A balanced and properly trained dog with a nice, even behaviour is the dream of every dog owner and the goal of every dog trainer.
But that is not what we usually see. We usually see mediocre training results regardless whether a dog was trained by a trainer or his owner.
The reason is that methods usually used for training a dog are exclusively “ positive” training methods.
Before I get misunderstood, let me make clear that I am not against positive training. On the contrary , it is because of the positive methods we use that our dogs are always happy to perform the commands with wagging tails and eager to train some more.
However good though, positive training alone is not enough. To have a good training result we need a “balanced” training approach. What does that mean? In it's simplest form , Balanced Dog Training refers to any approach to dog training or behaviour modification which involves the use of both reward based techniques and aversive consequences. In other words , the trainer shows the dog that their choices and behaviour can result in either pleasant or unpleasant results.
Most dog owners today will respond with aversion to the sound of the word “correction” because a false connection has been made between correction and abuse. What most people do not know is that the use of correction – or not – is the one thing that will make a difference to whether a dog will end up in a shelter or euthanized or to living with a dog that causes severe trouble with his behaviour putting at risk even his own life.
Yes, there are dogs that will not need correction during their training and may need very few or any during their lifetime. But these dogs are not the rule.
Personally when I refer to corrections I mean a pull to the leash of a dog wearing a flat collar. It has been over a decade that I have not had to use other types of corrections. I have nothing against the proper use of the tools in demand for the desired outcome and the person to define the tools in need is the dog trainer that has assumed to train the dog. Noting that “Alpha roll” and alike methods have no place in dog training.
Alpha roll and Old school training are the main two reasons why so many dog owners have the wrong impression about corrections and their usefulness. Any one who does not know what Alpha roll is can google the term and find out why such methods have no place in dog training. I will give you an example of Old school training so you get an idea of what it is:
The trainer wants to teach the dog the “sit” and “down” commands. He will put the leash on a collar or choke collar, give the “sit” command and lift the leash while pressing the dog's rear downwards. Thus the dog will find himself sitting. For the “down” command it goes like this: the trainer gives the “down” command and pulls the leash – and the dog - downwards so the dog will “down”.
If not, if the dog resists laying down the trainer will step on the leash to apply more pressure until the dog “downs”. The right term for “old school training” is “ escape and avoidance training". The dog will soon make the connection that when he hears the word “sit” he is forcibly pulled and pressed. An unpleasant experience the dog will try to avoid by swiftly performing the command.
To me, the ideal would be that dog owners accept balanced training for what it is and leave prejudice about corrections aside. Like I've already said, in order to have good results we need to have a balanced approach to dog training.
Meaning, positive training methods will be used as best they can and if during training or later in a dog's life there is a need for correction , correction will be used.
Any one who has seen a bitch correcting her puppies or an adult dog correcting a younger one will know what I mean by saying that our dogs are not as sensitive as we like to think they are. Correction is an inextricable part of a dog's life and a means of communication.
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