In the world of dog field sports, where dogs are trained to retrieve, point, or flush game in the great outdoors, shock collars and compulsion methods are still (and sadly) very commonly used. Break throughs are being made though, thanks to people like Jim Barry, Mary Emmen, and Susan Smith, authors of Positive Gun Dogs: Clicker Training for Sporting Breeds.
Now, another prominent figure, Robert Milner, has come forth to urge sporting enthusiasts and the general dog-owning public alike, to consider clicker training for their dogs. A long-time compulsion trainer himself, he discovered a decade ago, that dogs learn much more effectively, and quickly using positive reinforcement when teaching them. He's accomplished incredible things in the field sport world, as well as in the areas of training dogs for explosives detection, and search and rescue! Read the full article from Shotgun Life here: http://www.shotgunlife.com/wingshooting/wingshooting/expert-dog-trainer-robert-milner-says-heck-no-to-shock-collars.html
If you're a field dog sports enthusiast, (or know someone who is!) check out the Positive Gun Dog Association's facebook page here: http://www.positivegundogassociation.com. Also, see this link http://www.clickertraining.com/node/1021 for more information and many other resources.
There's also a yahoo group you can join to connect with an entire community of field/sporting dog enthusiasts devoted to using clicker-training and positive reinforcement for training their field dogs, instead of choosing shock collars and compulsion! http://pets.groups.yahoo.com/group/PositiveGunDogs/
As always, feel free to share our tips with your dog-loving friends and family!
