Fido Flash Mob Raises Awareness for Dog-Friendly Training

by Stephanie Feldstein · 2011-01-19 08:30:00 UTC
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Last Sunday, a flash mob of dogs and their people descended on Westlake Park in Seattle to raise awareness about positive dog training. It was organized (and choreographed) by Service Dog Academy, with the help of Sidekick Dog Training and Puget Sound Positive Training.

Training may seem like a small concern on the spectrum of issues facing animals these days, but it's about a lot more than your dog sitting like a champ or fetching the remote. Behavior problems are among the top reasons why animals are relinquished to shelters.

How dogs are trained also raises serious animal welfare concerns. According the American Pet Products Association, there are about 77.5 million companion dogs in the U.S., and those dogs don't train themselves. As the Never Shock a Puppy campaign said: "learning shouldn't hurt." But countless dogs are shocked, choked or struck by owners attempting to change their behavior.

The flash mob was coordinated in honor of the Association of Pet Dog Trainers' National Train Your Dog Month, which aims to promote the benefits of positive training and socialization. APDT designated January for this event to help out the families who brought new dogs and puppies into their homes over the holiday season.

Also in time for National Train Your Dog Month, the Humane Society of Boulder Valley has unveiled their No-Choke Challenge (with a fantastic "Choke chains may be fine as a fashion accessory. Just not on dogs, please." poster). Through the challenge, HSBV is promoting dog-friendly training, as well as swapping choke chains and shock collars for humane collars, no questions asked.

Training affects the welfare of millions of dogs every day. While the positive training flash mob and the No-Choke Challenge represent the growing movement in favor of dog-friendly training, the old school methods are still hanging on.

That's why training associations and humane organizations are working to raise awareness about how important it is to work with your dog and to do so in a way that's fun for both of you. In other words, without the aid of shock collars, choke chains and other tools-of-the-trade meant to cause pain and fear.

PetSmart promotes reward-based training in their own classes as "scientifically proven to be the most effective method," yet they still sells shock collars a few aisles down from their training centers. They shouldn't — it goes against their own philosophy and puts dogs at risk. Tell PetSmart to take shock collars off the shelves.

Photo credit: CRYROLFE

Stephanie Feldstein is a Change.org Editor who has been part of the animal welfare and rescue community for over a decade, and most recently worked for an environmental organization.

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