A friend sat in on a training session for a dog who would one day hunt birds. She said the trainer showed up a with something that resembled a wooden car antenna. She didn’t the hit dog with it, but would lightly tap it on the back if it didn’t respond to a command. Creepy, okay, but what do I know about training a dog to hunt? Here was the really weird part of my friend’s story: The trainer never rewarded the dog when he did something right. She also emphasized to the dog’s owner that she must never reward him—not with a pat on the head, no treats, nary an “Atta boy,” or “Good dog.”
As far as I’m concerned, working dogs deserve to work. I’ve heard of too many Aussies and border collies dumped because they’re destructive or too manic, when the real problem is they weren’t given anything to do. If you don’t have time to provide three or four hours of exercise a day for those breeds, then go buy some sheep for them.
But, no praise? Does that really make dogs more effective in finding birds?
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