The Rottweiler Club of Victoria Seminar
John Macdonald and Kris Kotsopoulos
Seminar Conducted
on the
8th September
The Rottweiler Club of Victoria’s aim is to provide
initiatives that offer practical and effective solutions to the management and
education of Companion and Competition Dogs.
The purpose of our training workshops is to provide a
structural overview of factors considered pertinent to understanding the issues
and management of canine temperament and to encourage the development of
protocols and procedures, that when implemented, will assist to minimise harm,
physical or emotional, to humans and other animals and create harmony for our
community with a focus on controlled performance and the breeding of
emotionally balanced dogs.
Most importantly, we must see to it that our dogs truly
enjoy their work because of thorough understanding which is only possible due
to thorough handler understanding of how dogs operate.
Our Day
Together.
Australia
has always been left behind in the acquisition of information because of its
geographical isolation, however due to the internet and other modes of
information sharing there has been an immense amount of knowledge passed on by
some brilliant minds, especially in the last 8 years.
To achieve
high levels of training in today's highly competitive dogs sports we have
realized one very important thing and that is we must find a balance between
“motivation and concentration” – however these modes of behaviour are driven by
a particular type of dog. A dog inherently driven, joyful and robust.
The
requirements in our dog sports are that the dog should get maximum points; the
dog should do the exercises carefully, cheerfully and accurately. If we excite
the dog with motivation and provide energy, his work is exciting for him,
however with that comes the likelihood of mistakes.
On the
other hand, a dog that has developed a high level of concentration for his
commands we get see technically flawless responses. For many handlers, these
responses are believed to be out of reach and usually their work lacks joyful
execution and speed.
We believe
that any sport with our dogs should be one of joyful execution, speed, power
and compliance on cue also called stimulus control. Our presentations and
demonstrations should at least inspirer and encourage the general public to
manage their dogs better and the followers of our hobby to be the best they can
be.
This is
only possible when you find the correct genetics due to deliberate selection from the breeder and the right balance between "motivation"
and "concentration" in your training.
We would
honestly say that learning to find the right balance is sometimes not easy. The
language of our dogs is one of non-verbal communication! Very different to what
we have as people, because we are accustomed to verbal communication, and the right balance in behavior is very much a question of interpretation.
This is
where we find the largest misunderstanding occurring between a handler and his
dog. Teacher and student, man and dog initially talk in different languages as
we no doubt found during our say together.
So the knowledge delivered during the seminar was to help you become a
better breeder trainer and handler.
- The question is "How do I communicate and explain what I want to my dog?
This we believe is the main issue in our canine community.
Our Mission.
To inspire you to the point that you want to keep learning
and for you to be the best you can be. This is possible when you understand how
to breed quality dogs and understand them better.
Cross Contextual Learning.
For those of you that have been to any of our previous workshops
you will quickly realise that these training systems are cross contextual
because what you learn in one area overlaps in other areas.
They are more about transformational learning than action
learning primarily focused at the handler.
Current Global Condition.
If we observe the evolution of dog breeding and training
there is one thing that is obvious. That being, the results that breeders and
trainers have achieved today have been created through conscious or unconscious
design.
Over time breeders in the show ring have selectively bred
for a low prey drive dog for ease of handling, but in doing so have created an
innately unbalanced dog. It is also true that highly specialized working
kennels have created the opposite imbalance where if the dog is not
constantly at work (in a world where opportunities for such are reducing
rapidly) they are also highly subject to behavioural disturbances.
To add to the disparity, the majority of working kennels are
intentionally eliminating assertive tendencies favouring the promotion of prey
instincts solely, creating further imbalanced behaviours.
We do agree however, as responsible breeders
we must address the issue of undesirable and unmanageable defensive aggression
in dogs in the interest of public safety, but we must simultaneously address
the issue that we are inadvertently producing dogs that lack strength of
character producing reactive dogs that consequently develop maladaptive
behaviours far too easily.
Defensive aggression is highly undesirable and certainly
unfavourable in dog circles, however the driven dog with a good nervous
system and assertiveness should be
highly sought after.
It is not our intention to say which of the polar extremes
is right or wrong, rather than as breeders have specialized their dogs
specifically for their own desires, the resulting unbalanced dog does on
average make a very poor family pet. The key for all breeders is to achieve a
balanced dog through careful selection and to ensure that the right people are
trained with sound training principles to own such dogs. Equally all breeders
should seek and be trained in the delicate process of breeding and developing
their dogs to achieve a stable global standard.
In addition, we should note that any good ideas you apply to
solve a problem don’t have to be your own ideas.
There are hundreds of World Class animal breeders and
trainers around the world who are advancing our knowledge in the area of
optimal animal performance, and the real challenge is finding which of these
ideas apply to your individual issues, application and goals. If there is a
single message that we would underscore as most important, it is that you make
the commitment to improving your own breeding / training philosophy. For we are
adamant that both principles and disciplines are mutually reinforcing and that
focusing on one over the other is very much a compromise and causing the global
maladaptive behaviours we are experiencing today.
Some Strategies.
We recognize that there are multiple factors that may
influence maladaptive behaviours in dogs.
These include:
— Competence
of the breeder / owner to adequately select, socialise, train and manage.
— Amicability.
— Environmental
triggers.
— Degree
of control.
— Genetic
Influence.
— Dysfunctional
Defence Mechanism.
— Heightened
awareness through education of appropriate dog breeding, selection,
socialisation and training.
— The
development and implementation of educational programs for both adults and
children.
— Education
programs targeting 3 - 8 year olds
— Behavioural
research to investigate aggressive incidents
— Genetic
research to uncover inherited traits in dogs that may predispose to fearful
aggressive incidents.
— Mandatory
Training of all dog owners.
— Ongoing
support for owners during their learning.
— Education
for all Breeders on animal husbandry, puppy development, Socialisation and
genetic selection.
— Mandatory
education on behaviour for all Veterinarians.
— Mandatory
education of our Politicians the Law Makers to help their canine policy
decision process.
Is the Breeder the Problem?
- It cannot be emphasized enough that it is the responsibility of breeders to ensure that all puppies are bred from tested stock and raised in environments which will assist them to attain their maximum innate potential through sufficient environmental interactions.
- The breeder needs to educate new owners, and take full responsibility when that dog expresses health or genetic nervous tendencies.
- To also ensure that appropriate breeding partners are chosen which must undergo rigorous emotional testing before breeding to establish behavioural Volatility.
Finally.
To
conclude we must point out that we are not one to believe that we are always
right and we am very aware that extreme rigidity in beliefs and dangerous illusions
can work against you; hence we am very interested in engaging into future
discussions and holding future training workshops with you because for us the
concept of knowledge is continuous learning.
After
all, once we realise that imperfect understanding is a human condition there is
no shame in being wrong, only in failing to correct our mistakes.
Thank you for the opportunity to speak and share some thoughts and we look forward in seeing you all again at the next event.
John MaDonald
National Rottweiler President.
Kris Kotsopoulos
Von Forell Instinctive Training Systems
