“Positive” Dog Training—It’s Not A Meme For Pet Owners
If you’ve owned a few dogs in your life, chances are you’ve followed punishment-based recipes from some reputable sources. I know I have in the past. There was no such thing as positive dog training. Nada.
Remember “The Monks of New Skete”?
Training a dog was a series of Don’ts: Don’t bark, don’t bite, don’t jump, don’t–(fill in the blank). Be The Boss, a.k.a., Alpha!
Sometimes, these methods even worked. Why? Honestly, the biggest reason was luck: The dog happened to be “easy-going”; soft, or submissive. Or, we didn’t have kids back then. Maybe we scared the dog so badly, the behavior actually stopped–(we thought the cringing was an ‘apology’)–and hey, the dog wasn’t jumping anymore…right?
There is a better way to train your dog
Does anyone really enjoy being The Enforcer? Let’s face it; most of us are uncomfortable with the whole Alpha thing. The concept of Dominance doesn’t even apply to one individual, be it human or dog! (Here you go: “Dominance” refers to a complex system of relationships within a social group regarding access to resources)
Relax–You don’t have to get into all that stuff.
What IS important to know is, you and your canine companion do have something in common–all we both want to know is: “How Does This Work For Me?” It’s about feedback! We give and get information from our world all day long, and so do our dogs.
Positive Training is “Positive Feedback”
Lots of trainers talk about the concept of “all-positive training” like it’s a magic potion that somehow makes your pet decide to ‘listen’. It’s not. It’s a combination of scientifically proven techniques available now to teach your dog how to behave properly, using the right motivation and clear signals—Positive Feedback– …done the correct way!
Some old-school “hold-outs” say positive training means you have to bribe your dog (“show me the money!”) Wrong. Or, they say you can’t make rules and set limits. Wrong again!
Dogs respond better when they understand what you want, and when you want them to do it! It’s about delivering effective, well-timed Positive Feedback for behavior you want! Your time is valuable. Don’t you want to do it the right way?
This certified canine professional knows how to use force-free principles correctly. Remember, just because a dog trainer says, they ‘do’ positive dog training, doesn’t mean they do it properly, or know why it’s a better choice.
Force-Free, Positive Dog Training
It’s not an advertising slogan. Applying it effectively requires education, experience, and good judgement!