There's no doubt that Dog training has come a long way in the last decade. It used to be about forcing your dog to do what you want them to do. The use of choke chains and prong collars, quick snap corrections and harsh punishment has been all too prevalent and unfortunately far too many trainers and dog owners still use those same techniques today. Continually subjecting too many dogs to fear, force and intimidation.
With anxiety being the root cause for the majority of our problem dog behaviors, it makes sense that these are three energies that should be conscientiously and diligently avoided when it comes to our dog's.
An unwanted behavior corrected through harsh punishment quite often manifest itself in some other unwanted behavior and
If our goal is "a well behaved dog", creating anxiety through the use of "aversion therapy" is not only counter-intuitive it's counterproductive.
Dogs are extremely sensitive and ingrained with a strong sense of injustice. Fair conduct with them in all dealings is crucial to the bond building process. Negative approaches in your training will also lead to a breakdown in trust, resentment and fear.
In today's training negative, aversive techniques are giving way to education and positive reinforcement,
unburdening the dog of the responsibility for correct action and putting it where it should be, on the owner.
It’s difficult to place blame on the ways of the past. The learning curve for understanding the dog has been a steep one. We’re still not fully sure what’s going on in the dog’s head but one thing we are sure of, they learn best through Operant Conditioning and Classical Conditioning. Consequences and associations are two "sure things" shaping your dog's behavior.
Operant Conditioning, of course, is not a new concept but in the old days the problem was that the focus was on imposing only the negative consequences.
Focusing on the behaviors we want from our dog and consistently rewarding them for the
positive choices that they make increases the chances that those choices and
behaviors are repeated.
The power of positive reinforcement is evident in a dog's emotional and social
mindset and it’s evident in the strength of the relationship that you have with your dog.
Each time you replace a "no" with a "yes" you are building a bond full of trust, full of love
and full of respect.
Leaps And Bounds Training: Then vs. Now