Tag Archives: punishment

Or trainers. I can't clearly put this in any one person's lap. Let's back up and see where we are. First off, I am not going to identify the trainer(s), the dog, or the family. My purpose is not to belittle or attack anyone. Instead I want this to be a learning experience for other trainers and a warning to owners.

The term "discipline" is thrown around loosely in the dog training world. You'll find all kinds of opinions about when and how to discipline a dog, but how do you know what to believe? While you may not believe a trainer's advice not to hit your dog, it's hard to ignore the scientific research that Read More

A new study released in the Journal of Veterinary Behavior reveals what many of us in the dog behavior field have long known to be true: that positive reinforcement training is beneficial for a dog's overall well-being and the canine-human bond, and that aversive training has detrimental effects on both. For the first time, trained Read More

Dogs and children are two different beings who share one very important trait: they are highly vulnerable and are at the mercy of the decisions made by the adults around them. When you use physical force to discipline either a dog or a child, you're taking full advantage of that vulnerability and are using fear Read More

Why do some people choose domination with their dogs and/or kids? Victoria, Holly, and Dr. Bloom discuss this, interesting dog trivia and more.

In my recently published interview, Victoria Stilwell discusses the major differences in dog training methods... and explains why "methods matter" to all pet parents and to every dog. Victoria goes directly to the heart of a "hot" issue in dog training that is too often misrepresented to people searching for help with their beloved pup. Read More

"CHESTER," THE CHESAPEAKE BAY RETRIEVER in my office must have weighed 100 pounds, with a head the size of an oven. He'd been brought in for "Dominance  Aggression," according to his owner. It seems he'd been growling at the family, along with leaping up on the bed whenever he heard the word "NO!", and lifting Read More

I’ve just gotten off the phone with a distressed dog owner. His year-old beagle has recently taken to barking at other dogs and people on walks, and has a long-standing habit of barking in the yard when left alone. After a bit of discussion, the man divulged that the dog had been wearing a shock Read More

You have likely heard the word suppression used to describe the effects of punishment on the target behavior. You may also have heard some people scoff at this word because they believe punishment can permanently eliminate a behavior. I'd like to clarify that a bit.

Hello everyone, it’s so nice to have been asked to blog for Victoria’s site. I have watched her show often and thoroughly approve of her training methods.  Positive training is the right way to go and, as you can see on the show, allows you to train a dog to do practically anything without resorting Read More