The Koehler Method of Dog Training

5 Comments

1. Afan of Sitagyl Manor says:

   June 25, 2010 at 2:38 am

   No training method works for all dogs, but the Koehler method comes close. I read this book thoroughly before using it to train my dog, an American Pit Bull Terrier. I recommend it on the basis of the results I achieved with my own dog. My Pit Bull is a happy, calm, sweet animal who is well behaved and trustworthy even in crowded, distracting public places. Please note the notarized statement in this book attesting to the author’s success in training thousands of dogs. A well-trained dog is a joyful companion and something to be proud of. As for the “brutality” ascribed to this training method by its detractors, I “corrected” my dog with the choke collar only three or four times – always for something potentially dangerous (with a big and strong dog like a pit bull) such as running wildly on the long training lead. Most of the time, during the routine exercises, the dog corrects himself. Essentially he is given a choice between discomfort and comfort. If he makes the right choice he avoids discomfort. This does not assume the dog is human – it respects the dog’s intelligence and ability to make choices. This book helps you to train a dog to be obedient off leash under highly distracting conditions. I knew my pit bull had graduated the day I was allowing her to run around on a 30′ lead and another, loose pit bull appeared out of nowhere. This animal ran up on my dog, she surged after it, and the worn lead parted company with her collar! I called my dog to me, and she came and stood in front of me. I told her to sit, and she did so, allowing me to tie the broken ends of the leash together – with this maniac nuisance dog running circles around us all the while.

   I tried using food to motivate my dog but she became intensely focussed on the food rewards in my pocket. In Koehler training, the dog is supposed to be attentive towards you, not your pocket! With the firm foundation of obedience training, I am now able to teach my dog all kinds of tricks. Trick training is FUN training so I have no problem using food rewards to teach tricks. My dog can jump through a hoop, etc. However, obedience training is serious business that can one day save your dog’s life. I feel the Koehler method is particularly valuable with big, strong breeds such as pits and rottweilers that can cause so much trouble when they are NOT properly trained. I thank this book for the wonderful, reliable pit bull friend I have today.
   Rating: 5 / 5
2. A reader says:

   June 25, 2010 at 5:14 am

   Let’s be straight — Bill Koehler loved dogs. In fact, he loved and respected dogs a whole lot more than some of today’s “big name” trainers who refer to dogs as stupid creatures, incapable of thought or responsibility, only able and willing to work for a cookie, because they are nothing but selfish “lemon brains.”

   I am a professional dog trainer who came up through the ranks of the “positive reinforcement” school of training. I was taught to use cookies and praise to get dogs to behave. And most of all, NEVER correct a dog — that’s cruel and outdated. Well, the “all positive” method of training does work — to a point. But I found, time and time again, that only using positive reinforcement did not create reliable, 100% consistent behaviours. Where this was most obvious was on the recall — let’s say your dog is off leash at the park, and he takes off after a squirrel. And you’re going to try to call him back and give him a tidbit? Most dogs would just keep on running. And to my mind, as a professional trainer, that was unethical and immoral, to send my clients out into the world, knowing full-well that their dogs were not safe, because their behaviours were not reliable.

   The Koehler method makes commands reliable. And it does so without abuse, fear, or beating. Bill Koehler belived that it was far kinder to a dog to respect the dog’s intelligence, to show the dog the clear contrast in consequences that occur when choosing between one course of action (say, heeling) over another (not heeling, and receiving a SINGLE forceful, well-timed correction). Correct the dog once, properly, the first time, and let the dog make his own choices after that. In fact, Koehler believed it was completely CRUEL to a dog to consistently nag it, over and over again. Witness the “positive only” crowd using gentle, nagging leash tugs, saying “Heel heel heel heel heel” in a chanting manner. Drive your dog crazy, it would.

   The Koehler Method is a complete method of dog training that works on three parts:

   1) show the dog what you want them to do, and praise him for making the right choice.
   
   2) practice with the dog until you are sure he knows what you want him to do, and praise him for making the right choice. If he doesn’t make the right choice while he’s learning, then show him again.
   
   3) once the dog knows what is expected of him (that is, after lots of practice), then “proof” the command by providing lots of distractions for the dog. If he chooses the right behaviour (and remember, this is only if he already KNOWS what is expected), then praise him. If he chooses the wrong behaviour, correct him firmly, correct him once, and give him the opportunity to make the right choice.

   You’ll read reviews that go on and on about hanging, drowning, and beating dogs. Yes, Bill Koehler DID say those things. He said those were methods to be used if the next stop for the dog was a one-way trip to the pound. They were never intended for your average family dog.

   Buy the book, read it. Find a reputable trainer through the International Association of Canine Professionals, and get someone familiar with the Koehler method to help you out. But don’t let the “positive only” crowd make up your mind with ranting and rhetoric. If you care about your dog – if you care that your dog will be able to respond to commands reliably, and therefore be safe — you owe it to yourself to check out this book.

   Jill Skorochod, CPDT
   
   Member, APDT, CAPPDT and IACP
   
   Time and Patience Dog Training Ltd.

   Rating: 5 / 5
3. M. Young says:

   June 25, 2010 at 6:37 am

   This is a very easy to follow, effective book for training dogs. This is NOT a book for owners with dog problems (or dogs with owner problems). If you just want to train your dog by using proven, conditioning techniques, then this is the book for you.

   In a nutshell, this book teaches you how to ensure that your dog is paying attention to you at all times, and either obeys your commands, or suffers the consequences of his actions. This is NOT punishment. The dog decides. The dog learns. The dog obeys because he decides to obey. This not only gives him self-confidence, but also gives him a feeling of security because he knows he is doing the right thing. Dogs crave this. They WANT to please you.

   Basically, you start with a long leash and a choke collar. You start walking in one direction. Of course, your dog will bound off ahead of you. At that point, you reverse direction, and walk the other way. The dog learns pretty quickly that he better keep an eye on you if he wants to keep from getting jerked around.

   It goes on from there, and the lead gets shorter and shorter. The dog learns to HEAL, SIT, STAY etc., but basically you are conditioning the dog to think he is on lead all the time, and has NO choice but to obey or come when called, and, he is always paying attention to you. This is KEY!

   If your Jack Russell sees a rabbit running across the road in front of an oncoming car, do you think he will come if you have a treat in your hand? Is he going to look both ways before crossing? No way. But if he has been conditioned to think that if he doesn’t come, you’ll just jerk his chain, he won’t hesitate. He’ll stop in his tracks, turn, run back to you, run right around behind you, and sit down right beside you… No kidding.[Keep in mind that to get to this point takes months and months of training for at least 30 minutes a day. This is not a miracle training book]

   I have used it and it works, plain and simple. Also, you can stop at any time, and still gain some control of your dog on lead.

   There is no punishment involved as part of the training of the dog! The dog gets to decide what he wants to do.

   I trained my first dog this way, and it worked perfectly. I never hit, drowned, beat, etc., because that’s not part of the training!

   All the negative comments on this book have to do with either the last chapter or just plain ignorance. The last chapter deals with a subject the author probably should have left out, that is, dealing with problem dogs that are on their last chance before being put to death. Don’t bother reading it. If you have a dog that bad, you’ve got a problem you can’t solve on Amazon.com!

   Others try to equate a dog’s mentally with that of a human. Dogs do not perceive, process, or analyze information the way humans do. Comparing how you would feel if you were treated the way a dog is treated is incorrect.

   I just got a new dog, and I want it to be happy and love life. The Koehler method helps set expectations the dog understands and can achieve, which in-turn keeps him happy and safe at the same time.

   Good Luck!

   Rating: 5 / 5
4. dog res q r says:

   June 25, 2010 at 7:00 am

   We have gone too far. If you were to smack the hand of your precocious 5 year old just before she stuck the metal hanger in the electrical outlet, she could, if she knew the law, call 911 and report a case of child abuse. I suspect that most municipalities would ignore the call after the parent demonstrated to the responding constable that there was, in fact, no abuse going on, but who knows. In a time when an establishment can be sued for serving hot coffee that’s “too hot” you can never tell.

   Enter the Koehler Method.

   The book uses “corrections” and not rewards. Very non-PC. That’s it in a nut shell. Food versus corrections. Honestly, they both work for “most” dogs and I use both in training. And I would even go so far as to say that if it’s just tricks and games that you are interested in, than go with food and forget this book. BUT if your dog pulls you down the street, if you hear yourself saying, “Fido, come… come… come… come… come… or Fido down… down… down…” then please consider the Koehler method. It could save your dog’s life. (I’m assuming you won’t be saying “Fido” if that’s not your dog’s name, but you get the idea.)

   The mistake people make when they criticize any dog obedience program that uses corrections is confusing obedience with training. Obedience IS NOT training. I would never use nor would I advocate using any corrective measure on a dog that didn’t know how to perform a given command. Imagine your 8 year old is learning the times table. You ask her what’s 4 times 4. She says 12. You slap her in the face. Horrible. What kind of a parent are you? No, what you do is patiently go over them, using whatever works so that she learns the times table. Now change the game. She’s 16 and just flunked her history test, because she didn’t study. (Yes, she’s smart, has had good grades and chose to play war games across the internet with her friends until 2 am instead of studying). What do you do, withhold a piece of cheese? No, you ground her. No TV, no malls, no weekend. (Assuming you are a good and caring parent.)

   That’s what obedience is all about. Obedience is teaching the dog to perform an action (or to stop performing an action) on command, and NOT when the dog chooses to.

   First, you teach your dog an action. You do this patiently, in short lessons. You can use food, petting, favorite toys, whatever you want during the training phase. You want to make sure that the dog really knows what you are asking them to do (or not do).

   But after you are sure they understand the command that you are asking them to perform, they need to be corrected when they don’t do what they are asked to do. In fact, they actually learn to perform the action on command by not doing what they are asked to do and receiving a correction. Praise is important. Studies show that dogs don’t’ do things for praise. But you are going to praise your dog after the correction and AFTER they have done what they are supposed to do to eliminate any feelings of fear. And make the praise loud and clear when they’ve done what you ask. If your dog’s ears are flat against her head and her tail is down, she is not happy. When I am working with a dog, after a correction, my intent is to get that tail wagging and her ears up (which of course is impossible for beagles, but again, you get the idea)

   There is the mistaken belief that you’re “hurting” the dog. Annoying the dog yes, but a properly performed correction doesn’t hurt as much as it gets the dog’s attention. Some dogs have problems with their esophagus, e.g. Pomeranians, so corrections with these dogs have to be done very carefully, but for the majority of dogs, their necks are quite muscular. In fact, it is the muscles of the neck that a dog uses to kill it’s prey by forcefully whipping it back and forth and ultimately breaking it’s prey’s neck or spine.

   I mentioned “properly performed” corrections. Anything done poorly produces poor results. The Koehler Method is simply a collection of descriptions of technical actions that have been used on thousands of dogs. It is these descriptions that are the entire purpose for reading the book.

   Ask any K9 officer how his dog was trained. Food is not a reliable obedience technique. Period. Especially for recall (the official name for “come.”).

   Why do I mention this to people who just have pets? The entire reason, the ONLY reason to buy this book is to protect your dog. If you live in the city or the suburbs and your dog can wander out into traffic, then you need the dog to be obedient.

   On the other hand, if you live on a hundred acre farm, your dogs are smarter then most (and won’t run in front of your tractor as your tilling the fields or mowing the lawn and you really just want your dog to learn how to do back flips, play dead, or bring your slippers, this book won’t be for you.

   One more thing. There are techniques Koehler suggests for “misbehaving” dogs that I won’t use. I am sure they will work, but I choose not to do them. I can live with some mischief. (My dogs love moving my hand when I am typing – I pet them, tell them to stop and of course, they don’t.)

   And while I am at it, let me be clear about “most.” Most methods work on most dogs and that goes for the Koehler method, as well. But there are certain dogs that it won’t work on. You probably won’t have one of those, but if your dog is people aggressive, even slightly, or your dog is fearful, you need a professional. For those dogs, you need an animal behaviorist. Check out http://www.animalbehavior.org/Applied/CAAB_directory.html

   This is pretty much the only obedience book you’ll ever need. And I unabashedly recommend it even in this current environment of political correctness. So read all about learning how to teach your dog how to walk peacefully on a lead, the “automatic sit” (which appears amazing to people), turns to the left and right, stay, down, and the long down. Skip the chapter on the throw chain and pick up on the “light line” which introduces recalls and commands from a distance.

   If your dog does all of these on command, she will be happy and you will be happy…and you can even get a diploma from the AKC when “Fido” passes the Good Canine Citizen test. http://www.akc.org/events/cgc/program.cfm

   Save the cheese for you.
   
   Rating: 4 / 5
5. A reader says:

   June 25, 2010 at 9:25 am

   “The Koehler Method of Dog Training” is both one of the foundation texts of modern dog training, and one of the disciplines most controversial books. Fans claim that the book is sensible, clear, and – above all – effective. Detractors claim that the book is cruel and outdated, as well as invariably detrimental to the relationship between handler and dog.

   The truth, in my opinion, lies somewhere between the two extremes. When Koehler’s book was published, it was one of the best and most logical dog training manuals on the market. It was revolutionary in many ways, and in fact still contains suggestions often neglected by modern texts. For example, Koehler starts his obedience programme by teaching the dog the value of being attentive to his owner even under distraction. Most modern “positive” manuals gloss over this all-important foundation step, resulting in dogs that know the meaning of obedience commands but only comply when they feel like it.

   Koehler also pioneered the use of a longline in dog training, and the Koehler Method does not let the dog off the line – at all – until he has thoroughly mastered a bombproof recall. This step is also often missing from modern “positive” trainers, who advocate letting the dog make his own choice between freedom and a treat, and are surprised when the dog then becomes dangerously unreliable off leash.

   Koehler explains the importance of good obedience, and why it is not optional – again an area often neglected by modern texts. It is indeed far kinder to use a few corrections to ensure the reliability of a wayward dog’s recall, than to either prophylactically keep him on leash his entire life, or let him run off only to be hit by a car.

   Koehler also explains the important distinction between punishing a dog, and allowing him to learn from the consequences of his own actions – a difference that all good trainers understand, but often fail to enunciate. It is the difference between yelling or jerking a pulling dog (upsetting and often relationship destroying), or calmly allowing the dog to decide that keeping his owner in sight will improve his own comfort. Despite what Koehler’s detractors claim, the majority of “punishments” contained in this book follow this pattern of simply allowing the dog to learn from the natural consequences of his own actions. True “punishment” is only advocated for cases where the dog has already demonstrated his clear understanding of the exercise multiple times, and is refusing to comply.

   Where is this book lacking? As can be expected due to its vintage, it lacks all mention of operant conditioning, training in drive or food training. Many of the new methods introduced by operant conditioning – bridges/markers, free shaping, back chaining – that are extremely effective at teaching a dog complex behaviours cannot be found in this book. Many of the great modern contributions from ethology are also missing from this work. These include the modern way trainers mimick “alpha wolf” behaviour to painlessly enforce day-to-day obedience, and the use of training in prey drive to gain enthusiastic compliance from high-drive “problem” dogs.

   Most importantly, I would not recommend the final section of the book to a modern day reader. This section – ominously titled “problems” – was designed for dogs whose bad behaviour was not corrected by the 13 weeks of basic obedience outlined earlier in the book. Although the methods may seem quite harsh to a modern reader, it is important to bear in mind that people in the 1960s did not have access to professional dog trainers or behaviorists. Koehler himself states several times that the methods in this final section are only for use when the other option for the dog is euthanasia. However, the modern reader would be better advised to take his problem dog to a professional trainer than to try any of the methods in this section. You have been warned!

   In short, this book is a good simple primer on basic obedience, but is itself incomplete. To flesh it out I would recommend books by Patricia McConnell, Shelia Booth and Steven Budiansky; as well as the excellent free articles on the websites of Shirley Chong and Suzanne Clothier. And please note that “The Koehler Method of Dog Training” is not an effective guide for dealing with true behavioural problems – with a real problem dog, you will be much better off investing in a consultation with a professional dog behaviourist than resorting to this book.

   Rating: 4 / 5