Waterboarding

Many years ago I went to a Vince Rameriz seminar and he used the phrase ‘waterboarding’ to describe some handler’s approach to watering on the track. I know Vince, and I know what he objected too. Let’s discuss…

Waterboarding is defined by the dog. If you offer water in such a way that the dog shows discomfort or shows us he finds your approach aversive, that’s Waterboarding. It has NOTHING to do with the method used to water the dog. Mary Ann has both Bean & Jack happily licking water out of a squirt bottle—she squirts it out, they lap it up. No force, all choice. Trained behavior

I have a squeeze bottle with a bowl on top. Gusto drinks when it’s offered, if he wants it. It’s his decision…and since he DOES decide to drink (usually when it looks to me like he should), I know it’s a trained behavior.

We do not care what method you use to water your dog—bowl,bottle, hand—as long as you have a method, your dog does it willingly, and he drinks when he’s thirsty. Once your dog will drink willingly, then HE is allowed to decide if he’s thirsty!

Like many things, this is best trained off the track. Take your dog for a walk or take him hiking? Offer water from his tracking bottle. Come back from a track? Offer water from his water bottle, not from his water bowl in his crate. Add chicken stock or coconut water to the water in your bottle. You have to wean that (can’t use it in a test), but it can get the process started. Drop a piece of food in the bowl, add a tiny bit of water, let the dog slurp the water as he gets the treat. There are a million ways to teach them to drink, and you want them drinking from that bottle off the track! When you offer it on the track—OFFER, please don’t force.