Welcome to the page of knowledge! I mean that literally in the sense that learning any method of training  another sentient being requires EDUCATION and COMMON SENSE which seems to be a super power nowadays! By the time I graduated school (Animal Behavior College) in 2015 I was taught about 3 main types of training methods, Positive Reinforcement Training, Balanced Training, and Compulsion Training. In this section I will go over the differences between each of these methods and explain the pros and cons of each. Remember, there is no one or perfectly right way to train an animal. You can train a dog a thousand different ways, but in the end, the dog will tell you when they understand, and when you've done it right. I prefer to listen to the animal I'm working with and work to their benefit. That's just how I work, to each their own...

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Positive Reinforcement (Clicker) Training: Positive reinforcement training has recently caught on over the least 10-15 years and has become an increasingly more popular among today's mainstream pet owners. I'm all for positivity when it comes to teaching and learning, as it has shown through numerous studies that rewarding behavior during the learning process will increase the likelihood of that behavior to reoccur again in the future. First let me explain what positive reinforcement (R+) actually means.

Deffinition: In operant conditioning, positive reinforcement involves the addition of a reinforcing stimulus following a behavior that makes it more likely that the behavior will occur again in the future. When a favorable outcome, event, or reward occurs after an action, that particular response or behavior will be strengthened.

Example: A dog has a bad habit of jumping up on guests when they come in through the front door. The owner instructs the guest to turn their back to the dog in order for the dog to place all four paws on the floor. The moment the dog does so, the guests turns back around and begins to pet the dog. The instant the dog jumps up again, the guest repeats the previous step of turning away from the dog until they have "four on the floor". The second they do, the guest returns to petting the dog. For this particular dog, it only takes a few repetitions to make the connection that staying on the floor gets them what they want, attention from their new visitor! 

Now along with the positive reinforcement, the owner and guest were also using negative punishment. This form of "correction" is commonly used with positive reinforcement as a way to communicate to the dog that a particular behavior is not warranted and to try something else. When the dog/animal performs the preferred behavior, even something as simple as not jumping, that behavior will be rewarded. In this case, the reward was not a treat, but attention from the guest. 

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Definition: In behavioral psychology, the goal of punishment is to decrease a certain unwanted behavior. In the case of negative punishment, it involves taking something good or desirable away to reduce the occurrence of a particular behavior.

As seen in the example above, the dog was "punished" for jumping on the guest, but not in the way you might first imagine when you think of punishment. The human simply turned their body away from the dog, taking their attention with them. Since attention was what the dog was seeking, thus the reason for the behavior, the dog learned to change their behavior in order to achieve their goal, and it worked!

It's important to understand that a dog jumping up to take a whiff at our smelly face is completely normal dog behavior, although it may not be very much appreciated. 

The majority of PR trainers will work to avoid as much correction as possible. They will often only resort to corrections when they feel a correction is particularly necessary. Such  corrections include a (no reward marker) where the trainer will make a specific noise or speak a specific word and take the treat/attention/toy away as a way to teach the dog to try a different behavior. 

Example: The dog has been taught how to sit and will reliably respond 9 times out of 10. On the occasion that the dog does not respond appropriately, the owner/trainer might give a no reward marker( ah-ah! or sorry!), to tell the dog they will not be getting their reward and try again. 

When teaching a dog using a clicker, you first need to condition the dog by teaching them the the sound of the click means you get a treat. Once the dog understands the clicker, the meaning will become a means of ending a specific behavior, and the dog will be rewarded. Most positive reinforcement trainers will use (R+) (positive reinforcement) and (P-) (negative punishment), but never negative reinforcement (R-) or positive punishment (P+) which I will explain in the following methods. Some people have started calling the PR trainers "purely positive", this is actually not accurate. In fact, this is a harmful misconception that balanced and compulsion trainers use to manipulate new owners or new dog people to get them to follow their training methods. It's nothing more than name calling and bullying each other, and the PR trainers are not free of this type of behavior either. There appears to be a war going on between the different types of trainers out there, but in the end it's the animals that end up paying the price.

Balanced Training: Balanced Trainers are best known for their use of all four quadrants of operant conditioning. (Positive Reinforcement R+, Negative Reinforcement R-, Positive Punishment P+, and Negative Punishment P-). 

Definition of each of the four quadrants: There are four types of operant learning, defined as such because the behavior operates on the environment.  Two of the quadrants of operant conditioning strengthen behaviors, referred to as reinforcements. The other two of the operant conditioning quadrants weaken behavior, referred to as punishments. The quadrants are referred to as a negative reinforcement, positive reinforcement, negative punishment and positive punishment.  The terms positive and negative do not describe the consequence, they indicate whether a stimulus, has been added (positive) or subtracted (negative) to increase or weaken the preceding behavior (Chance 2008 p 126)

Many balanced trainers pride themselves on the fact that they do not limit themselves to just one quadrant of learning. They often promote that they have many types of "tools" in their toolbox that give them an upper hand when working with clients, because the majority of dog owners want QUICK results and don't want to have to "bribe the dog their whole life", or "rely on treats every time they want to call the dog back to them". The main types of tools balanced trainers use may include treats and clickers (although in my experience watching them demonstrate their training, they rarely use food while training a dog because they claim the dog "won't take the treat". Even though they are using regular kibble and often work in a high distraction environment.) They will also (more commonly) use slip leashes and collars, choke chains, pronged collars, shock collars (bark, electric, invisible fence), no pull harness, head halter, regular walk-in harness, flat buckle harness, compression air, and pretty much any other item available on the market. 

Example #1: A dog has a bad habit of jumping up on guests when they walk through the front door. The trainer places a Herm Springer prong collar around the dog's neck and attaches a leather leash to the end of it. The trainer explains that this brand of prong collar is of the best quality compared to the cheaply made collars you can buy from the local pet store. The trainer then waits for the dog to jump up on the guest and with a firm, downward jerk, the trainer pulls on down on the collar and gives the dog a correction. The dog gives a small yelp and immediately sits down at the trainers feet. The trainer wasn't necessarily trying to get a sit, but they will take any behavior that doesn't involve the dog jumping up on people. This technique uses positive punishment (P+).

Definition: Positive punishment is a concept used in B.F. Skinner's theory of operant conditioning. ... The goal of any type of punishment is to decrease the behavior that it follows. In the case of positive punishment, it involves presenting an unfavorable outcome or event following an undesirable behavior. In this case, the dog received a correction with the metal pronged collar hooked around his neck.

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Example #2: The owner of the same dog in the example above is has some concerns about this type of training method and what it will do to her dog long term (mentally and physically). She has requested that the trainer try a different technique that would require less force and intimidation. The trainer (same as in the previous example) agrees to use a *less evasive* option of training with their client, and they move onto another problem behavior the dog has been exhibiting. Barking when the doorbell rings. To extinguish the  behavior of barking at the door when the dog hears the bell, the trainer instructs the owner to ring the doorbell, therefore setting off the behavior that needs to be corrected. Notice the trainer in this example agreed to use a "less evasive"  method and not necessarily a "positive" method to train the dog. When the dog begins to bark, the trainer takes out a can of compressed air and aims it in the general direction of the dog. Not directly at the dog, but just above their head. The dog continues to bark and howl at the door even though the noise it seemingly made has ended long ago. The trainer pulls the trigger on the small can and it begins to emit very loud hissing noise that startles both the dog and the owner. The dog stops barking for a mere second, then continues barking again, only to get another loud stream of air. This time the dog stops and is immediately quiet. Since the dog has stopped barking, the air can does not continue to spray.Positive Punishment. 

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Example #3: The owner is surprised that her dog has responded so "well" to the training, and she is starting to see progress using this new method. It's not too harsh, but enough to get the dog's attention (or so she thinks). The owner and trainer continue to the next difficult task of walking the dog on a loose leash. Instead of using a prong collar, the trainer slips on a choke collar high up on the dog's neck just behind the skull. The particular collar they are using is one that is home-made from 1/4 in paracord that has been looped on both ends and one end slid through the other. This collar works very simple, it tightens when you pull up on the leash and loosens when you give it slack. However, the trainer explains to the owner that the dog is in control of the amount of pressure on their neck, because the DOG can choose to stop pulling and loosen the collar, or they can choose to keep pulling and keep the collar tight. The trainer and the owner start their walk through the neighborhood and as expected, the dog begins to pull. The thin rope-like material begins to tighten around the dogs neck. The trainer keeps a strong grip on the leash not giving the dog more than 2 feet of leash, and continues to apply slight pressure on the collar. Eventually the dog slows down and stops pulling against the pressure. When they do, the trainer loosens their grip ever so slightly to give the dog a little more slack.The dog pulls again, but this time they slow down quicker than before, and the trainer has to apply less pressure than before. After 2 minutes, the dog is walking perfectly by the trainers side and the owner is amazed at the difference. 

Definition: Negative reinforcement is a term described by B. F. Skinner in his theory of operant conditioning. In Negative reinforcement is a term described by B. F. Skinner in his theory of operant conditioning. In negative reinforcement, a response or behavior is strengthened by stopping, removing, or avoiding a negative outcome or aversive stimulus.

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The owner saw "results" from the training, but doesn't realize that the results are being caused by applying force in a very sensitive area. The pressure points around the dog's throat and back of the neck consist of the opposition reflex. This reflex causes the dog to go into fight or flight. *I'll go over this more in detail later on* for now, let's look at how the dog is being taught not to pull. ​

When the dog begins to pull against the pressure around their neck, pressure is applied, mainly by the dog's own force, but also by the human holding the tight leash. This is adding a negative stimulus to the dog for the unwanted behavior. When the dog slows down and stops pulling, the pressure is released. If the dog continues to walk at the preferred pace the pressure stays away, reinforcing the dog for the behavior of NOT pulling. The same technique can be performed with a wide flat buckle collar at least 1 1/2 inches wide, and even better if it's wider. The wider the collar, the more surface area it will reach, thus making it more comfortable for the dog. Secondly, this technique of  "Pressure and Release"can be taught using a harness as well.

When using pressure and release, timing is very important as with most training! When i use this technique, I first make sure the animal is comfortable with me walking them, if they are then we continue. I put the dog in either a harness (front clip or regular harness that clips in the back) a regular flat buckle collar/martingale, anything that's at least 1.5 inches wide. Then we start walking. When the dog starts to pull, I stop my forward motion, stopping the dog from walking forward as well. At this point the dog is still likely pulling on the leash, hoping to move on with our walk. I begin to start applying very light, steady pressure back on the dog's collar or harness. I am not jerking on the dog with quick sharp motions, I am slowly increasing the amount of pressure the dog is pulling against and wait for the dog to give into that pressure. As soon as they give me a single step in the direction I'm pulling them in, I instantly release the pressure on the leash and give the dog slack. If you keep consistent and repeat these steps every time the dog pulls, then moves back into the leash, the dog will learn to become more aware of the collar or harness pulling on his body and will become more responsive with less and less pressure. I use this technique as a safety matter to teach the dog how to cope in a stressful situation. If the dog were to get loose with their leash dragging behind them, and that leash were to get snagged on a tree, the dog would choke themselves, and flail around, possibly injuring themselves in the process. It is very natural for a dog to move against pressure. This is because of the opposition reflex. 

Definition: The dog's opposition reflex [is the] instinctive reaction to push against a push. Dogs have a natural resistance to pressure called the opposition reflex. If dogs are pulled in one direction, they will automatically pull in the other direction. The opposition reflex is your dog's natural instinct to resist pressure.

By teaching the dog to go against their instincts, we make them safer. But this takes time, so be patient! I have trained my own dog Adonis, currently an 8 year old Shiba Inu, how to walk in everything and anything using this method. I'm talking harnesses back and front clip, buckle collars, martingales, slip leads, head halters, everything except prong collars, choke chains and shock collars. In fact I used a choke chain and later a prong collar to teach Adonis not to pull under the guidance of a dog trainer *UNEDUCATED and very dangerous might I add* back when Adonis was only 6 months old. Needless to say, the "special" training collars didn't do a darn thing! And even if they had, I would have had to rely on them continually every time I want to take him for a walk. I decided to actually teach my dog by using his brain and not pain! And so I did, and over the course of a year, I taught Adonis how to walk in every tool I put on him. In fact, now he is so sensitive and in tune with the leash pressure that I can walk him with just one finger if I need to, and that's not because I'm relying on a spiked collar or anything electronic! Adonis is so good that I know I can trust him even when I injured my back, or my knees. He doesn't even pull on a retractable leash because he's been reinforced so much for not pulling. Believe it or not, I had to RE-TEACH Adonis how to pull in his official sled dog harness. You can achieve the same thing with your dog by using positive reinforcement and pressure and release. 

Example #1: A dog is known for pulling hard on the leash, and the owner has tried to stop it by using a choke chain, but the dog still pulls. The owner is baffled that the dog still continues to pull even thought they are choking and gagging and showing signs that they are having serious trouble breathing. After the trainer has explained the reasons for why her dog is pulling so hard (opposition reflex) and the dangers of using a choking collar, the trainer switches out the choke chain for a regular flat buckle collar and a harness. Because the dog has pulled so hard in the past, the trainer decides to give the dog a break for now and starts training them in the harness, but reminds the owner that she will eventually want to teach her dog how to walk appropriately in a regular collar as well just in case something should happen and the dog needs to be walked around the throat, they will know how to keep themselves from choking. The trainer and the dog get to work, walking down the road and sure enough, they begin to drag the human just about off their feet! So the trainer plants their heels into the ground and begins to gently but steadily pull back on the harness stopping the dogs feet as well. They give the dog a second to see if they will give into the pressure, but they don't. Instead, the dog stalls...very normal behavior to expect when working with some dogs. The trainer calls the dog's name, and they happily come running back to the trainer. The trainer may choose to click or not to mark the occasion of loosening the leash, then she gives the dog a tasty treat. Back on the walk they go, and back to pulling goes the dog. The trainer and the dog both stop moving and the leash begins to gently pull the dog backwards just enough to pull them off balance. This time the dog moves into the pressure and takes one step back. The trainer then immediately loosens the leash and starts praising the dog and gives them a treat. The two of them keep keep up this two step dance for the remainder of their 15 minute walk and by the end of it, the owner is even able to take the leash and walk with confidence. She doesn't have to reward the dog with treats by this point because the dog enjoys finds the real life reward of continuing the walk and smelling the trees and bushes just as rewarding as the treats.

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You can just as easily teach your dog to walk on leash without using pressure and release, and instead just call them back to you for a quick treat. Make sure that both you and the dog stop our forward motion when you go to call them back to you. The reason I like to teach a dog to give into pressure is for their general well being and to teach the dog to use their brain and think for themselves. If the get caught up on something, they know how to give themselves relief. 

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Compulsion Training: Ok, lets finally move on the the final option when it comes to training your dog. I have left this method for last and least, as it is NEVER necessary in my professional and personal opinion. Let's first start with the definition, which will speak for itself. 

Definition: Compulsion dog training uses positive punishment, such as leash corrections, and negative reinforcement, such as ear pinches or an electric collar. ... The concept behind compulsion or punishment based training techniques is that a negative response is given immediately during or after an unwanted behavior. 

Still not sure if this type of training is right for you and your dog, then maybe these examples will help you to decide. 

Example #1: A trainer is teaching a brand new dog he has never met before how to heel during a walk. They size the dog for an electric shock collar and pull it tight so it's nice and snug against the dog's neck, making sure it the metal nodes make direct contact with the dog's skin. Then the trainer attaches a leash to it, then sets it on an average setting of 10/100 and begins walking with the dog. Any time the dog gets out of position (in this case, the trainer demands that the dog have their head even with the human's left leg) the dog will receive a jerk of the leash and a pulse from shock collar. The dog moves back for a second, then begins to move out of position. The trainer adjusts the collar to level 15 and gives the dog a shock and jerk of the leash a second time, but the dog doesn't seem to get the idea. The trainer continues walking with the dog, adjusting the collar setting and jerking the leash along the way. While working with the dog, the trainer explains to the owner that this particular dog is very "dominant" and refuses to give up their "status as leader". Finally, the trainer gets the results after 15 minutes of testing the remote collar and popping the dog with the leash. The collar at this point is on setting 40/100. Throughout the process the dog gave out small yelps after being corrected with the collar but the trainer ignored it and explained that the vocalizations were a normal part of the process. By the end of the session, the dog is able to walk next to the trainer and owner without moving an inch further than the person's leg. The working level for the dog will

now start at 40 and go down from their as the dog continues training. 

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So, what do you think about this situation, would you consider this a win? The dog did make progress, so I'll give you that, but is this method really necessary? Really? Alright, lets try one more example and see how you feel.

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Example #2: A trainer is working with an aggressive German shepherd that is very reactive around strangers. Before they even begin to work on the behavior, the trainer instructs the owner to put a basket muzzle on the dog and crank it tight. The trainer tries to put a prong collar and shock collar on the dog, but during the process, the dog lunges toward the trainer barking and snarling. The trainer reaches next to him and places a catch pole around the dog's neck, then moves aggressively into the dog and stares down at them holding direct eye contact.With the catch pole in place, the dog cannot move forward, nor can they run away. The two stand their staring at each other until the dog finally stops growling and looks away. At this point the trainer asks the owner to come finish buckling the shock collar on and asks her to make sure the metal contact points are touching the skin under the dogs jaw. Now the trainer starts to walk the dog around and anytime the dog lunges or tries to snap at him, he hits the remote which is preset on level 50. The dog gives out a yelp and begins lunging harder at the trainer who still has the dog on a catch pole. The trainer bumps the collar setting to 60 and holds the button on continuous, which sends a continuous signal to the collar to keep shocking until the button is released. The dog yelps again, but this time they start backing away from the trainer and tries to lie down. The trainer releases the button and pulls the dog back up to a sitting position. He takes off the catch pole and tries walking the dog again. The dog follows at a good distance at the end of his 6ft leather leash. The trainer continues walking while applying continuous pressure on the leash to keep the dog moving in his general direction. The dog is no longer lunging, but they still growl when the trainer looks them in the eye. The trainer slowly starts to shorten the distance between himself and the dog. After a few minutes of walking, the dog shows acceptable behavior and the trainer begins step in closer to the dog while holding eye contact. Anytime the dog growls or stiffens up, the trainer taps the button sending the level 60 shock to the dog's collar. After another couple of yelps, the dog begins to show acceptance of the trainer being close to them, and even allows a pet or two. From start to finish the whole process takes 45 minutes to teach the dog to accept any stranger who walks by them. It will take a few more lessons to teach the dog to accept petting from a stranger, but that takes time. Either way, the owner is in tears over the "incredible transformation" and thanks the trainer for being their DOG'S last chance.​

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Ok, so what do you think now, still not so bad? Sure I gave you an extreme example, one that I have witnessed many times before. Don't believe me, go take a look at just about any dog trainer on YouTube. In fact, the highest rating trainers will use techniques just like this for behavioral problems JUST LIKE THIS! Go ahead, take a look for yourself. 

 

For those of you that actually believe that this type of "teaching" is acceptable, and even necessary, then I have no words for you other than you and I will are not very likely to get along. So I suggest you look elsewhere if you are looking for an uneducated trainer who relies on pain, intimidation, and pure force to make a lesser being submit to your will. 

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For those of you that clearly see this is not an appropriate way to train any animal, and that it's legal animal abuse, I hope your eyes are now open to the real truth behind the silver tongue so many successful trainers use to lure you into following their protocols, or talk you into leaving your best friend in their care for 2 or more weeks for no less than $1,000 and likely in upwards of $5,000 for a Board and Train program. But what are you really paying for? A solution to your problems of not understanding and miscommunication with your dog, or a brainwashed, emotionless, robotic shell of what used to be your loving pet. 

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I am not going to sugar coat the negatives that go on in the animal world, but my goal is not to crucify anyone who is willing to learn either. I should know better than anyone, I was as stupid and ignorant as anyone could be when I first started out with my dog. Adonis surely suffered from my lack of knowledge and common sense. Some of you might say that I was trying and I should't be so hard on myself, but the truth of the matter is that it doesn't matter if I tried, I still hurt Adonis and he had no choice in the matter. He couldn't tell me that the metal choke chain was causing him breathing problems any more than he could tell me that dog's don't forcibly throw each other to the ground and get in their face to establish dominance over one another. But thanks to him and my instincts to fight against what I felt was inappropriate and harmful training, we made it out of the other end, and we're doing ok. I made this site to teach you what I know now and what I will learn in the future to save you and your dog's the pain and trouble of going through what we went through. Trust me, I know that no animal lover really wants to hurt their best friend, but sometimes when we don't know what else to do, we will turn to anyone with a new idea and a confident attitude.  

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If you take anything away from this page, then do your research, ask questions *lots of questions* and most importantly, listen to your dog. I know they don't speak English, but they will tell you more than anyone what works for them, and I guarantee you no animal on earth would agree to the use of any metal pain device or electric shocking device to teach them right from wrong. 

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