You can find
a substantial amount of dog training on
television these days. But, just like network
sitcoms and dramas, quality varies. So
how do you watch a television show dealing
with matters canine and
evaluate what you're seeing? Your training philosophy may or may
not
be the same as mine, but in the spirit of somewhat scientific
inquiry, I think these points will help you make an assessment.
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Remember you are watching television.
That means, at the very
least, that you're not seeing training
and results in real time. Any
ill responses can be edited out. What
looks in the program like it
took mere minutes may actually have been
edited down from hours of
real time. Events may even be shown in
an order other than what
occurred in real life. Some of this may
be done simply to meet time
constraints, but other reasons could be
less benign -- to make the
star of the show look better, to imply
that the technique being shown
is faster/easier than it actually is,
to omit anything producers
would prefer viewers not see. Always keep
in mind that television
presents a skewed view of reality, partly
from necessity and partly
from motives of one sort or another.
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Give some thought to any disclaimers
or warnings the show may
contain. Yes, we live in a litigious
society and producers want to
protect themselves, but if a dog training
program is broadcast with
the caveat "do not attempt this at
home," then
it isn't serving any real educational
purpose. It's either nothing more than
pure entertainment, or it's a purely
commercial message masquerading as a
regular show. Think about it -- if you
aren't supposed to use the
techniques being shown, what are you
meant to get out of the show?
-
Turn off the sound so you don't
hear what the trainer or the
voiceover may be saying, and watch the
body language of the dog. Make
up your own mind about if the dog is
enjoying the experience, if the
dog is stressed, what you think the
dog might be learning. Most
programs repeat regularly, so watch
the first time with the sound
off, make note of your observations,
then watch again with the volume
up, and see how the show's version of
what is happening agrees or
disagrees with what you saw. Don't just
assume that the trainer is
right and you are wrong.
-
Ask yourself "is this something
I want to do/would enjoy doing
with my dog?" Unless your dog has
serious behavioral issues (in which
case you need face-to-face help from
a behavior specialist), training should
be enjoyable for both of you. If you
don't like what you're doing, odds are
you won't do it as often or as wholeheartedly
as you should. Training works best in
frequent short sessions, so you need
to do it often. If you don't like what
you're doing, that's not
likely.
-
Don't
be swayed by the physical appearance,
voice, or "presence" of the
show host. You may enjoy listening to
him or watching her, but that has little
to do with the effectiveness of the
training. Watch the dog or, if the camera
angle permits, watch the face of the
owner as training is done to her or
his dog. Do they look like they're
enjoying the experience, or are they
apprehensive or alarmed? Show
hosts are chosen because producers expect
the audience to like them
and tune in to see them. That doesn't
make them reputable experts.
-
Look for any follow-up information.
Does the show go back and
check in on how the dogs and owners
are doing? Are the owners given
any instructions for how to continue
their training? Don't just
assume that what may have looked like
it worked in the show continued
working indefinitely. Training is a
fluid process that often requires
ongoing adjustment.
This is just a half dozen basic techniques
for assessing what you're
seeing. If you watch just to watch, it
doesn't matter, but if you're
thinking of applying anything you see
on tv to your interactions with
your own dog, please take the time to
give it some serious thought.
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