As a dog keeper you are of course interested in dog topics and especially in education. In the process, you quickly come across dog training on TV. But can you simply practice everything you see on TV at home? Will the dog training shown help me with my everyday problems?
How are the participants selected?
As a dog keeper, you can register yourself or people are specifically sought through calls. A casting team (editors) selects human-dog teams in advance and travels to the location to shoot short videos.
Until the actual shooting starts, the people get no closer support and live with their “problems”.
Start of shooting days
At the start of filming, the trainers get to know the human-dog teams. A behavioral analysis is made, which unfortunately is not shown on the TV. There is no script, they simply film the training.
How intensive is the supervision?
The filming time per case is only about 5-10 days. This gives viewers the impression that the dogs are “cured” after a short time and that problems are easily solved. The supervision by trainers, on the other hand, is up to 20 hours and often continues beyond the end of filming.
Many important scenes (especially the education) fall to the cut and are not aired. We humans want to see action on television. The most important thing is the quota, not the content, which is why entertainment is in the foreground.
Can I train my dog using the same methods?
Important: Do not copy! Even if your dog has similar issues, the training is very individual. Only after a detailed behavioral analysis, root cause analysis and your specific needs, the appropriate training method can be selected, which, among other things, must also be adapted during the training.
Why is dog training on TV critical?
The impression is created that only a short training is necessary and the methods “work” quickly.
Unfortunately, outdated so-called aversive training methods are still shown on TV. Not only that it is forbidden according to the animal protection law to educate the dog by means of punishment, fright or even pain follow also some “side effects”.
– Bonding and trust is lost.
– Dog does not understand what is actually desired from him.
– Behaviors are only suppressed. Thus the dog has permanent stress and fear. Often our dogs endure this for a long time, but sooner or later they can show aggressive behavior (escalation scale) or fall into depression/learned helplessness.
– Under stress the dog cannot learn.
– Etc.
What would be desirable in dog training on TV?
– Explanations why what is done. This helps to understand and to grasp the background of the chosen methods.
– Describing aids would be useful. For example, what to look for when choosing a muzzle, how a harness should fit, what effects collars can have, etc.
– Warning about positive punishment (water bottle, blocking, etc..).
– Address more health issues and their impact on behavior (musculoskeletal, pain, thyroid, etc.).
– Intervene and do not leave dogs to their own devices. Often a behavior is filmed for a very long time without anyone intervening.
– Torture breeding on TV: There should be no recommendation for first time dog owners. Of course, training is done with torture breeding breeds when the dog was already there. Here, too, education would be desirable.
Can I watch dog training on TV?
Of course you can watch the various dog shows, but you should do this reflectively. Don’t take everything for true and right and especially don’t copy anything at home!
If you have questions or problems, it is advisable to talk to a qualified dog trainer.
Summary
Dog training on TV is a popular entertainment program. Even if a rethinking is slowly taking place and there are definitely sensible training methods, unfortunately outdated training methods are still often shown, which are sometimes even forbidden and can harm your dog. So please watch the program carefully and do not simply copy anything at home.