**Positive reinforcement**, BY DEFINITION increases behavior; it does NOT stop it.
While positive reinforcement is great for encouraging good behavior, it has its limits, especially when it comes to stopping unwanted actions in dangerous situations.
Dogs don’t understand our language, so when they’re about to do something risky—like running into traffic—you need to communicate urgency. A firm “No!” or a quick leash pop conveys the seriousness of the situation far better than trying to distract them with a treat.
Positive reinforcement, by definition, increases behavior; it doesn’t stop it.
Some trainers suggest teaching an **alternative behavior** instead, like having the dog sit quietly instead of barking. While that can work in controlled settings, it’s not always practical or effective in real-world situations.
Positive reinforcement and force free trainers like to refer to “science” and the “experts” to support their methods soooo:
B.F. Skinner, a renowned behaviorist, famously stated that behavior is influenced by its consequences. This means that actions followed by positive outcomes are more likely to be repeated, while those followed by negative outcomes are less likely to occur again. In dog training, this principle highlights the importance of not just reinforcing desired behaviors but also applying consequences (like corrections) for unwanted behaviors to decrease their frequency.
Corrections often get a bad reputation because they can make a dog nervous, but this usually happens due to inconsistency over-correcting or very poor timing. When done fairly and consistently, corrections help dogs understand boundaries and build trust.
Dogs don’t have a humanistic moral code and don’t resent corrections. In their world, corrections are a normal part of communication. Mother dogs and adult dogs use firm corrections to teach boundaries and prevent dangerous behavior. When we correct our dogs fairly, we’re speaking their
WHY are some people so against negative reinforcement!? NONE of the four quadrants are synonymous with “abuse” “bad training” “bad owners” or “incompetency”. Trying to say that any of the quadrants = abuse is absolutely ridiculous and frankly, HILARIOUS. 😂
This narrative limits owners and teaches them to feel bad about anything aversive. They feel they aren’t allowed to even say “no” to their dogs for fear of being ridiculed or trying to uphold some fake moral that doesn’t exist in a dog’s mind.
First, let’s clarify the quadrants:
The four quadrants of dog training:
Positive Reinforcement (R+): Adding something the dog likes (e.g., treats for sitting) to increase good behavior. It’s great for teaching new skills and building trust.
Negative Reinforcement (R-): Removing something unpleasant (e.g., leash pressure stops when the dog stops pulling) to encourage desired behavior.
Positive Punishment (P+): Adding something the dog dislikes (e.g., a quick leash correction) to reduce unwanted behavior. It’s not about being harsh, but about setting clear boundaries.
Negative Punishment (P-): Taking away something the dog enjoys (e.g., turning away to remove attention when a dog jumps) to decrease bad behavior.
BUT PUNISHMENT IS BAD 😤
IS IT THOUGH?
Misconceptions About Punishment:
Punishment is NOT synonymous with abuse.
Abuse is: the intentional infliction of harm, or suffering on another being. It involves cruel or violent treatment that causes unnecessary physical or emotional damage. Abuse goes beyond discipline or correction—it’s driven by malice, neglect, and it disregards the well-being of the victim.
“IT DISREGARDS THE WELL BEING OF THE VICTIM”.
Good dog trainers all want the same thing: the dogs and owners to have the best quality of life possible.
Those who limit the dog to a life on leash (for example) because they refuse to use tools that will give the dog more freedom and experiences because the t
Why have your dog wait for their food? What’s the big deal? Here are some of the reasons to teach your dog to wait for their meal.
Impulse Control: Waiting for food helps dogs develop impulse control. This helps with various aspects of training and daily life, as it teaches the dog to chill out and wait for a cue or permission before acting. It also fosters patience which many dogs lack initially.
Respect and Boundaries: By having your dog to wait for their food, you establish a clear boundary. This reinforces good leadership and helps your dog understand that resources like food are controlled by you, which is essential for a balanced relationship.
Calm Behavior: Many dogs become overly excited at mealtime, which can lead to unwanted behaviors like barking, jumping, or even aggression. By having them wait, you encourage calmness, reducing the likelihood of these issues.
Safety: In some cases, waiting for food can prevent accidents. For instance, if a dog is overly eager and rushes toward their food, they might knock over objects, people or other dogs (which can sometimes start a dog fight).
Adds structure: If you are looking for ways to add structure and predictability to your dog’s life, this is an awesome way to start!
Comment below with how structure has helped you dog!
#dogtrainingtips #foodaggression #resourceguarding
Thank you so much, @glenncbrooks and @joyli.designer !!
Mochi, and your family will always be dear to my heart. I’m so happy that she can go everywhere with you guys and run free off leash, which most huskies these days do not have the opportunity to do.
People tend to think huskies cannot be off leash trained and that their obedience should have low expectations. Mochi has proven this narrative wrong.
I’m so proud of you guys for keeping up with the training and giving mochi the best quality of life possible.
#huskytraining #huskies #hiskiesofinstagram #offleashlife #petdogtraining #trainedhuskies #testimonial #dogswhohike #itsadogslife #arizona #dogsofarizona #mesaaz
What ecollar training tips do you have? What helped the most?
E collar heel course on sale now! Type STEP BY STEP to get your copy!
#ecollartraining #ecollar #dogtrainingtips #tipsfordogs #offleashdogs
I am launching my virtual courses!! Starting with: “Step by Step”, an e collar heel course. Get your dog walking nicely in just a few days or less! (Some dogs may take longer but generally it’s a quick process).
Comment: Step by Step for your discounted deal! Just $20 dollars to get your walks calmer, safer and stress free.
This is cheaper than board and train or private lessons. Just $20 to learn start to finish e collar heel technique.
You will need only 3 times: a leash, a high quality e collar that has a continuous stimulation button and many levels of stim, and a flat collar (or prong collar or slip leash). Treats optional and not necessary for this particular technique.
I suggest the mini educator e collar from @ecollartechnologies
But why e collar heel? Why not use treats for all this? Treats can help teach a behavior but treats cannot PROOF a behavior under high levels of distraction.
What’s proofing? Proofing is a term in dog training meaning your dog has been exposed to certain distractions and will reliably comply even with those distractions present. Keep in mind that the dog decides what a “distraction” is. If it’s not distracting the dog it’s not a distraction.
E collars also SIGNIFICANTLY speed up the training process. Why is speed important? Because dogs only live an average of 13 years so why waste months of not years perfecting heel with treats? Why stay stressed on your walks any longer? Not only do treats take longer but treats will fail in the face of a difficult distraction.
What do the dog doesn’t take treats in certain situations or at all? What if they are fearful? Just don’t take them anywhere? That’s what some trainer would suggest. “Keep them under threshold”. To some dogs just being alive is over threshold!
Let’s be honest with ourselves. Life is stressful. We all have to deal with stress. So do our dogs no matter what we do to shelter them. It’s a healthy part of life living beings to lear
A release cue in dog training serves as a clear signal to the dog that they are no longer required to maintain a specific behavior or position.
Here’s why it’s important:
Clarity for the Dog: Dogs don’t inherently understand how long they’re supposed to stay in a certain position or maintain a behavior. A release cue provides a clear endpoint, letting the dog know when they can stop performing the task.
Consistency in Training: Using a release cue helps maintain consistency. It ensures that the dog only ends a behavior when you say so, rather than on their own terms. This consistency is crucial for reliable behavior.
Building Duration and Impulse Control: By using a release cue, you can gradually extend the time a dog holds a behavior, helping to build duration and improve impulse control. The dog learns patience and understands that waiting leads to a reward or the freedom to move.
Improved Focus: The release cue helps the dog understand the difference between “working” and “free” time. This distinction can improve focus and performance, as the dog knows when they are expected to be attentive and when they can relax.
Common release cues include: “Free” “Break” or “ok”. I do not recommend using “ok” as it is often used in everyday speech and can easily be said it front of the dog accidentally while they are holding command.
#dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainer #arizonadogs #arizona #mesaaz #dogobedience #balanceddogtraining
A little fun and games with my dogs and some of the boarding dogs! Wait for the end 🤣.
#dogsofinstagram #funnydogs #dogtreats #dogshavingfun #arizonadogs #dogtraining
Toby is an approximately 2 yr old doodle. He was recently adopted from a hoarding situation. He spent most of his life crated.
Toby displays classic resource guarding behavior. Although it is a natural behavior for dogs to guard valuables from one another to an extent (think wolves guarding a meal from others in the pack) when it’s extreme like this and targeted towards humans, it becomes dangerous.
Toby has a bite record with severe damage. The family who now has Toby struggles with integrating Toby into the family due to his behavior. They cannot safely get a collar on him or approach him when he’s guarding.
He guards food, toys and spaces. @azbullystrong has raised some money to get Toby training. We are still looking for donations in order to get him as much training as possible. I have donated some of my time to Toby but any contribution will help so that I can take more time to train him and the family can get the training supplies they need.
His case will be fully documented and available as a course on how to stop resource guarding.
If you are interested in donating to Toby’s training please contact @azbullystrong.
#resourceguarding #dogtrainingvideo #dogtrainingadvice #aggression #dogaggressionrehab #dogaggression #bitingdog #rescuedog #rescuedogtraining #doodle #goldendoodle
Surely I’ll be needing to calculate that any day now.
#dogtrainerlife #dogtraining #funnymemes #funny #dogtrainingmemes #thingsdoghandlerssay
A strong dog who pulls on leash can be a dangerous behavior. People have broken bones over a dog who has pulled them off their feet.
This dog, Zeus, almost outweighs his owner. She has fallen trying to hold him back on leash.
He’s gotten away as well and taken off.
That’s stops NOW. And it can for you too! Message me for a FREE demonstration of how I teach dogs not to pull on leash.
What other tips would you like to see?
#balanceddogtraining #ecollartraining #ecollar #ecollartechnologies #looseleashwalking #dogtraining #dogtraininghelp #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice
It’s always so nice to get feedback from students. This family is dear to my heart and I’m so happy that they have the relationship with their husky they have always wanted!! Thank you so much Glenn and Joy for this testimonial! #husky #dogtraining #balanceddogtraining #huskytraining #offleashtraining
Dog Training Testimonial: Mochi
It’s always so nice to get feedback from students. This family is dear to my heart and I’m so happy that they have the relationship with their husky they have always wanted!! Thank you so much Glenn and Joy for this testimonial! #husky #dogtraining #balanceddogtraining #huskytraining #offleashtraining
Working on getting your dog to hold the command for a longer period of time can sometimes be a frustrating challenge. Here are some tips to help work on duration with your dog:
Start in a quiet, low distraction environment: This will help the dog focus on the learning process without added distractions.
Start with Short Durations: Begin with durations the dog can succeed at. Reward frequently when they hold the behavior even for a few seconds.
Gradual Progression: Increase the duration in small increments. Reward often but gradually space out rewards as the dog becomes more comfortable holding the behavior.
Mark and Reward: Use a marker (such as “good”) to signify to the dog when they are doing the correct behavior and then reward.
Introduce Corrections for Breaking Position: If the dog breaks position before being released, guide them back to the position using a leash. You could apply a firm leash pop or e collar correction. Always say “no” in a neutral tone before applying a punisher.
Use of Release Command: A clear release command like “free” or “break” teaches the dog when they can stop holding the behavior. This creates clarity around the expectation of duration. Always, always use a release command before letting the dog break the command.
Environmental Proofing: As the dog becomes better at holding duration, begin adding distractions. Correct breaking behavior but ensure to balance it with rewards when the dog resists the distraction and maintains their position.
#funnymemes #dogtraining #dogtrainingmemes #raygun #raygunbreakdance #olympics #olympics2024 #breakdancing #dancing #dogtrainingtips #dogtrainingadvice #balanceddogtraining
Does your dog know how to stay in a down but is constantly scanning the environment or overly aroused during their down stay? Teaching the double down can significantly improve their state of mind and teach them self soothe.
If your dog knows:
-How to hold and down stay
And
-How to turn off e collar pressure
Then you can get started!
Put your dog into a down stay. Start at the lowest level your dog feels or lower (you can always work your way up levels little by little). Hold down the e collar stim on *continuous* and as soon as their head touches the floor you stop holding the button down. If your dog pops out of the down stay due to the e collar then your levels are too high. Simply put your dog back into the down and try again at lower levels. To help then out you could also try saying “down” while holding down the continuous stim button on your e collar. This tends to get them to try and get more into a down position than they already are.
Start in a quiet, low distraction environment and gradually work your way up to harder distractions and different environments.
Let me know if this works for you! Like this video and follow for more tips!
#DogTraining, #PuppyTraining, #DogLovers, #ObedienceTraining, #PetTips, #TrainingTips, #DogBehavior, #PositiveReinforcement, #DogCare, #PuppyLove, #DogTrainer, #PetTraining, #DogObedience, #CanineTraining, #PetLovers, #DogLife, #PuppyTips, #DogAdvice, #DogMom, #DogDad, #DogOwner, #PuppyPlay, #TrainingDogs, #Doggy, #DoggyDaycare, #PuppyObedience, #PetAdvice, #DogTrainingVideo, #PuppyTrainingTips, #DogTricks
Taking your dog into a public setting requires:
⭐️ A solid down stay
And
⭐️ Leash manners.
Never worry about your dog acting a fool in public again! Follow us for tips and contact us for support!
#dog #dogtraining #dogtrainingtips #husky #pitbull #balanced #balanceddogtraining #balanceddogtrainer #workyourdog #publicaccess #ecollartraining #trainyourdog
5am hike with friends and dogs ♥️ #hike #dogswhohike #dogswhorun #traineddogs #beattheheat #whippet #bordercollie #ibizanhound #malinois #dobermanpinscher #arizona #arizonasunrise #ecollar #ecollartraining #dogtraining #traineddogshavemorefun #like #follow
This is why I do what I do. So people can enjoy their dogs!
