Dogs are very simple creatures. They are not burdened by the
same emotional baggage as humans. They live in the present, and they learn from
their environment, from experience and most of all, from their owners. Most of
pet dog behavior has been trained by the owner – intentionally or
unintentionally.
Owners struggle needlessly with their dogs’ behavior
problems when they overcomplicate things. For example, we know that the keys to
housebreaking are supervision and confinement. Yet owners will come up with an
endless number of theories as to why their dogs are going to the bathroom in
the house: he’s upset that Joe is away on business, he’s jealous of the new
dog, he’s being spiteful and so on.
We know that fearful dogs are uncomfortable with strangers.
Yet owners come up with all sorts of interesting theories as to why their shy
dogs have bitten people – he was carrying a box, he had on red shirt, he
smelled like another dog, etc.
As professionals we can be of tremendous help to our clients
when we help them cut through complicated theories and focus on simple
solutions. Stick to the basics and keep
things simple.
How do you housebreak a puppy when you live on the 3rd
floor? Use the elevator. How do you walk a dog on a prong collar when you
have trouble attaching the prongs? You practice until you can do it.
Purely positive trainers create complicated click-and-treat training
protocols designed to encourage differential reinforcement of incompatible
behavior, while ignoring the undesirable behavior. This results in frustrated
clients who give up on their dogs. In
contrast, balanced trainers teach their clients how to simply and
effectively correct undesirable dog
behavior.
We must never lose sight of the huge benefits that our
programs have for our clients – simple, effective solutions that give fast
results will help enhance the bond between dog and owner. With a balanced approach to dog training, dogs learn
what to do and what not to do.
Purely positive trainers teach owners how to respect their dogs’
feelings. Balanced trainers teach owners how to correct their dogs’
behavior. Rewards are a good way to
teach a dog what to do, but they are a bad way to teach a dog what not to do. Simple.
