So Many Dog Training Methods Which One Is The Best For My Pet

It amazes me how many websites there are on dog training. I know that everyone of these people has a different approach or style of training to share with you. How do you know which way is correct? It can be very confusing especially if you are a novice dog owner trying to do the right thing for your pet. Let me briefly explain the differences, and you decide which method is best for your pet.

Years ago we had the "dominate pack leader" approach or the "Negative Reinforcement" method. Throw your dog on his back and hover over him and hold him down to show your dominance. Or the put a leash and choke collar on a misbehaving dog and hang him into submission. With the negative reinforcement technique a dog would be punished for failing to learn something or exhibiting a bad behavior. This is done by a beating or shock treatment. This sounds awful, but sadly it was the common practice not so long ago. Did it work? Yes it did but for all the wrong reasons and would cause other problems as well. What this did was cause a animal to behave out of fear and lose confidence. A dog that is fearful becomes aggressive (a time bomb). In my opinion this is not a proper training technique. A dog naturally wants to please his leader, but needs to be taught what is expected of him. This takes time and patients to accomplish.

Today we have the "Positive Reinforcement" technique. You basically reward your pet for any good behavior, and try to ignore his not so good behavior. A dog craves attention from his master. If he behaves in an improper manner you completely ignore your pet. When he sees that he looses your attention he will be less likely to repeat the bad behavior. The opposite technique is used for good behavior. Reward and praise your pet when they exhibit a good or positive behavior. Remember patience with your pet always. Your reward will be a well mannered and well behaved friend for life.

In summary, when looking for a good dog training method use your good judgment. Any method that requires physical punishing, prong collars, shock collars, etc. stay away. A good training method will be basically how you would want to raise your child. Positive reinforcement, praise, your time, and plenty of patience is all you really need to be successful.