Boundaries & Balanced Dog Training

While it may be possible for some dogs to be trained on a 100% reward system, I don't believe it's the ideal approach for most dogs. A successful training program is one that teaches with motivation and reward, but also introduces consequence. I would much prefer my dog endure a quick bump on a collar to learn he "has to" come when a danger may be present. There is value in making mistakes and learning how to productively respond to pressure and stress.

Most likely, your dog learned his first correction from his mother in his first few weeks of life when he suckled too hard for milk. A mother is the greatest demonstrator of how to properly execute an effective correction, its delivery, and its recovery. Some of you have probably already witnessed, but when a pup bites his mother during nursing, she is swift and fierce with her teeth. The pup yelps, she pauses and she returns to nurturing him as quickly as she corrected him.

The lesson of consequence should not end there. Some of our greatest lessons are learned from our mistakes. For those of you who know me, you already know that my training is dominated by my reward system. Rewarding my dogs is one of my greatest joys. But I felt compelled to share my philosophy in valuing balance in our training. I think if people understood better how to balance their puppies & young dogs' earlier on with boundaries, there wouldn't be the need for so much unnecessary pressure and stress later on. Transitioning dogs from you "want to" to you "have to" keeps them safe, centered, and balanced. Pressure & Stress play an integral role in our lives and the lives of our dogs. I teach behaviors with motivational techniques ("want to"), but once a dog is proficient in a behavior and chooses to ignore a command, its time to introduce ("have to") with a mild correction that does not cause harm to your relationship.
I don't want dogs to pay for these trainers' mistakes.