#ban everything

By forming WCADTS, we hope to improve people’s understanding of how to use all tools safely and effectively, and how to choose the right tool for the individual situation, handler and dog. We also hope that this Society will give pet owners and pet professionals who are open to the humane use of all training tools a voice in conversations with legislators about Animal Control Bylaws. If you agree, and want to be part of that voice, please consider joining us.

This is the only conversation that I want to be part of going forward as a member of dogblr:

Let’s stop debating dog training methods on Tumblr and let’s say that the banning of all metal and nylon aversives is a political reality across the globe. Let’s fully embrace the BC SPCA’s agenda and you cannot crate, kennel, tether, or say no to your dog. I’m not sure if the BC SPCA will allow leash pressure/silky leash technique so we should eliminate that and body pressure too just to be safe. Let’s prepare for this inevitable reality and discuss free publicly available resources for “tool-less” dog training that work. Bonus points if you are brave enough to share your own training videos.

Let’s start sharing links to videos and having discussions about the training. I will start the conversation by videoing Bosco doing a tug to chase. It’s an alternative route for teaching the out for dogs that don’t feel rewarded by an immediate second bite. 

Angela Gilbert, “’I think you need to find a better way to train.’“. Toronto Collar Ban. It’s Not Over Yet. (28 June 2017).

Here's my latest concern, and it's not a law, yet. There is a draft proposal for the voluntary regulation of Service Dogs in Canada. You can request a copy at this email here because technically I'm not supposed to share it with  you. They don't want it shared, because the only feedback they will accept is the feedback from a specific comments form if you request a copy. That way they can reduce public input. The problem is, this could very easily become law, simply by any level of government making reference to it in their own legislation. It will also make it very easy to make these training restrictions on methodology and equipment a standard part of laws and bylaws that don't pertain to strictly service dog regulation.

So let me give you the long and the short of this proposal without actually sharing it. It includes:

Stringent requirements on the part of the handler in terms of proof of their disability and need for a service dog

Onerous requirements about the handler's ability to care for a service dog including a long list of first aid knowledge that most pet owners don't have and many disabled handlers may not be able to administer.

A requirement for record keeping of all grooming, exercise, feeding, veterinary care, training log, problem behaviors and humane training methods to deal with those.

Mandatory spay and neuter

Training methodology to the point of micro management

No aversive consequences at all of any kind. No negative reinforcement, no positive punishment of any kind. You can withdraw rewards (negative punishment), withhold rewards (extinction) or train an incompatible behavior, or you can live with a bad behavior and manage it.

Regulation of where the potential service dog is acquired - vague terms here about acceptable breeders and rescues vs. unacceptable breeders and rescues.

"Unacceptable tools" citronella collars, vibrating collars, sound emitting collars, any collar that has been previously paired with an aversive stimulus even if the aversive stimulus is no longer used, choke collars, prong collars, low voltage e collars, significant voltage collars and devices, throw chains, mousetraps, shepherd's crook, whip or crop.

The other thing this draft includes is a list of breeds that shouldn't be used as service dogs:

American Pit Bull Terrier, American Staffordshire Terrier, Staffordshire Bull Terrier, English Bull Terrier, American Bulldog, Dogo Argentino, Fila Brasileiro, Bullmastiff, Portuguese Mastiff, Mastino Neopolitano, Majorca Matiff, Dogue de Bordeaux, Cane Korso / Dogo Canario, Belgian Malinois, Akita, Tosa Inu, Alabai, Kangal, Caucasian Shepherd Dog, Tornjak, South-Russian Shepherd, Black Russian Terrier, Yugoslavian Shepherd Dog, Anatolian Shepherd, Central Asian Shepherd, Portuguese Sheepdog, Rottweiler, Doberman, Rhodesian Ridgeback, Boerboel, Bandog, Komondor, Kuvasz, Reisenschauzer, Wolfdog or Chow Chow.

[...] So please, scroll up, click the email to request a copy, and fill out the comment form. The public review is only on until June 30, 2017.