You do not know what you do not know!

Mention dog training and everyone is an expert; they have had dogs all their lives, their parents had dogs. The science & how dogs learn is amazing!

Hi there, I am Lesley Thompson, one half of the partnership that is Newton Aycliffe Dog Training Club. The other half being Sonya Ingledew. We are both dog trainers with a wealth of experience and growing theoretical knowledge. We met in Tesco's car park when I asked if I could stroke her puppy, I had just returned to Newton Aycliffe after spending four years at University in Shropshire. I knew her name and she knew mine, it is a small world this dog training world.

We started Newton Aycliffe Dog Training Club when the world was coming out of the pandemic. We saw a need for people to understand appropriate socialisation for their dogs. There is a myth that all dogs should be able to run and play with all other dogs, and that is socialisation. No, it certainly is not. Would people take their toddlers to a busy town centre and wave them off to go and socialise with the nice people, I think not. The dog meeting part of socialisation is a tiny part of it. Socialisation is about introducing dogs or puppies to everyday situations, not about them interacting with everything. The last thing we want to teach our puppies or dogs is that pulling towards people, dogs, cars, children, bicycles, birds etc., is the right thing to do. The main part of socialisation is teaching them that all of those things are 'nowt to do with them'. Do we walk in a busy street speaking to everyone that we pass, giving them hugs and actively engaging with them? No, is the answer. Do we like all people? Again no, is the answer. Not all people like dogs, strange I know, but true. Not all dogs like all other dogs.

I have trained dogs for a long time, starting in 1981 in competitive obedience. I have had the pleasure to share my life with 17 dogs over the years. I have seen many changes in the way dogs are trained, and I know many people still train in ways I consider unethical. However 'you do not know what you do not know'! Teachers used to throw 'blackboard rubbers' at pupils in class, they would ridicule pupils who did not understand and the cane would be used in physical punishment to discipline for bad behaviour. We have learned a great deal about how children learn, and suppressing their behaviour is not the way to create a well balanced adult. Neither is suppressing a puppy or dogs behaviour the way to create a well balanced addition to a family.

When I started training it was considered normal to use a 'check or choke chain' for training. In my training play was very important, however, use of the lead to correct a dog was commonplace. In the early 1990's I was introduced to 'clicker training', a method of training which originated in dolphin training (you cannot force a dolphin when training). I was already using a collar rather than a chain, and introduced food rewards alongside the play rewards already being used. I realised using coercion or force was not the way to go. It was not until I joined Pet Dog Training Instructors in 2011, that I started to research the theory side of dog training. This confirmed not only what I knew worked, but also why it worked. It was like lightbulbs going off all over my brain; the understanding of how dogs learned, not so different from how we learn. The main difference is... our dogs cognitive function/thought processes are no more developed than a two to two and a half year old child's, when they are fully mature. Basically we are explaining how life works to a toddler brain.

While at university I was assessed to become a full member of Association of Pet Dog Training Instructors this was an intensive assessment and gave me a great deal of confidence. This qualification allowed me to join Animal Behaviour and Training Council as a Registered Animal Training Instructor. I graduated from Harper Adams University in 2018 with a First Class Honours Degree, BSc in Animal Behaviour and Welfare and became a provisional member of Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors Before I embarked on my journey of learning I was a good dog trainer, but I only knew what I knew! The more I learn, the more there is to learn. There are many dog trainers without the in-depth knowledge of learning theory, they know what they know just like I did. My training methods are kind, fair and effective. As Susan Garrett say's 'positive is not permissive', reward based training build clear boundaries for our dogs, creates consistency and trust.

The number of times I get asked 'why is my dog doing that?' The answer is because they are reinforced for doing it! Dog's are simple creatures, they do it because it works for them. Reinforcers for dogs behaviour are, at different times and in different situations, attention, food, play and toys, and whatever they find reinforcing at that moment in time. We need to keep life simple and consistent for our dogs, they do not want to control us, dominate or eat us. Dogs show aggression only when their body language has been ignored, and often when frightened, the last thing a dog wants to do is bite.

I look forward to my next blog