Training is not only a series of goals to be celebrated as each is achieved, it is a journey with different views to be enjoyed along the way continually strengthening the bond between dog and people.

There is typically more than one training technique to solve a problem or teach a command. No single method is always right or wrong. I believe, whatever the method, there should be a basis in science. One method may be successful to accomplish a specific behavior only to create issues in another area. For example, you see your puppy peeing on the carpet, you yell “Fluffy, stop it!” and you grab her and put her out side the back door. You think “I stopped her from going on the carpet” but Fluffy is thinking “Don’t go to the bathroom around that guy, he gets mad”. This difference may never show it’s self until the in-laws dog sit a year later and “Fluffy is mad at you for going out of town ” and shows you by soiling the floor. This is where a professional dog trainer can help.

The one thing that all training programs have in common is the need of a commitment by the owner(s). Most behavior problems were not learned in a day, they need work to change.

Be cautious of “alpha” labeling. There are many different respected opinions on this subject.

Positive motivation techniques are what I prefer but they are not an absolute in all cases. There are rare instances, very rare instances, when an aversive method may be needed, but caution is needed. Applied incorrectly, they can do more harm than good. Did I mention these are rarely needed?