You should search for a force-free positive reinforcement dog trainer. We cover the West Midlands, Worcester and South Staffordshire; if you’re not lucky enough to be in one of those areas take a look the the IMDT website: https://www.imdt.uk.com/find-a-qualified-imdt-trainer to find a positive reinforcement trainer who covers your area.
Positive Reinforcement Training (R+) is the most effective and humane way to train your dog. As R+ trainers we never punish our dogs, we simply reinforce the behaviours we want more of and ignore the ones we don’t.
There are four elements to Positive Reinforcement Training:
Reinforce the behaviours you want
Ignore the behaviours you don’t want
Teach ‘mutually exclusive behaviours’ - this is something for your dog to do instead of the unwanted behaviour
Associate things your dog is scared or unsure of with a reward.
You should actively reinforce ‘good’ behaviour - like looking out the window and not barking, or not chasing the cat, or not pulling on the lead. Behaviour that is rewarded gets repeated.
Reinforcement is not just food or toys - it is also touch / talk / eye contact from you. If you have a dog who barks excessively, it’s human nature to call your dog’s name and try to distract them - but by engaging with them you’re reinforcing that behaviour. Instead, you should completely ignore the barking and then reward your dog when they’re quiet.
It’s also important to give your dog something else to do instead of the unwanted behaviour - if you create a vacuum your dog will fill it with something! So, if you don’t want your dog to jump up, then teach them that it's rewarding to go to their bed when guests come in, if you want them to stop barking at other dogs, then teach them it’s rewarding to turn to you when they see a dog.
Finally, if your dog is scared or anxious of anything: loud noises, the vacuum, other dogs, the hose… literally anything; then pair that thing with a reward. This goes double for puppies; create positive associations with new items and experiences and you’ll be helping them to grow into a relaxed, confident dog.
Modern Versus Traditional Dog Trainers
We’re not saying ‘traditional’ or ‘balanced’ training doesn’t work: it does, that’s the problem. It’s been working for generations, from Colonel Konrad Most to Barbara Woodhouse to Cesar Milan. You can get any animal, up to and including humans, to do anything with a choke chain or a shock collar but we’re assuming, since you’ve read this far, that you’re looking for a different way to train your dog.
The problem with traditional dog training is that it doesn’t treat the underlying cause of the behaviour, which for many dogs is fear or anxiety, and it doesn’t teach the dog what you want them to do. Punishment based training ultimately results in a confused and emotionally shut down dog.
Positive Reinforcement training is on the rise and (we hope) punishment based training is destined to be a footnote in the history of dog training; it’s up to owners now to pick a side and do what’s best for your dog!
