Posted on 10/06/2010 6:40:59 AM PDT by libstripper
SCIO, N.Y.—Gunner, a bomb-sniffing dog mustered out of the Marines for canine post-traumatic stress disorder, has found a new home with Deb and Dan Dunham, whose Marine son died in Iraq protecting the men beside him.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
Had to wipe my eyes a few times on this one.
I’d bet that those Marines who lived thanks to Cpl. Dunham’s bravery will never forget him. While the tragedy of his death is fresh, his legacy of heroism will live on through those he saved. This, in my opinion, is at the core of every soldier fighting for our freedom.
This family is truly exceptional! I hope good things for such loving people.
Labs, a man’s best friend. Hopefully they will help each other carry on for a long time.
Please add me to the ping list.
As Dad to a Lab named Gunner and a retired Marine, this story hits quite close to home.
TC
very sweet story!
OUH RAH!
Great post.
Cesar Milan. I’ve seen that show.
Nice story that these grief-stricken parents could help a MIL dog.
It seems this dog wasn’t cut out for combat. He doesn’t have the nerves. I wonder if he was actually trained around gunfire and such (you’d think), because it seems he would’ve failed the gunshyness test right away. By the article, apparently this dog never ever did any actual work there. He was scared right away, not after a long time of service, which wouldn’t be surprising. But this is.
Not to take anything from the story, but this is a direct consequence of the new ethic in dog training that is also being applied in public schools: Positive reinforcement only. It produces a product that is great at winning contests, short bursts of awesome frenzy in the enjoyment of work, but incapable of functioning under real-life stresses and pain.
I remember a story told by Michael Ellis, one of the finest trainers of dog trainers in the country, and a producer of world class Mondio Ring competitors. He was learning about motivational training long ago upon watching some AKC trials. He wanted that kind of enthusiasm in his dogs. So he got two puppies and went to it with the goal of making them into police dogs. Everything was going great until the moment came that they dog had to learn how to deal with confrontation. One of them collapsed into a worthless introvert, as if 'What did you do to me, this wasn't part of our deal.' The other tried to eat him.
You see the same sort of thing in public school children these days. It is no wonder either, because much of what passes for "ethology" these days in developing behavioral learning modalities taught at teaching colleges was learned as results of FedGov experiments with dogs in the 1950s and 60s.
Heartwarming, isn't it?
In short, if one makes everything a game using play as a reward without corrections for misconduct or disobedience, then what you'll get is a trainee incapable of dealing with the harsh reality of adverse conditions, particularly for long periods of time. Correction indeed toughens the trainee. I'm not arguing for "yank and crank" here, but for balance.
If you go to the link and watch some of his video, give it a couple of minutes for him to get going and you'll see why he's so good.
Great post. I know how much a dog can help those who experience the pain of a loss. Roscoe was a dog “stationed”at Korat while my dad few the Thud. I have heard many stories about how comforting it was to have Roscoe around for those who suffered losses daily.
Hero bump
I agree. I thought that immediately too when I saw the “hoping to play fetch”. It’s better than fat-inducing treats, but still. Weren’t we able to train serious dogs with serious measures before; no nonsense that might put the dog on the wrong focus?
Actually, I’d bet dollars to donuts this dog simply doesn’t have the right temperament/character for war work. He might be OK for airport security in the US, but it seems he is majorly gun shy, and I’d bet that is genetic, not “learned” or “untaught”. If he couldn’t even do any work there at all - that’s genetic.
Agree, with a proviso. Dogs these days are selected for play drive, for performance in competition by which to gain titles, by which to charge more for puppies. They are not bred for serious work. It sucks, and it doesn't matter what breed one is talking about. Breeders matter more than ever it would seem.
I'm into Dutch Shepherds for that very reason. Most trial freaks consider them "too hard." Me like'm hard dogs.
Wow those are impressive looking dogs! What sort of temperament do they have?
I have a pal in the Pentagon who is the USMC program manager for combat dogs. He has about a thousand active dogs and the demand has never been greater, because they actually do save Marine lives from IEDs. He told me the Corps invests about $65,000 for each trained dog that reaches combat.
Re: Gunner the Lab. Our current Gunner was imperfectly trained (read: Not at all) for the first three years of his life. He’s afraid of water. A Lab afraid of water simply does not compute, but he is. He barks like mad at his younger sister, whom we raised from puppyhood at the river, and who adores swimming. Early exposure and training make all the difference in the world.
TC
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