June 3rd, 2009
By Eric Letendre
Back in the 80′s, I landed my first job working with dogs. I worked as a security patrol dog handler at a large inner-city hospital that boarded on one of the worst neighborhoods in the state.
The training back then was extremely harsh. Training consisted of choke collars, prong collars, electronic collars and NO TREATS!
For some strange reason, some trainers still train today using extremely harsh and cruel techniques.
I definitely think that electronic collars have a role in dog training – it’s just that the foundation for all of your training should be based on trust and POSITIVE reinforcement, because using negative methods will effect your dog.
NOT using loads of positive reinforcement is the second biggest mistake that I see.
Spend eight to twelve months reinforcing your dog’s behavior with treats, praise and toys. You’ll be amazed at how your dog responds and remembers the commands.
Spend twelve months punishing your dog’s behavior with overuse of an electronic collar, scruff shakes and harsh tones and see how your dog responds. You’ll be amazed at how grouchy your dog becomes.
Don’t be surprised if your dog develops a serious aggression problem.
Once a dog has developed an aggression problem, it is very difficult to bring him back from the dark side.
"But beware. Anger, fear, aggression. The dark side are they. Once you start down the dark path, forever will it dominate your destiny (or your dog’s).
Yoda – Star Wars, the add on about dogs is mine.
All the best,
Eric
P.S. Looking for a way to train without worrying about your dog going to the dark side, surf on over to:
Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States and has been training dogs for over 20 years, teaching regular, average, every-day owners all over the world how to get the training results they want as fast as possible. Eric is also the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Improve Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
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Eric Letendre is a professional dog trainer from the United States. For more than 20 years, he has been developing dog training "hacks" that have worked for dog owners all over the world. Eric operates from a home office or a laptop while traveling and draws on his experience and passion for dog training to show others how to develop a dog that is truly “Man’s Best Friend”.
Eric is the author of numerous reports, the E-Book “101 Ways to Hack Your Dog’s Behavior,” “The Amazing Dog Training Man Book,” and produced and stars in his DVD “Secrets of a Professional Dog Trainer.”
