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Our first newsletter went out .The December newsletter's feature story
is about Chinas controversial killing of dogs and cat for fur clothing.
I also include some things you can do about it.
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* 101 Dog Training Tips Newsletter
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*
* Issue #1
* Published by:
* Andrew Ledford
* Copyright © 2005 Andrew Ledford
* http://101-dog-training-tips.com
*
* December 1, 2005
* 101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
* http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
*
* ==================================================
*
* In this issue
* 1. To reward or not to reward - Pet fur coats from China
* 2. New dog trainers directory
* 3. Looking for Mexico project volunteers
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Welcome to the first edition of the
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter.
December 1, 2005
I was planning on waiting until I'm finished with the
rewrite of my book before I posted the first
newsletter. I also wanted the first edition to be an
article on the effects of our language on training.
However, my plans have been changed by something that
calls for immediate attention.
While this article is about dogs, it is not directly
about dog training. However, I do touch on some
subjects that are covered in my book such as social
rules and the rules of incentive.
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1. To reward or not to reward - Pet fur coats from
China
Recently I saw a story on the BBC World News about dog
and cat fur from China. In the program they showed a
coat made from German Shepherd Dog skins and another
made from the skins of Golden Retrievers. The story
featured Paul McCartney announcing he would not
perform in China until they did something about the
pet fur trade.
The BBC aired video showed what appeared to be
needless cruelty to dogs and cat as they were
prepared for skinning. When it comes to animal
rights, I am a realist. However, I am also a
major advocate of people acting with responsibility
toward animals. So if what the BBC showed upset me,
most pet owners would think it very bad. Along with
the moral side of the story, there is a practical
reason why people should not heartlessly
mistreat animals.
The reason is that cruelty not only affects the
animals but also the one being cruel. When cruelty
is accepted as a cultural norm, it impacts many
areas of society. So it's not surprising that China
has a lot of death from industrial accidents. Most
notable in the resent news are coalmining accidents.
Seeing and learning about cruelty as a normal and
rewarded part of one's culture can have an
especially profound effect on the young. A young
person socialized to cruelty develops a different
kind of brain than one who is taught about
compassion. In this respect, all people are
the same.
In America we also have our own cruelty culture. I
realize we can't eliminate all suffering but we
don't need to endorse it. In fact it's our
responsibility to do all we can to prevent
needless cruelty. I recently watched an SPCA film
about dog fighting in America. I was horrified by
the impact culturally endorsed violence toward
animals has on our children. This is a big reason
why society needs to energize its effort to stop
dog fighting. Another pragmatic reason to stop
dog fighting are the other illegal activities
that accompany it. Dog fighting makes an important
point, while this cruel act may thrive in America,
it is not accepted by society or the government.
Laws and other social rule help shape a cultural
identity. If cruelty is encouraged it's likely
you will get a cruel culture. For this reason
it is in the long term best interest of all
countries to encourage compassion.
This brings me to why I decide to dedicate the first
newsletter to the issue of pet fur clothing. The BBC
reported that a Chinese official said it's the
European and Americans fault that they sell dog and
cat fur. I assume they mean that since we buy things
from China we are responsible for what they sell.
There may be some truth to this. When behavior is
rewarded it will increase. Especially when the
behavior is not moderated by the cultural constraints
of society. One of the governing constraints of
culture is government. And, in China the government
constrains a lot. At this time their policies seem
geared towards making money at all costs. It appears
most things are accepted if they make money for China.
This ranges from pirated property to dog fur coats to
unsafe coalmines. The system is changing,
although slowly.
Some of China's decisions sadden me. I am saddened
because I truly feel China is a great county with a
long and grand history. In fact, in my new book I
mention how much Chinese culture has influenced
me. Both in my approach to dog training and to life.
So, it's with some reluctance that I recommend this
Holiday Season we take the Chinese officials advice.
For at least one Holiday Season lets take Chinese
Products off our gift lists.
Since seeing this story air on TV I have gone to the
BBC website to read their story.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/asia-pacific/4476664.stm
On the BBC website the Chinese official is reported
To say Americans and Europeans should only stop
buying dog and cat fur. It seems they would prefer
collecting a lot of US dollars from the 60,000,000
pet owners for all their other products. It just
does not seem right that our dogs should contribute
to the suffering of dogs in China. I am suggesting
that over the 2005 Holiday Season we do not buy
pet products made in China.
Although I may have moved away from the subject of
Dog training, I have not left the theory of training.
This is easy to see when we understand the role humans
and dogs play in each other's economies.
World trade can show how incentive and rules
influenced behavior on a macro scale. Our dogs can
show us how these same rules work on a much
smaller scale.
101-Dog-Training-Tips newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
Website
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
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2. New dog trainers directory
We have introduced a dog trainers directory on the
website. Free listings are available to trainers
outside the Orange County, CA. and Los Angeles
Metro areas. These listings are for face-to-face
dog trainers not web based training programs such
as e-books.
http://www.101-dog-training-tips.com/dog_trainers_directory/index.shtml
We are continuing to give free directory listings to
other dog related businesses including dog breeders
and rescue groups.
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3. Looking for Mexico project volunteers
Looking for a volunteer Spanish speaker who would
be interested in helping to set up an educational /
dog training program for orphans in Mexico. This project
is in the planning stage. I hope to have some funds
set aside for this project within six months. I would
prefer working with someone local to the Los Angeles – Orange
County area. However I'm open to suggestions. Please
reply to the list or the phone number on this site
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips/
with contact information including your phone number
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Newsletters will be archive on the
http://101-dog-training-tips.com website a few weeks
after posting them to the group
Andrew Ledford
Concepts In Dog Behavior®
Concepts In Dog Behavior® is a registered Trademark
http://101-dog-training-tips.com
newsletter
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/101-Dog-Training-Tips
Copyright © 2005 Andrew Ledford
Concepts In Dog Behavior® is a registered Trademark
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