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Our own, Joanne Chanyi, introduced me to Sam Malatesta’s training method and video. I was interested and signed up for his seminar in Lansing the first weekend of March. What I noticed first was Sam Malatesta was standing in a doorway on the other side of the seminar room. I’d never met him before, but the beautiful German Shepherd Dog “off leash” giving him rapt attention was my first clue that he was our instructor.
The second thing that I noticed was his dog, Ettra, remained off leash for the entire lecture. She moved with him as he paced and spoke, and she either sat or laid down when he stopped to write on the whiteboard. He demonstrated leadership first-hand through her focus.
The third observation happened by accident. Beth Dumans, a Dog Scout instructor and more notably a well-known wolf expert, was there with her female mix, Anya, and we were sitting together. Beth noticed, as did Sam, that Ettra was thirsty. Sam told his dog he would get her water soon. Beth, being an alpha herself, took matters into her own hands and went to tell once of the volunteers to get Sam’s dog some water. The volunteer brought a water bowl to the front of the room, but not being an alpha, she quietly put it in the far left corner near where we were sitting and away from Sam - it was also away from Ettra. If Sam saw this, he didn’t acknowledge it or, as is most likely the case, he was aware and just let it play out. Ettra never took her eyes off that water bowl. She went about 3 feet away from Sam and then paced back and forth staying within an invisible boundary around him that she apparently would not cross as she kept her eyes on the bowl. It took Beth around 30 seconds to get up and get it and put it down within the boundary Ettra would not cross. Ettra immediately emptied the bowl. I was amazed. What control without a word from Sam. She wanted the water, she wasn’t leaving Sam. Her problem got solved, but Ettra did not break the rules to get the water.
His dog, Ettra, remained off leash for the entire lecture. She moved with him as he paced and spoke, and she either sat or laid down when he stopped...
All I know about Sam and his methods at this point is what I saw during the weekend and what I’ve learned from our telephone conversation. What I am certain about is that the man knows the GSD breed (and all breeds) and proved it with his relationship with his own dog. I’m impressed. I’m clear and have been for a long time that being an alpha to your dog, or being dominant, or asserting leadership, or being respected by one’s dog, however you choose to describe it, is an essential key to a successful relationship and the associated dependable behaviour and performance that results from it.
Another reason for the success of this seminar is Sam's assistant and friend, Jason Foucault. He studied with Sam for 6 years and has been a successful trainer in his own right since 1996. He and Jason continue to do occasional projects together, and the seminar was the first public teaching appearance since 1994. Sam said the seminar would not have been as successful without Jason's help because he allowed greater and stronger demonstrations that would not have been possible without him. And, I was certainly impressed at the availability of both Sam and Jason to answer questions right through lunch and breaks. Just when Jason was trying to get to his lunch, I had a quick question about my Mal, Zeus, and his dog aggression and Jason didn't hesitate to stop to answer my question. He really helped me put the whole issue into perspective. They made quite a team.
Leadership is what he advocates. I'm also clear that even though my Kyra has 35 titles and certifications, most of our success has been on her terms. When she wants to, she does! When she doesn't want to, she doesn't. I adore her, I spoiled her, I clicked and treated her, and I hate correcting her. As intelligent and as talented as she is, we could have earned many more titles and gone into depth with them if I had the relationship with her that Sam has with his dog. But, more than titles and performance, I would have the bond with her that I've only dreamed of having. This is why I'm interested in learning more about Sam Malatesta's methods and why I'm arranging for him to return to Michigan for a one-day seminar with our white dogs. It is never enough to just know there is a problem; you have to have a method and the understanding to solve it. This is why I'm excited. I have this intuitive feeling that Sam has the answers I've been looking for and is presenting the elusive missing pieces in a way that makes sense to me and may make sense to you.
I'm in awe of his ability to read both the dog and the human in the relationship. I watched him take dog after dog and quickly get compliance as the dog had no doubt who was in charge. He didn't use food. He didn't have a clicker. He didn't pat the dog and praise the dog for everything it did, but he was quietly in charge and the dog knew it.
I'm in awe of his ability to read both the dog and the human in the relationship. I watched him take dog after dog and quickly get compliance...He didn't use food. He didn't have a clicker.
Sam does recommend a set of training tools. He uses red collars that are a 5/8" wide Cotton Web Training Lead and a Check Choke Collar -- about 3 inches of this collar is a chain, like a choke chain. He sold these two pieces of equipment and his video, A Puppy for Life for $39.95. I bought it but since he couldn't bring them over the border from Canada, I have to wait to receive it by mail. Contact Sam if you would like to purchase this video training.
Sam told me in our telephone conversation that if people established leadership with their dogs, there wouldn't be a need for correction. He had to correct some dogs in some situations during the seminar, but they were on buckle collars and the situations were dog to dog aggression or dog to people aggression and the corrections were necessary in these circumstances with the amount of time that was available for each demonstration.
Sam says one of the greatest gifts we can give our dogs is to not have to leash them. He asked the participants how many people could say their dog had that freedom. I don't recall a lot of hands going up, if any. I believe that there is not one of us who own a magnificent White Shepherd who hasn't dreamed of having a dog they could have reliably off lead no matter where they were. I'm not saying, however, that Sam is telling people to take their dogs off leash, he is not, but he is saying that our dogs should be well trained enough to allow this. There are so many questions I have for Sam since the German Shepherd Dog is his breed!
One of the greatest gifts we can give to your dogs is not to have to leash them...[while we may not be able to always do this] our dogs should be well trained enough to allow this
I know three of our WS people who pretty consistently allowed their dog off lead with a reliable response. The first is Maurice Seeger with his beloved Q. This dog was under control whenever I saw him. The other dog is Mark Echterling's Shadow. I attended Dog Scout Camp with Mark and Shadow and she would lie at Mark's feet during lectures, and follow him from place to place in the building and around the campsite. She even behaved herself when Kyra rudely intruded into her space. The third person, and an extraordinary trainer in my view, is Debbie Martin with her dogs, Day and Lilly. And, in this instance all I can report is what I saw with my own eyes at one dog show in Indiana. Debbie was there with Day and either Q or Lilly and she didn't have a crate. The dogs were told to stay on a mat and stay they did. I want this experience with Kyra.
Sam seems to be first and foremost a problem solver. He worked with dog to dog aggression and pin-pointed which dog was the instigator and which owner intensified the problem and even how they did it. He worked with dog to people aggression. He worked with big Golden mix who was a cat killer. Before the demonstration was over, the cat was sitting on the dog’s head - being held by one of the trainers, of course. Sam in no way said the dog was cured, he was simply showing the steps to correcting the problem in a shortened version.
Sam answered the following questions to help give an overview of his philosophy. Of course, these are the questions I was interested in, if you want to know other things, feel free to go to his site and ask away at whosthedog.ca.
Sam's answer: The GSD is a unique breed in many senses. It is an intelligent dog that requires a very disciplined and direct owner. It is not a dog prone to being pampered, but excels when guided and trained in accordance to keeping it a dog first, thereafter making it human-like through correct approach and finish. This dog thrives on challenge and accomplishment within its inherent abilities -- but again, this is no different than a Labrador, Collie, Boxer or Poodle. They are unique as well, and thrive within their own realm of abilities. As for Ian Dunbar, yes he is well respected. But I personally don't follow Dr. Dunbar mainly because he advocates the use of the Gentle Leader ( gentle demeanor), and I have never needed that tool.
Sam's answer: Leadership is leadership. Some dogs are stronger, some more sensitive, shy, prey driven, defense driven, etc. A good leader will adjust themselves according to their dog's abilities, inadequacies or limits. They acknowledge their dog's capabilities and gear their approach accordingly, with a customized approach to training, and through understanding. All dogs have the same primitive mind. The difference lies in how their minds work and react according to their temperament and breed heritage. Why dogs are misunderstood is because they are stereotyped so to say Rottweillers are aggressive, Goldens are soft and cuddly, Shepherds are nervous and unstable, small dogs should be pampered, for example. And then they're made to live with human expectations imposed upon them, due to the emotions of their owners. This is wrong. If we were to be stereotyped and not looked at as individuals, there would be far more dysfunctional humans out there. If you approach dogs and their training and/or socialization according to individual temperament, at the end of the day all dogs should act relatively closely.
Sam's answer: People can re-establish themselves as good leaders to their dogs by starting over as if they've just received their dog as a new puppy. It starts with understanding their limits, disciplining themselves not the dog, being direct and consistent, understanding how their dog's mind works, and finally they must remember that the dog is a dog and not a human substitute with hair and four legs. Only then will they truly be capable of training their dogs to be human-like. Many people approach training in the physical sense. They forget about the psychological aspect of how the dog relates to other dogs and other people, but firstly to the master. My video explains this. I made a point that without psychological understanding, "heel, sit, stay and down" are unreliable as well. The biggest focus of my seminars is about establishing or re-establishing yourself as a fair and consistent leader.
Sam's answer: A GSD that is soft and lacking confidence or nerves is not a GSD. You are absolutely correct. I did not say that a tough GSD is better than a soft one, but let's re-visit the breed standard.
For 110 years Germany has incorporated a stringent breeding and temperament program based on performance and genetics. While I was at the Sieger show in Karlsrue there were 7,000 entries and at least 10,000 people in attendance at any given time. Dogs were doing Schutzhund on the field and then right afterward strange children could pet them. There were no bite incidents or dog fights when I was walking around. All of these dogs with all these people bumping into them, stepping on them by accident, etc. and yet there was no aggression. There were many loud ambient noises and no fear. There was handler transference and no shy issues or aggression.The question is why, and why is our North American counterpart not the same? Yes, many people say overblown aggressive Schutzhund dogs (meaning uncontrollable and overly hyper - not suitable for house pets, hard to handle or overly aggressive and volatile). But on the contrary, Schutzhund or similar tests are tests of nerves and temperament. We in this country have not incorporated a breeding requirement like that. We gage our dogs mainly on their beauty, and their ability to fit in as a family pet. Read into what I am saying. If these two prerequisites were all that is needed, why do our GSDs have such a bad reputation for being shy, nervous or overly aggressive? Yet the German SV Shepherd is so prized and so valued on an internationallevel. If stable nerves and patience are not bred into the dog then it isn't a well bred dog. This not only applies to GSDs, but all breeds.
Sam's answer: No we are not ever finished training our dogs, there is always something new, some new stimuli, which we must continually condition our dogs to accept. This takes work. It took me 5 years to perfect my old dog Thor. He never missed a single step on his off lead heel even when another dog lunged at him.
A dog is a life-long commitment requiring constant education and management. I just believe that we all can do it right. Not only for the sake of fairness to ourselves, but to our dogs as well. We all want to ensure them a happy life of freedom and bliss.
Sam's answer: My position on dog parks? Right now there is an alarming increase in dog aggression. I am seeing it in Labradors, Goldens, Shepherds, Dachshunds, Poodles, Border Collies, mongrels, etc. This alarming statistic has increased rapidly in the past 10 years. This was about the time that dog parks started to become established. My Puppy for Life video shows a dog park segment. Pay particular attention to the young Yellow Labrador playing with its hair up. I can talk about that sequence until I am blue in the face. Forsome reason people use the dog park as a social event to visit with other dog owners, and expect their dogs to be as sociable. I am not trying to knock the dog parks; in fact I love the concept. Where it has gone wrong is they should use the park as a training venue. Train the dogs in that environment. Introduce them properly; teach recall, not oblivion in play. They do this in Europe and have great success. All we need to do is educate other dog owners on how to do it properly.
Finally, I had a two-hour conversation with Sam just as I was finishing up this article. I regret I did not have a recorder available because everything he said was relevant to some aspect of my education and my ability to work with my four dogs Kyra, Callie, Abby, and Zeus. Some of the key points I jotted down included:
This is all for now, but I'll probably write again and share my progress with learning these methods and with how it is affecting my relationship with my dogs.
- Judy Huston
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