, letting each dog outside to potty, and listening to the bark bark bark. I finally shouted "I SAID SHUT UP!", ran across the room, and kicked the door of the run, hard. The dog shut up. I said "lie down!", and the dog lay down. He didn't bark at me again. After that, all I had to do when he was there was look at him and say "I said shut up...", and he'd be quiet. Poor guy must have been convinced that I was an absolute crazy person.

Fortunately, he really was a sound tempered dog, and it was a single incident, so it didn't do him any real harm, and we still got along fine. I certainly wouldn't recommend it as a management technique, though, and I did feel bad about it. Even though it worked. It shouldn't have.