It finally happened
We took off for Memorial Day weekend to our local favorite spot. We got checked in and took our dog over to the dog walk area. Our dog a Amstaff with already a flag(because of how she looks) on her ...
Forum Discussion
Dturn: That is well said. Physical force is a short cut for lazy, ignorant impatient dog trainers to get results and often leads a dog to fear, rather than respect humans.
From a dog trainers point of view:
Dominance IS:
-An assertive, confident attitude.
-Leadership. Leaders initiate the interactions; dogs follow.
-Controlling the resources (this one is easy, since you are the one with opposable thumbs).
-Calm consistency.
-A relationship where the dog instinctively turns to you, to meet his wants and needs.
This results in a companion who has confidence in your decisions and respects your wishes. He feels secure about his place in the family, and is not burdened with the weight of leading a "pack".
Dominance IS NOT:
-Hitting the dog.
-Forcibly pinning the dog to the ground regularly, just to "show him who's boss".
-Yelling at the dog.
-Punishment.
-Random acts of terrorism, which will lead to an unstable, fearful, and insecure dog.
I suspect the word "dominance" has a different meaning to each person.
When training, I AM the leader, but not through negative reinforcement or ever hitting or yelling at a dog. Every dog I have ever trained, (over 500) has been trained with positive reinforcement, whether it be a toy, a food snack, or just a high pitched voice saying "good boy" and showing the dog you are pleased.
The secret to easy dog training is to find what reinforcement works best for the individual dog, and then using it with consistency.
Now training the owners is a whole another subject, I heard that a 2X4 works well to get their attention.:)
From a dog trainers point of view:
Dominance IS:
-An assertive, confident attitude.
-Leadership. Leaders initiate the interactions; dogs follow.
-Controlling the resources (this one is easy, since you are the one with opposable thumbs).
-Calm consistency.
-A relationship where the dog instinctively turns to you, to meet his wants and needs.
This results in a companion who has confidence in your decisions and respects your wishes. He feels secure about his place in the family, and is not burdened with the weight of leading a "pack".
Dominance IS NOT:
-Hitting the dog.
-Forcibly pinning the dog to the ground regularly, just to "show him who's boss".
-Yelling at the dog.
-Punishment.
-Random acts of terrorism, which will lead to an unstable, fearful, and insecure dog.
I suspect the word "dominance" has a different meaning to each person.
When training, I AM the leader, but not through negative reinforcement or ever hitting or yelling at a dog. Every dog I have ever trained, (over 500) has been trained with positive reinforcement, whether it be a toy, a food snack, or just a high pitched voice saying "good boy" and showing the dog you are pleased.
The secret to easy dog training is to find what reinforcement works best for the individual dog, and then using it with consistency.
Now training the owners is a whole another subject, I heard that a 2X4 works well to get their attention.:)
