Hello! My name
Stephen Rafe (pronounced RAY-fee). For more than 25 years
now, I have been working to put an end to harsh, punishment-based
training by helping dog owners and trainers understand and use
positive,
humane, state-of-the-art techniques. Throughout, I have taken no
personal income for my work in this field and this outreach program now
helps dogs and their owners on four continents. I regard this work as
my
way of tithing whatever talents God has generously granted me.
A Matter of Principles
Much of the success owners have experienced in using my
approach is
based upon the ethological principle that dogs, as a species, tend to
cluster into groupings and have clearly defined interactions for
determining rank order or "who's in charge." So an important part of my
work consists of helping humans understand how dogs communicate with
one
another and adapting our own interactions with our dogs to ways that
dogs understand best. Regardless of a dog's disposition, I have found
over the years that when there's harmony in the "pack," there's sweet
music in the home. I do volunteer work for canine rescue groups and
provide feature articles without charge to national breed publications.
I
also host and maintain two, free discussion groups on line for owners
and trainers who want to seek my guidance without charge.
Expert Witness
I serve as an expert witness on canine behavior in courts of law and in legal proceedings,
particularly in aggression cases. Currently, I have been retained as an expert
witness in canine-behavior cases in five states and the District of Columbia and have maintained my
neutrality and objectivity in serving both plaintiffs and defendants in near
equal measure.
Publications
My books, training manuals, pamphlets, audio-recording systems, and
related products are based upon years of studying animal and human
behavior, pursuing research, training my own dogs, and helping others
succeed with their dogs. My seminars and presentations cover the
full-range of dog behavior and training. I have been the About Dogs
column Editor for Quail Unlimited, a conservation magazine, since 1989
and am also the former dogs editor/columnist for Guns & Gear. In
addition, I served as a regular contributing writer to Off-Lead
magazine
for a number of years and my feature articles are published in several
national magazines and on various websites.
Serving without Judging
Some
people question why I carry "crossover" materials in my catalog. The
reasons are consistent with my dedication to saving dogs from abuse. My
publications that cover the use of electronic collars and chokechains
simply recognize that people use these devices. Therefore, the least I
can do is to provide well-researched information that will: Help them
understand the principles behind their use so they don't make their
dogs
even worse, try to guide them away from punishment uses and into
escape-avoidance uses, and show them the value of behavior-based
teaching and how to use positive reinforcement in dog training. Not
judging others in these areas enables me to fill an immediate need for
those who do use these training tools and establish a point of contact
that allows me to continue to help people learn new, far-more effective
methods of training, and feel good about how they train their dogs. In
all of my work in this field, my goal is always to do all I can to help
people train their dogs humanely and successfully.
Stephen Rafe owns and hosts two online discussion groups on canine
behavior and training exclusively for friends, professionals,
customers,
and others who would like to benefit from his methods without charge.
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