Dr. Ian Dunbar discusses the future of dog training

Proper dog training is essential to the health and well-being of all dogs.

Recently, Dr. Ian Dunbar published an article, Science-based dog training (with feeling), in which he discusses the future of dog training and what he feels are the weaknesses inherent in current dog training methods and what he proposes to correct them.

About Dr. Ian Dunbar and dog training

For those not familiar with Dr. Dunbar, he is a veterinarian, animal behaviorist, and writer. He is the author of the SIRIUS dog training videos which revolutionized the art of dog training as far back as 1981. Dr. Dunbar’s unique lure/reward, off-leash training techniques provided an alternative method of dog training which did not focus on inhumane practices such as leash jerking. His techniques have been adopted and adapted by most thinking and caring dog trainers worldwide.

Dr. Dunbar is also the founder of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) which he created in 1993. He is widely considered to be one of the foremost leaders in the fields of psychological dog training and canine behavior counseling.

Dr. Dunbar's concerns about current practices in dog training

Dr. Dunbar raises four areas of concern regarding the way he sees dog training being practiced today.

• Dunbar believes that many opportunities to prevent bad habits and bad behaviors in puppihood are being missed. He explains that puppies continue to be inadequately socialized and are not being prepared properly for moving on into adolescence and adult life.
• Dunbar is concerned that training tools which should be temporary aids to the training process are not being phased out properly and are becoming permanent management tools instead. As a result, according to Dunbar, "few owners learn how to control their dog when off-leash at home, on walks or in the park."
• "Schedules of reinforcement and punishment need to be completely re-evaluated in terms of effectiveness and expediency in pet dog training", says Dunbar. He is further concerned that dog owners and trainers are not adequately addressing undesired behaviors, but he stresses that undesired behaviors can be "effectively inhibited and eliminated without the use of aversive punishment".
• Lastly, Dr. Dunbar states that dog training is becoming too impersonable. He says that training has "lost its soul". Dunbar stresses people need to develop relationships with their dogs and need to communicate verbally with them.

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If you enjoyed this article you might also enjoy:

• Pet Health 101: Is early socialization necessary and safe for a puppy?
• Healthy dog behavior: Decreasing the potential for canine behavior problems
• Cesar Millan – Dog whisperer or danger

The copyright of the article Dr. Ian Dunbar discusses the future of dog training is owned by Lorie Huston. Permission to republish Dr. Ian Dunbar discusses the future of dog training in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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