There are a variety of trainers out there who use a variety of training methods. In The US where I live there is no licencing or school/college/training programs required to set up a training place & label yourself a dog trainer. Now some dog training facilities or places do require you train under them for a certain amount of time. One of the “Big Box” Pet store that is very well known only requires you take your dog thru one of their 6-8 week classes & you can apply to become a trainer & if hired you get to teach obedience classes. (I knew someone who did this). A certified positive trainer in my area, must take classes & pass tests showing positive training results with an actual dog to become certified as a positive trainer & then take continuing education course to keep their certificate current.
There are 4 basic ‘quadrants’ of training which are Positive reinforcement, Negative reinforcement, Positive punishment & Negative punishment.
Positive Reinforcement is when you add something a dog likes (treats,praise or toys)to increase a desired behavior.
Negative Reinforcement is when you remove something a dog doesn’t like such as pressure on their neck to increase a desired behavior (example, dog sits & pressure/poking/jerking on their neck is removed).
Positive Punishment is adding something a dog dislikes or hurts (leash/collar correction, a startling noise) to decrease a behavior.
Negative Punishment is taking away something a dog wants (attention,toys) to decrease a behavior (example: turning away when a dog tries to jump on you).
You need to investigate, ask questions & observe trainers to know what method(s) they use. If a trainer won’t let you observe a class before you sign up to take a class with them find another trainer. A trainer should be proud of what they do & not try & hide it. There are trainers who have bandannas on dogs in photos on their websites all sitting politely & you think wow (Warning shock collars may be under those bandannas). In more recent times trainers have started using the term “Balanced Trainer” but most people don’t have a clue what that means.
A “balanced dog trainer ” is a trainer who uses both positive & negative reinforcement (along with punishment). The term balanced really lacks a strict definition & can very widely in the methods they will use. Some believe the end result justifies the means (so any method that works is fine, no matter how painful). Some balanced trainers focus on positive & use aversion (pain) as a last resort while others learn heavily on correction.
Force free/ Positive only trainers will not use aversion methods (choke/prong or shock collars) to teach a dog desired behaviors. They use methods of redirection verses correction & focus on the idea that we repeat what we get rewarded for. (examples: you go to work because you get paid which is yr reward for working. You go to a park because it is pretty & you see things you like which is rewarding. Your dog sits & you praise & give it a treat, your dog sits again.)
I hope this has shed some light on the different types of training out there & what each quadrant type of training actually means. I have written 3 other published posts regarding some facet of training that you might find interesting if you haven’t read them please check them out they are #45, #57 & #85. The list of all my published posts can be found on my home page under the 3 lines “show” in the upper left corner. Once you find one you want to read, you can scroll down to it from the home page.
My goal of this blog is to educate & use my 20+ years fostering & lifetime of pet ownership to help as many pet owners I can to help their pets to thrive & not just survive. Also to strengthen the bond we have with our beloved pets. If you are finding my blog interesting, &/or educational please help me get the word out there about my blog. You can help by clicking the like button at the bottom of my posts, visiting often & checking out all my other posts (97 to date). Share my blog on your social media sites, or email friends & family so they can check out my blog as well. Comment on what you have learned or ask a question. If you subscribe to my blog you won’t miss any published posts, you will just get a notice when I post, not spam. If you have a question or an idea for a post topic feel free to email me directly at echoinggreatpetcare@gmail.com Thank you, Debbie
Echoing Great Pet Care 