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I must say, these training threads have really amazed me. The amount of false information proliferated by people in regard to the training methods employed at Richling K-9 is truly astounding.
I have been with Richling K-9 for around 5 years now. I trained & certified 3 of my own dogs in this training system before apprenticing for 3 years and then finally becoming a trainer with the company myself. I can, beyond a shadow of a doubt, state conclusively that we do not abuse dogs in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, we have taken in & rehabbed dogs who HAVE been abused at the hands of many local-area, self-proclaimed “positive-reinforcement trainersâ€. (Yes, you read that right.) Any method of training which, when applied diligently, fails the dog & handler and/or produces false hopes but few actual results, IS abuse in my book. One student in particular who comes to mind had taken something like 8 separate training courses with her dog. She paid for each of these classes, and was thrown out of each one because her dog was dog-aggressive. Finally, at the last class, she was allowed to graduate her dog…so long as she stayed a minimum of 20 feet away from any of the rest of the students. Obviously, the dog aggression was never dealt with, save through avoidance. They simply told her to keep the dog away from other dogs, or put it down… “problem solvedâ€. Fortunately, she came to us and now has a dog who can accompany her anywhere, including right next to other dogs…calmly, happily & without incident.
In reading through the garbled mess of the other threads, the biggest dichotomy I’ve seen is in the threats being fired off by the very people who state that they would never “hurt†dogs…then turn around and spout off ill-wishes onto us and our dogs (with the strong, misinformed implication that we hurt our dogs). How on earth would any reader here be inclined to believe that you treat dogs humanely, or represent anything “positive†when you are wishing harm/death on dogs and people you don’t even know? Specifically when this whole mess seems to have been based on the post of someone with grossly inaccurate allegations, who hasn’t even returned to defend himself/herself…but instead ran off to other local dog chat boards to post (you guessed it), the very same slanderous and highly inaccurate message.
The way in which we train is based on German methods, however it is then refined & customized for each and every individual dog, based on what that particular dog needs. We do not train in AKC-style, ring-centered obedience, but in a style much more suited for obedience out in the world, where most people need their dogs to behave & work in a reliable fashion. We do not turn away any dogs based on the severity of the problems they may or may not have, as many training groups do. We have dogs of all shapes and sizes, including some with various physical issues (deafness, missing limbs, etc.) Obviously the methods used on a deaf Chihuahua are most likely going to be a little different than the methods used on a high-drive police dog. That is where the artistry of reading the dogs and adjusting to what each dog needs at a certain moment in time comes into play. Martin Richling is a master of this art. He can very quickly analyze and adjust to each and every dog in a given class so that every dog advances in their training & bond with their handlers. To that end, he demands that his students be prompt, attentive, willing & ready to work their dogs because of his passion, care and concern for people to treat their dogs humanely. If you think this is all accomplished by beating the dogs, you are absolutely out of your mind. We build trust and bond through many exercises which, at the end of approximately 12 months, culminate in a dog who is 100% reliable in off-leash, off-collar obedience, under real-world stress, with no equipment whatsoever. It may come as a shock, but we positively-reinforce our dogs (gasp)…every day. We use sincere petting and praising when our dogs are doing well. Conversely, willful disobedience is corrected. Notice the word “willfulâ€. The element of correction *only* comes into play once a dog has been properly shown & taught a certain command. It’s a balanced system, which produces balanced dogs. Trust me, if our dogs were being abused in any way, they would show it. Instead, this training boosts the dog’s confidence…which can specifically be seen in dogs brought to us with various fearful or nervous problems.
I would also like to address those of you who posted my picture of my dog and me climbing the timber climb obstacle in agility, suggesting that it was somehow unsafe… First of all, my dog is secured on a long line, which is being monitored and reeled in by the trainer atop the obstacle. Secondly, although they are not in the frame of the picture, there are spotters below. Finally, I’ve got my dog’s leash, which I’m using to guide him as we conquer the obstacle together. My dog is actually doing all of the climbing on his own…he is not being hung or dragged up by the safety line, which remains slack unless necessary. Taking your dog through a course such as this is not even remotely close to sport agility. These obstacles are meant to be difficult and cause stress. The dog takes great comfort in his/her master while completing the course together, as a team. It exercises the dog both physically and mentally & builds tremendous trust & bond between dog & handler. Not to mention the fact that conquering obstacles such as these gives the dog courage and confidence to navigate all kinds of terrain & function calmly under stress, which is of utmost importance for a working dog…specifically for tracking, SAR & protection work.
As for personal protection, it is disturbing to me to hear people state that their dogs are protection trained, yet have never had any sort of stress applied to them at all. I understand that this forum is filled with pro-positive trainers, but if you are thinking that your dog is going to function under stress without ever having experienced a stressful situation during its training…you are ultimately setting yourself & your dog up to get injured or even killed. We take our protection training very seriously because situations in which you legitimately need your dog to defend you are going to be serious. Martin has been trained in positive-reinforcement & sport training techniques. He has juried police K9 trials and has sadly seen the direct result of the application of sport bitework training in the real world…he witnessed the death of a friend and fellow K9 officer whose sport-trained dog was circling the bad guy in a fight looking for the padded sleeve. The dog did not bite, therefore failing to do it’s job, and the officer wound up dead. Think what you want to of Martin, but know that his reasons for rejecting the methodologies behind various other training methods are, in fact, steeped in much work experience with dogs. Dogs can look ferocious in sport bitework, leading many people to believe that they would undoubtedly defend on the street, but when bitework becomes equipment oriented & the dog is constantly targeting a sleeve rather than the person attacking, it is a game for the dog. If you are attacked on the street it is highly unlikely to be a game. The dog will either fight or take flight (run away). Most of the time the reaction will be flight, unless you have trained your dog to function under stress. An attacker isn’t going to care about your dog’s well-being whatsoever. Your dog’s response will all depend on how that dog has been trained and conditioned to react both in terms of ability to perform as well as be under control during stress. If you are depending upon that dog to seriously protect you & not become a liability…you need to have trained it to function under stress.
Lastly, I will say that I am posting this not in an effort to further endless controversy, but instead to provide productive information on our training system, which, in my opinion, started off completely misrepresented on here and went steadily downhill from there.
- Ginger
I have been with Richling K-9 for around 5 years now. I trained & certified 3 of my own dogs in this training system before apprenticing for 3 years and then finally becoming a trainer with the company myself. I can, beyond a shadow of a doubt, state conclusively that we do not abuse dogs in any way, shape or form. Furthermore, we have taken in & rehabbed dogs who HAVE been abused at the hands of many local-area, self-proclaimed “positive-reinforcement trainersâ€. (Yes, you read that right.) Any method of training which, when applied diligently, fails the dog & handler and/or produces false hopes but few actual results, IS abuse in my book. One student in particular who comes to mind had taken something like 8 separate training courses with her dog. She paid for each of these classes, and was thrown out of each one because her dog was dog-aggressive. Finally, at the last class, she was allowed to graduate her dog…so long as she stayed a minimum of 20 feet away from any of the rest of the students. Obviously, the dog aggression was never dealt with, save through avoidance. They simply told her to keep the dog away from other dogs, or put it down… “problem solvedâ€. Fortunately, she came to us and now has a dog who can accompany her anywhere, including right next to other dogs…calmly, happily & without incident.
In reading through the garbled mess of the other threads, the biggest dichotomy I’ve seen is in the threats being fired off by the very people who state that they would never “hurt†dogs…then turn around and spout off ill-wishes onto us and our dogs (with the strong, misinformed implication that we hurt our dogs). How on earth would any reader here be inclined to believe that you treat dogs humanely, or represent anything “positive†when you are wishing harm/death on dogs and people you don’t even know? Specifically when this whole mess seems to have been based on the post of someone with grossly inaccurate allegations, who hasn’t even returned to defend himself/herself…but instead ran off to other local dog chat boards to post (you guessed it), the very same slanderous and highly inaccurate message.
The way in which we train is based on German methods, however it is then refined & customized for each and every individual dog, based on what that particular dog needs. We do not train in AKC-style, ring-centered obedience, but in a style much more suited for obedience out in the world, where most people need their dogs to behave & work in a reliable fashion. We do not turn away any dogs based on the severity of the problems they may or may not have, as many training groups do. We have dogs of all shapes and sizes, including some with various physical issues (deafness, missing limbs, etc.) Obviously the methods used on a deaf Chihuahua are most likely going to be a little different than the methods used on a high-drive police dog. That is where the artistry of reading the dogs and adjusting to what each dog needs at a certain moment in time comes into play. Martin Richling is a master of this art. He can very quickly analyze and adjust to each and every dog in a given class so that every dog advances in their training & bond with their handlers. To that end, he demands that his students be prompt, attentive, willing & ready to work their dogs because of his passion, care and concern for people to treat their dogs humanely. If you think this is all accomplished by beating the dogs, you are absolutely out of your mind. We build trust and bond through many exercises which, at the end of approximately 12 months, culminate in a dog who is 100% reliable in off-leash, off-collar obedience, under real-world stress, with no equipment whatsoever. It may come as a shock, but we positively-reinforce our dogs (gasp)…every day. We use sincere petting and praising when our dogs are doing well. Conversely, willful disobedience is corrected. Notice the word “willfulâ€. The element of correction *only* comes into play once a dog has been properly shown & taught a certain command. It’s a balanced system, which produces balanced dogs. Trust me, if our dogs were being abused in any way, they would show it. Instead, this training boosts the dog’s confidence…which can specifically be seen in dogs brought to us with various fearful or nervous problems.
I would also like to address those of you who posted my picture of my dog and me climbing the timber climb obstacle in agility, suggesting that it was somehow unsafe… First of all, my dog is secured on a long line, which is being monitored and reeled in by the trainer atop the obstacle. Secondly, although they are not in the frame of the picture, there are spotters below. Finally, I’ve got my dog’s leash, which I’m using to guide him as we conquer the obstacle together. My dog is actually doing all of the climbing on his own…he is not being hung or dragged up by the safety line, which remains slack unless necessary. Taking your dog through a course such as this is not even remotely close to sport agility. These obstacles are meant to be difficult and cause stress. The dog takes great comfort in his/her master while completing the course together, as a team. It exercises the dog both physically and mentally & builds tremendous trust & bond between dog & handler. Not to mention the fact that conquering obstacles such as these gives the dog courage and confidence to navigate all kinds of terrain & function calmly under stress, which is of utmost importance for a working dog…specifically for tracking, SAR & protection work.
As for personal protection, it is disturbing to me to hear people state that their dogs are protection trained, yet have never had any sort of stress applied to them at all. I understand that this forum is filled with pro-positive trainers, but if you are thinking that your dog is going to function under stress without ever having experienced a stressful situation during its training…you are ultimately setting yourself & your dog up to get injured or even killed. We take our protection training very seriously because situations in which you legitimately need your dog to defend you are going to be serious. Martin has been trained in positive-reinforcement & sport training techniques. He has juried police K9 trials and has sadly seen the direct result of the application of sport bitework training in the real world…he witnessed the death of a friend and fellow K9 officer whose sport-trained dog was circling the bad guy in a fight looking for the padded sleeve. The dog did not bite, therefore failing to do it’s job, and the officer wound up dead. Think what you want to of Martin, but know that his reasons for rejecting the methodologies behind various other training methods are, in fact, steeped in much work experience with dogs. Dogs can look ferocious in sport bitework, leading many people to believe that they would undoubtedly defend on the street, but when bitework becomes equipment oriented & the dog is constantly targeting a sleeve rather than the person attacking, it is a game for the dog. If you are attacked on the street it is highly unlikely to be a game. The dog will either fight or take flight (run away). Most of the time the reaction will be flight, unless you have trained your dog to function under stress. An attacker isn’t going to care about your dog’s well-being whatsoever. Your dog’s response will all depend on how that dog has been trained and conditioned to react both in terms of ability to perform as well as be under control during stress. If you are depending upon that dog to seriously protect you & not become a liability…you need to have trained it to function under stress.
Lastly, I will say that I am posting this not in an effort to further endless controversy, but instead to provide productive information on our training system, which, in my opinion, started off completely misrepresented on here and went steadily downhill from there.
- Ginger
opcorn: