Enrich K9

Enrich K9 Enrich K9 - Recall & Prey Drive Specialist

12/03/2025

I try to stay out of politics unless itโ€™s to do with animal welfare but this government is truly trying to ruin the farming industry. ๐Ÿ˜”๐Ÿ˜ก

I hate to post pictures like this, but this is the reality of what happens when your little fur baby runs off in the cou...
11/03/2025

I hate to post pictures like this, but this is the reality of what happens when your little fur baby runs off in the countryside.

Wake up, smell the coffee and take responsibility.

Your actions (or lack of them) will result in all dogs being victimised.

This behaviour can be stopped with Ecollar training.

And before you say โ€˜keep all dogs on leadsโ€™โ€ฆ Iโ€™ve lost count of the amount of incidents that have happened when dogs pull their owners over.

Can any of my clients can help Kitty find a home? The Sussex Dogs Home
07/03/2025

Can any of my clients can help Kitty find a home? The Sussex Dogs Home

Just an average morning view ๐ŸฆŒ
06/03/2025

Just an average morning view ๐ŸฆŒ

I actually canโ€™t put into words how much I love this.This is perfectly written and couldnโ€™t be more correct if it tried....
05/03/2025

I actually canโ€™t put into words how much I love this.
This is perfectly written and couldnโ€™t be more correct if it tried.
Robert Cabral thank you for all your hard work and dedication to dogs.

A Response to a recent POST that MISREPRESENTS Balanced Dog Training

A recent letter contains a multitude of misleading statements about balanced training. While his passion for humane dog training is commendable, his claims distort the reality of balanced training and misrepresent the intentions and methods of professional trainers who incorporate both positive reinforcement and corrective feedback. Hereโ€™s a breakdown of why his argument is flawed.

1. Misrepresentation of Balanced Training
"HE" claims that balanced training โ€œrelies heavily on choking, shocking, and intimidating your dog into compliance.โ€ This is not only false but also a gross oversimplification. Balanced training does not rely โ€œheavilyโ€ on any particular method; rather, it is about using the most effective and fair approach for each individual dog.

Balanced trainers prioritize positive reinforcement but also recognize that learning occurs through both reinforcement and correction. Just as a parent teaches a child by praising good behavior while discouraging unsafe or inappropriate actions, balanced trainers ensure dogs understand both what is desired and what is not acceptable.

If balanced trainers truly relied only on punishment, as "HE" suggests, they would not achieve high levels of reliability, engagement, and off-leash freedom in various training disciplines, including competition obedience, agility, hunting, and service work.

2. Ethical and Effective Use of Tools
"HE" insists that balanced trainers use tools โ€œdesigned specifically to inflict pain, fear, or discomfort.โ€ This is a deliberate mischaracterization. Professional trainers use tools such as prong collars and e-collars as communication devices, not instruments of abuse.

A properly used e-collar does not deliver painful shocks but rather low-level muscle stimulation, similar to a TENS unit used in physical therapy. Many modern e-collars allow for incredibly subtle levels of stimulation, often lower than what dogs naturally experience in daily life (such as from a static charge on a carpet).
If these tools were inherently abusive, as "HE" suggests, they would not be used by respected professionals, search-and-rescue handlers, service dog trainers, and even veterinary behaviorists who specialize in modifying severe behavior problems.

Additionally, calling a prong collar a "choking device" is misleading. Prong collars apply pressure evenly around the neck, reducing the risk of injury compared to flat collars, which can cause tracheal damage when a dog pulls.

3. Misleading Interpretation of Scientific Evidence
"HE" references scientific studies to support his claims but selectively ignores research that contradicts his stance. While some studies suggest that excessive punishment can increase fear, stress, or aggression, the key factor is not the tool itself but the skill and technique of the trainer.

Scientific studies that examine proper balanced training methods show that when used correctly, corrections do not increase stress or aggression. In fact, a study by China et al. (2020) found that properly used e-collar training was more effective and less stressful than some purely positive methods when addressing certain behavior problems.

Moreover, overwhelming reliance on purely positive reinforcement has its own set of problems, particularly with behavior modification for aggression, reactivity, and off-leash reliability. Dogs, like all animals, learn through consequencesโ€”both positive and negative. Ignoring the role of corrections limits a trainerโ€™s ability to shape a well-balanced, well-adjusted dog.

4. False Claims About โ€œInstant Fixesโ€ and Guarantees
"HE" implies that all balanced trainers promise unrealistic, instant results. This is a strawman argument. No reputable balanced trainer claims that behavior modification happens overnight. In fact, many balanced trainers spend weeks or months reinforcing positive behaviors before ever introducing corrections.
It is the purely positive trainers who often sell the false promise that all dogs can be trained using only rewards, ignoring the fact that some behaviors (such as predatory chasing, severe aggression, or refusal to recall) require more than just treats to be reliably controlled.

5. Aversive-Free Training is Not Always Humane
One of the most dangerous assumptions in "HE"โ€™ letter is that avoiding all forms of correction is the most humane way to train. This is simply not true.
Allowing a dog to engage in dangerous behaviors (e.g., chasing cars, attacking other dogs, or ignoring a recall near a busy street) without using any form of consequence is irresponsible.
Many purely positive trainers rely on withholding reinforcement as their primary form of punishment, which can be just as frustrating to a dog as a momentary correction. In some cases, this method leads to more stress because the dog does not clearly understand what they are doing wrong.
Many balanced trainers work with severely reactive and aggressive dogsโ€”the types of dogs that purely positive trainers often refuse to take on because their methods are insufficient.

6. The Reality of the Dog Training Industry
"HE" argues that dog training is unregulated and that balanced trainers take advantage of this. However, this applies to all trainers, including purely positive trainers. Many โ€œforce-freeโ€ trainers have little to no real-world experience handling difficult cases, yet they claim moral superiority over those who achieve real-world results.

The true issue is not which method a trainer uses, but whether they have the education, experience, and ethics to apply it properly.

Conclusion: Misleading Rhetoric vs. Practical Training
"HISโ€ letter is an emotional appeal that misrepresents balanced training and misleads the public by equating it with abuse. In reality, balanced training is about effective, ethical, and evidence-based techniques that combine positive reinforcement with fair, humane corrections when needed.

Rather than attacking professional trainers with false accusations, the conversation should be about trainer competence, education, and the ability to tailor training to each individual dog.

Dog training should be about results, reliability, and respect for the dogโ€™s needsโ€”not about pushing ideological purity at the expense of effectiveness.

SHOW THE RESULTS OF YOUR TRAINING...

Even AI knows the answer
23/02/2025

Even AI knows the answer

โ„๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐•š๐•ค ๐•’๐•Ÿ๐• ๐•ฅ๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ ๐•š๐•ž๐•ก๐•ฃ๐•–๐•ค๐•ค๐•š๐•ง๐•– ๐”พ๐•ฃ๐• ๐•œ ๐Ÿ› โ„๐•–๐•ค๐•ก๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค๐•–. ๐•€๐•ฅ ๐•ฅ๐•’๐•œ๐•–๐•ค ๐”พ๐•ฃ๐• ๐•œ ๐•’๐•“๐• ๐•ฆ๐•ฅ ๐Ÿš๐Ÿ˜ ๐•ค๐•–๐•”๐• ๐•Ÿ๐••๐•ค ๐•ฅ๐•  ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•ค๐•ก๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•• ๐•š๐•Ÿ ๐•—๐•ฆ๐•๐• ๐•ฅ๐•  ๐•ž๐•ช ๐•ข๐•ฆ๐•–๐•ค๐•ฅ๐•š๐• ๐•Ÿ. โ„š๐•ฆ๐•š๐•ฅ๐•– ๐•’๐•ž๐•’๐•ซ๐•š๐•Ÿ๐•˜!

I am ๐™ซ๐™š๐™ง๐™ฎ impressed!:

๐™Œ: ๐˜ž๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜บ๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฌ๐˜ฏ๐˜ฐ๐˜ธ๐˜ญ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ๐˜จ๐˜ฆ, ๐˜ค๐˜ข๐˜ฏ ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ญ ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜จ๐˜ด ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜บ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ญ ๐˜ช๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ๐˜ญ๐˜บ ๐˜ต๐˜ณ๐˜ข๐˜ช๐˜ฏ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ฆ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ๐˜ช๐˜ณ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฉ๐˜ข๐˜ท๐˜ช๐˜ฐ๐˜ถ๐˜ณ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ช๐˜ง๐˜ช๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ธ๐˜ช๐˜ต๐˜ฉ ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ ๐˜ง๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฆ๐˜ต๐˜ฉ๐˜ฐ๐˜ฅ๐˜ฐ๐˜ญ๐˜ฐ๐˜จ๐˜บ? ๐˜–๐˜ณ ๐˜ช๐˜ด ๐˜ข ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ฃ๐˜ข๐˜ญ๐˜ข๐˜ฏ๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ฅ ๐˜ข๐˜ฑ๐˜ฑ๐˜ณ๐˜ฐ๐˜ข๐˜ค๐˜ฉ ๐˜ฎ๐˜ฐ๐˜ณ๐˜ฆ ๐˜ด๐˜ถ๐˜ค๐˜ค๐˜ฆ๐˜ด๐˜ด๐˜ง๐˜ถ๐˜ญ?

๐”พ๐•ฃ๐• ๐•œ๐•ค ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•ค๐•ก๐• ๐•Ÿ๐•ค๐•–:

With my comprehensive knowledge of dog behavior, psychology, learning theory, and training methods, Iโ€™ll tackle this question by examining whether a force-free methodology can successfully train or modify all dogs with any behavioral issue, compared to a balanced approach that incorporates both positive reinforcement and corrective techniques. This will be an in-depth, evidence-based analysis, grounded in real-world application and canine science, avoiding ideological bias.

๐˜ฟ๐™š๐™›๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™ฉ๐™๐™š ๐˜ผ๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™ค๐™–๐™˜๐™๐™š๐™จ

- ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™˜๐™š-๐™๐™ง๐™š๐™š ๐™ˆ๐™š๐™ฉ๐™๐™ค๐™™๐™ค๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™ฎ: Relies entirely on positive reinforcement (R+: adding rewards to increase behavior) and negative punishment (P-: removing rewards to decrease behavior), avoiding aversive tools (e.g., prong collars, e-collars) or physical corrections. Techniques include treats, praise, clicker training, desensitization, and counterconditioning. The mantra is โ€œdo no harm,โ€ prioritizing the dogโ€™s emotional well-being.

- ๐˜ฝ๐™–๐™ก๐™–๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š๐™™ ๐˜ผ๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ง๐™ค๐™–๐™˜๐™: Integrates all four quadrants of operant conditioning: R+ (rewards), P- (withholding rewards), positive punishment (P+: adding an aversive to decrease behavior, e.g., leash pop), and negative reinforcement (R-: removing an aversive when the dog complies, e.g., easing pressure). Tools like prong collars or e-collars may be used alongside rewards, tailored to the dog and situation.

โ„‚๐•’๐•Ÿ ๐”ฝ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•”๐•–-๐”ฝ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•– ๐•Ž๐• ๐•ฃ๐•œ ๐•—๐• ๐•ฃ ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐”ป๐• ๐•˜๐•ค ๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•• ๐”ธ๐•๐• ๐•€๐•ค๐•ค๐•ฆ๐•–๐•ค?

๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™ฉ๐™๐™จ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™˜๐™š-๐™๐™ง๐™š๐™š

1: ๐™€๐™ข๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™–๐™ก ๐™Ž๐™–๐™›๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ฎ:
- ๐™‹๐™จ๐™ฎ๐™˜๐™๐™ค๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™ฎ: By avoiding fear or pain, force-free builds trust, especially in anxious or fearful dogs (e.g., a rescue with abuse history). Studies (e.g., Ziv, 2017) show reduced cortisol (stress hormone) levels with R+ methods.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A dog barking at strangers can be counterconditioned (stranger = treats) to feel safe, modifying behavior without stress.

2: ๐˜ฝ๐™ง๐™ค๐™–๐™™ ๐˜ผ๐™ฅ๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™—๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ:
- ๐™‡๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™๐™๐™š๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฎ: Most basic obedience (sit, stay) and mild issues (jumping, counter-surfing) respond well to R+ and P-. A 2014 study (Hiby et al.) found R+ yielded higher obedience scores in pet dogs than punishment-based methods.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A puppy chewing shoes can be redirected to a toy (R+) and ignored when chewing wrong items (P-), resolving the issue.

3: ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™˜๐™˜๐™š๐™จ๐™จ ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™Ž๐™ฅ๐™š๐™˜๐™ž๐™›๐™ž๐™˜ ๐˜พ๐™–๐™จ๐™š๐™จ:
- ๐™๐™š๐™–๐™ง-๐˜ฝ๐™–๐™จ๐™š๐™™ ๐™„๐™จ๐™จ๐™ช๐™š๐™จ: Desensitization and counterconditioning excel at re-shaping emotional responses (e.g., noise phobias). A dog terrified of thunder can learn calm via gradual sound exposure paired with treats.
- ๐™‡๐™ค๐™ฌ-๐˜ฟ๐™ง๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š ๐˜ฟ๐™ค๐™œ๐™จ: Soft-tempered breeds (e.g., Cavaliers) often thrive on praise and treats alone.

๐™‡๐™ž๐™ข๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™จ ๐™ค๐™› ๐™๐™ค๐™ง๐™˜๐™š-๐™๐™ง๐™š๐™š

1: ๐™ƒ๐™ž๐™œ๐™-๐˜ผ๐™ง๐™ค๐™ช๐™จ๐™–๐™ก ๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š๐™จ:
- ๐™„๐™ฃ๐™จ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™จ: Dogs with extreme prey drive (e.g., a Terrier chasing rabbits) or over-arousal (e.g., a Malinois mid-reactivity) may ignore rewards when adrenaline spikes. The brainโ€™s reward center shuts down during intense focus, per neuroscience research (e.g., Panksepp, 1998).
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A dog sprinting after a deer wonโ€™t turn back for a steakโ€”force-free lacks an interrupt strong enough to break fixation.

2: ๐™Ž๐™–๐™›๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ฎ-๐˜พ๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก ๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™๐™–๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ง๐™จ:
- ๐™๐™ž๐™จ๐™ : Severe issues like aggression toward humans or livestock chasing near roads demand instant control. Force-free relies on gradual shaping, which may not act fast enough to prevent harm.
- ๐™€๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š: A 2009 study (Herron et al.) noted that owners using only R+ for aggression reported slower progress and higher relapse rates compared to mixed methods.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A dog biting visitors canโ€™t wait for months of counterconditioning if itโ€™s a legal liability today.

3: ๐™„๐™ฃ๐™™๐™ž๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™ช๐™–๐™ก ๐™‘๐™–๐™ง๐™ž๐™–๐™—๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ:

- ๐™‹๐™จ๐™ฎ๐™˜๐™๐™ค๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™ฎ: Some dogsโ€”especially confident, stubborn, or working breeds (e.g., Akitas, GSDs)โ€”test boundaries and need clearer โ€œnoโ€ signals. Force-freeโ€™s indirect approach (ignoring bad behavior) can be misinterpreted as permission.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A Husky pulling on leash might keep pulling if P- (stopping movement) doesnโ€™t outweigh the joy of the pull.

4: ๐™ƒ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™๐™ก๐™š๐™ง ๐™Ž๐™ ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ก:
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™š๐™˜๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ: Force-free requires precise timing, creativity, and patienceโ€”skills many owners lack. A 2016 study (Cooper et al.) found inconsistent R+ application led to frustration and stalled progress.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: An owner rewarding a jumping dog too late reinforces the jump, not the calm.

๐”ป๐• ๐•–๐•ค ๐•’ ๐”น๐•’๐•๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•”๐•–๐•• ๐”ธ๐•ก๐•ก๐•ฃ๐• ๐•’๐•”๐•™ ๐•Š๐•ฆ๐•”๐•”๐•–๐•–๐•• ๐•Ž๐•™๐•–๐•ฃ๐•– ๐”ฝ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•”๐•–-๐”ฝ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•– ๐”ฝ๐•’๐•๐•๐•ค ๐•Š๐•™๐• ๐•ฃ๐•ฅ?

๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™š๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™ฉ๐™๐™จ ๐™ค๐™› ๐˜ฝ๐™–๐™ก๐™–๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š๐™™

1: ๐™„๐™ข๐™ข๐™š๐™™๐™ž๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š ๐˜พ๐™ก๐™–๐™ง๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ:
- ๐™‡๐™š๐™–๐™ง๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ฃ๐™œ ๐™๐™๐™š๐™ค๐™ง๐™ฎ: P+ (e.g., prong collar pop) and R- (e.g., e-collar stim stopping when the dog returns) provide instant feedback, cutting through arousal or distraction. This aligns with how dogs learn from natural consequences (e.g., a pack mateโ€™s nip).
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A dog chasing cars stops mid-run with a low e-collar stim, then recalls for a treatโ€”faster than waiting for R+ to override instinct.

2: ๐™‘๐™š๐™ง๐™จ๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ ๐˜ผ๐™˜๐™ง๐™ค๐™จ๐™จ ๐™„๐™จ๐™จ๐™ช๐™š๐™จ:
- ๐˜ฝ๐™š๐™๐™–๐™ซ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ง๐™–๐™ก ๐™๐™–๐™ฃ๐™œ๐™š: Balanced tackles everything from obedience to severe aggression. A 2013 study (Salgirli et al.) showed balanced methods reduced leash reactivity in 80% of cases within weeks, versus 60% for R+ alone.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A dog guarding food learns โ€œdrop itโ€ with a leash correction (P+) and treat (R+), addressing the issue directly.

3: ๐™Ž๐™–๐™›๐™š๐™ฉ๐™ฎ ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐˜พ๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™ฉ๐™ง๐™ค๐™ก:
- ๐™‹๐™ง๐™–๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ: Tools like prong collars or e-collars ensure handler authority in high-stakes scenarios (e.g., off-leash near traffic), where force-freeโ€™s gradual pace risks failure.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A Pit Bull lunging at dogs is redirected with a prong pop, then rewarded for focusโ€”safe and effective.

4: ๐™๐™–๐™ž๐™ก๐™ค๐™ง๐™š๐™™ ๐™ฉ๐™ค ๐™๐™š๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ง๐™–๐™ข๐™š๐™ฃ๐™ฉ:
- ๐™‹๐™จ๐™ฎ๐™˜๐™๐™ค๐™ก๐™ค๐™œ๐™ฎ: Confident or dominant dogs often respond better to boundaries (P+) alongside rewards, mirroring pack dynamics. A 2010 study (Rooney et al.) found balanced training improved compliance in working breeds.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A Rottweiler ignoring โ€œstayโ€ complies after a mild correction, reinforced with praise.

๐™‡๐™ž๐™ข๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™จ ๐™ค๐™› ๐˜ฝ๐™–๐™ก๐™–๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š๐™™

1: ๐™๐™ž๐™จ๐™  ๐™ค๐™› ๐™๐™–๐™ก๐™ก๐™ค๐™ช๐™ฉ:
- ๐™€๐™ข๐™ค๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ๐™–๐™ก ๐˜พ๐™ค๐™จ๐™ฉ: Misapplied aversives (e.g., too harsh, poor timing) can increase fear or aggression. Herron et al. (2009) documented 15% of punishment-trained dogs showed escalated reactivity.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A fearful dog shocked for barking may bite instead, associating people with pain.

2: ๐™Ž๐™ ๐™ž๐™ก๐™ก ๐˜ฟ๐™š๐™ฅ๐™š๐™ฃ๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š:
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™š๐™˜๐™ช๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ: Balanced requires finesseโ€”incorrect use (e.g., constant prong yanking) turns it abusive, not effective. Trainers must pair corrections with rewards to avoid stress.
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: An owner overusing an e-collar without conditioning creates a shutdown dog, not a trained one.

3: ๐™€๐™ฉ๐™๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก ๐˜ฟ๐™š๐™—๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š:
- ๐™‹๐™š๐™ง๐™˜๐™š๐™ฅ๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™ค๐™ฃ: Critics argue any discomfort violates welfare, though no data shows balanced methods, properly applied, cause lasting harm (e.g., Schalke et al., 2007, on e-collars).

โ„‚๐•’๐•Ÿ ๐”ฝ๐• ๐•ฃ๐•”๐•–-๐”ฝ๐•ฃ๐•–๐•– ๐•Š๐•ฆ๐•”๐•”๐•–๐•–๐•• ๐•Œ๐•Ÿ๐•š๐•ง๐•–๐•ฃ๐•ค๐•’๐•๐•๐•ช?

- ๐™‰๐™ค, ๐™‰๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™›๐™ค๐™ง ๐˜ผ๐™ก๐™ก ๐˜ฟ๐™ค๐™œ๐™จ ๐™ค๐™ง ๐™„๐™จ๐™จ๐™ช๐™š๐™จ:
- ๐™€๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š: While force-free excels for mild-to-moderate issues (e.g., jumping, house training) and fear-based problems, it struggles with high-drive, safety-critical, or deeply ingrained behaviors where instinct trumps rewards. Studies (e.g., Blackwell et al., 2012) show R+ excels in controlled settings but lags in real-world chaos.
- ๐™๐™š๐™–๐™ก-๐™’๐™ค๐™ง๐™ก๐™™: A dog chasing livestock canโ€™t be reliably stopped with treats alone if itโ€™s never recalled off prey beforeโ€”time and risk outweigh feasibility.

- ๐™Ž๐™ช๐™˜๐™˜๐™š๐™จ๐™จ ๐™๐™–๐™ฉ๐™š:
- Force-free can modify most behaviors given infinite time, skilled handlers, and controlled environments. But โ€œall dogs, any issueโ€ includes outliers (e.g., a feral dog with no reward response) where itโ€™s impractical or unsafe.

๐•€๐•ค ๐”น๐•’๐•๐•’๐•Ÿ๐•”๐•–๐•• ๐•„๐• ๐•ฃ๐•– ๐•Š๐•ฆ๐•”๐•”๐•–๐•ค๐•ค๐•—๐•ฆ๐•?

- ๐™”๐™š๐™จ, ๐™ž๐™ฃ ๐™Ž๐™˜๐™ค๐™ฅ๐™š ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™™ ๐™Ž๐™ฅ๐™š๐™š๐™™:
- ๐™€๐™ซ๐™ž๐™™๐™š๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š: Balanced methods consistently show higher success rates across diverse behaviors and temperaments (e.g., Arhant et al., 2010). They adapt to the dogโ€™s psychologyโ€”soft dogs get more R+, tough dogs get firmer boundaries.
- ๐™‹๐™ง๐™–๐™˜๐™ฉ๐™ž๐™˜๐™–๐™ก๐™ž๐™ฉ๐™ฎ: For severe aggression, prey drive, or off-leash reliability, balanced cuts through where force-free stalls, offering faster results with proper ex*****on (e.g., Salgirli et al., 2013).
- ๐™€๐™ญ๐™–๐™ข๐™ฅ๐™ก๐™š: A GSD biting kids is managed with a muzzle and corrections (P+), then rewarded for calm (R+), resolving it in weeksโ€”force-free might take months, risking incidents.

- ๐™‰๐™ค๐™ฉ ๐™๐™ฃ๐™ž๐™ซ๐™š๐™ง๐™จ๐™–๐™ก๐™ก๐™ฎ ๐™‰๐™š๐™˜๐™š๐™จ๐™จ๐™–๐™ง๐™ฎ:
- Balanced shines for tough cases but isnโ€™t needed for every dog. A Lab learning โ€œsitโ€ doesnโ€™t need a prong collarโ€”force-free is enough.

๐•๐•–๐•ฃ๐••๐•š๐•”๐•ฅ

Force-Free: Canโ€™t universally succeed for all dogs with any issue. Itโ€™s limited by arousal, urgency, and individual temperament. Itโ€™s ideal for gentle dogs, mild issues, or fear-based problems, but falters with high-stakes or instinct-driven behaviors.
Balanced: More successful overall because itโ€™s flexibleโ€”matching the tool to the task. It handles the full spectrum of behaviors, from basic training to severe aggression, with quicker, more reliable outcomes when done right. The catch? It demands expertise to avoid harm.

๐™ˆ๐™ฎ ๐™Ž๐™ฉ๐™–๐™ฃ๐™˜๐™š

Iโ€™d use force-free for a fearful Spaniel with separation anxietyโ€”treats and patience heal it best. But for a prey-obsessed Malinois bolting toward traffic, Iโ€™d go balancedโ€”an e-collar interrupt plus rewards saves its life faster. No single method fits all; the dogโ€™s needs dictate the approach. Success trumps ideology.

What specific behavioral issue are you thinking about? I can refine this for your case!

๐šˆ๐š˜๐šž ๐šŒ๐šŠ๐š—'๐š ๐š›๐šŽ๐šŠ๐š•๐š•๐šข ๐š๐šŽ๐š ๐šŠ ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐š‹๐šŠ๐š•๐šŠ๐š—๐šŒ๐šŽ๐š ๐š›๐šŽ๐šœ๐š™๐š˜๐š—๐šœ๐šŽ ๐š๐š‘๐šŠ๐š— ๐š๐š‘๐š’๐šœ. ๐™ด๐šŸ๐šŽ๐š— ๐™ถ๐š›๐š˜๐š” ๐šž๐š—๐š๐šŽ๐š›๐šœ๐š๐šŠ๐š—๐š๐šœ ๐š๐š‘๐šŠ๐š ๐šŠ ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐š‹๐šŠ๐š•๐šŠ๐š—๐šŒ๐šŽ๐š ๐šŠ๐š™๐š™๐š›๐š˜๐šŠ๐šŒ๐š‘ ๐š’๐šœ ๐š–๐š˜๐š›๐šŽ ๐šœ๐šž๐šŒ๐šŒ๐šŽ๐šœ๐šœ๐š๐šž๐š• ๐š๐š‘๐šŠ๐š— ๐š๐š˜๐š›๐šŒ๐šŽ-๐š๐š›๐šŽ๐šŽ.

16/02/2025

Some cold hard facts from Lee, and as usual, spot on!

A tracker doesnโ€™t give you the right to let your dog off leadโ—๏ธA tracker wonโ€™t stop your dog being killedโ—๏ธA tracker won...
09/02/2025

A tracker doesnโ€™t give you the right to let your dog off leadโ—๏ธ

A tracker wonโ€™t stop your dog being killedโ—๏ธ

A tracker wonโ€™t stop your dog being hit by a car.โ—๏ธ

A tracker wonโ€™t stop your dog attacking livestock.โ—๏ธ

A tracker wonโ€™t stop a farmer from shooting your dog.โ—๏ธ

A tracker doesnโ€™t stop your dog approaching other dogs.โ—๏ธ

A tracker doesnโ€™t negate your responsibility to have control of your dog.

I am sick and tired of seeing these sort of posts on owners groups and people thinking itโ€™s funny.

This particular post was full of responses and comments from other owners that experience this behaviour regularly, yet they still let their dogs off lead.

Look at the map, look at the distance travelled, look how close the dog got to a main road.

Thankfully, this dog wasnโ€™t injured but do we know if it worried any livestock??

I just canโ€™t comprehend why and how owners think this is funny or acceptable.

โ€ผ๏ธIF YOU DONT HAVE A RELIABLE RECALL, DONT LET YOUR DOG OFF LEAD. โ€ผ๏ธ

Trackers are not the magic answer for poor training.

07/02/2025

As promised, a comparison of the new Dogtra 640X v 640C

06/02/2025

Get your popcorn ๐Ÿฟ ready and wait for the responses.

Please understand that prey drive is a genetic disposition that affects many different breeds.Just because youโ€™ve got a ...
04/02/2025

Please understand that prey drive is a genetic disposition that affects many different breeds.
Just because youโ€™ve got a cockapoo, doesnโ€™t mean they wonโ€™t chase and kill other animals.
Dogs have been on this planet for thousands of years before they were domesticated by humans.
Why should they suddenly stop doing something that is completely natural to them?
Why should they stop because we offer them a bit of cheese or sausage?
The sooner people understand that we canโ€™t replicate the enjoyment they get when chasing prey.
We can however teach them that this is no longer a desirable behaviour.

Please understand that prey drive is a genetic disposition that affects many different breeds.Just because youโ€™ve got a ...
04/02/2025

Please understand that prey drive is a genetic disposition that affects many different breeds.

Just because youโ€™ve got a cockapoo, doesnโ€™t mean they wonโ€™t chase and kill other animals.

Dogs have been on this planet for thousands of years before they were domesticated by humans.

Why should they suddenly stop doing something that is completely natural to them?

Why should they stop because we offer them a bit of cheese or sausage?

The sooner people understand that we canโ€™t replicate the enjoyment they get when chasing prey.

We can however teach them that this is no longer a desirable behaviour.

I had almost forgotten what blue sky looked like, I even got to see the big yellow thing! โ˜€๏ธ
30/01/2025

I had almost forgotten what blue sky looked like, I even got to see the big yellow thing! โ˜€๏ธ

Thanks to the lovely Ian Dogtra UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง I was sent one of the new Dogtra 640X which is the replacement for the 640C.Iโ€™ve p...
29/01/2025

Thanks to the lovely Ian Dogtra UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง I was sent one of the new Dogtra 640X which is the replacement for the 640C.
Iโ€™ve posted this picture so everyone can see the size difference/ comparison between the two.
If you would like me to do a full video comparison, let me know.
My first thoughts after using it for a few days is very good. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Thanks to the lovely Ian Dogtra UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง I was sent one of the new Dogtra 640X which is the replacement for the 640C.Iโ€™ve p...
29/01/2025

Thanks to the lovely Ian Dogtra UK ๐Ÿ‡ฌ๐Ÿ‡ง I was sent one of the new Dogtra 640X which is the replacement for the 640C.
Iโ€™ve posted this picture so everyone can see the size difference/ comparison between the two.
If you would like me to do a full video comparison, let me know.
My first thoughts after using it for a few days is very good. ๐Ÿ‘๐Ÿผ

Just wanted to say a massive congratulations to Hazel and Peanut for passing her level 1 gun dog last week Sue Cupitt Do...
28/01/2025

Just wanted to say a massive congratulations to Hazel and Peanut for passing her level 1 gun dog last week Sue Cupitt Dog Training, Headley

Peanut is a deaf Cocker Spaniel that I Ecollar trained a few years ago.

Hazel has done everything to give Peanut the best life possible and should be very proud of her achievements. โ˜บ๏ธ
๏ฟผ

For the last three days Iโ€™ve had the absolute pleasure of listening and learning from one the worlds very best dog train...
19/01/2025

For the last three days Iโ€™ve had the absolute pleasure of listening and learning from one the worlds very best dog trainers.

In my opinion Ivan Balabanov is a legend in the dog training industry so when I heard he was coming to the UK to do a seminar, there was no question that I would go and watch.

Ivan is a 2x World champion and 16x National champion (USA) in IGP dog sport but he is hugely talented when it comes to understanding dogs.

Ivan is a trainer that uses aversive training methods and tools such as Ecollars and prongs but his whole emphasis is on play and trust to get the most out of a dog.

It was fascinating to listen to him sharing some of his knowledge and showing us exactly how he works.
Iโ€™m a firm believer that we as trainers can always learn more from others and we shouldnโ€™t allow our egos to interfere with the ability to learn valuable skills.

If I could come away from this training having learnt one thing, it would have been beneficial. As it happens, my mind is buzzing with ideas and I canโ€™t wait to start implementing them in my training.

Also, special shout out to the amazing dogs that were used for demonstrations and Erick (training without conflict organiser) and his amazing dog.

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Hindhead

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