Ever tried dog training?

The right training helps your dog be happy, confident and well-mannered, as well as free of behaviour problems - instead of a destructive, noisy or antisocial pests who cause you constant stress.

All dogs are need owners who are willing to train them, and no dog is ever too old to learn new skills!

We recommend using only dog-friendly training methods, which means rewarding desirable behaviours, ignoring or redirecting undesirable behaviours, and otherwise preventing behaviours that can't be ignored.

Rewarding a behaviour, e.g. by giving food treats, makes that behaviour stronger whilst behaviours that go unrewarded will disappear.

This is in contrast to training methods that use physical dominance, coercion or punishment to correct a dog for wrong action or try to force a dog to comply.

Methods based on punishment are sometimes claimed by owners to be "more effective" than positive reinforcement, however studies indicate that the opposite is in fact true and reward-based training results in higher levels of obedience and lower levels of problem side-effect behaviours.^{Houpt, 2004}

About Dominance and Punishment

The term Dominance refers to human beings using force or aggression to make dogs submit or defer, in an attempt to establish 'hierarchy'.

Dominance Theory is the outdated idea that this kind of force or aggression is necessary in training. 

Intimidation, physical force and aggressive acts like "Alpha Rolls" are inappropriate training methods, and can actually be dangerous.

Read the AVSAB Position Statement on Dominance Theory for more on why the need for dominance in training is a myth.

Punishment is the use of force, coercion, reprimands, aversives or physical correction in order to stop an unwanted behaviour.  Equipment used often includes choke chains, pinch collars or electronic shock collars.

Punishment has a number of serious drawbacks that make it an undesirable method:

   ► Using it with a reactive dog can be physically dangerous

   ► Punishment increases other behaviour problems in the dog

   ► If applied inexpertly it can escalate to abuse when behaviours don't change

   ► The trust and good relationship most dog owners are after is quickly eroded by punishment

Read the AVSAB Position Statement on Punishment for more on the negative consequences of using punishment in dog training.

Choosing a Trainer

Classes that avoid punishment and use rewards or motivational techniques in training are suitable for all dogs, young and old.

Finding the right trainer is important though, so take a moment to check what's going to work best for you:

Click here to find a trainer that's right for you.