Misconceptions About Positive Reinforcement Training

I practice positive reinforcement (R+) based dog training and try to incorporate the same strategies into my daily life with people. As such, I obviously support R+ training. I see no need to try to make myself scary when I can communicate efficiently without intimidation. I don't like being intimidated and I assume others don't either, dogs are no exception. I think it's the most ethical way of going about things in life. A lot of people tend to be dismissive at the mention of positive reinforcement, conjuring up thoughts of being too soft. While I can understand this point of view, I can address the common myths regarding R+.

Dog Training Shouldn't Be About Obedience

In what may be a progressive, new age way of thinking, I shun the concept of obedience training and obedience in general. In talking with many people about what they want in dog training, a lot of people express the desire for a dog who obeys commands unconditionally; one who will do what kids tell them to do, in a dog park during a hail storm while elephants are running amok. Indeed, the lay person is impressed when they witness the dog performing obedience commands at the owner's verbal request, as if this is the ideal in dog training. This kind of one-sided relationship leads to unrealistic expectations and flawed methods for attempting an unachievable ideal. Instead, we need to develop a realistic view point, not one based on the unrealistic ideal of obedience to people.

When Your Dog Gets Finicky at Mealtime

Sometimes owners have dogs that become picky eaters at mealtime. Their dogs may turn their nose at the food bowl or not finish the meal. While a lot of people have resigned themselves to the idea that their dogs are just naturally picky, I think that finickiness is a learned condition and is a result of improper management and improper training. It goes against a dog's natural survival instinct to turn away nourishment, so unless a dog is unhealthy or in a state of dying, turning away food cannot be a natural condition.

Dog Behavior Modification Primer

Does your dog go crazy nuts at the sight of the leash? If you answered yes, then you have already successfully modified your dog’s behavior! Of course for some people, the craziness might be an undesirable behavior. Since owners can train their dogs to go crazy at the sight of a leash, they can also un-train the craziness should they decide they want to. Accomplishing this is not terribly difficult if you are familiar with behavior modification fundamentals.  

The Delicate Nature of Verbal Cues (aka commands)

Common practice suggests that humans are supposed to control dogs using commands. After all, we are their owners. In this article I will explain, using modern training science and logical thinking and not dog pop psychology (mythology) as my basis, why we need to revise our common thinking.  From now on I will refer to commands as verbal cues because that's what they are, they are not commands (Pryor).  

Dog Pop Psychology - Mythbusting the Dog Whisperer

At around 2007 or so I started getting into The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic channel. I made sure to watch it every Friday evening.  In 2009 I got my first dog, a crazy whippet-terror mix. Inspired by my TV knowledge, I lived and breathed pack leadership, energy, and dominance with my dog. Leash jerks, finger pokes, foot kicks were a regular part of my dog vocabulary. In a matter of months, things between us were visibly strained. He wouldn’t approach me when I grabbed the leash and he would hide when I got mad. The shame is that when we first got him, he naturally gravitated towards me and preferred to spend his time laying near me. Now, it wasn’t all bad back then, but the bad moments stick with me. 

Working With Your Dog's Threshold - Controlling Craziness

If you have a reactive or excitable dog that reacts in an uncontrollable manner to something, someone, or somewhere, then it’s important to understand the concept of a threshold.  A dog’s threshold is the point at which the dog’s brain switches from normal thinking mode to over stressed mode.  Every dog, just like every human, has a threshold.  I am generally a pretty easy going guy, but if I’m standing in line and someone behind me keeps bumping me, eventually I’m going to lose it. An over-threshold dog is often mistaken as an aggressive or “redzone” dog, when in fact every animal has an over-threshold point.  When a dog is over-threshold he is incapable of learning.  Every dog responds to being over-threshold differently.