Dog training methodologies

Which is your preferred? And which do you think are out-dated or perhaps even borderline dangerous or barbaric?

I prefer positive/force free/reward based etc.. because to me it's kinder and more in harmony with our relationship.

To be honest though I'm happy to use any method on condition it doesn't involve inflicting any type of "violence" or using fear. For example I use a canny collar which is basically punishment based i.e he pulls, feels discomfort and stops so the collar is basically aversive. I would never hit my dog (or any dog for that matter) and very rarely shout at him. Like the occasion when he slide the top half of freshly baked Victoria sponge cake to lick off all the jam and cream.

I think most people on here have dabbled with a few techniques and use most consistently those that work the best irrespective of the school of training.

When I started training dogs way back in the 1950s(1956 to be precise )the only way to train a dog was with the compulsive method of choker & what I term Pull & Push, Pull the dog to you in recall, push the dog into the sit & down etc. Must admit I was never very happy with it, especially when I saw others go well over the top & apply way too much pressure, both mentally & physically, on the dogs.

In 1964 I was asked by a customer of my dad's shop(which was a fish & chip shop BTW)if I would take his young bitch to the local BAA(now BAGSD)branch to train her, as the course she had gone on at a local dog breaker's kennels, had made her behaviour worse.

I accepted & found that what they had done to her at the Kennels, had left her terrified of the lead & choker, she was hand shy & very reluctant to even walk on a lead. One of the members at the branch was an RAF redcap(not a dog handler)& he had trained his rescue GSD based on some books & also on his own instinctive abilitities.

Realizing that the bitch needed to learn to trust humans again, he tried out some reward based training on his own dog & a week later armed with a hungry GSD & some very tasty treats, he began to train me to train dogs hands off. No clickers back then, but with lots of practice & never touching her unless she touched me first, we eventually got to the stage that we could compete at Open show level in competitive obedience.

I've revised my training methods to include the clicker to mark the required behaviour, but basically have continued to use the hands off method ever since.

One Ms Jan Fennell, does claim to have invented treat rewards in the late 1990s, many years after lots of far better trainers started using them(Karen Pryor for one)

The only methods I totally disapprove of is those that compell dogs into a certain behaviour, instead of modifying the dogs natural behaviours, by the use of force &/or pain/fear

We started in the era of Barbara Woodhouse, soon discovered that gave us more headaches and worries than we wanted to have, I mean having a dog was supposed to be fun and happy not all this hassle. So we adopted a more adhoc approach looking at what worked for each dog. Some like food treats, some a toy and some just love a cuddle and tickle to do well.

We don't have best trained dogs we have dogs that are friendly/fun and happy. We are not a problem to anyone else when we are at home or out and about which TBH is all I want to achieve with mine.

I know others like absolute obedience at all times and are quite competitive about it but that isn't for us we just want calmness and happiness and companionship from ours.

Intuitive body language cognitive training , what I call post operant conditioning, as OC and heirachal/coercive approaches are both too mechanical, reductionist, and one size fits all

I'm glad somebody else remembers Barbara Woodhouse Cesar Millan reminds me a lot of her, almost like a BW 2.0

Personally I prefer positive training methods, and especially NILIF (nothing in life is free) where, you generally get your dog to do something before giving them things. I feel this teaches good discipline, and helps create a bond - because you become the giver of all the best things in the dogs life (rather than them just going and taking what they want when they want). I think this is especially important for large breeds

Never done that with mine with my shaky hands the first one to the kitchen when I say sod it is the one who gets the treat I have dropped on the floor

LOL! As for this

Same here. Everyone loves my dog (the guys that looked after her for 3 weeks recently told me today that all their visitors to them while she was there are constantly asking after her. I said 'but she is a bit of a pain in the butt with visitors wanting so much attention'. He said - they had kids. AHH - well Bella ADORES kids and they adore her!

Back in the day (my day during a previous reign) so old I wonder how anyone ever managed to train any dogs before all this stuff came out. Treats/clickers etc. weren't used.

I'm just not in the habit of using them and old dogs and all that. And am quite prepared and have the patience to own a dog for a year before I can honestly say it is 'trained'. But can appreciate much faster results are obtained if you have a food obsessed dog! Some dogs are scared of that 'clicker' noise too and my dog now couldn't give a hoot for any treat when out. Even her favourite treat at home wouldn't interest her when outside. Even if all the other dogs are eating treats!

However, I've watched some vids of this treat reward training and have to say that, to me, it doesn't look 'natural' in a lot of cases. The dog it walking with its nose GLUED to the owner's hand or pocket. Or walking with its head turned to the side all the time which seems to affect the 'gait' a bit. Just 'following the treat'. Not quite the same as having a happy well trained dog that trots on slightly ahead or right next to you, looking forward and all that.

Don't know because as I said, never done it, but does there come a time when you can just drop the 'treats' out of the equation? And do they then stop walking with their nose glued to your hand or walking looking up sideways at you? Because some I've seen even when it's obvious the handler doesn't have anything in their hand - the dog is still walking and behaving as if they do?

I know how to train a dog for all the basics both on and off lead using no harsh methods or treats. I don't bother with it anymore but I do teach them all simple one or two word commands mostly for their own safety. I think after first learning their name the next word they learn is no. For walking outside they all know that feet means to come to my feet at once. And they all learn stop in case I see something coming out of the woods and they have to freeze. Then git which means go away. usually used to get them out of my small kitchen. They know hush to be quiet and this is the only command I ever have to repeat. Come on for when they are allowed back into the kitchen to eat. And if I whisper "who is it" they go into a tiny imitation of six GSD's on steroids. Only my one large dog walks on a leash or wears a collar. She just has to go after whatever wild thing she sees including the bears. She would not win the fight. I could train it out of her but I just don't have the energy at my age and condition. As long as she's on the lead she listens to me. I have managed to teach her not to bark or growl at the critters. " don't you dare" is reserved for Joey who would love to mark territory as he used to be my main stud dog. I'm not breeding any more and Joey has been neutered but there are some things they don't ever forget.

Forgot to mention....many years ago when Barbara Woodhouse was new and the current thing I enrolled a puppy in an obedience class using her method. It took me less than 10 minutes to demand my money back and leave. I didn't have anywhere near the experience I have now but even then I didn't care for a method where the trainer wouldn't even allow a puppy to get a sniff of another. And the forced sit and hold that sit for a prescribed number of minutes is inhumane with a puppy who, if you're lucky, has a 15 second attention span. Even today, with all adult and some oldies I have no problem teaching something new to any of them provided I keep within each dogs limitations. Even blind and deaf Rita who was dumped over my fence a few months ago has taught herself to stand at the bathroom door if she's hungry because she is always fed alone in the bathroom. Dog's are amazing creatures if you just let them be slightly modified.