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What is your preferred training style?

My canine behavior professor once said, "The only thing two dog trainers will agree on is that a third is doing it wrong." So, what's your favorite training style and what are the advantages and downsides to it?

4 Answers

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Positive reinforcement training is definitely my preferred method. I used punishment/reward based training many years ago and have been able to compare the 2. Most definitely found that positive reinforcement is faster and gets better overall results.

The downside to positive reinforcement training is that, on occasion, people get frustrated with their pet. Maybe the dog isn't understanding what you want, isn't motivated to do what you've asked, or is distracted or tired. When this happens, the trainer has to remember to stop the training and pick it up at a better time for the dog.

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Positive reinforcement is the best. Every dog is different so there are some dogs the need a bit more. Most dogs want to please you so the positive reinforcement is the right way to train a dog. It is work and you have to be consistent. It can be frustrating. I recommend a class or professional trainer. I had someone train me and then we trained my dog. It was well worth the money. He was the most obedient dog. People used to comment on how good he was.

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Clicker training is my favorite! I'm not a big lure-reward trainer because I don't want to have to fade the lure. I prefer to do All or None reward training for basic stuff (Dunbar's term): wait for the dog to initiate the behavior and then mark it. I also do some shaping, but I'm very big on letting the dog figure things out. I want them to sit, and down, and settle on their own without me having to always tell them.

I do use verbal corrections, but tend to shy away from physical corrections-- other than slow, gentle pressure when walking. I finally decided that since traditional leash jerks didn't get me any results and just made me feel bad, I wasn't going to use them. Some people might have success, but I just wind up frustrated and somewhat guilty feeling. If I'm having a particularly tough time getting nice leash manners, I'll do the Crazy Lady routine (i.e. 180 degree turns without any warning). That's been effective for me in most cases, but not preferred since it's so much back and forth.

I also do a lot of physical blocking and asking for space.

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Positive reinforcement for obedience training, and NILF for everyday manners.