Puzzled Pets

25/03/2025

BALANCED DOG TRAINING ~ GOOD THING OR NOT?

Balanced training sounds like a good thing, right? I mean, when you hear the word, "balanced," things like a balanced diet, work-life balanced, balanced tires come to mind, right?

Well, balanced training is not a good thing. Balanced training is a disguise for training that uses force and aversive tools and methods as well as some form of positive reinforcement.

"Balanced" dog training is a type of training that has been well established to cause stress, anxiety, and even aggression. Let me be clear, there is no such thing as "purely positive" (training), a term coined by opponents of force-free positive reinforcement training to describe the way those of us who are opposed to compulsion and aversives train.

Trainers who ascribe to fear-free, force-free training methods DO use "punishment," but it is a form of punishment that most people do not understand as punishment. In behavioral terms, a consequence that stops behavior from reoccurring is called punishment in behavior science.

For example, if a dog jumps on me or a puppy bites me and I withdraw my attention, my withdrawal of attention is called negative punishment. In behavioral terms, negative punishment refers to removing something the dog wants, e.g., attention, to stop a behavior.

We rarely, if ever, use what is called positive punishment, the application of something aversive to stop a behavior. That's because it's rarely, if ever, needed or appropriate. This kind of punishment is often ineffective with negative consequences, and most, if not all of the time, there are better ways to train and modify behavior.

Force-free, or positive reinforcement trainers understand the Humane Hierarchy, LIMA (least intrusive, minimally aversive), LIFE (least inhibitive, functionally effective) and as of March 19, the new FREE (functional, reinforcing, enriching, and effective) models of training and behavior modification.

They understand the scientific principles of applied behavior analysis, and what to use when. They don't have a one size fits all mentality. They have a large tool bag, are generally eager learners, willing to try something new, and care as much about the process of training as they do the end result.

Beware and be wise!

Cindy Ludwig, M.A., B.S., R.N., KPA-CTP, CPDT-KA
Owner, Canine Connection LLC
Voted Best Springfield, Missouri Dog Trainer

21/03/2025

Let me say this louder for the people stuck in behavior advice from the 90's 📢

YOU CANNOT REINFORCE FEAR.

Fear isn’t a behavior—it’s an automatic, emotional response, like a fire alarm going off inside the brain.

Offering comfort and safety when a dog is afraid doesn’t ‘reward’ the alarm—it helps relieve the panic.

The outdated belief that reassurance strengthens fear is simply false.

It's not my opinion.

This is simply neurobiology.

Many individuals—particularly those who claim authority as dog trainers or professionals but lack formal education in animal behavior—often advise ignoring a dog’s fearful behavior.

This advice stems from outdated, dominance-based models.

These models incorrectly attribute fear-driven behaviors to a lack of leadership, control, or “alpha” status. Because they misunderstand fear responses as challenges to authority or as behaviors to be suppressed.

Sadly, they fail to recognize fear as an emotional state requiring support and co-regulation.

Instead, they focus on extinguishing behaviors.

When we offer comfort to a dog experiencing fear, it’s common to see the dog seeking even more reassurance.

To an uneducated eye, this may look like the behavior is worsening.

However, what’s actually happening is that the dog is beginning to trust the human as a source of safety and regulation.

This is a positive indicator of relationship-building and emotional resilience, laying the groundwork for longer-term behavioral stability.

🚨 PLEASE SHARE THIS to help others understand it's okay to comfort a scared dog!

And follow .plus.dogs for more truthful dog behavior advice

19/11/2024

Love all that Trick Woofs does

Sometimes when we choose a way to train our dogs that feels comfortable for us. It can be hard to talk about the struggles we continue to have.

We know others may choose a different way to train and that often makes us feel like our dog’s behaviour will cause us to be judged, not understood.

But I’m here to tell you, caring for another is hard, being responsible for another is hard, loving someone with their own pain and emotions is hard.

Because it’s hard, it doesn’t mean you’re wrong.

19/11/2024

APBC Full CAB Member Karen Wild reveals what your pet is really saying with their body language https://bit.ly/3YQXL5D

10/11/2024

We’ve been taking the opportunity to practice with these sheep. The electric fence does a good job containing them and allows us to pass slowly and calmly. Bramble has been known to get pretty excited when we walk through a field of sheep, especially if they start to run but is making excellent progress. Rather than rushing past (which is tempting!) instead we slow right down, gather lots of information, high rate of reinforcement for the behaviours we want. 👍🏻🐶

19/09/2024

Enjoying the last warm sunshine this week, happy 8th birthday Bramble! 🥳🎁🎉🎂

19/09/2024

It’s good to always take gifts. In multi dog households I make sure this is something with a low value in itself. This was a toilet tube with a few treats inside, a firm favourite it seems!

19/09/2024

I do love a bit of destruction in our sessions!

19/09/2024

The whippet did not love the narrowboat holiday unfortunately. Or should I say that she liked it as long as the engine was switched off! The rest of us had a great time and we even saw the sun 🌞 which was a bonus

19/09/2024

This lovely lady is making excellent progress. We are working on how to be comfortable away from the kitchen at mealtimes, especially when friends come to stay

24/05/2024

We are running this great little puppy course again in June. Please get in touch to book your spot.

03/04/2024

Booking on for this now, please get in touch.

29/03/2024

Starting in April - will be advertising locally but get in touch if interested. It is something Amanda and I have talked about doing for ages, can't wait to start!

www.canine-connection.co.uk

20/10/2023

Life with the whippet means a coat is required for garden visits!

21/09/2023

We've just had a last minute drop out so if anyone would like to join us tonight for our Gorgeous Greeters workshop please get in touch. It is 6-7pm in Portishead. Working on life skills to help those enthusiastic greeters focus on their handler in a safe space. Details attached.

24/08/2023

992 signatures are still needed! Stop dog abuser "The Dog Daddy" coming to the UK

21/07/2023

We have just completed a very successful four-week Reactivity Workshop.

All our (furry!) attendees have progressed and the handlers go away with new skills and more confidence to continue to practice what they learned. As with all training and behaviour modification, we focussed on the individual and tailored the exercises to them as well as giving them time out to reset as required.

We endeavoured to provide a safe space where dogs could work under threshold whilst learning life skills. In addition, handlers could be mentored in how to observe their dog’s body language and the practicalities of dog training.

Teamwork made the dream work thanks to assistance from Amanda and Kelly.

We will be running our next workshop block in September from Thursday 14th.