Ian and Kelly Dunbar on my WLS-AM On Demand show - many dog trainers set up an adversarial relationships

Nice interview Steve. When I listen to Kelly and Ian do interviews (and this one is no exception) ; I am left with a common message. And that is that dog training should be FUN. First and foremost use some common sense. If you and your dog are having fun, you will learn ,it's as simple as that. While methodology is important, it is not the primary force that governs our results. If it is a chore to train your dog ,you and your dog will never grow and learn to communicate with one another. It seems like we have made dog training seem like it is rocket science and we constantly disagree on how to do it. Glad to see that DSD is looking to making it fun for the whole family. And I look forward to this approach as I think it is key to the future success of the dog/human relationship.  Trust your instincts with your friend and remember what Bob Dylan once said..."You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows."

I listened to this interview last night and was moved by Dr. Dunbar's expression of his desire to spread the word as much as possible - even making his videos available for free.  It is very much appreciated, and prompted me to express my gratitude here.

I have lived in Costa Rica for several years and nine months ago decided to get my very first dog, Jonah, a then-8-week-old wirehaired dachshund.  As a life-long cat person, I was, to put it charitably, clueless about raising a dog, but soon realized that I needed a trainer if we were going to survive happily together.  By the time I had found one (it's a very rare "profession" in Costa Rica) Jonah was six months old.  By luck, he had become very well socialized already.  In the meantime, I scoured the web for information but was bewildered by conflicting views.

I couldn't find a trainer who used only positive methods, and wasn't yet knowledgeable enough to realize how critical this is.  I eventually read some of Karen Pryor's work and, more recently, found this wonderful site.  I'm now in the process of trying to undo whatever damage was done by having Jonah (and me) trained with a choke collar. Interestingly, the trainer emphasized the importance of reliability for the recall "command" and so told me to make sure that Jonah would want to come when called, by rewarding him with lavish praise and treats; neither he nor I realized that the same rationale should apply to every other aspect of training.

I'm also helping to spread the word, by sending everyone I know to this site.  For some friends here with a very slow internet connection, I've downloaded all of the videos and put them on a dvd.  (I would love to share the information with the trainer I used but he knows only Spanish.)  And, in partial compensation for getting these great videos for free, I've purchased both of Dr. Dunbar's books that are available in Amazon's Kindle format (more, please.)

So, many thanks from me - and from Jonah, Thor, Luna, Gracie, Foss, Sparky and the other dogs who will become much happier soon.

Rebecca

Not really a fan of Bob Dylan (the dude can't sing), but many of his song are written brilliantly....thanks for the quote....never though of Bob Dylan and dog training together....You are right, and the Dunbars had fun with me - or at least I had fun with them....

De Nada Rebecaa...I've always wanted to come to Costa Rica!! Get me there to speak at a conference and I will in a corazon (I don't exactly know how to say heartbeat). I like bugs too - so gotta go to the rain forest...and monkeys, and more. Amazing bird life. And for you, much more to come on cats.

Steve Dale www.stevedalepetworld.com