Sweet Pea The Dog

[mustlovdoggs]

Has anyone seen the dog named Sweet Pea on Utube? I saw it tonight and I was wondering how you guys feel about it. I think the dog was sooo smart but, I just felt bad for the dog. He didn't look like the is enjoying his training. Watching videos that you all have made in training your dogs, they look happy. This dog, Well check it out and let me know what you think.

[emmabeth]

Just to check, you mean Swee' Pea trained by Alex Rothacker...

Mmm. I watched a selection of videos inc. a performance on tv with David Letterman...

I thought the dog looked happier in the tv show than on the youtube videos, why that might be is purely guess work since theres seems to be no mention of how shes trained (and on the website neither, though plenty of photos of dogs in prong collars and wearing choke chains).

Nice to see there was some food reward involved, but over all there was something about the way the dog carried out the tricks asked of her (and the tricks she was asked to do themselves i wasnt too keen on) that I was not happy with either.

This may well just be the way this dog 'is', without knowing the methods used I really couldnt comment any further, but I will say - I would not be happy if MY dogs worked in that way.

[mustlovdoggs]

Yes Emm, Thats the one. That kind of training ( They call it extreme, dog training) is not right. I am glad that I'm not the only one the feels this kind of training maybe a little to extreme. At one point he had a long stick in his hand, I know one point he used it to guide her, but I wondered if he used it for something else.

[mustlovdoggs]

PS Emmabeth, Check out my spelling of Sweet pea on Utube there are New tricks listed. At the end of one trick some water gets on the ground , Sweet Pea licks it up. It was like he had not had any water.

[emmabeth]

Ill take a look at that one too. Did you see the Letterman show routine, she really did look happier there and I can only guess that perhaps she finds it more rewarding and maybe does not associate a tv studio with any form of punishment, but again thats a guess...

[emmabeth]

Ok, vid im watching now with her going up and down stairs balancing a glass of water on her head, he says he corrects her if she does it wrong because he knows she can do it, and he states a correction is a pop on the leash.

I do think he is trying to use reward - Im not utterly convinced she finds some of his praise that rewarding in itself - though the fact that shes avoiding punishment is probably more important to her. His 'good girls' and 'atta girls' etc have the same pitch as his commands, which come thick and fast and probably mean little to her, he rarely raises his pitch or softens it much and some of his praise is rather aggressive sounding.

Definately, I do not want my dogs to look like this dog looks. Ick.

[mustlovdoggs]

Ok, vid im watching now with her going up and down stairs balancing a glass of water on her head, he says he corrects her if she does it wrong because he knows she can do it, and he states a correction is a pop on the leash.

I do think he is trying to use reward - Im not utterly convinced she finds some of his praise that rewarding in itself - though the fact that shes avoiding punishment is probably more important to her. His 'good girls' and 'atta girls' etc have the same pitch as his commands, which come thick and fast and probably mean little to her, he rarely raises his pitch or softens it much and some of his praise is rather aggressive sounding.

Definately, I do not want my dogs to look like this dog looks. Ick.

Yes, Thats the one I saw that got me a little upset. For her to work so hard and the praise is not in a tone that made me feel that he cared about her.This was really all about him "what he can do with a dog" and not about how smart she is. I did not see the show she was on. Feel sad for her. I know there are so many more out there that are going through the same thing Saw the one that Noobs pulled up. Some people SUCK. Happy you all are here. Thanks for talking to me about this.

[emmabeth]

I cant see any reason not to put these vids on here..

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y68XVtBm ... re=channel

http://www.class-act.com/acts/PopeyeAnd ... opeye.html

Theres more on youtube which you can see by clicking on 'more from Alex Rothacker' so theres no need to link them all. Anyone else feel as uncomfy about this as we do?

[mustlovdoggs]

Why would you want a dog to walk up three flights of steps on her back legs? I don't understand.

[emmabeth]

Me either, or backwards up a flight of stairs with a glass of water on her head, blindfolded...

I suspect the answer is 'because I can make her do it'. Its about him, not her.

[Sarah83]

Why would I want to teach my dog to climb a stepladder to put a toy on the top step? Why would I want to teach him to weave through my legs? Or jump through my arms? Why would we want to teach them a lot of things? Sometimes it's not about the end behaviour, it's about the process of teaching the dog something just because we find it fun and they find it fun. It's something to do.

That said, Sweet Pea has more precision in one toe than Rupe has in his whole body but she doesn't seem to be enjoying what she's doing. She reminds me very much of a lot of the dogs I know who've been trained using correction based training. She seems hesitant and worried about making a mistake. It does seem that the tricks are taught to make the owner look good rather than give the dog something fun to do and work her brain. The guy even states that it's not a game to her in one video.

I find this little guy more impressive to be honest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHV_AVxG ... re=related

[emmabeth]

Ah well.. why do i teach Rocky to close doors, spin in either direction, crawl, walk backwards.....

Because he has an ever active mind and enjoys using it, and these are the ways I can engage his mind.. without indulging in behaviour that isnt appropriate (he would far rather chase sheep or hare or kill rats but the first two are illegal and our rats are pet ones!)..

If he worked like Swee' Pea does though... if the learning and accurate execution of these tricks were purely for my benefit.. then mm I don't think I like myself!

It isnt particularly the behaviours he teaches her to do, although I think she looks horribly uncomfortable on her hind legs ... its the how and the why that are the problem.

[Sarah83]

Because he has an ever active mind and enjoys using it, and these are the ways I can engage his mind.. without indulging in behaviour that isnt appropriate

Exactly. There's little point to a lot of the tricks we teach other than enjoyment and a way to get our dogs using their brains in ways we want them to rather than ways we don't. And for fun of course If my dog looks like Sweet Pea while I'm trying to teach him something (which has happened a few times, Rupert is easily upset) I stop and try to figure out why he looks that way and what I can do to make him comfortable again. Sometimes I just need to desensitize him to something about the trick (surface type, the position I'm in etc) before I start to teach the trick and sometimes he just doesn't enjoy it and we do something else instead.

It isnt particularly the behaviours he teaches her to do, although I think she looks horribly uncomfortable on her hind legs ... its the how and the why that are the problem.

I agree. He doesn't seem to be teaching her for her enjoyment but so that people can see what she can do and be impressed by it. And no, she doesn't look comfortable on her hind legs.

[mustlovdoggs]

Sarah, I look up the JRT named Jesse you are right he's great. He is enjoying the training, you can tell.

[emmabeth]

Jesse is great, what a smashing little dog and he looks to be having fun and enjoying working with his owner. Really nice to see! And a million times nicer than Swee' Pea (im sure shes a nice dog... but shes not looking like shes having fun!).