In Support of Animal Rights

Feb 282009
 

I am feeling lazy today, so I thought instead of writing a blog I would let the Animal Rights leaders write it for me.  Since I have written several posts disagreeing with their agenda it seems productive to let them share that agenda in their own words.  In fairness, there are several different attitudes within the Animal Rights movement, so I have tried to select a few quotes from each of the major players so as to present a representative cross-section of their beliefs, and I am sure they would not all agree with every one of these quotes.

So, without further ado, here are the words of the leaders of the animal rights movement:

In fact, I don’t want to see another dog or cat born—–Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President

I despise ‘animal welfare.’ That’s like saying, ‘Let’s beat the slaves three times a week instead of five times a week’.—–Gary Yourofsky, PETA

I don’t think you’d have to kill — assassinate — too many … I think for 5 lives, 10 lives, 15 human lives, we could save a million, 2 million, 10 million non-human lives.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

I would go to work early, before anyone got there, and I would just kill the animals myself. Because I couldn’t stand to let them go through that. I must have killed a thousand of them, sometimes dozens every day.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

I wish we all would get up and go into the labs and take the animals out or burn them down.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

I would be overjoyed when the first scientist is killed by a liberation activist.—–Vivien Smith, Animal Liberation Front

Arson, property destruction, lying, burglary and theft are ‘acceptable crimes’ when used for the animal cause.—–Alex Pacheco, PETA

One generation and out. We have no problem with the extinction of domestic animals. They are creations of human selective breeding.—–Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President

If an animal has any rights at all, it’s got the right not to be eaten.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar

….the only responsible breeders are ones who, upon learning about their contribution to the overpopulation crisis, spay or neuter their animals, and get out of the business altogether.—–PETA

Breeders must be eliminated! As long as there is a surplus of companion animals in the concentration camps referred to as shelters, and they are killing them because they are homeless, one should not be allowed to produce more for their own amusement and profit. If you know of a breeder in the Los Angeles area, whether commercial or private, legal or illegal, let us know and we will post their name, location, phone number so people can write them letters telling them ‘Don’t Breed or Buy, While Others DIE.’—–Animal Defense League

Even if animal tests produced a cure, we’d be against it.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

If killing is the only way to stop them, then I said killing them would certainly be justified.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

If that means going onto their farms, releasing their animals and burning the place to the ground, that’s morally justifiable, in our opinion…There were always innocent people who got hurt somewhere along the way but it was important that those who oppressed one group of people be stopped, and we don’t see the animal liberation struggle being substantially different from these other struggles.… A sustained campaign against a particular industry or a particular organization has the potential to be quite effective.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

If the death of one rat cured all diseases, it wouldn’t make any difference to me.—–Chris DeRose, Last Chance for Animals

If you had to hurt somebody or intimidate them or kill them, it would be morally justifiable.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

In a perfect world, all other than human animals would be free of human interference, and dogs and cats would be part of the ecological scheme.—–PeTA’s Statement on Companion Animals.

In a war you have to take up arms and people will get killed, and I can support that kind of action by petrol bombing and bombs under cars, and probably at a later stage, the shooting of vivisectors on their doorsteps. It’s a war, and there’s no other way you can stop vivisectors.—–Tim Daley, British Animal Liberation Front

It doesn’t matter if there are people in there. They’re irrelevant! It doesn’t matter about the police. They’re irrelevant! It doesn’t matter about the high fences. They’re irrelevant! It doesn’t matter about the doors. They’re irrelevant! It doesn’t matter about the locks. They’re irrelevant! What matters is our brothers and sisters in there. Smash everything when the cops aren’t here! Get them out! We’ll sweep the police aside. We’ll sweep the government aside.—–Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front

Let us allow the dog to disappear from our brick and concrete jungles–from our firesides, from the leather nooses and chains by which we enslave it.—–John Bryand, animal ethics author

My goal is the abolition of all animal agriculture.—–JP Goodwin, HSUS

Not only are the philosophies of animal rights and animal welfare separated by irreconcilable differences… the enactment of animal welfare measures actually impedes the achievement of animal rights… Welfare reforms, by their very nature, can only serve to retard the pace at which animal rights goals are achieved.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar and Tom Regan, professor and author on philosophy

Nothing is more violent and radical than what’s being done to non-human animals in our society.  If a researcher won’t stop abusing animals and is stopped physically, whether with the use of force, or is killed, I certainly wouldn’t lose sleep over that idea.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

The theory of animal rights simply is not consistent with the theory of animal welfare… Animal rights means dramatic social changes for humans and non-humans alike; if our bourgeois values prevent us from accepting those changes, then we have no right to call ourselves advocates of animal rights.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar

We are not especially ‘interested in’ animals. Neither of us had ever been inordinately fond of dogs, cats, or horses in the way that many people are. We didn’t ‘love’ animals.—–Peter Singer, Animal Ethicist

We do not have the right to use animals for any real or perceived need, whether it be food, clothing, entertainment, medical issues.—–Janine Motta, NJ Animal Rights Alliance

Whatever it takes to stop someone from abusing animals is certainly morally acceptable.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

…no movement for social change has ever succeeded without ‘the militarism component’….Thinkers may prepare revolutions, but bandits must carry them out,—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

….we would like an end to pet shops and the breeding of animals.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

A burning building doesn’t help melt people’s hearts, but times change and tactics, I’m sure, have to change with them. If you choose to carry out ALF-style actions, I ask you to please not say more than you need to, to think carefully who you trust, to learn all you can about how to behave if arrested, and so to try to live to fight another day.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

Animal liberation, of which the anti-vivisection movement is a part, animal liberation is not a campaign. It is not a struggle. It is a war! It is an all-out bloody war, in which the countless hundreds of millions of casualties have, so far, all been on one side. How can we allow that to continue?—–Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front

….they are like slaves, even if well-kept slaves.—–PETA

Ask your mommy how many dead animals she killed to make her fur clothes. Then tell her that you know she paid men to hurt and kill the animals. Everyone knows. And the sooner she stops wearing fur, the sooner the animals will be safe. Until then, keep your doggie or kitty friends away from mommy; she’s an animal killer!—–PETA comic book

Bank executives have had their yachts sunk behind their houses. Cars have been blown up; windows have been smashed; offices have been stormed. We’re tired of yelling at buildings — no one cares. We’re tired of yelling at executives while they’re in those buildings, and allowing them to go home and forget about us who are out there that afternoon — we’re going to their homes. We’re doing what’s effective. We’re shutting this company down.—–Lauren James

Businesses are terrified. They have no idea what I’m going to do next.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

But it is also important to stop manufacturing pets, thereby perpetuating a class of animals forced to rely on humans to survive.—–PETA

Hit them in their personal lives, visit their homes . Actively target U.S. military establishments within the United States… strike hard and fast and retreat in anonymity. Select another location, strike again hard and fast and quickly retreat in anonymity … Do not get caught. DO NOT GET CAUGHT. Do not get sent to jail. Stay alert, keep active, and keep fighting.———-Craig Rosenbraugh

Humane care is simply sentimental, sympathetic patronage.—–Dr. Michael W. Fox, HSUS

I am not a morose person, but I would rather not be here. I don’t have any reverence for life, only for the entities themselves. I would rather see a blank space where I am. This will sound like fruitcake stuff again but at least I wouldn’t be harming anything.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

I don’t have a hands-on fondness for animals…To this day I don’t feel bonded to any non-human animal. I like them and I pet them and I’m kind to them, but there’s no special bond between me and other animals.—–Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President quoted in Bloodties: Nature

I don’t approve of the use of animals for any purpose that involves touching them – caging them.—–Dr. Neal Barnard

I don’t use the word pet. I think it’s speciesist language. I prefer companion animal. For one thing, we would no longer allow breeding. People could not create different breeds. There would be no pet shops. If people had companion animals in their homes, those animals would have to be refugees from the animal shelters and the streets. You would have a protective relationship with them just as you would with an orphaned child. But as the surplus of cats and dogs (artificially engineered by centuries of forced breeding) declined, eventually companion animals would be phased out, and we would return to a more symbiotic relationship ­ enjoyment at a distance.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

I think violence is part of the struggle against oppression. If something bad happens to these people, it will discourage others. It is inevitable that violence will be used in the struggle and that it will be effective—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

If an ‘animal abuser’ were killed in a research lab firebombing, I would unequivocally support that, too.—–Gary Yourofsky, PETA

If someone is killing, on a regular basis, thousands of animals, and if that person can only be stopped in one way by the use of violence, then it is certainly a morally justifiable solution.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

I’m not only uninterested in having children. I am opposed to having children. Having a purebred human baby is like having a purebred dog; it is nothing but vanity, human vanity.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

It won’t ruin our movement if someone gets killed in an animal rights action. It’s going to happen sooner or later. The Animal Liberation Front, the Earth Liberation Front — sooner or later there’s going to be someone getting hurt. And we have to accept that fact. It’s going to happen. It’s not going to hurt our movement. Our movement will go on. And it’s important that we not let the bully pulpit of the FBI and the other oppression agencies stop us from what we’re doing. —–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

It’s not about loving animals. It’s about fighting injustice. My whole goal is for humans to have as little contact as possible with animals.—–Gary Yourofsky, PETA

My dream is that people will come to view eating an animal as cannibalism.—–Henry Spira

No strictly peaceful movement has succeeded in liberation, I think the animal rights movement has been restrained in its use of force, mostly because people in the struggle are often people of privilege who aren’t willing to risk losing that privilege. Violence has been a necessary component of every serious liberation struggle…Violence is not the only path to liberation, but likely an indispensable one…the Press Office would like to be clear on this matter: we support all the liberationists ­ from the graffiti artists and ALF liberator to the Animal Rights Militia, Justice Department and Revolutionary Cells.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

Our goal is to make breeding like drunk driving and smoking.—–Kim Sturla, Fund for Animals

Perhaps the mere idea of receiving a nasty missive will allow animal researchers to empathize with their victims for the first time in their lousy careers. I find it small wonder that the laboratories aren’t all burning to the ground. If I had more guts, I’d light a match.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

The bottom line is that people don’t have the right to manipulate or to breed dogs and cats … If people want toys, they should buy inanimate objects. If they want companionship, they should seek it with their own kind,—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

Their lives are restricted to human homes where they must obey commands and can only eat, drink, and even urinate when humans allow them to.—–PETA

There are about 2,000 people prepared at any one time to take action for us … The children are enjoying a lifestyle built on the blood and abuse of innocent animals. Why should they be allowed to close the door on that and sit down and watch TV and enjoy themselves when animals are suffering and dying because of the actions of the family breadwinner? They are a justifiable target for protest.—–Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front

There are two main goals behind ALF actions. The first is obviously to remove as many animals as possible from fur farms, vivisection labs, and other areas of abuse. The second is to cause as much economic damage to these industries and persons as possible.—–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

Things are picking up…It’s not going to make this thing go away… don’t think you’re going to find anybody deterred…There’s a lot of people willing to die for the cause. —–Dr. Jerry Vlasak, Animal Defense League

Throughout the late ’80s, me and a handful of friends just like you people here, we started to break windows, we started to slash tires, we started to rescue animals from factory farms and vivisection breeders, and we graduated to breaking into laboratories . As long as we emptied the labs of animals, they were still easily replaced. So that’s when the ALF in this country, and my cell, started engaging in arson.—–Rodney Coronado, PETA fund recipient and convicted arsonist

To give a child animal products is a form of child abuse.—–Dr. Neal Barnard, Physician’s Committee for Responsible Medicine

We are not terrorists, but we are a threat. We are a threat both economically and philosophically. Our power is not in the right to vote but the power to stop production. We will break the law and destroy property until we win.—–Dr. Steven Best

We encourage others to find a local Earth raper and make them pay for the damages they are inflicting on our communities… Furriers, meat packers, bosses, developers, rich industry leaders are all Earth rapers.—–Craig Rosenbraugh

We have a 100 per cent success rate. Whoever we choose to target is finished.—–Heather James

We will be just as ruthless as any of our targets. We will go for the throat.—–Dan Matthews

Why should any one of us feel that ‘it shouldn’t be me taking that brick and chucking it through that window? Why shouldn’t I be going to that fur farm down the road and opening up those cages?’ It’s not hard; it doesn’t take a rocket scientist. You don’t need a 4-year degree to call in a bomb hoax. These are easy things, and they’re things that save animals: And so I want all of you in this room to, A) Question not just what is right and wrong, but what is effective, And B) why can’t all of us be doing it? I think the animal rights movement is strong – that’s my opinion. It’s time to start flexing our muscles.—–Kevin Kjonaas, Animal Defense League

Would I rather the research lab that tests animals is reduced to a bunch of cinders? Yes.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

…eating animals involves an intentional decision to participate in the suffering and death of nonhumans where there is no plausible moral justification.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar

Believe me, you don’t have to worry about prison. I’ve been there — it’s a doggle. You can put your feet up and recharge your batteries, and go back out there when you’re released and start all over again. You can go to education to read up. I mean someone, someone actually read up on electronics while they were in prison, and went out and started doing electronic incendiary devices. Use your time inside to teach yourself!—–Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front

Come here when it’s dark, when there’s no moon, with people you can trust! There are individuals in there who need you to do that! But when you get them out, don’t leave the equipment or the building standing either! Smash it! Smash it! Smash it once and for all!—–Robin Webb, Animal Liberation Front

Here’s a little model I’m going to show you here. I didn’t have any incense, but — this is a crude incendiary device. It is a simple plastic jug, which you fill with gasoline and oil. You put in a sponge, which is soaked also in flammable liquid — I couldn’t find an incense stick, but this represents that. You put the incense stick in here, light it, place it — underneath the ‘weapon of mass destruction,’ light the incense stick – sandalwood works nice — and you destroy the profits that are brought about through animal and earth abuse. That’s about — two dollars. —–Rodney Coronado, PETA fund recipient and convicted arsonist

I maintain that we ought to abolish the institution and stop causing or facilitating the existence of more ‘companion’ animals.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar

If they have me arrested, that’s good for me, bad for them. We have 75,000 members of our club who aren’t going to like it—–Dee Crenshaw

If we really believe that animals have the same right to be free from pain and suffering at our hands, then, of course we’re going to be, as a movement, blowing things up and smashing windows … I think it’s a great way to bring about animal liberation … I think it would be great if all of the fast-food outlets, slaughterhouses, these laboratories, and the banks that fund them exploded tomorrow. I think it’s perfectly appropriate for people to take bricks and toss them through the windows. … Hallelujah to the people who are willing to do it.—–Bruce Friedrich, PETA

In a perfect world, we would not keep animals for our benefit, including pets,—–Tom Regan, professor and author on philosophy

It is time we demand an end to the misguided and abusive concept of animal ownership. The first step on this long, but just, road would be ending the concept of pet ownership.—–Elliot Katz, In Defense of Animals

Liberating our language by eliminating the word ‘pet’ is the first step… In an ideal society where all exploitation and oppression has been eliminated, it will be NJARA’s policy to oppose the keeping of animals as ‘pets.’—–New Jersey Animal Rights Alliance

Our goal: to convince people to rescue and adopt instead of buying or selling animals, to disavow the language and concept of animal ownership.—–Elliot Katz, In Defense of Animals

Our nonviolent tactics are not as effective. We ask nicely for years and get nothing. Someone makes a threat, and it works.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

Probably everything we do is a publicity stunt … we are not here to gather members, to please, to placate, to make friends. We’re here to hold the radical line.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

Property destruction is a legitimate political tool called economic sabotage, and it’s meant to attack businesses and corporations.—–David Barbarash

The cat, like the dog, must disappear… We should cut the domestic cat free from our dominance by neutering, neutering, and more neutering, until our pathetic version of the cat ceases to exist.—–John Bryand, animal ethics author

Today’s terrorist is tomorrow’s freedom fighter.—–Kevin Kjonaas, Animal Defense League

We should stop bringing more domestic animals into existence.—–Gary Franicione, legal scholar

We’re a new breed of activism. We’re not your parents’ Humane Society. We’re not Friends of Animals. We’re not EarthSave. We’re not Greenpeace. We come with a new philosophy. We hold the radical line. We will not compromise! We will not apologize, and we will not relent! … Vivisection is not an abstract concept. It’s a deed, done by individuals, who have weaknesses, who have breaking points, and who have home addresses!—–Kevin Kjonaas, Animal Defense League

When you’re a 20-something grassroots activist, and you’re deciding how to spend your time and money to make a difference, it makes a lot of sense to cause a million in damage with just $100 of investment. That’s a better return than any other form of activism I’ve been involved in.—–Rodney Coronado, PETA fund recipient and convicted arsonist

Animals for the most part just need to be left alone.—–Wayne Pacelle, HSUS President

That the “meat” of my body, or a portion thereof, be used for a human barbecue, to remind the world that the meat of a corpse is all flesh, regardless of whether it comes from a human being or another animal and that fleshfoods are not needed; That my skin, or a portion thereof, be removed and made into leather products, such as purses, to remind the world that human skin and the skin of other animals is the same and that neither is “fabric” or needed; That my feet be removed and umbrella stands or other ornamentation be made from them, as a reminder of the depravity of killing innocent animals, such as elephants, in order that we might use their body parts for household items and decorations——Will of Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

Deep down, I truly hope that oppression, torture and murder return to each uncaring human tenfold! I hope that fathers accidentally shoot their sons on hunting excursions, while carnivores suffer heart attacks that kill them slowly.Every woman ensconced in fur should endure a rape so vicious that it scars them forever. While every man entrenched in fur should suffer an anal raping so horrific that they become disemboweled. Every rodeo cowboy and matador should be gored to death, while circus abusers are trampled by elephants and mauled by tigers. And, lastly, may irony shine its esoteric head in the form of animal researchers catching debilitating diseases and painfully withering away because research dollars that could have been used to treat them was wasted on the barbaric, unscientific practice vivisection.—–Gary Yourofsky, PETA

Phasing out the human race will solve every problem on earth, social and environmental.—–Les U. Knight

Pet ownership is an absolutely abysmal situation brought about by human manipulation.—–Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA

The life of an ant and that of my child should be granted equal consideration.—–Michael W. Fox, HSUS

Note: I have taken these quotes from various sources, and have done my best to verify them , but it is certainly possible that there are some mistakes, so if you see a quote that you believe is incorrect, please let me know and I will look into it immediately! And while they are, as quotes by definition must be, taken out of context, it is my belief that each of them is representative of the view of the speaker.  If there are quotes on this page with which the speaker does not agree, please let me know.

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 February 28, 2009  Posted by at 10:18 pm Tagged with:

Animal Training 101

Feb 282009
 

Obviously I cannot cover all of animal training in a single article.  In this post, I am going to discuss the basic idea of training.  What it is and basically how it works.  In later posts we will go into much greater depth on training specific behaviors.  Training animals can be challenging, but is also immensely rewarding, and the dividends for both you and your animals will grow dramatically as you put more time into their training.skate

What is animal training?

      In broad terms, everything you do with an animal is training.  Animals are always learning; therefore, you are always teaching, even if you do not mean to be.  In a more formal sense, animal training is a series of procedures you follow in order to alter an animal’s behavior.  All animals possess certain natural behaviors which you shape into specific behaviors or chains of behaviors that you want the animal to perform on cue.  You increase the frequency and intensity of desired behaviors and decrease the frequency and intensity of undesired behaviors.

What are the goals of training an animal? 

  1. Teach specific boundaries
  2. Teach specific behaviors
  3. Refine social relationships
  4. Refine working attitude
  5. Habituate usage of the thinking portion of his brain
  6. Develop his character

       Many trainers focus at the top of this list, believing that training is primarily about boundaries and behaviors.  Over time, good trainers tend to shift their focus more and more towards the bottom of the list, realizing that teaching specific behaviors and boundaries is easy and that the real skill is to use your training time to develop your animal’s character and attitude and the relationship you want with him.

      Refining social relationships means that you are constantly aware of the relationship you have with your animal and use your training time to polish this dynamic.  You use training to make sure your animal respects and enjoys your leadership.  That he trusts your decisions.  That he wants to please you.  Each time he performs as requested and the outcome is positive he becomes more confident in your leadership.

      You must constantly be aware of your animal’s attitude, energy, and focus: you need to induce the state that you want, and only train while you are able to maintain your animal in that state.  If you want a bright, enthusiastic animal, do not train when he is tired and flat.  For me, training is always the best part of the day: we have a great time, and we are always engaged in a fun game.  My animals love nothing more than figuring out what they have to do to get the reward.

      Animals are reactive.  Many of their responses naturally occur without thought.  One of the central objectives in training an animal is to develop the habit of thinking before acting.  “Thoughtfulness” works much like a muscle-the more it is used the stronger it becomes.  So in training we rehearse mindfulness: we present a stimulus and facilitate our animal’s thoughtful response.

      You must also remain aware of the character you want to develop in your animal. What you rehearse regularly in training you will see blossom in his daily demeanor.  You may spend time developing patience, independent problems solving skills, confidence, and attention span.  You may work to get him more focused on you, or less.  Balance is essential here. Constantly evaluate your animal and your relationship and structure your training sessions to approach your objectives. 

Origins of modern animal training

      Humans have been training animals for over 3,000 years, but modern training techniques have developed primarily in the last century.  Bypassing the complex history of behavioral psychology, two key concepts have largely defined modern animal training:

       Classical conditioning, made famous by Ivan Pavlov (Russian physiologist and physician, 1849-1936): if you pair a neutral stimulus (say, the ringing of a bell) with a positive stimulus  (say, a valued treat) you can condition the animal to respond to the neutral stimulus in the same manner as he responds to the positive stimulus. (Or the converse-pairing a negative with a neutral stimulus)

       Operant conditioning, commonly associated with B.F.  Skinner (American psychologist 1904-1990): an animal will repeat with increasing frequency and intensity those behaviors which result in positive consequences, and will repeat with decreasing frequency those behaviors which result in negative or neutral consequences.  Almost all of animal training derives from that simple notion!

What skills are required to train animals well?

  • Responsibility: animals behave naturally; all training is up to the trainer, not the animal.
  • Body language: animals are very aware of your body. In many ways they will listen more to what your body says than to what your mouth says. So always be mindful of what your body is saying.
  • Excellent observational skills: see everything the animal is doing and note all the factors contributing to what the animal is experiencing. See when to bolster, when to stop, when to encourage, etc.
  • Imagination: always see how things look to the animal.
  • Understanding of the science underlying behavior and behavior modification.
  • Mastery of the mechanical skills required.
  • Great timing and reflexes: praise at the right moment and you increase the behavior you like, praise a second early or late and you get something else entirely.
  • Ability to trust and to engender trust in animals
  • Creativity and flexibility: something is not working; what else can you do to get the behavior?
  • Calmness and emotional self control: reactions in training must always be dictated by the desired effect and outcome, never by anger or frustration.
  • Acting ability: you need to be able to act unhappy or disappointed or ecstatic as needed.
  • Consistency: the more you can repeat your patterns identically, the more easily your animal will be able to learn.
  • Patience: sometimes it seems like simple things take forever to train. Breathe, relax. It may take a little while, but he will get it…
  • Energy: you will generally get from an animal what you put in, and if you need a high energy behavior, you need to be energetic. And you need to be able to play games and keep your animal’s attention at all times.
  • Training Intuition: the art comes in knowing which technique to use when, and in subtly blurring the techniques together to respond to your animal’s mood and state.

How to train a new behavior

      There are many different techniques to train an animal, and there are countless variations on these techniques depending on the individual animal and the precise behavior being trained.  However, the underlying process is surprisingly constant.  Without being present I do not know your animal, so you need to determine which techniques are effective and safe in training him. If you understand these basic components of training, you can modify them to teach almost anything:

 Evaluate your animal’s drives and reinforcers: before you can do anything else, you need to get to know your animal.  What motivates him?  What does he find rewarding?  When does he have energy? Does he have a strong opposition reflex?  Is he easily bored or overstimulated?  Everything you do in training is predicated on your knowing his prefences and attitudes so you can manipulate them.

Condition a secondary reinforcer: all this means is that before you start training, you must teach your animal a special signal that means, “Yes, that was what I wanted and I am going to give you a reward!”  This secondary reinforcer can be a word like “yes”, a sound, a click, whatever you would like.  And all you do to condition this reinforcer is make the sound and give a reward, over and over.  Use a valued reward like a yummy treat, and do this many times each day until your animal understands that the sound means a treat is coming!

Determine the behavior precisely: You cannot effectively communicate your desire to your animal until you know exactly what you desire.  If you want the animal to come when called, does that mean come close or come and sit in front?  Does it mean he must run or just come at any pace?  If more than one person gives the animal commands, make sure you all agree what the commands are going to be and what they are going to mean.  Do not use these commands except when training until they are well understood.  Even when they are understood, these should be sacred words that you expect your animal to always react to.  Do not use these words to mean other things.  If you are teaching that “Come” means run to you and sit in front, then do not say “Come” when you really mean ignore the squirrel and keep walking down the trail with me.

Induce the behavior: In this phase you use your creativity to get the animal to perform the desired activity.  You are not asking or telling the animal what to do.  You are luring him into it.  For instance, if you want a sit, you can hold food so that the animal lifts his head and naturally sits.  There are many different ways to induce the animal.  You can lure with food or a toy.  You can use props, a piece of tape behind an ear, for example, to teach the animal to scratch.  You can use the environment: walking along next to a wall so the animal has to stay close to you when heeling.  You can even wait until the behavior occurs naturally.  During this phase do not say “No” or correct any behaviors your animal offers.  He does not know what you want and is trying his best to please.  This phase is best done away from all distractions so your animal is focused on you.  Be calm and patient and try to enjoy the challenge of communicating with your animal.  Set him up to succeed.  Over time, as your animal begins to understand the behavior, gradually reduce the lure until he is doing the behavior without any help. 

Bridge: In traditional usage, a bridge is a tool used to tell the animal that you like what he is doing and that a reward is coming.  I suggest a slightly different technique: using four distinct bridges.  While this may sound complex – and will likely take a few days for you to master – it can significantly improve training results.  You can use whatever sound or sight you prefer for each of the bridges.  Here are the ones I use:

  • Terminal positive bridge: “Yes!” This is the secondary reinforcer that you conditioned at the beginning. It tells the animal that he did it right and that the behavior is over. It is almost always followed by a primary reinforcer. (Timing is critical when giving this signal because the animal will tend to repeat whatever he was doing at the precise moment this occurred.)
  • Intermediate positive bridge: “Good!” This tells the animal that you like what he is doing and he should keep doing it or even increase the intensity of what he is doing. It can be repeated indefinitely until it is followed by a terminal positive bridge, and is like saying “warmer” when playing “hot-cold” games.
  • Intermediate negative bridge: “Aaatt.” Not strictly a bridge, this is a way of telling the animal that what he is doing at the moment is not going to get him to the reward. It is like saying “colder” when playing “hot-cold” games.
  • Terminal negative bridge: “Nope.” Not strictly a bridge, this is a way of telling your animal that what he did was not what you wanted and the behavior is over and you are going to reset and start over.

Reward the behavior: Once you have given a terminal positive bridge, reward the animal.  Be creative.  And be enthusiastic in the right proportion and at the right energy level to keep him excited and focused but not frantic.  At this point you are telling the animal that you like it when he performs the behavior, so be expressive.  Give food, praise, etc.  Throw a ball, play tug, whatever will be authentically rewarding to your animal.

Associate the behavior with a cue: Once the animal has started performing the behavior without too much luring, start associating a cue.  You are still helping the animal at this point, but as the animal performs the behavior, you say the word and/or give the signal.  Any time you give a cue and then allow your animal to ignore it, you are training your animal to ignore you.  So only give the cue once and then induce the animal to perform.  If your animal does not perform the behavior, do not simply repeat the cue: go back a step and get the animal to perform. 

Proof the behavior: During this phase you ask the animal to perform the behavior in increasingly difficult situations.  You probably started at home.  Now you may try it amidst gentle distractions.  Then at the park but away from other animals.  Then near other animals.  It should still be fun and upbeat.  Do not introduce excessive distractions too soon.  If your animal is too distracted, go back to a less distracting environment and reinforce the behavior.  Increase the duration, intensity, and distraction and then increase the distance at which he can perform. 

Reinforcement schedules: There has been much debate about the ideal schedule of reinforcement.  Should you reinforce every time? Every few times? Randomly? Only the best performance, etc.  Science generally suggests that a variable schedule will work best, but many trainers feel a 1:1 schedule works best.  There are volumes written on the topic, but here is the short answer: do what feels and works best with your animal.  Start with a 1:1, and vary it slightly from there.  Sometimes skip a few; other times give a huge jackpot for a particularly good performance.  Observe which schedule seems to most increase your animal’s motivation and do what works!

     However, one place that people err is in not varying the bridge as well.  What I mean is this: if you execute a terminal positive bridge you should also provide a primary reinforcer.  If you are not going to reinforce, also do not bridge.

Correct non-performance of the behavior: Correcting your animal for not doing what you asked is a last resort.  It means that you have failed somewhere in the preceding phases.  So go back and fix your mistake and do not hurry!

     Talking about corrections is always difficult because many people have such a strong position on the issue that they do not want to hear anything else.  However, regardless of how you feel about corrections in general, with animals corrections are generally counterproductive.  First of all, animals will often learn mistrust after a single event.  Second, the corrected animal tends to very quickly lose interest in training and become unwilling to try new behaviors.

     The solution to this is often to use “negative punishment” to reduce the frequency of non-compliance: if an animal understands a behavior and refuses to do what is asked, they lose the opportunity to get the treat or to play the game.  Generally this means they are put away in a crate and watch another animal work and get treats and praise.  This has several positive ramifications: the animal’s desire to play the training game is built up and up; they come to envy the other animal and really want to do better next time, they observe the other animal performing the behavior, etc.

Every bit as counterproductive as overcorrection is under-correction or nagging.  If you are not happy with a behavior, you need to communicate effectively to your animal.  If you allow him to continue doing the behavior you create confusion, and if you repeatedly object but do nothing about it, he will learn to ignore you, will respect you less, and will be annoyed by your nagging.  So make sure that when you do correct something you are effective.  

Put your animal away: many people finish up a training session and then give their animal dinner, or go for a walk, or sit with them and rub their bellies.  I suggest the opposite.  When you are finished with a training session, put your animal in a crate to think about what you just worked on for a little while.  You do not want them to anticipate the end of training because they get a big reward; you want the training session to be the reward-the best game possible-and  you do not want them then to become immediately distracted. 

A few secondary techniques that may help:

  • Successive approximations and increasing criteria: If the behavior is difficult, you may want to reward approximations. Reward the animal for doing something close to the desired behavior and then increase your expectations gradually. Over time, raise your criteria for successful performance.
  • Backwards chaining: If the behavior is complex, you need to break it down into parts and train them individually, starting with the last component first. For instance, if you want the animal to stop what it is doing, turn towards you, run to you, sit in front, and look into your eyes, you would start by teaching the animal to look into your eyes. Then you would teach it to sit in front and look into your eyes. Then to take a few steps and sit in front and look into your eyes, etc.
  • Pressure: animals are extremely sensitive to pressure and the release of pressure. Stepping into their space, moving suddenly, staring, forceful energy, and many other actions will create a sense of pressure on your animal. A powerful tool in your training arsenal is using pressure to alter their behavior and using the release of pressure to reward their correct behavior.
  • Premack Principle: more probable behaviors will reinforce less probable behaviors. Sounds complicated, but you know it well in different language: “If you want dessert, you have to eat your broccoli.” Have your animal on leash, and throw a great treat out of reach. Make him come to you, sit, or perform another behavior that he already knows before you release him to run and get the treat. This not only reinforces the desired behavior, it develops self-control and focus in the face of distraction.
  • Select training times: if your animal works mostly for food, do not work him after a big meal. Try to train when you will be most successful, particularly at first. As he progresses, he should be able to work reasonably well regardless.
  • Exercise and environmental enrichment: make sure that your animal is getting adequate exercise and is not bored.
  • Stop on a good note: try to end your training sessions with success. Work on something he does well and praise a lot.

Behaviors to work on with your animal

      Anything you can think of! Sit, down, stay, roll over, shake, beg-up, wave, heel, etc.  They are all good exercises that provide opportunities for you to work with your animal and develop him further.  But there are a few behaviors that are particularly valuable and that I encourage every owner to practice regularly with their animal if they can be performed safely:

  1. Bite inhibition: Never apply excessive pressure with your teeth to my body.
  2. Attention: Look into my eyes and wait for a command. Almost all learning starts with attention, so this cannot be overemphasized. Play attention games every day…
  3. Hugging: lie calmly and happily while I lie next to you and gently hold you in place.
  4. Give: Open your mouth and drop whatever is in it.
  5. Crating: relax in a crate for a few hours at a time.
  6. Tie-down: relax when tied to something in the house.

Expectations

What you can accomplish is limited somewhat by the animal you are training and your skills as a trainer, but the single biggest factor that will determine how far you take your animal is how much time you spend working and playing with him, so get out there and teach him something every day!

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 February 28, 2009  Posted by at 12:19 pm Tagged with: , , , ,

Where to get your next dog

Feb 282009
 

img_2663Considerable media and public attention have recently centered on the question of where a responsible person can look to find just the right animal. Many of the loudest voices offering opinions have been somewhat disingenuous. People and organizations such as PETA and HSUS, who believe that animals do not belong in captivity and that all pet owners and breeders are unconscionable, are not really offering advice on how to find the best puppy, they are offering advice that advances their agenda of exterminating all dogs as soon as possible. Additionally, the notion that adopting a dog from a shelter is the most humane option has become so politically correct that it is virtual blasphemy to recommend alternative sources, and many celebrities and other superficial animal lovers simply parrot this advice without seriously contemplating what is best for new owners, individual dogs, or dogs in general.

As a professional animal trainer who has had the opportunity to work with many animals from every background but is neither a breeder nor a fulltime rescuer it will perhaps be useful if I share an unbiased but informed examination of the primary options.  Keep in mind that wonderful individuals can come from anywhere, presently half our dogs are from breeders and half are rescues, so this is on no way intended to make anyone feel bad about their pet-these are general trends and observations.

There is one answer to this question that should eclipse all others: make absolutely certain you are committed to keeping and caring for a pet for its entire lifetime, do sufficient research, and then get the animal you are most likely to keep: a physically and mentally healthy individual that is well suited to your lifestyle. This is not only best for you and your pet, it is the best thing you can do to ensure no dogs are needlessly killed in the future-if everyone keeps their dogs and does not dump them there will be no dogs to kill.

Before examining your options, let me point out one other important issue: when you select a dog you are making a decision that impacts you, the animal you select, all the animals you do not select, and has an impact on the supply and demand equation.

Do not let your judgment be clouded by people advocating that “rescue” is the only right answer.  Every single available animal needs rescuing-not from the shelter, not from the breeder, not even from the puppy mill, but from the far greater evil of the last century: the casual owner who is going to acquire a cute animal and then dump it as soon as it becomes more work.  A simple truth-the dogs at the shelter come from every conceivable background: puppy mills, pet stores,  strays, thoughtless families who breed dogs to make some money or show the kids the miracle of birth.  Many of these dogs came from another shelter that adopted them out previously.  Wherever a puppy begins its life, it will end up in the same unhappy place unless people live up to their responsibility.  Acquiring a dog ought to entail an absolute commitment to doing whatever is necessary to care for that animal for the next twenty years.  Months should be spent doing research-learning about the care, training, health, psychology, etc.  Determining whether a mix or a particular breed is best suited to your circumstances and expectations.  Learning about nutritional and medical issues, fencing in a yard, finding a good vet, purchasing toys and supplies, etc.  And above all else, making sure that you have the time, dedication, resources, and commitment to deal with whatever challenges may arise with that pet.

Breeders

This group comprises a wide range of people with various motives and beliefs.  Some of them only breed one litter in a lifetime, others breed many litters. Some of them breed hoping to make money, or to show their children the miracle of birth, others breed to produce the best puppies they can, to improve the breed, to win at shows.

Some have dogs crammed in little cages, others have palatial estates with pools and heated floors and canine nutritionists. Some know very little about dogs, others are knowledgeable almost beyond belief.

Good breeders are passionate about their animals and their breed.  In fact, most of them would be considered obsessed by mainstream Americans. They not only find their puppies excellent homes, but they provide lifetime support and education, and if it ever becomes necessary the take the dogs back years later and make sure they have excellent lives no matter what. They devote themselves to acquiring the knowledge and skills required to breed and raise puppies that are well adjusted, healthy, and conform to a well-considered standard for physiological and behavioral characteristics. Most good breeders operate at a financial loss and continue their efforts out of dedication and passion.

One of the biggest advantages to getting a dog from a breeder is age: puppies that have been raised by responsible breeders already have many good habits, and they are still young enough that you can nurture them into becoming the best possible dogs.

Some people argue that breeding is unconscionable by definition-that so long as dogs are being killed every year we have no business producing more.  This is simply wrong. If we stop breeding there will be no dogs in ten years, and if the good breeders stop, we will have simply eliminated the very people who are breeding healthy excellent dogs.  There is little question that too many dogs are being bred, but we need to be intelligent and eliminate the breeders who are doing a bad job, not the ones doing a good job.

Good breeders are the future of dogs. In a perfect world everyone would get their puppies from good breeders and no other options would exist-these are the people doing it most correctly.  “Animal Rights” advocates feel that all animals should be freed from captivity.  One of the most effective tools they have to further this agenda is to vilify all breeders and encourage people to get animals only from shelters.  Obviously, if they can eliminate all breeders they will eliminate all pets within one generation. So do not accept propaganda that all breeders are irresponsible.

Pet stores

Most informed animal lovers assume that pet stores are bad-they get their puppies from a wide range of breeders many of whom are unscrupulous (most upstanding breeders refuse to place puppies in pet stores), their puppies are generally not well-bred or adequately socialized, have often been over-vaccinated, roughly handled, and learned many bad habits like barking and going to the bathroom in their cages whenever they have the urge. They are often kept in too-small cages for far too long.

I will go out on a limb here and say something politically incorrect: there is nothing innately wrong with pet stores.  If a pet store gets a puppy from a reputable source and does an excellent job with that puppy, then I would have nothing against that pet store.  I have not personally ever seen this happen, and I have visited many pet stores, but there is no theoretical reason why it could not occur.

Shelters, pounds, rescues, humane societies

While the motives are often different, in many practical ways, these facilities are similar to pet stores: they take in animals that often come from the same places as pet store puppies, place them in homes, charge money, and try to generate enough revenue to stay in business. Whether you call this selling, adopting, or rescuing, the basic idea is the same and the advantages and drawbacks are the same.  They are often underfunded and overcrowded, and dog fights, substandard medical attention, inadequate nutrition, and neglect are every bit as common in bad shelters as at bad breeders. Some of the most unhappy animals I have ever encountered have been standing in the middle of an overcrowded run at a shelter with their eyes closed willing themselves to be anywhere else.

The history, health, and genetic inclinations of shelter dogs are usually unknown. Most shelters and rescues have a cookie cutter approach to veterinary care which results in the animals being extremely overvaccinated, over-exposed to toxins, fed poor quality food, spayed or neutered often at an extremely young age, and exposed to a huge number of diseases.  It should be assumed that any dog coming from a shelter is in compromised health.

In addition to health issues, many shelter dogs have behavioral issues. Some of them came to the shelter because of behaviors that were unlivable and unsolvable for at least one family already: housebreaking, barking, biting, jumping on people, etc. Some of them developed behavioral issues while in the shelter. Often these can be fixed, but unlearning bad habits is generally harder then learning good habits in the first place. It is an unfortunate logical truth that most of the people who have the skill and dedication to maximize a puppies development and socialization do not then dump that dog at the shelter, so “most” of the dogs that end up at the shelter are those who were raised by the sort of people who dump dogs at shelters, and these are not generally people who nurture and actualize a puppy’s potential.

Probably the biggest behavioral drawback to shelter dogs is not a bad behavior, but the absence of certain “good” habits that can be cultivated in the first few months of a dog’s life but are far more difficult to create later in life:

  • Being with your people is desirable: dogs are born with a very strong desire to stay close to mom. Smart owners nurture and develop this instinct so that, by 6 months, the dog not only comes when called, but also just tends to stay with you. Inexperienced owners teach the dog the opposite. Either by correcting the dog when near or by simply ignoring the dog, they teach him to wander off and entertain himself, and often to run away when called.
  • Learning is fun: a well-reared puppy learns early that life involves a never-ending game of training. They are very attentive to their owner and essentially always eager to hear their owner say something because they love to play the training game. They want to hear a command because each command represents an opportunity for them to win praise and treats and generally have a good time.
  • New people, sights, and sounds are fun: a well socialized dog is unafraid. He has learned that the world is full of strange things, but that each one is an exciting new adventure full of praise and play.

We have trained many shelter dogs, and many of them have been excellent dogs that have achieved great success. But as a general rule, dogs can be much more successful and happy if they are carefully nurtured from a young age. Shelters are somewhat similar to human prisons-there are many wonderful individuals if you know what to look for, but many have had less than ideal pasts.

A Practical Solution

If you seriously look at the various options for where to get a pet, you will likely reach the conclusion that the business model is not the issue: breeder, rescue, shelter, humane society, and pet store are terms that are often used to evoke emotional prejudices, but in truth any of them can be excellent sources of animals OR very bad sources. In my experience, the best place to find a healthy dog with a good temperament is at a good breeder: more breeders do an excellent job and are able to meet my criteria than rescues, shelters, or pet stores.  But if you research carefully and do a good job evaluting both the situation and the individual animal you can theoretically find a wonderful dog in any of these circumstances.

If you want to get the best puppy for yourself AND do the best thing you can do for future dogs, ignore the label and focus on the level of excellence they bring to the process. If consumers insist on getting healthy and good tempered animals from excellent sources, substandard sources will quickly disappear.

Go to various shelters, rescues, pet stores, and breeders and see how they compare to relevant and objective criteria.  Your precise criteria may differ from mine, and you may find a particular source that excels in some areas so much that you are willing to compromise on others, but here is a basic set of criteria that I start with:

  • Integrity: is honest with others and himself-every other point on this list depends on a person being willing and able to be completely honest about everything relating to their animals, and to be unbiased and careful in his evaluation of himself, his knowledge, and his animals.
  • Balance: this is a subtle but important issue for me. Many people become too focused on one attribute and forget about others. They are so focused on looks that they sacrifice health, or so focused on health that they neglect temperament. I look for someone who remains focused on the big picture of producing happy, healthy, wonderful dogs.
  • Cares about each animal, treats it as part of his family forever.
  • An appropriate ratio of people to animals so that each animal receives adequate quality time and attention
  • Any breedings are based on the parent’s appropriate temperament, freedom from congenital and hereditary defects, and qualities.
  • All breeding aims for health, temperament, conformation, and type
  • Honestly and objectively evaluates animals-not kennel blind or unrealistic.
  • Experienced and knowledgeable with breed
  • Environment
    • Maintains all animals in clean, healthy, humane conditions.
    • Environment is rich and full
    • Animals receive adequate opportunity to be outside
    • Animals receive adequate exercise
  • Health
    • All animals are given proper veterinary care
    • Does not over or under vaccinate, and remains current on pros and cons of vaccines in order to decide which inoculations are appropriate.
    • Feeds an appropriate and high quality food.
    • Tests for currently known genetic issues within the breed. (OFA or PennHip certification on hips and elbows, cardiologist examination, annual eye exams, thyroid tests, etc.)
    • Only breeds animals of known histories
    • Is aware of health problems in at least 3 generations of pedigree vertically and horizontally for each animal.
    • No animal bred before at least 2 years old
    • Makes spay/neuter decisions based on the best interests of the individual animal
  • Number of litters
    • No unplanned litters
    • No bitch bred more often than every other heat cycle
    • No bitch bred unless she is in optimal health
  • Education
    • Veterinary knowledge
    • Genetics
    • Diet
    • Behavior
    • Developmental psychology
    • Structure
    • History of other breeds to avoid the same mistakes
  • Placement
    • Requires return of animal if ever placement is required.
    • Requires health checks on all animals, regardless of if they are ever to be bred, andcollects results into a database.
    • Has more homes lined up than puppies expected and is prepared to keep each puppy as long as it takes to find an ideal home.
    • Interviews and screens thoroughly-requires referrals and calls them.
    • Honest about the qualities of the animals. Explains the good points and the bad.
    • Never promotes animals in a way to encourage reluctant buyers
    • Never places animals with anyone who does not seem entirely certain they want an animal for the next 15 years.
    • Explains the challenges of animal ownership honestly and carefully. Makes sure that buyers are prepared for the worst case.
    • Educates buyers on diet, socialization, training, husbandry, etc.
    • Carefully matches each animal with each home and will not place an animal if it is not a good match.
    • Carefully evaluates animals-notes available for review.
    • Does not place puppies too young-age depends on individual puppy and home to which it is going.
    • Requires return of animal if ever placement is required.
  • Post-placement follow-up
    • Stays in touch for lifetime.
    • Takes back any animal any time.
    • Available as resource forever.
    • Encourages buyers to call them with every question.
    • Enforces contract.
  • Guarantee
    • Explains that a guarantee is not a promise that a genetic health problem won’t occur, but a promise about what will happen if it does.
    • Guarantees puppies for five years or longer.
    • Guarantee is not limited to a replacement puppy from the same breeder-option for cash refund.
  • Records
    • Goes through each document point-by-point and ensures that the buyer understands and agrees with each point.
    • Supplies proof of health testing on parents and relatives.
    • Supplies purchasers with accurate and valid 4 generation pedigree
    • Supplies purchasers with a written contract of sale
    • Supplies written guarantee
    • Supplies instructions for care, upbringing and training.
    • Supplies recommended reading list.
    • Keeps accurate breeding records, registration papers, and pedigrees.
  • Socialization
    • All animals are well socialized
    • At least one person is available full time to puppies.
    • Excellent socialization plan from day 1 through placement
  • Canine Activities
    • Has participated in canine activities enough to have an idea of what drives and behaviors are required. Has a basic understanding of obedience and other areas in which people may want to participate.
  • Breed Betterment
    • Participates in health studies
    • Participates in educational activities
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 February 28, 2009  Posted by at 8:19 am Tagged with: , , ,

Oregon HB2470 First Legislative Session Summary

Feb 272009
 

 

For three hours we heard testimony on this bill, and there were some interesting points raised on both sides.  I thought it might be useful if I posted a summary of what I observed.  This is not an objective report-it is my biased perception… If you want objectivity, go to this link and listen to the whole session yourself:

http://www.leg.state.or.us/listn/archive/archive.2009s/HCP-200902231500.ram

Representative Hovey opened the session with some insightful remarks about how everyone present shared a common goal of ensuring that all the animals in Oregon were “treated correctly.” He also immediately clarified that he and the other legislators recognize that this bill is flawed, and that their intention is to use this bill as a starting point and refine it over the next few months…  This is a very important point-I think he listened politely to what everyone said, but in essence he knew going in that he was going to assemble a team to revise the bill and resubmit an amended version later in the session, so all of the objections were not perceived as opposition so much as suggestions… He also explained that the bill was his idea, but that he sought advice from the “humane society” when drafting it.  (We really need to get people to understand that HSUS does NOT speak for animals or informed animal lovers!)

Scott Beckstead of HSUS sounded fairly reasonable. He asserted that HSUS does not oppose captive animals and in fact they support good breeders.  It almost sounded like he believes this.  He also asserted that HSUS does donate some money to shelters and does in fact now own several shelters and that anyone who claimed the HSUS did not help animals was uninformed.  Never mind that they only did these things in what seems an obvious ploy to allow people like Scott to say things like that…

Sharon Harmon of OHS asserted two primary points:

  1. All this bill would do is ensure that every dog in Oregon can “stand up, turn around, and lie down…” Somehow she missed the rest of the bill, and thought that it was absurd that anyone would object to a bill that did nothing more than ensure that every dog can, “stand up, turn around, and lie down!” My question is this-since the CURRENT Oregon laws requires that every dog have “continuous access to an area with adequate space for exercise necessary for the health of the animal,” how would a law requiring LESS improve anything?
  2. We in the dog community have failed to police our own for many years and are obviously unable to take care of the puppy-mill problem. Of course, OHS is the largest humane society in the state, with a large annual budget and a large staff and numerous volunteers, so if “we” have failed in the last ten years to eradicate puppy mills, I think OHS has to accept a significant portion of the culpability.

 The most interesting thing to observe was the unmistakable distinction between the people opposing the bill and the people supporting the bill: experience. 

 The people supporting the bill were mostly enthusiastic animal lovers with relatively minimal hands-on personal animal experience.  The gist of their argument seemed to be that horrific neglect is in fact horrific (they showed lots of pictures). In general they presented moving testimony concerning some of the atrocities committed by unscrupulous or insane animal owners.  Most of their examples seemed to make the opposite point of what they intended: story after story about how well our current laws work and how horrid animal abusers are routinely stopped and their animals seized every bit as surely before HB2470 as they would be after.  There were a few particularly puzzling comments:

  1. A lady who had owned a single dog that she bought in a pet store was very unhappy that her dog died from immune mediated hemolytic anemia at age six and somehow attributed that to the breeder whence she came. Here is a person who has owned one dog, never bred a litter, and is so uninformed about basic dog care that she likely contributed to her dog’s death by overvaccinating, but she is pleading tearfully with the legislators to listen to her advice on what laws should be passed to regulate dog breeding.
  2. A lady asserted that many heartless breeders debark their puppies without sedation… (obviously this is simply untrue)
  3. One vet explained how much his dog enjoys his 30 minute walk each day, and I had to laugh thinking about the hours upon hours of exercise, training, socializing, grooming, and care that most of us provide to our dogs, often 20 hours per day every day…
  4. Several supporters basically argued that nobody can adequately care for more than a few dogs. I suspect they do not realize that some people do this full time and have considerable help. I think they are imagining a single person trying to care for her animals after her day job.
  5. Oprah says we need laws against puppy mills…

The people opposing the bill were the most experienced and educated experts in the animal community: dog trainers, judges, and breeders. It was almost comical how much expertise was arrayed against the bill, and I wish there were some way to get the legislators to understand that many of these people were authentic legends who have done immeasurable good for dogs in the last century. Most of them were not personally impacted by this bill, but believe it is wrong and would be counterproductive-it attacks breeders based on irrelevant criteria such as number and enclosure size while completely ignoring the true issues of care and condition of the animals. Consequently it would harm precisely those breeders who are providing the best care available, who serve as the most dependable source of healthy pets in our state, who provide training and support for less experienced animal owners, but would add virtually no value in remedying neglect cases. It in no way improves upon existing laws which apply to every dog, it merely imposes number limits.

The disparity in experience cannot be overemphasized, and I really believe it created such a differing perspective that we were simply not communicating.  On the one had you have someone with a single dog whose love is very passionate, but rather anthropomorphic and uniformed.  They would never put that dog in a crate, or in a cold room, they feed it Hagen Dazs and walk it on a diamond leash.   On the other hand you have someone who has raised many dogs and is caring for them as dogs.  They sometimes put them in crates for safety or training, they provide a variety of enriching experiences that are fun for a dog even if they may get dirty or cold or tired, they feed organic raw meat as part of a diet that they have spent years analyzing with nutritionists, and they exercise them daily according to a program carefully designed to maximize health. They have read every book and taken every class and are extremely informed about what is best for their animals. Each group believes they are doing the best thing for their dogs… Most of us started in the first group-we had a single dog upon whom we doted, often doing the wrong thing because we did not know better and because our love was not tempered by reason or experience.  Over time, if we were serious, we acquired enough experience to grow beyond this position.  Some people never do-they either stop owning animals, or they keep repeating the same experience, but they never expand their perceptions, and they become fanatical about believing that their view is the right view because they cannot stand to imagine that they might not actually have been doing what is best for their animals. So we get bills like this…

There was one point agreed upon by almost every person, and I have to say I think it is wrong.  “Puppy mills are bad and we must stop them.”    On the face of it, that sounds reasonable, but I think it is very misleading. Animal Rights zealots are brilliant at many things.  Altering language is certainly one of those things.  “Ethical, humane, guardian, rescue, sea-kitten, etc,” are all words that they have twisted to their agenda.  In their desire to vilify all breeders, they have been particularly effective-first they attacked the “backyard breeder”-anyone producing only a few puppies or litters per year was obviously not serious and should be stopped.  Then they created the term “puppy mill,” and for years they have been classically conditioning us that puppy mills are evil-every time we hear the phrase we are shown horrifying images of unspeakable suffering.  Now that we all recognize puppy mills as evil, they are attempting to define them solely in terms of number of dogs.  Never mind that they may be beautiful situations doing everything perfectly, they label anyone breeding more than 3 litters as a puppy mill. If you breed more than three litters you are a puppy mill, if you breed fewer than three litter you are a backyard breeder, and either way you must be stopped.

I reject the term “puppy mill.”  Every breeder, and indeed any owner, regardless of number, who keeps his dogs inhumanely should be stopped. Everyone who breeds dogs is a breeder, and we should evaluate their performance based on how the animals are treated and the results of that treatment. We must stop ALL inhumane practices, and if we do that there will be no more bad breeders, neither large nor small. We MUST maintain focus on the correct issue-HOW are the animals treated. I do not care if a breeder has 2 or 200, I do not care if they make money or lose money, I do not care what breed they produce, I do not care if their dogs are sometimes crated or sleep on the bed or have indoor/outdoor runs. If they can do it well and the animals are happy and healthy and puppies are successfully placed in lifetime homes, then great. If they cannot meet those conditions (which very few large scale operations will ever meet), then their behavior is unacceptable. Period. Oregon laws already accomplish this, if we chose to enforce them. And pet stores and shelters should not be exempted so that they can continue neglecting animals and setting an atrocious example. What we must stop is not “puppy mills,” it is abuse or neglect wherever they are found… 

The second portion of the bill was less discussed–the lemon law piece.  Most everyone who talked about this portion agreed that the bill was absurdly unreasonable.  It somehow expects breeders to be able to ensure the health of living animals far beyond what is possible, and to bear the burden for veterinary expenses over which they have no control.  It also does something else that is profoundly worrisome–it reinforces the notion that breeders bear all the responsibility for the health and welfare of animals.  Unfortunately, this is a huge portion of the problem in animals today–blame the breeder for everything.  In truth, the shelters are full because of owners who fail to live up to their responsibilities.  Almost all of the problems in dogs today are caused by this one simple truth, yet legislators and naive animal owners want to keep pointing the finger at someone else because it is less painful.  Very few of the dogs in shelters come from breeders or serious dog people who own multiple dogs.  They are almost all there because casual owners get dogs and later decide they are too much work so they take them to the shelter.  If we want to improve the lives of dogs in this country, this is the problem we need to address…

So, HB2470 is going to be discussed and refined and amended.  You need to write to Representative Hovey, and your legislators, and the other members of the committee and voice your opinion, and you also need to stay attentive-there will be another hearing and it will again be critically important that people call, write, and show up to offer their opinions of whatever the next revision says. Representative Hovey is ostensibly assembling a team of experts to work with him to rewrite the bill, and hopefully they will include some of the real experts on that team.  I suspect the final bill will remain deeply flawed, but perhaps not… As soon as I hear more, I will certainly post here…

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 February 27, 2009  Posted by at 8:14 pm Tagged with: ,

2009 Oregon Legislative Session: Bills Negatively Impacting Animals

Feb 232009
 

In Oregon, the 2009 Legislative Session is underway, and there are several proposed bills that would significnatly impact animals. Some of them are excellent, others are quite bad.  In this post I will briefly articulate the three bills I believe animal lovers must oppose. These bills are an outright attack on animals and their owners.

 

Please take a few minutes to review these bills and contact your legislators. Send email or snail mail, talk to them on the phone, arrange meetings, or attend hearings.   Please go to http://www.leg.state.or.us/index.html to read the bills and find contact information for your legislators. If you have not done this before, it may seem daunting, but it is really quite simple.  These legislators work for us, and all you have to do is get in touch and share with them your opinions!

 

SB391: would prohibit all exotic animal ownership in the state except for federally licensed exhibitors, breeders, and research facilities. It is unnecessary, counterproductive, and unjust.

1.      The historic record is unimpeachable—legally owned exotic animals have caused virtually no harm in Oregon. We have excellent laws that work.

2.      The rare problem that does occur with exotic animals invariably stems from the actions of people who are breaking current law. When people follow the current regulations of USDA, ODA, and ODFW, problems do not arise. If we merely enforce current law there can be no problems.

3.      This bill would reduce the population of knowledgeable and skilled animal experts who are precisely the people working within the state to prevent exotic animals from ever being a problem. Captive exotic animals pose virtually no threat of interbreeding with local animals.

4.      Keeping exotic animals is not intrinsically dangerous or cruel, despite what HSUS may claim.  In most cases, these animals are pampered, loved, and enjoy lives far superior to what they could have in the modern wild world or in a large zoo or other institution.

Simply put, we have laws that work.  This bill provides no benefit for any resident of this state: its only effect if passed would be to advance the personal agenda of people who erroneously believe that NO animal can or should be kept in captivity.

SB303: would allow the state to commission “humane officers” and empower them as peace officers to enforce animal related laws.

These positions could be filled by anyone, and the primary intent of this bill is to make it easy for Animal Rights zealots to gain entry to private homes to search for anything they can use to further their agenda. This is an absurd invasion of privacy.

Surely if we are going to empower civilians to start searching homes for illegal conduct our energies would be better spent on child welfare, drugs, terrorism and other central issues of our time rather than harassing animal owners in the hopes of finding the few bad seeds who are mistreating their animals.

HB2470: would impose strict new regulations for dog breeders. It is counterproductive, unnecessary, and unjust.

HB2470 would harm the animals of our state, and their breeders and owners, as well as consumers and numerous small businesses.

HB 2470 is not a puppy mill bill—it targets all breeders regardless of quality. Because it fails to target only substandard breeders, it is, quite simply, an anti-breeder law. It utilizes incorrect factors like number and enclosure size rather than the correct criteria: quality of care, conditions, and effective placing of any puppies. How many intact dogs people possess is irrelevant if they are able to care for them well.  Number limit laws have never successfully addressed irresponsible breeders, negligent rescue operations, or hoarders, and have been found to be unenforceable and vulnerable to court challenge.

HB2470 purports to solve a problem that simply does not exist in Oregon.  There are very few large-scale breeders in this state, and they are already required to be federally licensed and meet appropriate standards of care. We already have some of the strongest and best animal cruelty laws in the nation, making this bill unnecessary. Time after time people who provide substandard care for their animals have been shut down using existing laws.

HB 2470 attacks precisely those breeders who are providing the best care available and who serve as the most dependable source of healthy pets in our state. These are the very people who provide rescue resources when there are problems, as well as training and support for novice animal owners.

HB 2470 would have a significant negative fiscal impact by eliminating small businesses that routinely have charge of more than 25 intact dogs. These businesses include boarding kennels, daycares, professional handlers, and professional trainers. The bill infringes on privacy without conferring any benefits, and it exempts shelters and pet stores who are often the most egregious violators and who routinely keep animals far longer than other animal businesses.

HB2470 serves the agenda of animal rights organizations who seek to eliminate all animal ownership, but it would do nothing to prevent puppy mills, reduce the numbers of unwanted pets, or improve the lives of any animals. It was written without consulting any of the state’s genuine animal experts who almost without exception oppose this ill-conceived and misguided bill. If you believe there is a problem with the current animal laws in this state, let me suggest that you consult those of us who genuinely understand the issues and devote our lives to solving them: we would be happy to help draft and support a bill that would genuinely improve our state’s animal laws.

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 February 23, 2009  Posted by at 5:59 pm Tagged with: , , ,

Do Exotic Animals Make Good Pets?

Feb 052009
 

“Do exotic animals make good pets?” is one of the most common sentences I hear, often with the words jeckyldecember1092“exotic animals” replaced with a particular animal, and there is never a good answer because it is the wrong question!  There is broad array of animals and an even broader array of human preferences, so the right question is, “Would this particular type of animal make a good pet for me right now?” 

Let me clarify this with a metaphor:  Is a Ferrari a good car?  If you are looking for a reliable vehicle that gets good gas mileage, has low cost of ownership, and can transport your children to soccer practice, NO!  If you are looking for a safe vehicle for your reckless 17 year old son, NO!  If you are looking for a beautiful Italian sports car that goes very fast and impresses the ladies, YES!  Is a Ferrari dangerous?  That depends entirely on the driver. Most people should not get a Ferrari, but for those who should it is a perfect choice. Same thing with any animal, domestic, wild, or exotic—if the particular animal fits into your lifestyle and you understand and accept the compromises required to care for that animal, you can have a wonderful and safe experience that is deeply rewarding for both you and the animal. If you do not fully understand what you are getting into, there is a high likelihood that both you and the animal will be miserable…

Speak candidly with as many people as possible who have experience with the animal you are considering, and gather as much information as you can about the pros and cons of the animal.  Be honest with them about your lifestyle, personality, and concerns, and listen carefully to everything they say.  Spend some time around a few animals that are similar to what you are considering, and not only for a few minutes on their best behavior—offer to help clean cages, give them a bath, babysit for a weekend, whatever you can do to really understand what life with this animal is like.  Once you understand the negatives, you need to do three things carefully:

1.       Envision the worst case scenario.  You will likely do better than the worst case, but maybe not, so be prepared! Listen to all the negatives and imagine that you get an animal that does ALL of the worst things you hear.  Think about these negatives in the context of your preferences—are you tidy, quiet, like to sleep late, squeamish about feeding certain things, etc. Will you still be happy with that animal?

2.       Really, carefully imagine what those negatives mean over the lifetime of the animal.  It is easy to say that you do not mind being kept up overnight by noise, but by year seven you may not feel the same way.  It is easy to say you do not mind odor, or cleaning up many times per day, or having your couch chewed up, but imagine how you will feel when you have been living with that negative for years.  When I got a crow, I was warned that they poop lots. Big deal, I have plenty of animals that poop lots… But a few years later, it IS a big deal.  I change my shirt 10 times every day, and mop the floor and wipe the couch and clean the wall and the seats in the car…  How will you feel about those negative later if you get married or have children?  How will you feel when you cannot go on vacation because you cannot find anyone to watch your animal? Genuinely and carefully think about this…

3.       Research the laws and regulations concerning the animal you want to own.  Federal, state, county, city, etc.  Make sure that you understand the rules so you do not risk yourself or your animal by breaking them.

All of these issues should be exactly the same whether you are getting a goldfish, cat, dog, monkey, wolf, or lion. If you go through these steps and are certain that you are prepared to live with the animal for its lifetime and make the requisite compromises, then you and the animal will likely have a wonderful experience.  Do as much research as possible, find a responsible breeder who has great animals and will give you support, get everything set up, and go for it! But if you are at all unsure, take more time to think about it: this is an important decision that will impact you and the animal for many years to come…

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 February 5, 2009  Posted by at 5:10 am Tagged with: , , ,

I Used to Love Animal Planet…

Jan 282009
 

For many years, Animal Planet was like a dream come true.  I could hardly believe that anyone had made a network just for us!  There were experts representing a wide range of views, some I found brilliant, others completely misguided, but they were all interesting: serious and thoughtful people sharing information and ideas about animals.   A huge portion of the programming assumed the viewers were intelligent and reasonably competent, and virtually all of the programming was animal positive.  Occasionally the productions were slick, but almost always they were honest and interesting.

As time went by and APL sought to attract a broader audience, several things changed:

1.       They stopped making shows for a knowledgeable audience. They needed to add shows for novice trainers, but why abandon programming that catered to advanced trainers? They seem even to have decided that a large portion of their programming needed to appeal to non-animal people.  Because lots of them are going to watch Animal Planet?

2.       They focused on the negative almost exclusively.  “If it bleeds it leads” has never been truer than on APL.  They have more shows about animal abuse than almost anything else.  I can go sit down almost any time of the day or night and watch some officer buts some jerk who is starving/abusing/neglecting his animals.  This is not animal programming—it is jerk TV.  Yes, there are horrible people in the world who do horrible things to animals, but do we really need hour after hour focusing on them? Almost as often as animal abuse shows are animal attack shows either showing captive animals attacking people or hours and hours of predators killing prey.

3.       They became extremely political and lopsided—essentially a propaganda machine for the animal rights perspective.  Captivity is portrayed as “bad” on most of their programs, with very little effort to portray both sides or even an objective middle ground.

4.       They traded information for drama. Genuinely “good” animal training is rarely dramatic.  Truly gifted animal trainers are quiet effective leaders who use patience and gentle manipulation to create opportunities for animals to succeed, avoiding conflict, reading animals and reacting before most can even tell something is amiss. Drama arises only when we make stupid mistakes, poor decisions, or are in a hurry. I have spent hundreds of hours working with authentically talented animal experts working with a huge array of animals, and I can hardly recall a single moment that would have made good television. Most of the time there is very little visible action, only steady, quiet results.  APL does not trust that the information on its own is interesting, so they create drama and conflict and cool music, and we get lots of fluff but no substance.  Too bad, because the real APL audience is knowledgeable enough and interested enough that if you would just provide quality information they would love to watch. 

5.       They do not respect animal people.  In the popular media I understand the desire to portray every animal lover as an eccentric nut who does not bathe, urinates on himself, dresses her dog in a tutu, is covered in hair, caries poop around in a fanny pack, is completely disconnected from normal human society, or otherwise amuses an average audience.  But APL??  Come on guys, these are your viewers. 

6.       Whenever they do have a training show on, the training is completely simple or is truncated to the point of meaninglessness. 

7.       They became astonishingly anthropocentric—every wildlife show is filled with value judgments as though predators are evil.

Sadly, I almost never watch APL anymore.  There are a few good animal or training shows on TV, but they are on other networks…

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 January 28, 2009  Posted by at 9:29 pm Tagged with: ,

Dressing your Pet is Wrong…..Or is it?

Jan 172009
 

riothat 

Many people react strongly to a pet in clothes.  “Demeaning, stupid, absurd, ridiculous…” 

The basis for this reaction is primarily the notion that the animal is embarrassed by wearing the clothes, and the owner who put the clothes on is irrationally anthropomorphizing an animal into a child or a Barbie doll. 

Let me suggest an alternate theory—the people who are bothered by this are actually the ones anthropomorphizing: an animal does not care about how he looks in a sweater.  He is not embarrassed.  He has no emotional reaction to the idea of wearing a sweater whatsoever. 

There are several reasons a person might decide to put clothes on a pet.  Let’s consider them individually:

 

1.       Socialization: responsible animal owners devote considerable time and energy to increasing their animal’s level of comfort in the world.  Part of doing this involves exposing the animal to a wide range of sensory input.  Wearing clothes or glasses or a hat is a new experience for an animal, and getting them used to that experience increases their temperamental stability.  I have trained many animals to happily wear clothes, and in every case it has been well worth the time in terms of their psychological development.  

 

wagantlers

 

 

2.       Animal gets cold: I am really not sure why wardrobe detractors do not imagine that dogs might get cold, but they do.  Particularly small dogs, or dogs with little coat, or in the rain, and having an insulating layer can be very effective in helping the dog to stay warm. 

3.       Protection: foxtails, thorns, sun, and many other environmental hazards can be significantly ameliorated in certain situations by using an appropriate jacket.

4.       Owner thinks the animal looks cute in clothes: personally I think this reason is a little silly, and I generally think animals are beautiful enough without clothing, but if a person derives pleasure from putting a dress on their poodle, and it does not harm or bother the dog, why is that objectionable?

5.       The animal likes wearing clothes: I think most animals are indifferent, but there may be some who really like the feeling or the attention.

There is little question that most clothing made for animals is absurd, and I am not about to start dressing all my pets, but I am going to continue training them to wear clothes, and when weather or circumstances warrant clothing I will happily put it on my pets.  Certain people will assume that I am simply a shallow, silly, sartorially obsessed ninny, but you will know better.  I am a responsible animal owner who is doing what is best for the animal regardless of what is politically correct…

 

tinjacket

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 January 17, 2009  Posted by at 10:07 am Tagged with: ,

The day Saga did not swim…

Jan 152009
 

Lauren and I took several dogs for a hike to the waterfall and a lovely picnic.  Saga had a scene to film the next day, and we did not want him to get too tired on the long hike, so we left him home, but promised to take him for a walk when we got back.  It was one of those perfect spring days where time seems to slow down, and we lounged in the sun, ate sandwiches, and threw sticks into the swimming hole for Flint. A few hours later we trekked home. 

 

We were at the top of the hill, about a thousand feet from our house, when we began to hear a strange noise. An airplane? No.  A car?  No.  We started walking a little more quickly, and with each step the sound grew louder. We could not identify it, but we knew it was wrong, and we knew it was coming from the house.  We were running now, breathless.  We burst out of the woods and stopped short.  What we saw did not make any more sense than what we had heard—something was pouring out of the cracks between the siding on the second story of our house, crashing to the earth.  Water??  We ran to the front door and jerked it open. 

 

Saga is field-bred Golden Retriever—he has swum in squalls in the Pacific, across the Willamette, and the Columbia.  He lives to swim!  But there, in our living room, he perched on top of our couch as the surrounding waters quickly rose. The ceiling was raining, hard, a river flowed down the stairs, and out of the corner of my eye I am certain I saw several broomsticks carrying buckets… 

 

I sloshed upstairs and found that the water supply to one of the toilets had been ripped loose and had apparently been filling the house for hours.  As best we can tell, a tennis ball rolled behind the toilet, and Saga had to get it, and his collar caught on the pipe and when he jerked to get loose the pipe snapped. 

 

That is the last time we ever left Saga home when we took the others swimming…

sagapool

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 January 15, 2009  Posted by at 11:08 am Tagged with: ,

The Marley Fallacy

Jan 152009
 

There is a conceptual fallacy that has existed for many years but seems to have recently increased in popularity.  It is the notion of the bad puppy: my puppy is so bad he ate my favorite shoe, knocked over grandma, chewed through a wall, dug up the yard, destroyed a pillow, drug a table around, pooped in a museum, chased a cat, jumped out a second story window, knocked a window out of my car, humped a pillow, got mud on my shirt on my way to work, got out of the fence, got on the counter, stole the steaks, released the parking brake, set the curtains on fire, peed on my bed…

Let me share a slightly painful insight with you—these are not bad puppies, they are just puppies owned by idiots.  The amount of trouble your puppy gets into is a measure of your IQ, not his mischievousness.

I know, it hurts and you want to deny it.  Don’t.  Believe me, whatever your puppy has done, I have seen it.  My house has raised countless puppies of every variety, lions, hyenas, raccoons, crows, lemurs, antelope, skunks, wolves, coyotes, goats, chickens, rats, kinkajou, etc.  I have seen things destroyed that you would not believe. I have seen my house flooded and my car’s interior completely destroyed, and I can honestly tell you it is almost always the owner’s fault… 

If it seems like your puppy is more trouble than any other puppy, it simply means you are messing up more.  You are failing to imagine the trouble he can get into, you are making mistakes.  Sure, some puppies have more energy or are more destructive, but they all follow the same immutable laws of nature. They chew, they dig, they run, they jump, they climb, and they get into exactly as much trouble as you allow, no less and no more. 

Don’t feel too bad about this.  One of the many gifts your puppy will give you is humility.  He will remind you that for all your vaunted higher reasoning skills, your thumbs, your speech and writing skills, you can still be outwitted by a ten week old puppy with boundless energy…

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 January 15, 2009  Posted by at 10:20 am Tagged with: , , ,
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