Article: One man and his dog Canines a lot like people, says trainer

Friday July 10, 2009

By CHRISTINA KOH

FOR canine behaviourist Edward Chin Yoong Sing, canines are a lot like humans.

Dogs, he said, had their own personality quirks just like people.

"I can look at a certain dog, for instance, and tell you the kind of character it has, or whether it has great stamina and can run all day," he said.

It was his empathy and fondness for the animals that spurred Ipoh-born Chin, 45, to shift to training canines from his previous hobby of producing show dogs.

For the past 18 years, the contractor has been training canines for protection and also for a sport known as Schutzhund which tests the ability of working dogs.

"There's a great sense of satisfaction teaching them to obey your commands. Training a really good protection dog should take six months if you want it to perform well," he said.

"When training a dog, you need to find one with strong character, good temperament and instinct," he added.

Chin, who is the the only Schutzhund trainer for the Malaysian Kennel Association in Ipoh. said the other factors to look out for include a natural defence and prey catching instincts.

"It's not easy to find these kind of dogs as some just don't have these instincts.

"I spend 15 minutes two or three times a day training a canine, usually at various locations in Ipoh, as I believe that the animals will become restless from long sessions," he said.

Asked how a dog is discouraged from disobeying or attacking another animal, Chin said the owner must make the dog understand that he does not approve of the behaviour.

"If your dog understands that it's wrong and yet still does it, only then do you have to correct him. There is no point correcting him when he doesn't know what he has done wrong!

"It would be unfair for the dog, and he will lose respect for you.

"It's all a matter of understanding his instincts," he added.

This article was taken from: The Star Online: Metro: North 10 July 2009