You may want to train your dogs for varied objectives. There’s to make them obedient. There’s to improve their agility and their physical well being in general. And there’s to teach them tricks that will wow your friends and relative. Regardless of what your goal is, you will probably pick from one of these dog training principles to guide your training approach.
Traditional Dog Training
Also called the dominance theory, “traditional dog training” is considered traditional because it is primarily based on old perceptions about how wolf packs works. In a pack of wolves, it is said that members are prone to asserting their superiority or rank over other members. This is what governed the social makeup of these packs: competition. A domesticated dog’s modern pack includes their humans and the other pets within their household.
This principle is quite controversial because of how it favors the employment of punishment in the service of dog training. To correct destructive dog behavior, traditional dog trainers have no qualms about using choke chains, shock collars, and prong collars, to name a few.
In recent years, the popularity of this dog training principle has suffered in terms of the number of its adherents. This is largely due to how modern science has debunked the old notion regarding the similarities between wolves and dogs. Now we know that dogs are quite different.
Positive Reinforcement
Positive reinforcement believes the exact opposite of what the dominance theory subscribes to. This is thanks to Carl Rogers’ principle referred to as “unconditional positive regard”, which foregrounds dogs’ need for unconditional affection, attention, and of course, love. Here there is no reason for you to punish your dog. Your love and patience are enough to make them good.
How this principle is practiced is pretty simple. If your dog does something good, you reward them with treats or loving praises. Meanwhile, if they commit destructive behaviors, you simply ignore them. Positive reinforcement experts believe that dogs will eventually continue doing only those actions that has proven rewarding.
The Scientific Method
Just like positive reinforcement, the scientific method also eliminates the use of punishment from the training equation, in favor of rewards and praises. But unlike positive reinforcement, the scientific approach does not advice for bad behaviors of dogs to be ignored, instead experts advice for rewards to be taken away in these cases.
This approach is regarded as “scientific” because the methods it employs are derived from modern dog findings of veterinarians and other dog experts such as animal behaviorists. Some of these recent pool of dog insights include how canines are sentient enough to be able to reason and solve problems. Furthermore, while dogs don’t share human’s wide spectrum of emotions, they nonetheless feel sadness, joy, and, of course, love and affection. Here dogs’ are considered in need of more than the basics. Aside from food, water, and shelter, they also require to be in their tiptop emotional and psychological states.
Regardless of which of these principles you choose, remember that their effects will rely on your patience and dedication.
