Dr. Jennifer L. Summerfield is a veterinarian and professional pet dog trainer. She focuses on behavior problems such as aggression and separation anxiety.
Her new book “Train Your pet dog Now!” is a handbook with easy-to-follow instructions for correcting unwanted behaviors and teaching manners and basic tricks. Jennifer’s three Sheltie dogs compete in conformation, agility and obedience.
She has a terrific pet dog blog Dr. Jen’s pet dog blog and you can follow her on Facebook @DrJensDogBlog
Adams Media is giving away a copy of “Train Your pet dog Now!” to two readers of That Mutt. To enter, leave a comment at the end of this post. *The giveaway has ended.
I hope you take pleasure in this Q&A:
Q&A with Dr. Jennifer Summerfield, author of Train Your pet dog Now!
That Mutt: What’s your favorite dog-related book and why?
Dr. Jennifer Summerfield: I love, love, love “The culture Clash” by Jean Donaldson. I first read it when I was a teenager, working with my first Sheltie.
I was young and idealistic and loved dogs a lot more than anything, but I didn’t know much about behavior science or positive training methods – popular culture is so focused on the “alpha dog” thing, even now, but it was even a lot more prevalent back then.
Så. coming from that perspective, I remember this particular book as a game changer for me. Jean Donaldson is a dazzling trainer, and she describes things so well. The book is all about training from the dog’s perspective, and how we humans so typically misinterpret their behavior.
The notion that a lot of “problem behaviors” are actually just dogs doing normal pet dog things was really revolutionary for me at the time, and made a substantial difference in the way I looked at training.
Truly, I’ve always felt that this book must be mandatory reading for every single pet dog owner in the world. It would save us all a lot of despair in the long run.
TM: What pet dog training tool or pet dog product has benefited your pet dog the most recently?
Jennifer: Honestly? Don’t laugh, but I’m completely obsessed with the dehydrated cow ear chews from Raw Feeding Miami.
I’m a substantial fan of long-lasting, long lasting things for my kids to chew on, but I’m also really picky about what I give them – I don’t use anything with added chemicals or preservatives, like store-bought rawhides. So RFM’s stuff is great.
One cow ear for each pet dog = an entire evening of peace and quiet in the Summerfield house. I use them very judiciously, but they’re worth every penny!
TM: What recommendations would you give to a pal about to get her first dog?
Jennifer: Be choosy, and do your homework! It’s a funny thing, but in my experience, novice pet dog owners typically put a lot more research into getting a new automobile or washing maker than into selecting a new family member that’s a good fit for their lifestyle.
In my line of work, I see lots of problems related to a fundamental mismatch between the dog’s needs and the owner’s expectations. A quiet elderly couple gets a field-bred lab puppy with tons of energy, or a family with young kids gets a delicate, noise-sensitive Italian greyhound.
Training can help with some of these issues – but sometimes, it’s really trying to force a square peg into a round hole.
Do yourself a favor, and take the decision seriously. choose a pet dog based on aspects like temperament and energy level, not cute markings or a low-cost purchase price.
TM: how has a past failure with one of your dogs helped you make better choices later?
Jennifer: With my first dog, Duncan, I did a lot of things that I would do differently now if I had the chance. He was a wonderful dog, and a terrific worker – he learned in spite of my mistakes, and was always delighted to do whatever new activity I signed us up for.
With my dogs now, lots of things are different. My training mechanics and technical skills are much better, which absolutely helps! but I’ve also learned so much along the way about the value of their emotional state when we work together.
I’ve learned to make things much easier if they’re struggling, quit before they get bored, and get them out of situations that are making them stressed or uneasy – even if it indicates leaving a training class, or cutting a competition run short.
TM: In the last few years, what belief or routine has a lot of improved your life with dogs?
Jennifer: learning not to take training setbacks or “naughty” behavior personally!Jeg tror som mennesker, vi har en tendens til at fortolke alt på en meget personlig måde – vi antager, at vores hunde ikke er opmærksomme i træningsklassen, fordi de er stædige og ikke respekterer os, eller de stjæler mad fra Bordpladerne eller kommer i papirkurven, selvom de ved, at de ikke er tilladt.
Det meste af tiden er det slet ikke sandt! For at citere den fantastiske Karen Pryor, “Det er bare opførsel.” Hunde gør det, der giver mening for dem i øjeblikket.
Hvis vi ikke kan lide det, de laver, kan vi arbejde på at ændre det – men der er ingen grund til at blive vred eller fornærmet. Jeg prøver altid at huske dette med mine egne hunde og vise det også for mine studerende.
Tak, Jennifer!
For at komme ind i giveaway for at vinde en kopi af Jennifer’s bog “Train Your Pet Dog Now!: Din øjeblikkelige træningshåndbog, fra grundlæggende kommandoer til adfærdsrettelser” skal du bare efterlade en kommentar nedenfor.
Lad mig vide, hvilket adfærdsproblem du arbejder med med din hund. Brug for at have en amerikansk postadresse for at vinde.
Jeg vælger to vindere tilfældigt fredag den 30. marts. *Giveawayen er afsluttet. (Tillykke til Tracy S. og Sharon W.)
Og eller selvfølgelig kan du købe en kopi af bogen på Amazon her.
*Dette indlæg består af tilknyttede links.
Relaterede indlæg:
Spørgsmål og svar med forfatter: “Symptomer at nyde for i din hund.”