Pop media has begun to highlight dog training, to show what is possible with even a little effort. Unfortunately, the featured trainers often use punishment-based training, so often the audience associates dog training with jerks of the leash, yelling and very little reward. 

Many punishment-based trainers will tell clients that you do not need treats to get a behaviour, you just need to be “dominant”.  These trainers use corrections such as a jerk of the leash when the dog does something wrong. In this style of training the dog is not motivated by just wanting to please you; it is trying to avoid the correction. The problem with this type of training is that, while punishment may decrease the frequency of an unwanted behaviour,  research shows  it also can produce other unwanted behaviour.  The outcome of a punishment can be unpredictable. Take for example a puppy that excitedly and playfully pulls toward new dogs. When his person yanks the leash to “correct” that behaviour, Puppy begins to see oncoming dogs as a predictor of the “correction”. Out of anxiety Puppy begins to bark at oncoming dogs and so the “corrections” become more severe. Puppy begins to associate oncoming dogs with the “corrections” and out of fear and anxiety his barking turns into growling, snarling and lunging at the end of his leash. 

To train without the fear and punishment you have to find a trainer who uses reward-based training, preferably someone who can show you how to Clicker Train your dog.  Clicker Training is a positive training technique which uses the unique sound of a clicker paired with a reward to indicate to your dog that he/she has done something correct. Clicker training produces thinking dogs. They learn to solve puzzles and they learn that their behaviour earns rewards or does not.  The best thing about Clicker Training is the bond that it develops between handler and dog – it allows you to train without punishment and without damaging your dog’s fun-loving attitude. 

Take that excited puppy that we talked about earlier and go back in time to when he was just excited to see the oncoming dog. This time his person is armed with a clicker and really yummy rewards. His person sees an oncoming dog approaching and gets Puppy’s attention. When Puppy looks at his person, they click and give the reward. Puppy is now torn between the oncoming dog and his person, but every time Puppy looks at his person, he hears a click and gets a reward. So Puppy continues to look at his person. When they are a couple feet from the other dog, Puppy’s person says “okay” and Puppy gets to happily greet and interact with the other dog. Soon Puppy learns that he will get to see the oncoming dog, but if he watches his person when a dog is approaching, he can earn rewards and still get to play – the best reward! 

For more information of Clicker Training, visit www.BauHoundHaus.ca or visit our store for books, DVDs or classes on Clicker Training.