Dusty the No Longer Nasty Cocker

This is a letter I received from a woman who brought her aggressive Cocker to a seminar. This kind of aggression is typical of Cocker Spaniels – a bit moody and serious when it uncorks. I add this to the blog because it describes the typical result of using my methods and I didn’t write it or edit it. It is not meant to be a testimonial, but an account of a process that saved this dog’s life…Gary Wilkes

Dear Gary,
I hope you remember me and Dusty from the seminar you conducted in Vernal, Utah, last September.  Dusty was the beautiful, angelic-looking Cocker Spaniel with the long eye lashes.  I wanted to give you an update on his progress and thank you for all of your help.  Dusty’s behavior has improved so much that it’s unbelievable.  When we got back to Salt Lake after the seminar, Dusty was in a very compliant mood.  But the first time I tried to enter the TV room, Dusty gave me “the look,” so I yelled “No!” and let the bonker fly.  It worked!  I had to give him one refresher bonk a few days later, but I can now walk into any room, frontwards, make eye contact with him and he doesn’t even growl, let alone attack me. Continue reading

Learning Theory: Huh?

If you investigate any number of modern dog training sights, professional organizations for behavior counselors or read basic psychology texts you’ll find the term “learning theory”. Apparently, by memorizing the catechism of “learning theory” one doesn’t need to look at nature. It’s all explained, right there in the scientific research. Being a natural skeptic, I have my doubts about this assumption. Having spent over 30 years working with animal behavior at the highest levels of difficulty, I don’t buy it. I think the primary purpose of citing learning theory as the be-all, end-all of behavior is to silence people who do not have an academic background. Guess what? I don’t have an academic background but I can read scientific literature apparently better than the vast majority of learned doctors. I also have tens of thousands of hours of experience actually controlling behavior. Obviously, I am not silent. That is because once you prick the bubble of “learning theory” you realize that it’s a scam. To save time and effort I will lay it out for you. As I am not a modern behavioral scientist, I don’t expect you to believe me just on my say-so. Feel free to check my statements as much as you like. If you are objective about the topic you’ll come to the same conclusions I have. If you are biased, you’ll ignore the logic and believe what you want to believe. If it was a conversation about who is going to win the World Series we could let it ride. However, the use of “learning theory” to squelch questioning of modern behavioral therapy inevitably leads to withholding treatment known to be effective – universally considered unethical in the medical and psychological world. Continue reading