FAQs

When Should I Start Training?

Immediately! No matter what your dog’s age, he’s learning every minute of every day. Our responses and feedback towards him gives him information about what works to get the things he wants. Why let unwanted behaviors turn into bad habits that you then have to “fix?”

What Should I Be Looking For in a Dog Trainer?

Experience and Compassion. A trainer with a formal education who takes the physical and emotional well-being of your individual dog into account. A trainer who also keeps up to date of new developments in dog training and uses only humane, force-free methods. I use force-free training methods and adhere to the Humane Hierarchy and LIMA (Least Intrusive Minimally Aversive) code of ethics, as put forth by the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

What is Positive Reinforcement?

The basis of positive dog training is the learning principal that applies to all animals: “Behaviors that are rewarded (or reinforced) are more likely to occur”. Positive reinforcement or R+ is giving the dog good things for doing good behaviors. Over time the dog will continually perform all the rewarded behaviors. Undesirable behaviors are prevented, ignored and re-directed, making them unsuccessful for the dog. Positive training is not punishment-based. No choke chains, prong collars, shock collars or leash corrections are necessary or ever used. The result is a dog who is happy to be part of whatever we may need from him. Just because you think those expensive new treats are a great reward doesn’t mean they are. If your dog turns his nose up at them, they’re not much of a reward in his mind. A reward can be petting, verbal praise, a throw of the ball, a quick game with a favorite toy, sniffing the grass, or saying hello to another dog. The sky’s the limit. Consider which things your dog finds rewarding, and use them.

Why not use punishment? Surely we have to let our dogs know when they are doing something wrong?

Most certified and educated trainers know and understand that the use of physical punishment is unprofessional, unethical and unnecessary. Punishment such as choking or shocking a dog can temporarily shut down a behavior, but does not teach good behaviors and often creates new problems such as stress, fear, anxiety, distrust, and aggression. “The adverse effects of punishment have been well-documented. Punishment has been shown to elicit aggressive behavior in many species of animals. Thus using punishment can put the person administering it or any person near the animal at risk of being bitten or attacked.” (American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior Guidelines on the Use of Punishment for Dealing with Behavior Problems in Animals). I do not use or endorse the use of punishment as there is too much risk for long term damage, and creates negative side effects that will appear in other forms during the course of the dogs life.

How do you stop unwanted behaviors without punishment?

There are many ways to approach unwanted behaviors and ethical trainers often train what is called “incompatible behaviors” that is something that is incompatible with the unwanted behavior. For example: instead of punishing the dog for jumping on guests when they enter the home, we would train the dog that the door opening or the sound of the doorbell is the signal to the dog to go lie down on their dog bed. A dog cannot lie on their bed and jump on someone at the same time so they are incompatible with each other.

If you use food do I have to carry food forever?

No you do not. We will phase treats out gradually and begin to substitute lots of real-life rewards (like petting, games, the door opening for a walk), your dog will perform the desired behaviors even when you don’t have food with you. We use plenty of treats at first to teach and practice new behaviors. Eventually, a schedule of random (unpredictable) reinforcement, along with real-life rewards, will ensure that the good behavior continues. You wouldn’t want to stop getting paid once you got better at your job, so don’t forget to reward your dog sometimes for a job well done!

Dominance? Alpha? Pack Leader?

These terms are derived from a long-debunked myth about dog behavior as it relates to wolf behavior. Faulty research in the 1930’s was responsible for developing this theory about the “Alpha Wolf” dominating all others and fighting for resources. Renowned wolf expert, Dr. David Mech, long ago debunked this theory. In the decades since, the scientific community has gained more understanding and clarified its views on the subject. Wolf packs in the wild consist of family units in which the parents teach and nurture their puppies. They thrive due to their deep social bonds and cooperation, not as a result of dominating and fighting for resources. Sadly, popular culture continues to perpetuate misinformation, resulting in inappropriate treatment of dogs.

What is Force-Free Dog Training?

Force-free dog training is exactly that - training without force! Force-Free dog training does not use compulsion or aversive tools or any punishment for wrongdoing. We do not smack or shout at dogs. We do not use prong or shock collars. We only use positive, scientific-based methods, using your dog's genetic desires and personal likes to modify and change behaviors.

What Force-Free Dog Training is Not

Force-free training is not permissive. It is not letting dogs run wild. It is not the dog never having boundaries or consequences. It is not letting the dog do what they want when they want. Although we use a lot of rewards in our training, force-free training is not throwing hundreds of treats willy-nilly at our dogs.

Why Do Trainers label themselves as Force-Free?

If you meet a force-free trainer they are usually very passionate about it. This is because there is another method in dog training.

Some trainers still utilize punishment based methods when training dogs. They call themselves 'Balanced' trainers but we call them Aversive Trainers. These trainers use tools such as shock collars, prong collars and other equipment like choke chains and bark collars. They use punishment and suppression when treating behavior problems. Often they cite out of date theories about 'packs' and being the 'leader' which were debunked.

I am not going to tell you this training method doesn't work, because it does. What I can tell you is there are many ethical implications when it comes to training like this. Countless studies have proven it is less effective and causes higher stress levels in the dogs. It makes dogs less optimistic and less likely to try new things. It can make dogs suspicious of new objects, people, and places. It can suppress behaviors in certain situations but can cause them to pop up later. It can suppress warning signals and cause dogs to bite “out of the blue” which creates a very dangerous situation. A dog that has been punished for growling will then skip growling altogether and go right to biting with no warning.

Force-Free Dog Training Works!

It builds confidence, it increases optimism, it helps your relationship with your dog. It has been scientifically proven to be more effective and more ethical. It works and works very well. It doesn't make you uncomfortable or feel like you are hurting your dog. Modern, science-based methods are the best way to train.