How have your training skills evolved and who has influenced you most?

 I'll have a longer answer later about what I have learned here, and how Ben has benefited from it, but for now I'll say my biggest influence hasn't been a trainer or a book or a behaviorist, but Ben himself.

 I think Suzanne Clothier has had the most influence on me, and I wouldn't have found her if not for this forum. Her books teach the side of animals that science tends to ignore.

I have become more open to clicker training, but I think I'll still be heavily leaning on classical conditioning for a while, too.  

Influences: ranged from koehler-esque Sibe sites, to CM, to Clothier, to Pryor. My evolution across the range. And I have other influences. And I'm politically incorrect enough to name names. Spiritdogs, longest reigning champion of the +R method here. Her old sig said any force, no matter how small, encounters resistance, or words to that effect. Her infinite patience and homespun way of talking finally wore me down.

All we need now is a patch that says "You have been assimilated. We are Borg."

Once in a while, Kim, Chuffy, and Mudpuppy would say something that made so much sense, it would make me wonder why I ever thought differently. So, I admit to being influenced in a direction by the words of others here, though I hold no one here responsible. After all, it wasn't ya'll's fault that Shadow learned to retrieve the kong to the computer chair. Nor is ya'll's fault that twice, recently, Jade stepped over Shadow and he didn't do anything. And got treated for that nothingness. I find great examples in others. Glenda, diminutive, petite, and able to handle 6 big GSDs with nothing more than her treat-dispensing butler's apron. (She was actually the first one to be called that, though I also took it for my own.)

I, like a dog, do what works. And I have that accursed scientific bent. Kennelkeeper would always steer stuff my way that had math in it because she knows I'm a math junkie. So, I would have to say that Pryor influences me though the other authors also provide good insight.

My training has evolved from scruff and pin and eye-lock to lure/reward, as well as no reward to extinguish behavior, to marker training, which brings everything into crystal clarity. Shadow has gone from barely knowing basic commands to off-leash obedience in the house. Example, he can chase the cat, I can call off and he will disengage, even though I called off from another room and out of sight. Granted, he grew up with a cat and he's only playing and not truly prey-driven to cats but his predominant breed often thinks of cats as prey. We have gone from trying to complete the Yukon Quest from Texas to walking in heel and LLW without a single yank on the collar. Collar pops are out of the question for me as I have always walked him in harness. He has a beautiful deep voice that can rumble your guts through a door and I don't want to damage that.

I have truly learned that dogs do what works. There is always a motivation. And that, for me, leading with motivation is more clear and concise then expecting him to guess at what I want.

And that, by training positively, we always have fun. That he wants to listen to me more because it's always a good thing.

As for skills, there's off, which is to disengage and has actually proofed in a few different circumstances without a treat immediately in my hand. Today, we've had rock solid "drop it," which means I can try it in other locations, once it is well established in a safe, fun place like home.

He's gotten better at handling rude dogs. One loose dog charged him 3 times before he barked back, as it was becoming evident that the 20-something woman couldn't hold onto a 12 pound Scotty puppy with a leash on her (the dog). Another time, he got a snarly nasty greeting from a JRT female and he did nothing. So, he's learned to not always react "reactively" to other dogs.

The clicker has been the only way I could teach retrieve. Before, with just lure and reward, the game didn't make any sense to him. Now, he knows why it's good to bring the object back to me.

 Marlowe can take the credit for forcing me to change my training and become better at it. Some dogs are very forgiving of sloppy, haphazard training, and Conrad was one of those dogs. He has commands that I don't even know how he knows them--I never actually trained them. We can use entire sentences with him and he gets the gist and does what we ask. We can say "scram!" or "go!" or "get lost!" or "move it!" and he knows those all mean the same thing--get out of the way and go lay down elsewhere. Marlowe is not like that at all. He is not at all forgiving of sloppy training, he doesn't fill in my blanks for me. He's also not a soft dog and he doesn't respond to intimidation and the bullying tactics I'd always fallen back on with Conrad (who, when you look up "soft dog" in the dictionary, you see his picture). I had to up my game significantly when we adopted him, stop being sloppy, actually embrace a set training methodology, and stop just winging it and yelling and collar popping when things weren't going my way.

My biggest influences were Suzanne Clothier and Jean Donaldson.  I feel like Bones Would Rain from the Sky was a huge turning point for me and presented to me the possibility of the kind of relationship I could have with a dog if I wanted it. The Culture Clash told me how to get there.

I have not been on idog very long but the thing that has influenced me the most has been my dogs, and it is they who have taught me the most and caused my skills to evolve and grow.

Trainers that have infulenced me along the way are many and varied. The first book I ever read on dog training, which I loved and inhaled at the time was The Khoeler Method, followed my the old Monks of Skye, then along came Woodhouse at a time when I lived in England and a dear friend names Janet who taught dog classes in St Ives infuenced me a lot.  I have read anything I get my hands on about dogs and I guess in the last few years the ones who have influenced me the most would be McConnell, Clothiers (I admire Clothier perhaps the most) ,Fennell and yes CM also. I admire all of these listed from the ones in the beginning to the ones at the end.

Hmm, that is a big question (hmm...typing on one of those keyboards that keeps giving french symbols when you try to put in an apostrophe....guess I will have to work on proper English instead of abbreviations).

Firstly, I would have to say my mother was my first, and one of my largest influences. If it was not for her, I do not think I would have the interest in dogs that I do today. Even though she trained while I was growing up, using methods that I do not like today, it is still something I have put away for learning, as I feel everything has something to learn from. But her passion and devotion to animals, her knowledge of dogs overall, has been an inspiration for me.

Secondly, my dogs. They are probably equal to, or more influential to me, than my mother was. Book reading is nothing compared to what they teach me every day. I have learned so much, from every dog I have ever interacted with. I have only them to thank for what I know now.

As for actual books, trainers, and behaviourists (eek, I cannot even post a question mark here...help!)....the ones that have most influenced me are Turid Rugaas (for all of her work in calming signals...phenomenal), Trish McConnell and Jean Donaldson, for their vast knowledge of canine behaviour, Dunbar - for his work and dedication to getting positive training out there, and for doing a lot of important steps in promoting the proper raising of puppies; Karen Pryor - again, for her strong dedication to studying clicker methods and getting the word out there as one of the earliest people to do so for dogs. Umm....who else, who else.....Pam Dennison, Emma Parsons, Suzanne Clothier, Pat Miller, Ali Brown, Trish King, Paul Owens...there are far too many to list. I have learned something from just about every person I have ever read, talked to, or listend to. Even those whose methods I would never recommend, they have still influenced me in my journey to where I am today in some way or another. I learn just as much about myself and dogs in general by reading things I disagree with, as I do by reading things that naturally appeal to me.

As for what I know about dogs that I would not have known if I never joined here.....nothing specifically, really. I have learned of a few new authors to which I can grant thanks for learning about. Most of the things I have discussed here are things I am actually already pretty familiar with, I can not think of anything off the top of my head of which I explicitly learned, that I did not know before. But I am a sort of newish member, in the fact that I was absent for most of the summer, so have not posted as much as some others and likely missed a lot of good stuff over that time period. Perhaps learning a little bit more about different breeds of dogs, and their breed-specific tendencies that they can have. You can never learn too much about different kinds of dogs. I think what I have learned most, was that I can feel comfortable talking about my own philosophy, thinking different than others, and feeling good about that. Actually feeling good about what I am sharing, regardless of what others may think. There would have been a time when that was not the case, when I would have worried about what others thought of my beliefs, when I might have been a little too wary to share them. So perhaps I should say that I have learned to gain a lot of confidence in myself and what I believe in, even when I may be faced with a lot of disagreement.

Direct person to person contact, who has changed my life.  Patty Russo was the first.  I saw her video, took a seminar, was hooked (line and singer).  The next individual was Ted Turner, who also influenced Patty Russo.  Then it was family dog training approach by Leslie Nelson.  Then I discovered herding.  First light bulbs,,,,,, Cappy Pruett.  Then I managed to get into a Bob Vest Seminar.  Via video Sandy Ludwig.  Via books:  Diane Bowman, the Volhards and Lana Mitchell, oops forgat  Morgan SPecter.  Then there was Susan Clothier at the Terv National.... Oh  and Chris ZInk DVM

I'm a hands-on person so the people that have influenced me the most are my instructors.  Before I got Kenya, I exercised and trained dogs for the shelter.  We were told to basically use leash corrections to help their walking.  Most times we were not allowed to carry treats b/c of dog fights breaking out (most dogs shared kennels).  I did not have much success with using leash corrections to train a dog and became frustrated, so I audited an obedience class (went to the class with no dog).  That instructor introduced us to operant conditioning and encouraged us to either lure or simply capture the behaviors we wanted, mark them, reward them, and once the dog caught on, name them.  That's basically what I have been doing since, simple operant conditioning.  I had much better success using that method at the shelter, even with dogs that lunged, pulled, or just ran every direction.  I started bringing treats, using them discretely, and making sure I took them off while separating dogs.  My new instructor is just like my old one but is teaching me more about free-shaping and using a more extensive range of verbal commands, verbal corrections, and just talking to the dog non-stop.  Right now I am working on using more praise as a reward/motivator but making sure my commands are still clear and consistent.  My dog has actually influenced me the most b/c she was more interested in the things I thought were silly and less interested in the things I really wanted to do.  She also can be too complacent at times and it has been a challenge for me to learn more about getting creative with motivation, reward, and even having to encourage and train play, sometimes even encourage naughty behaviors (chasing and treeing a squirrel is the biggest reward for Kenya, ever).   I've also learned a TON from this board. Not to single anyone out or leave anyone out, but I've been able to apply a lot of Houndlove's posts b/c she explains things so that it's easier for me to understand and try.

Benedict

 I'll have a longer answer later about what I have learned here, and how Ben has benefited from it, but for now I'll say my biggest influence hasn't been a trainer or a book or a behaviorist, but Ben himself.

I agree with the above quote.  The dog and the many fosters in various states has taught me more than any human.  Of late, Owen has been the biggest influence on me and the instructor who uses the philosphy as a basis for teachig.  Very well rounded IMO and his teaching fits one particular dog in my house. 

Started with a foo-foo- trainer who I thought was a bit kooky. We didn't learn much in that class except for dog body language.

Next we went to a yank and jerk trainer - we learned a bit but not much. Mostly Dakota learned to run away from the trainer. 

Next we learned from CM. This is when I started to see Dakota's behavior turn around. Basically because I was paying attention to not letting her get her way and demand things from me.

After that I discovered this place. 

Next we went to another yank and jerk trainer and while we learned a lot, we knew (from these forums) that there were better methods out there.

Next we found and all positive, clicker based trainer and we learned that positive methods definitely make a dog want to work for you rather than having to because it'll get jerked if it doesn't.

I would say that I-dog has had the biggest influence on my dogs and I training wise. 

spiritdogs

Since you have been posting at idog, how have your training skills evolved, and what books, trainers or behaviorists have influenced you most?

I've only been here a couple of months, so they haven't evolved as much as I hope them to in the future. This forum has more "thoughtful" amateur, junior and professional trainers/behaviorists/dog psychologists  than any forum I've even been involved with, so I realize the gold mine that is available here and that's the main reason I was so attracted to this forum as opposed to others.

I have become more open to trying different techniques and a combination of techniques. (Thanks to ron2 for his patience and knowledge in helping me to find a successful combination method to work with B'asia and thanks to Jewlieee and calliecritturs for their successful tips about Jaia's vet anxiety.) There are so many people here that I have learned from, I hesitate to mention them all, but those are the ones that "stick out" for me. And thank you to the rest of you who probably know who you are!

The only books I've read in the past 2 months are the 2 Cesar Millan books. I'm actively reading both of them at this point. There's no doubt, he has been my biggest influence over the years that I've had dogs. But I do a lot of Internet reading and I don't really take notice of the author. So I can't really name other trainers/behaviorists. And I'd have to go look at my books to see who wrote them. My point is that aside from Cesar, I don't have anyone that I "follow" or anyone who has influenced me the most. I read something and if it appeals to me, I try it. And like Kate, my dogs absolutely teach me more than anyone.

spiritdogs

What skills has your dog picked up that he/she didn't have before...

The only thing my dogs have picked up are direct results of my being more consistent. I haven't done a lot of training up to this point but with Shepherds, I'm getting into it more because of their need for mental stimulation. So although I've never been a proponent of "training" a dog to do tricks, it's now becoming apparent to me the need to give the dog something to do. So far it's just obedience. But I'm expanding and might just get the clicker out and dust it off and oil it and get it working again!  LOL

spiritdogs

what do you know about dogs now that you would not have known if you never found this place? 

I don't know. But I sure have learned something about people. And that is that in general, the more technically-minded, precise, structure-loving, engineering types usually are more attracted to that type of dog-training and psychology (like Karen Pryor). The more  ethereal, spiritually-leaning, "woo-woo", airy-fairy, energy-reading, artist types usually are more attracted to that type of dog-training and psychology (like Cesar Millan). I do believe it's a matter of attraction and what makes sense to the people involved (us) and that both "methods" work great.

I started out with a simple carrot and stick approach.  If I am really honest, too much stick and not enough carrot.  Too much humanising and sloppy timing.  We had had so many "forgiving" dogs in our house while I was growing up (like houndlove describes Conrad)  Intuitive dogs that fell into line fairly easily with little training.  I became frustrated at myself and my poor dog: WHY was he being like this?  Was he just a bad dog?  WHAT was I doing wrong?

Then I discoverd the whole "dominate your dog" thing.  It kind of worked.... sort of.  A bit.  He did improve somewhat, but I think this was more because I was learning to watch myself more and my timing was improving.

Then I discovered positive based training and he came on in LEAPS AND BOUNDS!  I was still trying to apply "leadership" and getting better at it... that is, I began to realise that you could be a "leader" without actually being pushy or bossy. I was starting to discover "passive leadership". 

Then I came here.  I learned a ton more about clicker training and was inspired by various eloquent members.  I was absent for a looong time, all the time moving away from the "wolf pack model" that I had adopted early on and never fully let go of and my training was becoming more and more positive all the time.  I came back and I was opened up to a world of trainers I had never heard before, CM and Clothier to name two.  And inspired again to think in new ways by, um, lets see, spiritdogs, glenda, houndlove, ron2, corvus, Kim, fisher....... 

And then I went to the fridge and got out my pot of Gu chocolate cos I just kind of need a fix.

FourIsCompany

Thanks to ron2 for his patience and knowledge in helping me to find a successful combination method to work with B'asia

Por nada para mi Amiga. Regardless of definitions and word play, I think we all want to help each other in the most humane way possible. And that certainly makes this forum special, as well as several knowledgable people and the lot of us being thinking and compassionate individuals.

 Four is Company, I hate to disappoint you, but I am probably the least "structure loving" or "engineering" type person you will ever meet.  I can't tell you how I LMAO reading that characterization of people who like Karen Pryor.  On the other hand, you are correct that I am not really foo foo at all either.  I simply enjoy having a good relationship with my dogs, and appreciate training methods that work, but remain fun for me and for the dog.

Probably the biggest influence on my training methods were the dogs, mostly the ones that weren't as well trained as the ones I have now.  Each one taught me something.  And, I am still always learning - I learn a great deal from my students' dogs, and my colleague's dogs.  For that ability to observe dog behavior, I have to thank Janis Moore, a former animal control officer who was a great student of body language, and who made it easy for me to see and understand the nuances of canine communication.  Also, my mother, who planted the seeds of reward based training in my head long before I had ever heard of Ian Dunbar.  

I learned that the recall is best taught positively because when I tried to do otherwise, at the behest of various yank and crankers in the old days, it never resulted in dogs that came very well.  Now, I live with four dogs who all reliably come when called (thank you Karen Fischer and Leslie Nelson). 

The most influential dog was probably the one I had to exert the least effort in training.  Dancer.  When you are fortunate enough to own a dog that skilled at healing, that naturally obedient, that incredibly naturally intelligent, you realize that dogs are a magnificent species, and worthy of respect and of being treated kindly, as you would a friend and partner - always.