Paws 'N Effect

Description

Using Real Life Rewards to get Real Life Results:
Positive reinforcement based training is exactly what it sounds like: we reinforce behaviours we like using rewards, such as treats, praise and affection. We use treats to speed up the process of extinguishing unwanted behaviours and encouraging the behaviours we want, and then gradually fade out the treats and replace them with real life rewards: meals, attention, walks, toys and anything else your dog values. Of course I still give my dog the occasional treat just because he's such a good boy. A word on dominance techniques: Let's face it: we're not dogs and our dogs know it. Not only do "alpha" techniques not work for every dog, they can hurt and scare dogs, damaging the human/canine bond. Instead, we use benevolent leadership: if you can control the resources, you can control the dog. By showing our dogs how to get what they want by offering us behaviours that we want, we create smarter dogs that enjoy training and it becomes a fun game for the dogs and their people! Lastly and most importantly: as benevolent leaders, we have a responsibility to make sure we meet our dogs' basic needs (exercise, a healthy diet, attention, and ultimately time to just be a dog). Since we are in control of all these resources, at the end of each and every day, we must make sure to provide them to keep our companions healthy and happy.