Spare the rod & train the dog

Like a lot of young and new pet owners, when Srinivas Jakkani brought home a German Shepherd pup five years ago, little did he know what the future had in store for him.

Rex, as the pup was called, outgrew the Jakkanis’ Chembur flat in six months. He would bark incessantly, and destroy things in the house.

“He would calm down only when I was home. When I wasn’t around, he would get so stressed out that he would cause himself injuries,” said Srinivas, a 20-year-old BSc student, recalling that taking Rex for a walk was an almost impossible task as the well-built and strong dog would strain at the leash and growl menacingly at strangers and other dogs.

It was clear that Rex needed a trainer. However, what Srinivas was not prepared for was a trainer who would hit his dog, using fear psychology and intimidation as tools for training canines.

Spare the rod and spoil the child, goes the popular adage. But an increasing number of pet owners are loathe to hit their pets, which, having come into their lives as pups, are as dear as children to them.

Khar-resident Kamal Mowdawala, 42, who owns three dogs, Coal and Honey (Labradors) and Lyka (a Rottweiler Bullmastiff), grew up around dogs. “I have seen how frightened dogs behave. When the trainers would come home, they would hide under the bed cowering in fear. I just could not tolerate anyone hitting my dogs,” she says.

Anand Pittie, a 26-year-old from Pune, who runs an import business for pet food and accessories, also had the same issue with trainers. “I wanted to train Aura, my six-month-old Labrador in the most humane way possible,” he says. 

That’s where canine behaviour counsellor Shirin Merchant comes in. Merchant, 37 has worked in the field of canine behaviour and training for over 16 years in India and is responsible for pioneering behaviour counselling for dogs in India.

An associate of world-renowned animal behaviourist and trainer John Rogerson, Merchant has counselled several pet owners and trained their pets, which would otherwise have been abandoned or put up for adoption after being rejected by their owners.

Canine psychology
“Local trainers use sticks, canes, choke chains, and various other kinds of equipment to frighten and intimidate the dog into obeying their commands. The dog will eventually listen to commands, but will do so out of fear, not happily,” explains Merchant.

That’s where her training methods differ. According to Merchant, it is the pet-owner who needs the trainer, and not the dog. “We teach pet-owners the necessary skills which help them train their own pets. And we use love, encouragement and reward to train the dog, as opposed to the stick,” she explains. “The idea is to get the dog to do something because the dog wants to do it and is excited about it,” she adds.

“Every dog needs some basic control, especially city dogs, as they have a very tough life. They face a lot of anti-dog people who think pets are a nuisance,” says Merchant. A lot of pet owners allow their dogs to chase children in the garden, dirty the compound, run around barking at people. So pet owners are as much to blame as the pets themselves, and owners should be more responsible about how their dogs behave.

Any puppy, says Merchant, can be trained in two months. The owners just have to be consistent. Merchant runs two month-long training courses where thrice a week, Merchant or a qualified trainer trained by her will meet up with a pet-owner and his/her dog. The pet-owners receive training on how to teach their dog to listen to basic commands such as sit, heel, come, go, run, etc. They are also taught to toilet train puppies, to teach the dog how to walk on the leash. “None of the methods involve hurting the dog in any way,” she adds.

A local trainer would charge about Rs3,000 to Rs3,500 per month, and train the dog for several months, sometimes without much success, she says, adding that her trainers would charge about Rs4000-4500 per month.

“Most pet owners approach me when they are virtually on the verge of a breakdown and are about to give up their dogs for adoption,” she says. The problems are often simple, such as puppy mouthing (biting the owner’s fingers constantly), chewing and destroying things in the house.

“I see about 30-40-odd clients per month with complaints about their dogs. And when I explain dog psychology to pet owners and show them the reason behind their dog’s behaviour, and what they can do to change it, they see an improvement in no time. My job is to bridge the gap between the owner and the dog,” she says.

Many a time, pet owners overbond with the pet. This happens when a single person in the family is responsible for the dog’s daily routine, and is the sole provider for the dog, be it walking, feeding or grooming. “This is not a very healthy relationship, as separation issues crop up. There are certain breeds, such as the German Shepherd, which have a tendency to bond with one person quickly,” says Merchant.

“It is very important to train dogs in a crowded city. I had to socialise my dog with other dogs, people and even vehicles, so that my dog felt safe outdoors,” said Srinivas.

Dog farm
“City dogs tend to have a lot of problems. They are cooped up in small flats all day long, don’t get enough exercise and often the owners are not able to give enough time to their pet,” says Merchant, who organises two-day dog camps at her sprawling farmhouse near Lonavala every six months to give pets “room to breathe.” She clarifies with a smile, “Owners are invited too.”

Her last camp saw 15-odd dogs, including a Rottweiler, German Shepherd, Cocker Spaniel and Labradors, their owners in tow, coming from as far as Madurai, Goa, Pune and Mumbai. “Most of the participants were clients who have trained with me in the past,” she adds. 

The farmhouse, located near a huge lake, is ideal for a dog camp. According to canine experts, the bigger the dog, the more exercise it needs. So a Labrador or a German Shepherd would need far more exercise than a Shitzu, a Lhasa Apso or a Pomeranian.

“That is why it is a good idea to take your pet out for a pet vacation of sorts. The idea is to bond with your pet while giving it the freedom to run around and play,” explains Merchant.

Merchant organised several activities with the idea of strengthening the bond between the pet owner and the pet. “We had sessions for agility practicing, where we gave tools such as the A-board, which the dog has to climb across. We also helped the owners teach commands such as heel, walk, send off (sending the dog off to a particular area), leash walk, etc,” says Merchant.

This was followed by a ‘cooling down’ session which involved swimming in the lake close to the farmhouse. Mowdawala watched in wonder as Coal, her Labrador, emerged from the water, his black coat shiny and dripping. “It was his first time in the water,” she explains. “Dogs take to water naturally. But unfortunately, do not get the opportunity to swim much in the city,” Merchant adds.

“We even organised a treasure hunt for the dogs — the much coveted treasure was a bunch of juicy dog bones, of course,” she said.