Training analogy

by **Caryll** Tue Aug 05, 2014 8:29 pm

Bob's check engine light has been flashing in his car for a while. Bob goes to his mechanic and says, I've had enough of this check engine light flashing. I don't want to spend a lot of money and I don't want to wait for a bunch of complicated diagnostics. It's annoying and all my friends keep bothering me about it. Fix it right NOW!
So the mechanic unplugs the light. No more annoying flashing light, no more complaints from friends.

Problem solved.

Well not really. The light is gone. But the light was a warning that something is wrong with the car. Now that light is off, it's going to be hard to actually fix the problem. We have the illusion of a fixed car. But now the car is actually worse.

When we have a dog who had been barking, growling and lunging for a while, we might be easily swayed by a force trainer who tells us that she can fix our dog 10 minutes or less. Sure she can yank, squirt, choke or shock our dog until he stops doing anything. But is our dog fixed or do we have the illusion of a "good" dog?
What we probably have is a dog who gives no warning when he is scared or worried. Which means strangers will get too close assuming he is a "good" dog. Not being able to bark, the dog might feel he has no other choice but to bite.

by LyndaW Tue Aug 05, 2014 9:55 pm

Very good analogy Caryll.

So as concerned dog owners, we don't unplug the warning light, which is there for a reason. And then we explore the mechanics of the dog's mind to find the cause of the warning light and cure the cause.

This is much more difficult than the quick cure of unplugging the light, but surely worth it in the long run.

by Shisa Wed Aug 06, 2014 8:18 am

Good analogy.
We can also add that you get mechanics that will give you the full diagnostics, charge you an arm and a leg to fix the engine and have the car in the garage for a month only for the light to be flashing a week after you get the car back.

I was going to post about such a 'mechanic' today.