well well ,well...you're ready to read another spectacular interview ? Well, get ready because the interview that follows is very special.This time the dog trainer is from Italy , Cristina Radice Fossati that will explain more about her methods, she use "mental images" and the "positive reinforcement". She's an all around trainer but focused on behavioral troubles and obedience.She have 5 Italian Spinones and a Border Collie. She still want to Improve everyday and learn new things, experimenting.
Now I leave you to the interview, good reading :D
before the real interview a few warm-up questions: D
Do you like to sing karaoke?
A lot, but only with friends. I am quite shy
Have you ever committed a crime?
no
Do you have kids?
Yes, one, Tommaso. He is a marvellous seven year old kid.
Ok ,let,s begin the interview
Could you tell our readers a little about yourself
According to my birth certificate, I am 46 years old, but I keep on being surprised by life and enjoying it like a twenty-year old. I love animals. I like observing them, filming them, taking photos and, when possible, getting closer. I am an extremely determined and tenacious person. Thanks to these qualities I almost always reach my objectives.
I am extremely direct with people. This allows me to have some true good friends, but not a fan club!!!
If I am able to, I like helping others, just for the pleasure of doing it.
How did you get started in dog training?
After a successful career in the pharmaceutical business, I decided that it was time to pursue one of my dreams, working with dogs, while I was still young enough to be able to learn, develop and enjoy myself.
At the age of forty, I left the gilded world of business and threw myself head-first in this new life project together with my 4 dogs.
You have 5 Italian Spinones and a Border Collie.Can you explain how is working with the Spinones?
Working with Spinones is fantastic. They are marvelous dogs. They can be both extremely affectionate and independent. They know how to work with great tenacity, but at the same time they can let you down to chase a sudden scent. With them you need to be entertaining, show a high degree of fantasy and surprise them constantly. They cannot be forced to do things. They need to be persuaded. They love comfort, but they can also be extremely basic and adaptive. They are generous, willing to share and wise, but at the same time they can behave like young boys.
What training techniques do you use when training your dogs?
I use “mental images” and the “positive reinforcement” method. At times, in order to refine an exercise and improve performance, I use the clicker. With Pluto, one of my Spinones, I have used only the clicker for “shaping” exercises. He loves it and he enjoys guessing what I am thinking
You manage courses of any kind.Tell us all about your programs.
It depends on the objectives of the client. I do not believe in standardized programs. I usually listen carefully to the expectations and the requests of my clients, but at the same time I observe the natural behavior of their dogs. Their reactions in front of noises, other dogs and people are key in tailoring the right program. After determining the suitable approach for every dog / owner couple, I begin with a program that comprises practical exercises, lots of playing and the discovery of dog language. As I always say, it is not the dog that has to learn our language, but it is up to us to understand their language instead.
In which you are more “specialized“?
I consider the word “specialized” as an overstatement. One never really stops learning, but I can say that I mostly focus on behavioral troubles and obedience.
Tell me if there still this problem: People make the same mistake - first buys the dog and then comes to you because they have problems?
Yes, unfortunately it is often this way! The biggest problems arise when the choice of a dog is based on size, color or hair type and not on the attitude of the various breeds and their demands. Once a client told me candidly to have chosen a particular breed since it perfectly matched the color of her house carpet! The choice of the right dog is crucial for a happy cohabitation. Breeders and people working in kennels should bear this in mind at all times. They should have the courage to dissuade a potential owner whose lifestyle is not compatible with a breed’s needs. On the contrary, unfortunately, in order to secure a sale or an adoption, they tend to close an eye and ignore this basic principle. In Italian we say “if the eye does not see it, the heart does not hurt”.
Which training(s) are most requested by your clients?
Certainly the basic training, both on puppies and adult dogs, concerning recall, walking behavior, key positions and commands (i.e. “sit”, “lay down”, “drop”, etc.)
which dog toy deems best for a dog ?
If properly done “tug of war” is a wonderful game since it teaches the dog to listen to the owner even when greatly aroused. It allows the contact between dog and owner highlighting the social playing part. Also, “tug of war” toys are easy to carry and therefore quite practical. Secondly, I recommend the frisbee since it amuses the dog and the owner at the same time, increasing the pleasure of being together.
Obviously it is necessary to teach the correct way to play with these tools in order to avoid that a dog gets hurt (frisbee) or learns bad habits (tug of war)
Could you explain a little more about puppy socialization and why it is so important?
After 60 days the puppy has already stored a baggage of essential experiences that make it ready to be adopted by a new family. At the same time, it remains absolutely open to new experiences during a phase called “imprinting” which lasts from around the fourth week until the sixteenth.
This phase is characterized by a strong predisposition to memorize every type of occurrence. Every event, every visual, olfactory or auditory stimulus and every bond experienced in this arc of time will stay forever printed in the puppy’s memory. They will condition its character and its behavior, its social interactions and its sexual preferences.
Basically it consists of a particular form of learning, which happens in a specific time frame and that becomes irreversible once concluded.
During this sensitive period it is mostly through playing activities that puppies learn about the world and its rules. They learn how to recognize another dog even if it does not have a tail, if it has a flat or longer muzzle, etc. They also learn how to recognize a human being, even if wearing a hat or sitting on a wheelchair.
They can even learn to cohabit with different species like cats, birds, etc.
Puppies keep on experimenting the various schemes of hunting, mating and fighting as they had already begun to do with their little brothers and their mother. The only difference consists in the fact that this time they also do that with “new” dogs. This is critical in order to learn the various submission and peace signals.
In this phase it is important not to leave the puppy by itself. It is necessary to help it and to guide it. It could also be very important to moderate it in its demonstrations when meeting dogs or other puppies that are not able to show clear limits or stop signals.
In my experience it is fundamental not to make a puppy interact only with other puppies but also and above all with well-balanced adult dogs that act as trainers for the young puppies.
What do you think of Cesar Milan ?
I think that his method is bringing dog training back to the Middle Ages. The “slave/master” approach is based on fear and total control of the dog. What surprises me the most is to witness owners who allow him to beat and strangle their own dog thanking him for showing them how to do the same.
Even here in Italy I sometimes see some cruel owner using the “touch" method or strangling his dog as Cesar teaches.
The dog/owner relationship should be based on mutual respect, on understanding each other’s needs and on tolerance towards natural differences. Having a dog does not translate into possession, but rather into relationship, complicity and mutual support.
What in life are you most proud of?
Being in the countryside with my family: my husband, my child and… my dogs, of course! I enjoy looking into their eyes, observing their movements and their attitudes and realizing that they are happy.
Plans for the future?
To keep on meeting the gurus of cynophilia , dog training, experimenting, being surprised and learning: in a nutshell, to keep on improving myself and my knowledge.
visit educazionedelcane.it
photos are a courtesy of Cristina Radice Fossati
videos
Rally Obedience gennaio 2011
by educazionedelcane
Mac Rush Obedience DOG classe 3
by educazionedelcane
Agility with Philipp Müller Schnick
by 
0 comments:
Post a Comment