My husband thought it worthwhile to remind me of my outrage at Princess Lea’s treatment of the Ewoks in Star Wars: ‘Don’t scratch them behind the ears” I said “just because they are furry! Pffff!”. That is a typical remark for me: I approach animals respecting their comfort zone, their personal space, and I am devoting most of my time finding out how to read their language (vocal or otherwise) to better assess their internal state to make my interaction with them even more pleasant.
When it comes to dog training, I am no different: I have more than a strong inclination towards the gentle methods.
I often daydream about coming back to earth as my dog in my next life, and that HAS to be a good sign.
I am wary of partisanship, however, and remain open-minded to whatever methods are humane, fact-based, work, and make sense.
- I believe in treating the animal gently, patiently, fairly and with respect.
- I believe in treating a dog like a dog, not like a wolf, a human, or a 21st century Lassie hero.
- I believe in an approach that is respectful of the owner, and that does not ridicule, shame or make them feel guilty.
- I want to avoid the use of potentially aversive or damaging training equipment like haltis, remote-controlled electric collars, electric barking collars, electric fencing, citronella barking collars, prong collars, choke collars, tethering and semi-choke collars.
- I believe in the duty to research the latest facts and information, not promulgating my opinions baselessly.