I'm not familiar with the people you're talking about, but the method you mention sounds very much like a method touted by the English behaviorist John Fisher. He had books out on this some 20+ years ago, and he sold what he called "training disks", I believe.
Also common in training way back in the old days were throw chains, which were simply a couple sections of chain (maybe 6" long) attached together at both ends so that they rattled. When I started training back in the '80's we used these as a "boogie man" kind of distraction (throwing them near the feet of the dog when the dog wasn't looking at us, to break concentration on whatever they shouldn't be doing).
So I don't think that the method described is original to either Miller or Howe. They may have tweaked it to fit their training but the concept has been around for many decades.
I've used sound aversion very successfully with some dogs, to the point of changing unwanted behaviors in a single session. But it does have a risk - there are dogs that become very sound sensitive and fearful, even though the sound isn't linked with any physical correction. I remember a big malemute who just fell apart when we used this for his dog-to-dog aggression problems. It stopped him thinking about the other dogs in class, but he became very nervous and that lasted for weeks.
It's not a technique I encourage people to use without fully understanding how to do it properly and the risks involved.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
Also common in training way back in the old days were throw chains, which were simply a couple sections of chain (maybe 6" long) attached together at both ends so that they rattled. When I started training back in the '80's we used these as a "boogie man" kind of distraction (throwing them near the feet of the dog when the dog wasn't looking at us, to break concentration on whatever they shouldn't be doing).
So I don't think that the method described is original to either Miller or Howe. They may have tweaked it to fit their training but the concept has been around for many decades.
I've used sound aversion very successfully with some dogs, to the point of changing unwanted behaviors in a single session. But it does have a risk - there are dogs that become very sound sensitive and fearful, even though the sound isn't linked with any physical correction. I remember a big malemute who just fell apart when we used this for his dog-to-dog aggression problems. It stopped him thinking about the other dogs in class, but he became very nervous and that lasted for weeks.
It's not a technique I encourage people to use without fully understanding how to do it properly and the risks involved.
Melanie and the gang in Alaska
