Comments for CIA's Agent Files http://blog.CaninesInAction.com Insider Information on Clicker Training by Canines In Action Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:27:00 -0500 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Comment on Yellow Journalism & Breed Bias — Again by Jen http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2012/02/yellow-journalism-breed-bias-again/comment-page-1/#comment-758 Jen Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:27:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=968#comment-758 Dog fights are scary thing, and a 5 dog fight...well, I don't have the words collected right now to describe how I feel about the responsibility of dog owners. Sometimes things just happen, I get that. But somebody needs to have a head on. Really, I'm not a fully trained animal professional, I have no idea how I would go about breaking up a 5 dog fight. 2 dogs? I've got the mechanical notion anyway. Some cops don't. A lot is expected of police, which can be fortunate, and not. Law enforcement officers are not saints, much as we would love for them to be, and they don't always have the answers either.  I also hope a dog-interaction type of program becomes commonplace for law enforcement, especially with the size of today's pet industry. Lots of people have dogs that they would prefer are not shot by the police; granted, some pet owners do things like manage, train, and supervise their dogs to try to mitigate that kind of tragedy. Others try, and their dogs get out anyway. Others don't, and are surprised when bad things happen. People, and dogs, are so unpredictable.  Dog fights are scary thing, and a 5 dog fight…well, I don’t have the words collected right now to describe how I feel about the responsibility of dog owners. Sometimes things just happen, I get that. But somebody needs to have a head on. Really, I’m not a fully trained animal professional, I have no idea how I would go about breaking up a 5 dog fight. 2 dogs? I’ve got the mechanical notion anyway. Some cops don’t. A lot is expected of police, which can be fortunate, and not. Law enforcement officers are not saints, much as we would love for them to be, and they don’t always have the answers either. 

I also hope a dog-interaction type of program becomes commonplace for law enforcement, especially with the size of today’s pet industry. Lots of people have dogs that they would prefer are not shot by the police; granted, some pet owners do things like manage, train, and supervise their dogs to try to mitigate that kind of tragedy. Others try, and their dogs get out anyway. Others don’t, and are surprised when bad things happen.

People, and dogs, are so unpredictable. 

]]> Comment on Yellow Journalism & Breed Bias — Again by Laura http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2012/02/yellow-journalism-breed-bias-again/comment-page-1/#comment-757 Laura Mon, 20 Feb 2012 18:19:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=968#comment-757 To be fair to the officers involved -- a 5-dog fight of ANY variety, regardless of dog size or breed, is a nightmare! And the cops are not trained animal professionals, and it's unfair to expect them to be. We don't know if this officer called for Animal Control, we don't know how the officer was called to the scene and if the call said a human was in danger, we don't know so many things about this incident. To be fair, people are going to be unhappy with almost any way this could have been handled ("you let dogs get injured worse while you waited for help!") and I do recognize that. A friend -- fabulous trainer, police officer, ex-military -- was trying to develop an education program for police on handling dog interactions safely; I'm not sure if it got off the ground or went many places. I hope it does, as it would prevent a lot of common tragedies (barking dogs shot by police pursuing suspect through neighborhoods, etc.). To be fair to the officers involved — a 5-dog fight of ANY variety, regardless of dog size or breed, is a nightmare! And the cops are not trained animal professionals, and it’s unfair to expect them to be. We don’t know if this officer called for Animal Control, we don’t know how the officer was called to the scene and if the call said a human was in danger, we don’t know so many things about this incident. To be fair, people are going to be unhappy with almost any way this could have been handled (“you let dogs get injured worse while you waited for help!”) and I do recognize that.

A friend — fabulous trainer, police officer, ex-military — was trying to develop an education program for police on handling dog interactions safely; I’m not sure if it got off the ground or went many places. I hope it does, as it would prevent a lot of common tragedies (barking dogs shot by police pursuing suspect through neighborhoods, etc.).

]]> Comment on Yellow Journalism & Breed Bias — Again by Jen http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2012/02/yellow-journalism-breed-bias-again/comment-page-1/#comment-756 Jen Mon, 20 Feb 2012 17:59:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=968#comment-756 Growing up, I was convinced of the notion that newspapers were for The Truth. Every time I'm proved otherwise (and don't worry, I won't argue this point. I know it's a Utopic ideal) it both saddens me and drives me crazy. Especially with this article; why aren't police officers trained on how to deal with dogs? How to appropriately break up a dog fight? (Though so far as the shots go, he may have had an extended mag, or one in the chamber [look at me sounding all gun like. I'm a parrot, I assure you]) Granted, I am also not a police officer. But from my remove, it sounds like the dog fight could have been handled so much better (and really, who wants a gun happy cop like that in their neighborhood?), and the news article.....yeah. Growing up, I was convinced of the notion that newspapers were for The Truth. Every time I’m proved otherwise (and don’t worry, I won’t argue this point. I know it’s a Utopic ideal) it both saddens me and drives me crazy. Especially with this article; why aren’t police officers trained on how to deal with dogs? How to appropriately break up a dog fight? (Though so far as the shots go, he may have had an extended mag, or one in the chamber [look at me sounding all gun like. I'm a parrot, I assure you])

Granted, I am also not a police officer. But from my remove, it sounds like the dog fight could have been handled so much better (and really, who wants a gun happy cop like that in their neighborhood?), and the news article…..yeah.

]]> Comment on Storm Watch & Storm Success, Part 6 – Phobias & Emergency Management by tachojustierung http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/07/storm-watch-storm-success-part-6-phobias-emergency-management/comment-page-1/#comment-747 tachojustierung Mon, 06 Feb 2012 23:25:18 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=567#comment-747 Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back. Its like you read my mind! You seem to know so much about this, like you wrote the book in it or something. I think that you could do with a few pics to drive the message home a bit, but other than that, this is wonderful blog. An excellent read. I will definitely be back.

]]> Comment on TAG! I’m It! (self TAGteach for skiing) by Laura http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/tag-im-it-self-tagteach-for-skiing/comment-page-1/#comment-689 Laura Thu, 08 Dec 2011 17:12:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=944#comment-689 Apparently -- though I didn't get this at the time -- the idea is to recite "cheese, pepperoni" and push off with each foot in turn. So I guess it's a rhythmic help for some. Except that wasn't clear, and that didn't help with weight distribution, angle of ski, etc. So I needed something else. :) Apparently — though I didn’t get this at the time — the idea is to recite “cheese, pepperoni” and push off with each foot in turn. So I guess it’s a rhythmic help for some. Except that wasn’t clear, and that didn’t help with weight distribution, angle of ski, etc. So I needed something else. :)

]]> Comment on TAG! I’m It! (self TAGteach for skiing) by Deb Crecelius http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/tag-im-it-self-tagteach-for-skiing/comment-page-1/#comment-688 Deb Crecelius Thu, 08 Dec 2011 16:11:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=944#comment-688 I have never skied, nor do I ever plan to. However, your instructions seem MUCH clearer than the experienced skiers. Cheese and pepperoni?  Oh my! I have never skied, nor do I ever plan to.
However, your instructions seem MUCH clearer than the experienced skiers.
Cheese and pepperoni?  Oh my!

]]> Comment on Professional Teamwork – Trainers & Vets Together! And more pet professionals by Laura http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/professional-teamwork-trainers-vets-together-and-more-pet-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-686 Laura Tue, 06 Dec 2011 17:09:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=952#comment-686 Thanks for chiming in! As I've had the law explained to me, regardless of my experience I cannot suggest or comment on drug choices, *even if you as a vet ask me.* It's considered practicing medicine without a license. And realistically, I don't have the medical training to know all the ramifications. So I *have* to refer to a vet who is well-schooled in these protocols, or ask the client's vet to contact the behavioral vet. And terminology and perception is a big one, yep! For example, the term "behaviorist" itself is actually very specific, but it gets misused constantly by trainers, vets, and owners alike, so it's very difficult for the average person to wade through the confusion. I expect it will be some years yet before we have a good solution. But we're getting better clarity all the time -- and we have a responsibility to represent ourselves well to the veterinary community. Mutual respect is a good thing. :) Thanks for chiming in!

As I’ve had the law explained to me, regardless of my experience I cannot suggest or comment on drug choices, *even if you as a vet ask me.* It’s considered practicing medicine without a license. And realistically, I don’t have the medical training to know all the ramifications. So I *have* to refer to a vet who is well-schooled in these protocols, or ask the client’s vet to contact the behavioral vet.

And terminology and perception is a big one, yep! For example, the term “behaviorist” itself is actually very specific, but it gets misused constantly by trainers, vets, and owners alike, so it’s very difficult for the average person to wade through the confusion. I expect it will be some years yet before we have a good solution.

But we’re getting better clarity all the time — and we have a responsibility to represent ourselves well to the veterinary community. Mutual respect is a good thing. :)

]]> Comment on Professional Teamwork – Trainers & Vets Together! And more pet professionals by Greg Magnusson http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/professional-teamwork-trainers-vets-together-and-more-pet-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-685 Greg Magnusson Tue, 06 Dec 2011 16:18:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=952#comment-685 When a veterinarian refers to a specialist, we expect the specialist will see the problem through to its solution. If that means the specialist handles the case herself, so be it. If she further refers to a tertiary facility, again, so be it. What's NOT good is if the specialist looks at the case, decides she can't fix it, and either ignores it or sends it back to the referring vet to handle. By accepting the referral, you're accepting responsibility for the case. Your job is complicated by your inability to prescribe, but know this - if I've got enough faith in you to refer a case to you, and during your therapy you ask me to prescribe a behavior modification drug that you believe in, I will support your plan and prescribe the drug (medical contraindications being taken into account, of course). If I didn't have faith in you, I wouldn't have referred to you in the first place. Just because vets are the only ones allowed to prescribe drugs doesn't mean vets are the only ones who know how drugs work, or have experience with patients taking those drugs. The issue of perception is certainly muddy. When a vet refers to a ACVS Board Certified Veterinary Surgeon, we can be pretty confident that person knows how to solve the problem, even if we've never met them before. Until behaviorists get together and come up with a SINGLE certification that denotes expertise in a particular area of behavior, you're going to keep having perception issues. As for which vets you choose to work with, that much should be easy - those who randomly prescribe drugs without considering behavior modification can be ignored. You can't change vets, you can only change yourself. The only way to increase veterinary confidence in YOUR certification is to a) take on cases you know you can fix, b) refer to tertiary facilities when you can't fix the problem, and c) either way, guide the client and pet through to a happy conclusion. In short, if I refer something to you - FIX IT. If you can't fix it, find someone who can. Meanwhile, I'm moving on to my other cases, assuming you've got this one case handled. When a veterinarian refers to a specialist, we expect the specialist will see the problem through to its solution. If that means the specialist handles the case herself, so be it. If she further refers to a tertiary facility, again, so be it. What’s NOT good is if the specialist looks at the case, decides she can’t fix it, and either ignores it or sends it back to the referring vet to handle. By accepting the referral, you’re accepting responsibility for the case.

Your job is complicated by your inability to prescribe, but know this – if I’ve got enough faith in you to refer a case to you, and during your therapy you ask me to prescribe a behavior modification drug that you believe in, I will support your plan and prescribe the drug (medical contraindications being taken into account, of course). If I didn’t have faith in you, I wouldn’t have referred to you in the first place.

Just because vets are the only ones allowed to prescribe drugs doesn’t mean vets are the only ones who know how drugs work, or have experience with patients taking those drugs.

The issue of perception is certainly muddy. When a vet refers to a ACVS Board Certified Veterinary Surgeon, we can be pretty confident that person knows how to solve the problem, even if we’ve never met them before. Until behaviorists get together and come up with a SINGLE certification that denotes expertise in a particular area of behavior, you’re going to keep having perception issues.

As for which vets you choose to work with, that much should be easy – those who randomly prescribe drugs without considering behavior modification can be ignored. You can’t change vets, you can only change yourself.

The only way to increase veterinary confidence in YOUR certification is to a) take on cases you know you can fix, b) refer to tertiary facilities when you can’t fix the problem, and c) either way, guide the client and pet through to a happy conclusion.

In short, if I refer something to you – FIX IT. If you can’t fix it, find someone who can. Meanwhile, I’m moving on to my other cases, assuming you’ve got this one case handled.

]]> Comment on Professional Teamwork – Trainers & Vets Together! And more pet professionals by Sarah Hoth http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/professional-teamwork-trainers-vets-together-and-more-pet-professionals/comment-page-1/#comment-684 Sarah Hoth Tue, 06 Dec 2011 13:38:00 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=952#comment-684 Well said, Laura! I think the perception of trainers in the past has been discounted, in general, because of the reasons you mentioned. There's no regulation, no governing body, and some seedy "certification" out there. You and I know that it's gotten better, of course, but there's still a long way to go to demonstrating to the veterinary profession 1) What differences exist between trainers and 2) How we can work together instead of competing for the clients dollar. Sarah Hoth, KPA-CTP The Persuaded Pooch - St. Louis Dog Training Well said, Laura! I think the perception of trainers in the past has been discounted, in general, because of the reasons you mentioned. There’s no regulation, no governing body, and some seedy “certification” out there. You and I know that it’s gotten better, of course, but there’s still a long way to go to demonstrating to the veterinary profession 1) What differences exist between trainers and 2) How we can work together instead of competing for the clients dollar.

Sarah Hoth, KPA-CTP
The Persuaded Pooch – St. Louis Dog Training

]]> Comment on TAGteach for Firearm Safety and Shooting by Sound OC for Firearm Safety | CIA's Agent Files http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/2011/12/tagteach-for-firearm-safety-and-shooting/comment-page-1/#comment-682 Sound OC for Firearm Safety | CIA's Agent Files Mon, 05 Dec 2011 18:15:11 +0000 http://blog.CaninesInAction.com/?p=897#comment-682 [...] good operant conditioning on myself, including self-TAGging for key points. (More on that in a later post!) Safety was, of course, foremost in my mind, and this is why I was so thrilled with the following [...] [...] good operant conditioning on myself, including self-TAGging for key points. (More on that in a later post!) Safety was, of course, foremost in my mind, and this is why I was so thrilled with the following [...]

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