Training Resources
The protocol is a program that was designed so that your dog could learn from it without becoming stressed and without learning to ignore the tasks because they were too predictable.
This resource covers everything from developmental stages to house training, as well as considerations for choosing the right puppy for you.
This resource discusses how to manage your dog from puppy to adolescence to adulthood. Key points include socialization, bite inhibition, and adolescent troubleshooting.
Fifteen tips for getting started with clicker training for your animal. This is an evidenced-based practice for clear communication with your pet.
The Whole Dog Journal put together this wonderful resource on how to read dog body language and what they are communicating to us with their bodies and expressions.
This short guide will help you understand what enrichment is and dozens of ways to get started on enriching your dog's life!
Why Training Methods Matter
In a survey of dog owners who use confrontational or aversive methods to train aggressive pets, veterinary researchers have found that most of these animals will continue to be aggressive unless training techniques are modified.
The purpose of this study was to review a series of studies regarding the effects of using various methods when training dogs. The reviewed studies examined the differences between training methods on a dog's physiology, welfare, and behavior toward humans and other dogs.
Behavioral effects of the use of a shock collar during training of dogs were studied. The conclusions are that being trained is stressful, that receiving shocks is a painful experience, and that the S-dogs evidently have learned that the presence of their owner announces reception of shocks.
It is Pet Professional Guild’s (PPG) view that electric shock in the guise of training constitutes a form of abuse towards pets, and, given that there are highly effective, positive training alternatives, should no longer be a part of the current pet industry culture of accepted practices, tools or philosophies.
AVSAB’s position is that punishment (e.g. choke chains, pinch collars, and electronic collars) should not be used as a first-line or early-use treatment for behavior problems.
Researchers assessed the efficacy of dog training with and without remote electronic collars compared to training with positive reinforcement. Given these results we suggest that there is no evidence to indicate that E-collar training is necessary, even for its most widely cited indication.
Dog training methods range broadly from those using mostly positive punishment and negative reinforcement (aversive-based) to those using primarily positive reinforcement (reward-based). These findings indicate that aversive-based training methods, especially if used in high proportions, compromise the welfare of companion dogs both within and outside the training context.
As a conclusion, European Society of Clinical Animal Ethology strongly opposes the use of e-collars in dog training and urges all European countries to take an interest in and position on this welfare matter.
Instrumental learning plays an important role in dog–human interactions. This exploratory study reveals the differential effects of the 2 training methods on dogs' behaviors; it suggests that training methods based on positive reinforcement are less stressful and potentially better for their welfare.
Because punishment was associated with an increased incidence of problematic behaviors, we conclude that it may represent a welfare concern without concurrent benefits in obedience. We suggest that positive training methods may be more useful to the pet-owning community.
When individual categories of potentially undesirable behavior were investigated, the type of training method used was also significantly associated with attention-seeking score, fear (avoidance) score, and aggression score.