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Lots of people wonder why I am called the "politically incorrect trainer. Well like any other trainer I have lots of opinions on training and I will not hesitate to tell you about them. Unlike most trainers I don't have some weird "bible" or other trainer I feel a need to follow like some acolyte. I love dogs, and even more I repect them as individuals. I know I am never always right and they are never always wrong.
I have good days and bad days, so do dogs. Some days I get a behavior in minutes if not seconds. Others, man I feel like a tard and wonder if I'm working with the right end of the dog. It's what makes my job so interesting. I never know what is going to happen.
I started out training using almost nothing but compulsion. It was a long time aao and that was about all there was anywhere. I can hear all the Mother Teresa's out there cursing me to hell, but 30+ years ago, that was pretty much the only way to teach a dog or a kid for that matter. It worked for the most part, the dogs did the behaviors I wanted. Still, I knew something was wrong. I had worked on a dairy farm growing up and stock was stock, but dogs just didn't seem like stock to me. I knew there was more in that head and I just needed to figure out how to access it. I feel genuine remorse for working those dogs like that. I always try to do better for them, not for some bleeding heart Mother Teresa. BTW, I have nothing but respect for the real Mother Teresa. She suffered every day giving of herself for others, asking for nothing in return. I just have no respect for the wannabes.
I spent the next thirty years figuring it out. I saw some great dogs trained with nothing but compulsion. Hard dogs that seemed to shake it off like it was no big deal. But I saw other dogs melt and the trainers still dish it out waiting for the dog to figure it out. Sadly, for many dogs they didn't and they kept taking the bad end of the stick.
Then came the positive only era. Like anything else instead of a small correction, the pendelum swung all the way to the other side. Trainers swore all corrections were evil and positive only could teach any behavior and cure any problem, on any dog. It reminded me of someone who quits smoking and goes over the top about smoking and smokers. The dogs didn't get corrected, but many didn't come close to being well adjusted and trained dogs. Lots of them were treat whores and without their drug of choice would not perform a behavior.
I've come to find as in most things in life, the middle is the place to be. I rarely use corrections to teach a behavior and when I do only to extinguish bad behaviors. I always try to find some way to get the dog to give it to me for payment. Depending on the behavior and it's importance to me or the dog I'll phase in corrections if I believe they are needed. It's an art, not a science and every dog gets worked as an individual. After training thousands of dogs I have a feeling on when and the level needed. It's my last resort, but I will do it.
What I won't stand for is thuggish, neurotic or dangerous behavior. A dangerous dog is a liability to itself and everyone that interacts with it. I meet people and trainers that say there is no such thing as a bad dog. They have never seen some of the dogs I have had to work with. They are the same people that say there is no such thing as a bad person. They need to go to a corrections facility and meet some of the tenants there. Trust me, I'm glad they are there and not out in my world. A PITA dog gets none of the benefits of hanging out with you. Having some boundaries so they are not a PITA benefits them greatly as they get more privileges and this has a snowballing effect. The more they are around you, the more time they can show you how cool they are, and why you should spend more time with them.
Here are the rules of my game. You might find them useful for working with your dogs. I try state them from the dog's point of view.