At K-9 Companions we believe in positive reinforcement, motivation, and moderation. As is the case in most arguments or discussions the truth usually can be found in the middle ground. Just as with children, we believe in rewards for good behavior and correction at the level that fits the dogs personality, size, age, and willingness. We do not believe in the use of abuse or shock in any circumstances. We utilize flat collars for the most delicate breeds and temperaments, slip collars for the average situation and average temperament, and pinch collars for the very tough breeds and dominant personalities (See The Myths About Training Collars). We believe in using the word “No” (or equivalent word) in association with a correction. Corrections can be instinctual corrections such as bad tastes, smells, or sounds, in addition to collar corrections. We believe in teaching the dog to make their own decision based upon proper communication of desired behaviors. When a dog learns to make his own decisions based upon his experiences he becomes able to be reliable off leash and is more capable of problem solving in unusual or difficult situations. You may notice that this is not so different from your desired results when teaching children. Dog training is similar to raising children but more difficult for people to understand because we must communicate with the dog from a canine point of view. This requires that we have an understanding of how dogs think and perceive their world. We understand that this is an integral part of our job , to teach the client how to best communicate clearly with their dog.

The Myths About Training Collars

The best way to get to the truth of the matter is to look at which collar is used throughout the world in competitions. If you care to observe the facts in this matter you will quickly notice that nearly all of the dogs you see in competition will be wearing some form of slip collar (aka Choke Chain). When used properly this collar is not used to choke the dog. The slip collar is used to simply give the dog a correction with a quick pop and release, and should never be used to actually choke the dog. Novice trainers who have little practical experience with dogs or who have learned to train from a pet store chain where their use is prevented due to corporate policy, May be required to follow corporaate policy. Professional trainers know that it is the person using the collar, not the collar itself that can cause damage to the dog. For that matter a dog who's head is jerked in the wrong direction using a Gentle Leader can cause neck damage. Click here for supporting article: (Head Halters) Again, this is misuse of a piece of equipment. If you speak to a trainer who tells you that training collars are abusive you should ask them how many titles or certifications they have achieved? Just as it is easier to be an armchair quarterback and spout your philosophy on how your favorite football team should do things, it is one thing to talk about it and another to actually do it. We have had hundreds of people attempt to use Corporate Methods treats and no training collars to train their dogs, just to have them come to us afterwards with dogs that are 10-20 percent trained and have to pay for training all over again.

As a consumer you should know that there are three main training systems available to you. At the lowest levels of training you will find your “click and treat” and “gentle leader or harness” methods. This philosophy is a liberal style that believes that all corrections are bad and you should simply reward good behavior with food and ignore bad behavior. The basic flaw in this style of training is that it does not work for dogs that are not hungry (unless you withhold food), or for dogs with dominant personalities. Since the dog is not being taught ritual behaviors that keeps the owner in place as the dominate force in the dogs’ life the dog can begin to manipulate the owner into responding to its’ every desire. Although there are many methods that involve treat rewards for dogs (including ours) the lack of correction is akin to raising a child without correction. The problem is that some behaviors themselves are self rewarding.

At the opposite end of the spectrum are the trainers that advocate Shock Collars. These trainers usually say that this is the only method where you can correct the dog and control him at a distance. The problem with the use of shock should be obvious. Dogs feel shock at a level ten times the level that humans feel. This has been proven by scientists. This fact in conjunction with the fact that the collar is affixed to the neck where the dog cannot escape it tends to make the dogs with weaker nerves paranoid. See supporting article: (Shock Collars) There are very few dogs owned by the public that need to be trained with a shock collar. It is a real shame that some of the major pet store chains who do not condone training collars in their training classes will sell you a shock collar in a heartbeat because they are a high ticket item. It is true that some dominant dogs such as police service dogs or dominant sport dogs have shock collars used on them without damage to their performance. This is the exception however and not the rule. Scientists have proven that over time the dogs’ system with adjust to the level of the shock and it will have to be continuously turned up. This results in a dog that is calloused to a typical correction from a training collar making the dog more difficult to train by a standard training method. The philosophy of this method is “Do what I want you to do or you will pay”. At K-9 Companions we do not use shock collars in our method of training. This type of training system would be at the far right of the spectrum.

The Middle Ground (Centrist Position)

The middle ground is what we believe in at K-9 Companions. Our methods are a blend of positive motivation and mild correction. It is very important to dogs in their own canine psychology that they know where their boundaries of behavior lie. These are established through training which allows you to use “ritual behaviors” to keep the dog in check. The dog should understand that you are the “Alpha” (dominant) in the pack.

We will use whatever motivates your dog to our advantage. This means that we will use food, toy and tactile and verbal praise. We will eventually wean the dog onto a praise based system but scientists have proven that the best reward system is intermittent. This allows the dog to always expect that he could receive a reward at any given time. This has the effect of keeping his performance level high even in the temporary absence of food or toy reward.

If you consider how you would train your child (treats and no correction vs. compulsion) most people would say neither. There must be some middle ground that is fair to the subject of the training, non spoiling, but yet non abusive. There is! A mixture between praise, treats, and correction. Our goal is to be able to teach every owner a practical way to train their dog and use it in their everyday life.

See supporting Article: (Dog Training)