Never Shock a Puppy

No, not my title.  It's from Nevershockapuppy.com.  Check out their blog on POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT dog training as opposed to using shock collar.  Below is the Never Shock a Puppy Manifesto.  Check out their website for more of the great information they provide.  

Never Shock a Puppy Manifesto
http://nevershockapuppy.com/manifesto/

October 20, 2010

 

We believe dog training should be fun for both dogs and people, not a power struggle.

We believe dog training is far more about building relationships and trust than it is about instituting “control.”

We believe dogs learn our rules through efforts to bridges the communication gap between species.

We believe that we cannot (and should not) punish our dogs into behaving better — no matter their size, age, breed, or sex.

We believe in positive reinforcement dog training, where dogs primarily get rewarded for the behaviors we seek, not punished for the ones we don’t.

And, finally, we believe that any time someone hurts a dog, scares a dog, or intimidates a dog in the name of dog training, it damages the relationship and makes the dog afraid to do something “wrong,” rather than excited to do something “right.” Dogs who learn to love learning are far more likely to do as we ask.

I can't wait for their next campaign:  Never Choke a Puppy!

Repeat after me, "GOOD DOG!"

"GOOD DOG"

Does your dog know what this means? Do you say this to your dog often?

"Good dog" is the most important part of training your dog. "Good dog" lets your dog know it is doing something right.

When is your dog a good dog???

Whenever the dog sits when told. Whenever the dog doesn't jump up on someone. When the dog quietly watches you and wags its tail. When the dog is just laying there not getting into anything. I'll bet your dog is often a good dog - so take advantage and give positive reinforcement with a "good dog!"

I hear lots of people telling their dog "no." But why? Does it make any sense to say "no" when your dog encounters another dog? In that scenario, what does "no" mean? What was the dog doing that you didn't want it to do? Or do you just want to label other dogs as "no." What do you want your dog to do? Dogs are not creative in thinking up something nice to do after you tell them "no." If you tell a child to leave you alone because you're busy, he'll go play video games or get his own snack. If you tell a dog to leave you alone, chances are it won't go in corner and practice it's sit-stays! Tell your dog what you want it to do. For instance, maybe you could tell the dog to settle or go to its bed or get its toy.

Dogs don't respond well to always hearing what's wrong and never getting any feedback on what's right. when you say "sit," "sit," "SIT" and then just give the dog the silent treatment when it finally sits, how does it know that it's done what you wanted? Is your dog supposed to think that since you finally finished yakking at it that you must be happy? How about a "good dog?" How about learning how to help your dog be a good dog?

"Good dog" isn't just a verbal reward, it's a mindset. It gets you to pay attention to your dog and let your dog get attention for being good. Get started training your dog positively right away. Ready? Repeat after me, "GOOD DOG!"